Nicoise Salad

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Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh green beans
12 ounces small red potatoes
1 head Boston lettuce, leaves torn into pieces
3 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
4 ounces canned tuna (canned in oil)
2 ounces canned anchovy fillets
1 Tablespoon drained capers
1/4  cup pitted and sliced Kalamata olives

Potato Marinade

2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons minced shallots
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons minced shallots
5 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

Step 1 – green beans

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.  Add green beans and boil until beans are just tender, about 6 minutes.  Immediately remove beans from pot and transfer to a bowl of ice water.  Once beans are chilled, transfer to a bowl, pat dry and refrigerate.

Step 2 – Potato Seasoning

In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, water, shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Set aside while you prepare potatoes.

Step 3 - Potatoes

Place potatoes in a steamer basket in a saucepan containing 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to moderate, cover tightly and steam for 15 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.  When potatoes are just cool enough to handle, peel and cut them into quarters or slices, then place in a bowl.  Pour potato seasoning over warm potatoes, gently tossing without breaking up potatoes.

Step 4 – Vinaigrette

Whisk Dijon mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, shallots, and live oil in a bowl until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper.

Step 5 – Assemble salad

Toss lettuce leaves in 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette then arrange on a large platter.  Spoon potatoes over lettuce and arrange eggs alongside; drizzle 1 tablespoon vinaigrette over both. Toss green beans and tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of dressing and arrange on lettuce.  Add tuna, anchovies, capers and olives on top.  Pass remaining dressing at the table.

History:

Recipe comes from Julia Child.

Honey Mustard Sauce

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Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons dill
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon fine sugar

Preparation:
Whisk mustard, honey, salt and dill.  Gradually add olive oil.  When thick, whisk in vinegar and sugar. 

Paprika Rosemary Chicken and Fries

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Ingredients:
2 bone-in chicken breasts
1 cup Aioli
1 large lemon, juice and zest

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves                        

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
Heat oven to 425 degrees and place a sheet pan on the lowest rack to heat.  Mix 1/4 cup aioli with lemon zest, paprika, rosemary, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.  Season the chicken all over with salt.  Rub chicken all over with paprika aioli.  Set aside.

Halve the potato crosswise (no need to peel), then cut it into 1/4 inch-thick fries.  Drizzle fries with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place chicken breasts skin side down on heated sheet pan, then scatter the potatoes around the chicken in a single layer.  Roast on the bottom rack for 15 minutes, then flip the chicken so the skin side is up.  No need to turn the potatoes.  Roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the fries are browned underneath and the chicken registers 155 degrees in the thickest part.  Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes, then cut meat off the bone and slice.  Stir lemon juice into 1/2 cup aioli and serve with chicken and fries.

See also: Aioli

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

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Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli (1 1/2 pounds)
Cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
Kosher salt and pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Mix olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the broccoli florets with olive oil mixture. Spread florets out on a roasting pan and roast for about 20 minutes, without stirring, until edges are crispy.  Serve warm.

History:
Recipe comes from the Food Network.

Butterflied Chicken

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Ingredients:

3 lb. whole chicken, butterflied
1 cup Kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 black pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Dissolve salt in 2 quarts old water in a large container.  Immerse chicken and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.  Line top rack of broiler pan with foil and cut slits in foil to match those of pan, brush well with oil and set aside.

Remove chicken from brine and rinse well under cold running water.  Pat completely dry with paper towels.  Rub chicken with olive oil until well coated.  Place chicken on broiler rack and sprinkle with pepper.  Roast chicken until spotty brown, about 20 minutes.  Rotate pan and continue to roast until skin has crisped and turned a deep brown and an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees in thickest part of breast, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board.  Remove broiler pan rack and place pan on stove top and add 1/2 cup white wine to pan to deglaze.   Add chicken broth and heat to a boil.  Add beurre manie to thicken gravy.  Season with salt and pepper.

Lasagna Soup

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Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. Italian Sausage, skins removed

3 cups chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

 (eliminate pepper flakes if you use hot Italian Sausage)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (28 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

6 cups chicken stock

8 ounces malfada, fusilli or similar pasta

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cheese Topping

8 ounces ricotta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Remove skins on sausage, break up into bite sized pieces placing in pot and brown for about 5 minutes.  Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.  Cook for 1 minute. 

Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown.  Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente.

Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth.  You may even want to consider coking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them.  This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper.  To serve, place a dollop of the cheese mixture in each soup bowl and sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

History:

Jason Fleck introduced me to this recipe that he found on the internet.

Sausage Puffs

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Ingredients:

1/2 recipe puff pastry, cold

1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

1 ounces soft sun-dried tomatoes

2 ounces provolone, grated

2 ounces fontina, grated

1/4 cup parsley, coursely chopped

3 tablespoons grated parmesan

Preparation:

Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet.  Remove casings from sausage and crumble into pan and cook, stirring until browned.  Transfer to a bowl to cool then finely chop.  Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to skillet and sauté onion and tomatoes until onions are tender.  Stir into sausage and cool.  Fold cheeses and parsley into sausage, taste and adjust for salt.

Roll puff pastry out to a 18 inch by 18 inch square.  Cut into 3 inch squares.  Place a square into each hole of mini cup cake pans (36 total).  Place tablespoon of filling into each pastry shell, sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 425 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.

Sausage puffs can be frozen and reheated in an oven directly from the freezer.

History:

Basic recipe comes from Chef Tech Cooking School in Long Beach.  I varied the recipe from 5 inch square sausage pockets to the appetizer size.  

Aioli

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Ingredients:
4 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 Tbs. cold water

Preparation:
Combine the garlic, salt, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Whisk together. Gradually whisk in olive oil a teaspoon at a time. When about 1/2 cup of oil has been beaten in, the sauce should have thickened to a thick cream. Add the remaining oil by tablespoons, beating constantly. If the mayonnaise becomes too thick to beat easily, thin it from time to time with the cold water. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serving Suggestion:
Aioli is a great sauce for fish and lamb.

Variation:
Use aioli as a base for tarragon or cilantro aioli by adding 1 tablespoon of the fresh, chopped herb to the base. For a spicy aioli, add some Vietnamese hot sauce to the base.

See: Paprika Rosemary Chicken and Fries