In Honor of Julia - Salad Nicoise!

     Tomorrow, August 15th, will be Julia Child's 100th birthday.  I have always been a big fan for several reasons.  One is that she possessed a sort of humble optimism laced with humor.  A couple Mother's Days ago, the girls gave me a little portable DVD player and I ordered Julia's first PBS cooking shows.  Back then they were recorded live and her spontaneity and joy really comes through. I love the show where she is trying to flip potatoes cooking in a pan and they wind up all over the stove.  As she is scraping them up in front of the camera she says, "When you flip something, you must have the courage of your convictions, I did not... but when something like this happens, nothing is lost, you can just turn it into something else!" Then she proceeded to pour cream and dot butter over the top and placed it in the oven.  I bet that turned out to be delicious!  Another reason I admire her is that Mastering the Art of French Cooking is my "gold standard" - when my short cuts fail, I look to it to see how I really should have done something!  For instance, her tried and true Pate A Choux recipe (cream puff paste) uses the same method as churro dough!

     Julia's PBS show, The French Chef, made Salad Nicoise popular in the U.S.  It is healthy, delicious, and perfect for a summer supper.  It is actually made of three salads (French potato, bean, and lettuce) that could stand alone on their own, but when combined together on a platter it turns into a yummy feast!

1.  Gather the Ingredients

You will need enough of the following according to how many people you wish to serve:

Green beans

Tomatoes

Boston lettuce

Potatoes (I used red skin)

Eggs

Canned tuna

Diced shallots

Other ingredients that are very nice to include:

Black olives

Capers

Anchovy filets

Proportions and components of the dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, put through a press 

2.  Prepare the ingredients

Hardboil the eggs:

Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover them with cool water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to just below simmering for 15 minutes.  Take off stove and run cold water over the eggs to cool them down.

Cook the green beans:

Snap the ends of the green beans, rinse them in a colander, and drain them.  Place them in a pan with enough boiling water to cover them, then turn the heat down to a simmer.  Cook just until tender, then run cold water over them to cool them down.

Cook the potatoes:

Cut the potatoes up into small, bite sized pieces.  Place them in a pan with enough boiling water to cover them, then turn the heat down to a simmer.  Cook just until tender. I did not do this but,  Julia suggested that at this point you drain them and pour a bit of chicken broth and white wine over them while they are still warm.  She said it would help the salad dressing to adhere to them when you put it on later.  If you don't do the Julia step, then drain the potatoes and run cold water over them to cool them down.

Get the extas ready:

Drain and rinse the black olives.  Drain the capers and the anchovies.

3.  Dress the main ingredients

Apply dressing

Whisk the dressing ingredients together.  Put the lettuce, potatoes, and green beans in separate bowls. Add the diced shallots to the potatoes.  Add just enough dressing in each bowl to coat it well.

4.  Arrange

Make it look pretty

Put the dressed lettuce on the platter and then arrange the beans, eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, black olives, capers, and anchovies.  Drain the can of tuna and put it in the middle.  Enjoy - this combination is really, really yummy!



Pesto!

     My mom was not the best at ordinary cooking.  In fact, her cooking disasters are part of our family lore.  She had the endearing habit of leaving out key ingredients that, shall we say, changed the character of a recipe.  But, when it came to adventurous cooking, she was really on board.  Although she often had my dad run to the store for the missing component needed in a gourmet dish, she and I had a lot of fun trying out dishes that were more diverse from what she usually prepared.  She and my dad had a small vegetable garden at the very back of their property.  They always planted tomatoes and beans, but for several years they also grew basil.  By August, the basil plants produced tons and tons of wonderfully fragrant leaves.  We discovered that one great thing to do with all that basil was to make batches of pesto.  It freezes well and it is incredibly delicious on so many things such as: pasta, in soups, in vinaigreette, mixed in butter, on any meat, or spread on crusty, warm Italian bread.

