Beluga French Lentil Salad with Fresh Peas and Radish

Black Beluga Lentil Salad with Fresh Peas and Radish:

1 cup black beluga lentils.
2 cups chicken stock.
1 cup fresh shelled peas slightly blanched in salted water 1-2 mins.
4-6 cherry belle radishes sliced very thin and blanched 1 min.
3 Tbs good finishing olive oil.
1-2 tbs fresh lemon juice.
salt.
freshly cracked black pepper.
serve over baby arugula or watercress.
Sort lentils and rinse well. Add to 2 cups chicken stock. Bring to boil. Turn down to simmer and cook until just tender 20 mins or so. Drain and reserve. Add blanched peas , radishes, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir gently. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over baby arugula or watercress.

A wonderful lentil salad I made for lunch the other day with some frozen fresh peas I had from earlier in the season and some beautiful Cherry Belle radishes I saw at Whole Foods.
Black Beluga lentils have a mild earthy flavor and hold their shape as well as their texture. Which makes them perfect for salads. I like to cook mine in chicken or vegetable stock which doesn't take away from their original flavor but seems to add a richness to the dish. These lentils glisten when they are cooked which makes them look like beluga caviar, thus the name. I also like to use them on bruschetta because they mimic caviar.

This is such a good example of how you can take something so simple as black lentils and really make them pop with surprise and delight simply by adding some beautiful colors and a simple dressing.
The peppery crunch of the radish and the sweet, barely cooked peas create a wonderful play on color and texture.
I served this over some baby arugula that I couldn't pass up at the market, some sliced toasted garlic baguette and a crisp white wine.

Enjoy!!

Winter Kale Salad with Cranberries, Pastashio and Parmesan

1 bunch Cavolo Nero stems removed and rinsed well
2 Tbs white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs honey
2-3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
splash white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
3 Tbs toasted pistachios roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper

arrange the kale leaves in small piles roll into tight cigar shape and cut into 1/4 inch ribbons repeat with remaining leaves. In large bowl, toss kale with all ingredients except the Parmesan, let stand at room temp for 20 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve with the Parmesan shaved over the top.

Kale goes by another name... One that is much more sexy and interesting...Cavolo Nero. In fact, it is the only kale grown in Italy. Much more tender than regular kale. It's flavor is sweet and nutty with a hint of pepper. One of it's best qualities is that it will not wilt when dressed which makes it very versatile for entertaining.


This Dan Barber of, Blue Hill at The Stone Barns, inspired winter salad is the ultimate way to glorify this green and bring out it's earthy flavor. The peppery nuttiness of the kale, the tart sweetness of the cranberries, the rich, nutty and slightly sweet taste and texture of the pistachios and finally the saltiness of the Parmesan... all dressed in a subtly fragrant and balanced vinaigrette.Makes this a truly amazing addition to your salad repertoire. We enjoyed this with Salmon grilled to perfection, great wine and amazing company on a rainy evening. We had a wonderful time and couldn't stop talking about this salad. The surprise for all of us was the tenderness of the kale and that there was not even a tad bit of bitterness to this raw salad.

Enjoy!!

Gazpacho Salad with Candies tomatoes

Candied tomatoes:

1pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup water
1 Tbs kosher salt
1Tbs crushed red pepper
Salad:
31/2 piece baguette cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic pressed
1/4 lb haricot verts
1 English cucumber seeded and sliced
3 scallions chopped with some of the green
1 Tbs sherry vinegar
1Tbs olive oil
Salt and cracked pepper to taste

To candy the tomatoes: Bring saucepan full of salted water to boil. Prepare a ice bath and set near stove. Blanch the beans until just tender 2-3 minutes. put in ice bath. Remove and place on towel to dry. Blanch tomatoes until skin bursts quickly remove to ice bath. peal and set aside in glass bowl. Discard water. In same saucepan simmer water, sugar,salt pepper until salt and sugar dissolves.simmer 5 minutes. Stain sauce over the tomatoes and let sit 40 minutes. Prepare croutons- cut baguette into 1/2 inch cubes place in bowl and drizzle with olive oil and pressed garlic stir to cover. Place on baking sheet and bake 325 until golden brown. In medium bowl toss tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, scallions, vinegar and olive oil. Salt and cracked pepper to taste.


