Eating Outside the Box - Take 3

Often it's tricky to come up with something inspiring for dinner...or something inspired to write about here.  Given that pretty much everything has been done, and that I'm no chef, most of what I make comes from either recipes I find, another cook's meals I try to recreate, or a classic dish, to which I add a little twist.  To be honest, even those twists may be somewhat unoriginal, who knows?  If it requires googling for hours, I'm going to put it in the who cares? box.  And then eat. 

In this case, the classic is a pretty serious classic, indeed. Salade Niçoise, that quintessentially French salad:  haricot verts, potatoes, capers, olives, hard boiled eggs, and tuna.  How much tweaking can we even do here?  Is it even necessary?  Well, that old chestnut, necessity being the mother of invention, answers the question:  Yes.  Sometimes we must tweak, and twist, and revise, so that we satisfy ourselves, and work with what we've got.  (ie - not running to the grocery store for one or two supposedly required ingredients)  I had a gorgeous load of veggies from this week's CSA, thanks to Helsing Junction.  Bag the market, I love my CSA box.

As I was attempting to feed my gang yet another salad, without them exactly knowing it was yet another salad...I decided to go for the Salade Niçoise.  It's filling, it's delicious, it hits a nice number of food groups.  One problem:  I only had russet potatoes, which simply wouldn't do to replace boiled baby potatoes, as the recipe calls for.  Boiled russets?  Blech.  So, I roasted them.  In bacon drippings.  And then, I roasted my cherry tomatoes.  Also in bacon drippings.  Oh, hell yeah.

Let's do this.

Roasted Salade Niçoise
 - serves 4 as a main

Ingredients
4 medium russet potatoes (or any sort will do), peeled and quartered (if small potatoes are used, leave whole, or halve, and don't peel)
1/2 red onion, sliced
few handfuls cherry tomatoes
4 eggs
1 lb green beans, blanched for 2 minutes, then chilled
2 Tbs capers, rinsed
1 tin of tuna, packed in olive oil
handful niçoise olives, or any other salty, meaty olive
handful basil leaves
Tbs or so bacon drippings, melted*

*  I keep bacon drippings in a jar in the fridge, for just this sort of thing.  I used to think it sounded gross, but it's the sort of cooking that's been around for centuries - using what you've got.  And it is damn good, believe me.  (Don't save drippings that are burnt, or have lots of little bits in them.)

Vinaigrette Ingredients
dijon mustard (I love Maille)
red wine vinager
good olive oil
garlic clove, crushed OR small shallot, minced
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
small amount of honey

Preheat oven to 425 deg F.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes in the bacon drippings, and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Roast until golden brown on the bottom, then turn, and continue roasting until done.  This takes anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes, usually.  Since you'll be eating the salad warm, it's not super important that everything gets plated as it finishes cooking.  So relax.  Roast these first, and you'll be golden.

While the potatoes are roasting, arrange the blanched green beans on a large platter.  Open your tuna and drain off the oil.  Place eggs in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover them by an inch.  Bring to a boil, over high heat, lid on the pan.  Once the water boils, remove the lid, turn the heat down slightly, and set the timer to 6 minutes.  You may need to adjust the heat to keep it at a gentle boil.  Drain and rinse under cold water, then peel when cool enough to handle.  Slice in half.  No grey yolks - perfectly yellow, creamy goodness.  (And that stinky sulfur smell?  Not so much.)

Make the vinaigrette.  It's true, I didn't include exact amounts.  I find exact amounts too restricting, and I feel like a massive hypocrite when I give them to you fine folks.  The accepted rule is to use a one to three ratio of vinager to oil.  I tend to prefer my vinaigrette a little heftier on the acid though.  And I dig some dijon, which may not be true of everyone.  Just taste as you go.  A vinaigrette is virtually impossible to mess up.  If it's too much of one thing, you simply add more of another to balance the flavors.  If you end up with too much dressing, you've got leftovers to store for tomorrow.  This is not a problem.

Right, begin the vinaigrette by whisking together all the ingredients, except olive oil and honey.  Once they're combined, drizzle in the oil, whisking, until it's emulsified.  Taste as you go.  Add a small amount of honey, and whisk again.

Once the potatoes are nearly done roasting, throw the cherry tomatoes in the pan with them, and give them a little toss, to coat in the bacon drippings, of which there should be ample in the pan.  Season with salt and pepper, and roast for around 5 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to split their skins.

Arrange the potatoes over the green beans, and top with the rest of the salad ingredients.  Chiffonade your basil, and throw that over, then drizzle on the vinaigrette.

There are a lot of different elements to this salad, but you can prep some (green beans, onions, eggs, vinaigrette) ahead of time, if you like.  And it is so tasty.

I'm thinking roasting the onions and green beans wouldn't be such a bad idea either...hmmm.

Have a fantastic day!