The addition of a dollop of Pesto to the great Italian soup, Minestrone, makes a really delicious cool weather meal.  

Steps for Making Pesto

1.  For every 1 cup (2 herb packages) of tightly packed, rinsed, drained, basil leaves you will need: 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 2 medium cloves of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 tablespoons Romano cheese

2.  Put a bit of olive oil in a skillet and saute the pine nuts over low heat until they are browned.

3.  Combine the pine nuts, basil leaves, garlic, salt, and olive oil in a food processor or blender.  Then put in a bowl and stir in the cheeses.  The aroma is intoxicating and it tastes great on everything!

More Lavender - Something Sweet

Lavender Lemon Sorbet and Shortbread

     After recently trying quite a lot of lavender infused savory dishes, I thought I was done experimenting for a while. However, Roy was given a mini ice cream maker for Father's Day which had never been out of the box and someone I was tutoring brought me a wonderful shortbread cookie.  I kept thinking about a couple of recipes I had come across for lavender sorbet and lavender shortbread. I gave in to the temptation to try them out!  The sorbet would be great served in a shot glass as a palate cleanser, but here I used a juice glass.   The shortbread is flakey, buttery and is great with a cup of tea.  Like I did before, I reduced the amount of lavender in each recipe and tweaked the instructions a bit, but credit is given below to their origin sources.


Lavender Lemon Sorbet
Adapted from http://whatscookingamerica.net

1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon culinary lavender flowers
5 tablespoons of lemon juice

Put the sugar and water in a pan and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the lavender flowers and the lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove it from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes.  Place a strainer over the bowl and pour the mixture through it.  Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Then follow the directions for your ice cream maker.  Or, put your covered bowl in the freezer until it is semi-solid. Then, stir it up and put it back in the freezer for several hours.  When ready to serve just scoop it up and put into serving dishes.



A word to the wise - this melts quickly outside on a hot summer night!

    

Lavender Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com

This makes about 24 cookies

3/4 cup butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1/4 teaspoon culinary lavender, crushed

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and two sugars until it looks light and fluffy.  Then mix in the rest of the ingredients.  Butter a good size piece of foil and with buttered hands, shape the dough into a "loaf" and place it on the foil.  Wrap it up and refrigerate it for at least an hour.  After it is chilled cut the dough every 1/4 of an inch and place the slices on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.  The edges should just be getting browned.

Check out the pictures below!

A Bit of Magic - Culinary Lavender

    A sister-in-law, Betsy, gave me a silver tin full of a secret spice that I had very limited knowledge about:  culinary lavender.  I have seen recipes all over the internet for desserts that had the essence of lavender, but Betsy said what it was really great for was savory cooking.  I have decorative lavender growing in my yard; however, the lavenders used in cooking are varieties such a Lavanula x intermedia or "Provence" which is what Betsy gifted me.  Of course I got on the internet and tried all kinds of dishes.  I learned to reduce in half the amount that any recipe suggested or else it is just too overpowering.  When added in the right amount, the lavender takes the taste to a whole different level - fabulous.  I barely know it's there, but when I take a bite, I am transported back in time to a cute little French bistro I once ate at. In this post I have included the three best savory recipes that I tried out.  The Grilled Pork Chops with Lavender Flowers reminded me of how I roast chicken using Herbs de Provence - I had never made the connection that there was lavender in that classic dried herb mix.  Vinaigrette with Lavender is truly out of this world - I am not kidding - you will want to lick the salad plate.  It would also be good as a marinade for fish or chicken.  Finally the Black Olive "Tapenade" is for the true gourmet. It is so simple, but so sophistated.  Serve it to Impress!

Grilled Pork Chops with Lavender Flowers

4 to 6 pork loin chops                                                   
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix all the spices and oil together to make a paste.  Rub the mixture on both sides of the pork chops.  Let them sit for about 20 minutes and then grill about 5 to 7 minutes a side.  An inserted meat thermometer should read 155 degrees.