I had this salad on one of the San Juan Islands one summer and loved it. It was a beautiful warm day on the water and this was the perfect refreshing salad to share with good company a great Pinot Grigio. There are many ways to make this. Just think what goes into the famous Spanish cold soup and deconstruct it. This recipe which was adapted from Andy Nusser's recipe in Food and Wine years ago has these amazing candied tomatoes that I love. They have this kind of sweet hot taste that adds so much to this very simple salad. If your a bit more hungry add some shrimp or chicken and it becomes a great meal. Certain foods can really evoke memories of wonderful places and people and every time I make this I want to be back on those beautiful islands watching the orcas and imagining what life would be to live there... One day......



Enjoy!!

Walnut Chicken Orzo Salad with Cranberries and Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 cups orzo
4 cups chicken stock
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breast, grilled and cut into bite size pieces
1 cup walnuts roughly chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tbs Balsamic vinegar
Lots of cracked pepper
Salt to taste
Preparation:
Season Chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Grill. Cut into bite sized pieces and reserve. Bring chicken stock to boil, add orzo and cook to package directions. Drain. In large bowl add orzo, chicken,walnuts, cranberries and stir. Whisk oil and vinegar together and add to salad. Add cracked pepper and salt to taste. Is best with a lot of pepper. serve either warm or cold.

Like most of my favorite recipes this one is really easy to put together. It tastes good the day you make it but it is even better the next day. I personally think orzo gets a bad rap. People tend to think of it as a little old school. But I like to use it as a base for salads. I think if it is cooked in chicken stock it has a certain richness that you can't get from rice. I like to add things that make it feel less like a pasta and more like grain. Just make sure not to over cook so it has some bite left.

This salad has a certain holiday feel to it with the walnuts and the dried cranberries. With fall in the air I'm beginning want to make all those favorite recipes that remind me of family get togethers and the cool weather. The balsamic in this salad adds some depth and the pepper gives it the spice it needs to stand up to the sweetness of the cranberries. It is one of my go to salads that packs well for lunch or a party. I hope you enjoy this one it is one of my families favorites.

Enjoy!

Watermelon Salad with French Feta and Mint

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
one 8 oz seedless watermelon
scooped into balls with a Mellon peeler
1/2 pound good french feta
1 cup kalmata olives coarsely chopped
1 small red onion chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint





In a large bowl whisk together the oil, lemon juice,
salt, Tabasco and pepper. Add the watermelon, feta,
olives and onion. Garnish with the Mint and serve.

It certainly feels like fall is coming. The mornings are darker. The days are becoming shorter. I'm grabbing my sweater more often than I'd like. And of course, football season has started. I have to say I'm excited for the cool nights, beautiful sunsets and warm comfort foods of the fall. I can't wait to cook lively stews, big pots of beans and roasts that have my house smelling like heaven.

But we are still in summer even if it didn't quite feel like it this year. We have had lots of fog and it has been rather chilly. The coldest summer I remember.

So, when I was shopping today and I saw a beautiful watermelon that was calling to me... "summer is still here"... I had to buy it for what feels like one last hurrah.

I first saw this classic recipe done by Jacques Pepin forever ago when there were no Food Network channels and the local PBS stations ran a few cooking shows one day a week. It seems like a lifetime ago. Now there is a cooking show on all hours of the day. Lucky us!!!

Sometimes watermelon can be a little ... I hate to say boring. This recipe adds a lil punch to what could otherwise be something that people leave on their plate. Use a nice french feta. It is softer then the traditional Greek feta and less salty. The olives are optional I happen to like the saltiness it adds.

This is great to take to a picnic or a gathering. Serve it with some prosciutto or a burger. We had it tonight with a grilled steak and a baked potato.