Refresh

Well, yesterday got away from me.  I didn't quite manage to get to posting that promised recipe, because, you see, important things needed attending to.  Important things including such responsibilities as:  a sunny day, an afternoon swim with the gals and our kiddos, and yoga, also with the gals.  But I'm here now, although the sun is no longer, with a summery recipe to refresh and revive.

Perhaps it'll encourage that sunshine to come back, and stay awhile...

This is one of those last minute, "hmmm...what have I got around here to throw together, quickly?" sort of dish.  I made some veggie sushi last night, to celebrate the somewhat reluctant appearance of the sun, and needed a little something fresh and easy to go with it.  The veggies were all those left over from sushi prep (I really prepped far too many veggies, but who's complaining?), the rice noodles have been lurking in the back of my pantry for eons, and the fresh herbs came from our CSA box.  Add a squirt of this, a squeeze of that...and away we go.  Dinner in five.

Summery Rice Noodle Salad with Lime and Sesame Oil Vinaigrette
-serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side

Ingredients*
Approximately 200-250 gram package thin rice noodles
1 1/2 to 2 cups julienned or finely sliced vegetables:  carrots, celery, sugar snap peas, spring onions, cucumber, green peppers
1/2 to 3/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, stems included
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Vinaigrette
6 Tbs soy sauce
juice of 1 1/2 limes
2 to 3 Tbs sesame oil
4 to 6 Tbs mirin (if you don't have mirin, substitute 1 to 2 Tbs of honey)

*Note*   The ingredient amounts are approximate.  This is one of those recipes you make to suit your tastes.  If you prefer a sweeter vinaigrette, use more mirin.  If you like it saltier, up the soy sauce.  Use more or less sesame oil, depending on how aggressive you want the dressing.  Taste as you go, substitute another ingredient if you feel like it, and be creative!

In a large bowl whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together.  Set aside.

Cook your rice noodles according to package directions.  If you picked up your package at an international market, like I did, and it has no discernible directions, other than such ever-so-helpful gems as:  "Cook a little while, then it completes." Or:  "After stirring, put it in a dish, then you can have it"...If these are the extent of your directions, then just boil the noodles, and check every minute or two (mine took about 3 1/2 minutes), then drain, and run under cold water.  Allow to drain for a few minutes in a colander, gently squeezing the excess water out of the noodles.  (If you leave them too wet, your dressing will be diluted.  Thin rice noodles are pretty springy once cooked, and can handle a bit of a squeeze.)

Toss the noodles with the dressing, then throw in the veggies and herbs, and top with peanuts.  Serve with some thinly sliced green chili, or a few dashes of Sambal.

There you have it.  Couldn't be simpler, or more refreshing.  A wonder of a salad for a hot day, when you cannot be asked spending much time inside, away from that precious sunshine.

Here's hoping it returns soon!

Making the Most (of Beets)

I usually have the very best of intentions when it comes to not being wasteful of food.  I sometimes find it tricky, though, to use every last bit of certain foods, even though they taste lovely.  Beet greens are often my downfall, as far as wastefulness goes, anyway.  I adore beets.  Everything about them:  their vibrant, almost obnoxious color; their sweet, yet earthy taste; how they adapt to so many preparations...steamed, boiled, roasted (especially roasted!), pickled, juiced...And yet those greens often elude me, and I find myself guiltily snipping them off, wilted from not being used immediately, and chucking them. 

I detest wasting food.

Not so last night, though, my friends.  I made the most of those beets, greens and all.  I'd been picking through Tender (again), and lit upon one of Slater's ever-so-helpful recommendations on an accompaniment to beets.  Get this:  gherkins.  (That's a cornichon to the French, and pickled, for us Americans.)  Beets and pickles, you say?  Hmm.  I mulled it over, and found it made sense.  After all, beets and dill are a perfect pairing, and how delicious are pickled beets?  So, I decide to make a salad out of my beet greens, which were young, tender, and rather sprightly (thus, I absolutely could not waste them, yet again), some roasted beetroot, and some cornichons.  A little pomegranate and shallot vinaigrette...and away we go.

Here you have it.  A salad that's just crazy enough to work:

A Salad of Roasted Beets, Wilted Beet Greens, and Cornichons - serves 4 as a side

Ingredients
1 bunch (3 or 4 small to medium) beets, with tender, fresh greens still attached
3/4 cup cornichons, sliced into bite-sized pieces
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
smoked flaky sea salt (regular flake sea salt will do fine)
freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette
2 Tbs pomegranate red wine vinegar (or balsamic)
1 tsp minced shallots
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp packed brown sugar
4 - 6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (I used about 4, for a tangier vinaigrette)
smoked sea salt (or regular)
freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the beets:

Preheat the oven to 425deg F.

Snip the beet greens off, about an inch above the root.  Thoroughly wash the beetroot, scrubbing away any mud or dirt.  Check in the stems particularly, clumps of sandy mud often hide in there.  Rinse the greens (separately) in a sink partly filled with cold water, leaving to soak for a couple of minutes, to loosen any grit.  Drain, then wrap in a paper towel, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad.