Vinaigrette with Lavender

1/2 cup olive oil                                                                   
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon of ground culinary lavender
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, put through a press

Grind the lavender buds into powder. Whisk all the ingredients together.  This is so, so, so delicious on a salad that has sliced hard boiled eggs in it!

Lavender Truffle Tapenade

1 crusty loaf of bread like a French baguette                        
1/2 cup chopped up black olives   
1 teaspoon white truffle oil
(or olive oil & a minced garlic clove)
Scant 1/4 teaspoon culinary lavender buds

Warm the bread up in the oven.  Put the olives, oil, and lavender in a food processor and combine them long enough to form a paste.  Slice the bread and serve it warm with the tapenade.

More Grilled Stuffed Stuff

Grilled Spinach Stuffed Tenderloin & Red Potato Skewers

     During the school year while I am going a million miles an hour at full throttle, I tend to live life by the seat of my pants.  Lovely pieces of meat get bought at a good sale price, but are then thrown in the freezer and forgotten about.  One of my goals this summer is to discover what is in my freezer and to use it!  I've been eyeing a pork tenderloin that's been in their a while;  it was actually half of a larger portion that was used several months ago.  Since I've been in a grilling/stuffing mode, I decided the time was right to make a dish the family loves for company.  It's really super easy and the girls (who say they don't like pork) love it!  We usually serve it with skewered red potato recipe that I found several years ago on Epicurious.com.  The potatoes are slathered in Dijon mustard, garlic, and rosemary - the aroma is heavenly!

Grilled Spinach Stuffed Tenderloin

One pork tenderloin (Mine was probably about 2 pounds)

3 pieces of cooking string

For the "Stuffing"

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press

1 teaspoon dried fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the Rub

2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press

2 teaspoon dried fennel seed

1 teapoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1.  With a sharp knife, "butterfly" the loin.  Be careful to not to cut all the way through to the other side.











2.  Lay the pieces of string underneath the open loin.

3.  Mix the "stuffing" ingredients all together, place the mixture in the middle of the loin, close it, and tie it shut with the string.

4.  Mix the rub ingredients into a paste and smear it all over the outside of the meat.

5..Grill the pork loin over low heat, turning every 10 minutes for about 30 minutes.  Insert a meat thermometer and check that the internal temperature has reached 155 degrees.  Let it rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Grilled Red Potato Skewers

1 pound small red potatoes

8 wooden skewers, soaked at least 20 minutes in water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

     Wash and cut each potato in half.  Cook the potatoes in boiling water just until a fork can be inserted easily. Drain the potatoes.  Mix the olive oil, mustard, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.  Gently add the potatoes and coat them with the mustard mixture.  Thread the potatoes on the skewers.  Place them on the grill and cook them 5 minutes per side so they get some nice grill marks.



Stuffed Grilled Flank Steak

     Lately I've been thinking about grilling some kind meat stuffed with something yummy.  Caroline spent Father's Day this year with her boyfriend Adam's family.  Adam's dad is a grilling master and Caroline was raving about the wonderful stuffed flank steak he cooked up for their feast.  I remembered a recipe from The Betty Crocker International Cookbook I received in 1981 for a wedding gift.  It has a wonderful recipe for Matambre Arrollado (translation: "Hunger Killer Roll") or Argentinian stuffed flank steak.  The Betty Crocker recipe called for browning the meat and then cooking it in liquid until tender.  The temperature has been so extremely hot this summer and I'm in a grilling mode instead of cooking in a warm kitchen, so I figured if I tenderized the steak well enough, I could do it on the grill.  The results were very yummy and the left overs were even delicious served cold the next day.

Ingredients:

1 large flank steak (or at least a pound)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt (and more to sprinkle)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Another clove of garlic, minced or pressed
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 peppers such as serrano or jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 whole cooked carrots, cut lengthwise and then lengthwise again
1 hard boiled egg, quartered
Cooking string that has been soaked in water for about 10 minutes

Steps:

1.  “Butterfly” the steak by carefully cutting it through the middle with a very sharp knife.  Be careful that you do not cut it completely through so that it stays in one large piece.  Open it up and lay it out in a 9x13 inch baking dish or similar container.