Enjoy

Farro Salad with Squid and Choizo

With a Yuzu and Roasted Poblano Sauce:


1 cup farro
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion
2 ounces dry chorizo
3/4 pound cleaned squid cut 1/4 rounds

Salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped marjoram
1 roasted poblano chili
2 tablespoons yuzu juice
1 clove garlic




Bring a large saucepan with chicken stock and wine to boil.
Add farro, cover and simmer for 45 mins.
Transfer to serving bowl.
In large skillet, heat 2 tbs olive oil. Add onions and cook
until soft. about 2 min. Stir in chorizo and cook until sizzling.
Add squid and cook until white about 2 mins. Season with salt.
Add squid to farro along with the cherry tomatoes, parsley and
marjoram. Add roasted poblano and yuzu sauce.
To make Yuzu sauce:
Roast 1 poblano chili , skin and roughly chop. Add 2 tbls yuzu juice and
1 chopped clove of garlic. 1 tbls olive oil. Tabasco and salt to taste.
Blend in blender until smooth



AU PIF.....A French term I read the other day which means "by instinct". It struck a cord with me because that is how I cook. I think all of us have good instincts. We just have to trust them.

We have all tasted amazing food. Whether we are traveling and we are eating in a secretive little cafe or in a Michelin star restaurant. Or, we whip something up at home and it is fabulous. It's true that sometimes my instincts are wrong and a dish doesn't turn out. But for the most part it does.

This was a dish that sounded good in theory and Voila!! It didn't turn out good it turned out great! I very rarely cook from a recipe. Just like I never shop from a list. Trust your own instincts. Buy what looks great and combine them in a way that you think will work well together.


The earthiness of the Farro, which I cooked in chicken stock and red wine. The rustic taste of the dry chorizo (which was from the http://www.fattedcalf.com/) a great Charcuterie in Napa and San Fransisco area in California. Along with the brininess of the squid made this dish very well balanced. I made a roasted poblano and yuzu sauce that had a little heat from some added Tabasco to mix in. This was just what the dish needed to bring everything together..Smoke, citrus and heat.

YUM... A nice Shiraz and a loaf of warm bread and your in Provence. Who wouldn't want to be in Provence???


Enjoy!

Lemony Couscous with Lucques Olives and Ricotta Salata served with Romesco Sauce

Last year my mother, sister and I spent a week in New York relishing Broadway, the museums and of course eating amazing meals. One of these extraordinary meals was at a great little restaurant called http://prunerestaurant.com/ where Gabrielle Hamilton is the chef. I still remember what we ate that night: Roasted Marrow Bones, Grilled Octopus Salad and Whole Fish with Fennel Oil. That entire trip I was speechless about the amazing food we ate. That meal in particular has remained one of my all time favorites. So... you say what does this have to do with this entry. Well long story short Gabrielle Hamilton's sister Mellisa is partnered with Christopher Hersheimer in a venture called http://thecanalhouse.com/ They self publish seasonal cookbooks which are great. I was so excited to go to my mailbox today because there was a big brown package that I knew was my birthday gift to myself... The 4th volume of Canal House Cooking. Their recipe for Romesco Sauce inspired this dish.


Romesco Sauce
makes about 2 cups

1cup toasted almonds and hazelnuts
3 roasted tomatoes
1 bulb roasted garlic
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon pimenton dulce
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 0r 2 piquillo peppers
1 slice french bread toasted


Put nuts in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add peppers,tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, pimenton, wine, bread and vinegar and pulse to make a chunky mixture slowly add the olive oil. Let sit for 15 minutes to develop flavor. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.


This sauce is perfect for fish veggies or with french bread and olive oil. I used it to accompany the couscous dish here. Then I'll have it with fish tomorrow. It has a slightly spicy, nutty and smoky flavor that makes me think of Italy on a warm night.

I have to tell you this Lemony couscous is so creamy (yet cream free). It has this kind of velvety texture that plays off the crunch of the Lucques olives and then you have the tanginess of the cheese. All these great flavors playing off your tongue . You can eat it either warm or cold. It's one of those salads that really fills you up but won't bog you done because it really is fairly light.


Lemony Couscous with Olives, Basil and Ricotta Salata:


2cups Israeli couscous
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 zest of a lemon
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup Lucques green olives
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
Ricotta salata

Heat the chicken stock with bay leaf. Add couscous and bring to boil, lower temp to low and cook for 10 minutes or until all liquid is gone. reserve.
In skillet saute onions in olive oil until caramelized add garlic. Add couscous,lemon zest, lemon juice, olives, basil, and parsley. Stir and warm thru. Serve with strips of ricotta salata. Drizzle with good olive oil and serve.

This is super yummy enjoy!!