Quarter or halve the beets, depending on size, and place on a large square of aluminum foil.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, and season with smoked sea salt and pepper.  Wrap the packet tightly, place atop a baking sheet, and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, until beets are fork-tender.

To prepare the vinaigrette:

Once the beets go into the oven, whisk together the vinegar, dijon, shallots, brown sugar, salt and pepper, until thoroughly combined, then drizzle in the olive oil, and whisk until emulsified, about a minute or so.  Leave at room temperature to let the flavors mingle until you dress the salad.

To assemble the salad:

*Note*  My beet greens were rather small, and quite tender, thus, needing no more than a little wilt from the hot-from-the-oven beetroot.  I'd advise using similarly young greens, or if that is impossible, either substitute another slightly bitter green (such as arugula, or mustard greens), or give older beet greens a go quick go around in a hot pan, to wilt them down a bit, before tossing the salad together.

In a large serving dish, toss the greens with small amount of vinaigrette, then the (still hot) beetroot.  Dress with a bit more vinaigrette, then scatter the cornichons over the salad.  Serve immediately.

You really could play with this salad, and change it up, by altering the dressing ingredients, or adding a tangy goats cheese to contrast with the sweetness of the beets, and the tart cornichons.  Have fun with your food, and make the most of it!

Change of Plans

I had grand plans yesterday for dinner.  Grand, I tell you.

And they would have worked too...if I hadn't made a minor...erm, correct that...major faux pas.

Alas.

Soufflés really do want to be thoroughly mixed before they go baking away.  The egg yolk-bechamel  with the beaten egg whites that is.  It was going to be really lovely too, if only I hadn't been such a muppet, and too gingerly mixed those egg whites into the bechamel.  We had a couple of bunches of arugula from our CSA box, and some gorgeous chives, along with a sheep's milk cheese...ohhhhh, it was meant to be perfection.

It looked perfect:

Right?  Sadly though, when I went to dish it up, I learned a rather humbling, if not downright painful, lesson.  Mix those damn ingredients, and don't be such a coward about it.  I've successfully made a soufflé before, but well, not this time.  Bit of an uncooked soupy mess at the bottom.  Argh.

I will try it again, and once (if) I get it right, I'll be back to blog about it.

Instead, I've got tonight's dinner to share with you lovely people.  Super quick, super simple, and everything can be prepped several hours ahead.  My kind of dinner.  Not like that blasted soufflé.

Aprés soufflé bomb, I headed back to my tried-and-true Around My French Table.  Ah, Dorie, I know I can always count on you.  Now, before you turn your nose up in disgust, as I once would have, prior to living and traveling around Europe, hear me out.  Sardines are good.  Sardine Rillettes particularly.  Rather like a paté, smooth and creamy, surprisingly un-fishy.  Seriously, milder even than tinned tuna, wouldn't you know.  Served atop a nice crusty slice of bread.  Oh, delight.

And alongside, a green salad, of which I don't think I need to share a recipe...because, well, I am pretty sure anybody can throw some veg into a bowl and call it good.  But how about this for a tasty dressing...Sundried Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette!  Oh yeah, baby.  I will take some of that, thank you very kindly.

So, here's tonight's rather more successful meal.  And yes, I took the photo after I'd already begun eating.  Not due to any oversight of course.  Just so you know it's that tasty.

Okay, it was an oversight.  Forgive me and my novice ways.

Willie Green's Sun-dried Tomato-Balsamic Vinaigrette - adapted from The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook

-makes approximately 1 to 1 1/4 cups

3 Tbs soaked and softened sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used 1/3 cup, I like a little zing)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp minced shallot
2 tsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I used chives, because that's what I had.  The recipe calls for 1 tsp each summer savory and basil)

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes (not the type stored olive oil) in boiling water for 20 minutes, then drain, and save the water for soup or to cook grains.

I threw all the ingredients into my mini-food processor and gave it whiz about half an hour before serving.  Dreamy.

Sardine Rillettes - adapted from Around My French Table
-makes 1 cup

Two 3 3/4 oz cans boneless sardines packed in olive oil, drained (Trader Joe's has some lovelies)
2 1/2 oz cream cheese
2 tsp minced shallots
1 - 2 scallions, white & light green parts only, thinly sliced
Juice of 2 limes, or 1 lemon, or to taste
2 - 3 Tbs minced fresh herbs (I used chives and cilantro)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne or Piment d'Espelette (I used cayenne)

Throw all ingredients, except sardines and 1/2 lime, into the food processor, and blend til smooth.  If you'd like a smooth, paté-like consistency, throw in the sardines next, and whiz to combine.  If you prefer a bit of texture, mix them in with a fork.  I chucked it all in the food processor.  Easy peasy.

Taste for seasoning, and add a little more citrus, or salt and pepper, if necessary.

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.  Will keep for up to two days.

Bon Appetit!