2.  Make a simple marinade of ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 garlic cloves put through a press, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and a tablespoon of fresh parsley (if you happen to have it).  Pour it over the steak and refrigerate it for several hours (best overnight, but I don’t always think that far ahead).  During the day, turn the steak over every couple of hours or so.

3.  Shake the excess marinade of the steak and lay it flat – cut side up.  Press another clove of garlic and rub it on the steak.  Lightly sprinkle it with salt and pepper.  Chop and seed 2 tomatoes, dice and seed 2 small peppers such as Serrano or Jalapenos, and dice one small onion.  Mix the tomatoes, peppers, and onions together and spread them over the steak.  Quarter a hardboiled egg and line the pieces down the middle of the steak.  Cut two precut carrots in half lengthwise and then in half lengthwise again. Line them down the steak to the left and right of the egg so there are two strips of carrots on either side.

4.  Roll the steak up from the end and tie it with cooking string or twine that has been soaked in water. I like to tie it in three places - the two ends and the middle.

5.  Over medium heat, grill the rolled steak about 7 minutes per “side” to achieve some nice brown marks.  Turn the heat down to low and cook about 7 more minutes.

6.  Let the steak rest about 5 minutes before cutting it into slices.  Yum – Enjoy!

Adam Makes the Ribs (and Asparagus)

     Roy and I are spending Fourth of July week up at the lake cottage this year.  The beautiful scenery and cool breezes of upper Michigan are a welcome respite from the oppressive temperatures that we are having at home.  Life at the lake is easy:  a quiet cup of coffee on the deck in the morning, a lunch sandwiched in between water activities, and a dinner made with food someone can grill.  One someone is Adam, Caroline’s boyfriend, who gets his grilling expertise from a master – his Italian Chicago dad known as “Picasso” to his buddies.  Using his father’s methods, Adam treated us to the yummiest, juiciest barbecued ribs ever!  He also made some really tasty asparagus which he timed perfectly to be ready just when the ribs were done. 

Adam’s Ribs

You will need:

Slab(s) of pork ribs

Prepared barbecued sauce

Heavy Duty Foil

Estimated Cooking Time:

1 hour and 20 to 40 minutes

The "Picasso Method":

1.  Clean and preheat the grill.  If using a gas grill, set it for medium.

2.  Wrap the slab of ribs in heavy duty foil

3.  Place the foil wrapped ribs on the grill and cook each side for 30 minutes

4.  Take the slab off the grill and unwrap it.  There will be a lot of hot “juices” in the foil so watch out!  The ribs will have a “boiled” look.

5.   Place back on the grill, bone side up.  Take a knife and score the fat on either side of each bone by making 2” cut in the middle part of the slab. Lather it with sauce.  Leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes.

6.  Flip it over and lather the meat side with sauce and leave it on 5 to 10 minutes

7.  Turn the grill heat down to low.  Flip the slab over, lather it with sauce, and grill it for 5 to 10 minutes.  Then repeat with the other side.  Yum!  Enjoy!

Adam’s Grilled Asparagus

You will need:

A bunch of asparagus

Olive oil

Lemon Pepper

½ fresh lemon

Timing:

Have this ready to put on the grill when the ribs are on their second round of saucing. It will take about 10 minutes.

Here’s what you do:

Put the asparagus in a shallow baking pan and drizzle it with enough olive oil so that the seasonings will cling and the stalks won’t stick to the grill.  Sprinkle with lemon pepper to cover.  Place it on the grill perpendicular to the grill slats. Grill about 5 minutes on each side until the asparagus is tender and has nice grill marks.  Put it on a serving dish in a single layer and squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon over it.