A versatile salad dressing that will work well on all types of salads. Even simple greens by themselves are transformed with a light coating of this classic vinaigrette.
Ingredients:
Manchego is a sheep’s milk cheese from Spain – buttery textured, though firm, with a distinctive, mild flavor. If you are unable to locate it, try using Pecorino Romano, or domestic Parmesan (not imported which is harder) in its place. Some radishes can be pungent, even overwhelmingly so, in large amounts. Grating them into small strips using a standard box grater (largest size holes) allows each forkful of salad to find just the right balance of flavor and texture – spicy radish; soft, mellow cheese; crisp lettuce; and mustardy vinaigrette. You might also consider adding some chopped pecans like I did the other night.
Ingredients:
Toss lettuce, radish and onion with enough mustard vinaigrette to coat. Refrigerate remaining vinaigrette for later use. Serve with shaved Manchego Cheese on top and nuts, if desired.
These creamy-tangy potatoes are inspired by Mark Bittman — a favorite food writer and regular in the NY Times. His recipe draws on the Italian tradition, mashing potatoes with olive oil and assertive dandelion. In Ireland the dish would be loaded with butter, cream and kale and called Colcannon (another classic — you can’t go wrong with potato in the mix). I’ve add sautéed onion and tossed the greens into the pan with the aromatics to deepen the flavors. Try throwing some cubed turnips into the pot if you have them.
Though it takes some time to slowly incorporate the stock into risotto, it’s not difficult, and the reward is Italian comfort food at its very best. Risotto works well with most any veggies you have in the fridge or pantry. Try frozen peas, roasted winter squash, chopped greens, even basic staples likely to be found languishing in the crisper, like celery. Experiment by adding to this simple recipe or substituting for the roasted peppers or tomatoes. You can make a lovely, brightly colored beet risotto by adding up to a pound of peeled, finely diced raw beets to the onions (add some chopped celery too) and omitting the peppers. At the end of cooking, stir in a tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice with the butter. Cheese is optional for this variation. You can omit the wine, but it does add lots of flavor and the alcohol burns off in cooking.
I’ve always liked working with frozen puff pastry, but this winter, I’ve gone a little crazy. There’s just so much you can do with the product. Concocting sweet or savory tarts, turnovers, appetizer bites, even pizzas, with such elegance, no one will believe you slapped it all together in less than an hour. The key for spontaneity, is to make sure you have some defrosted pastry waiting in the fridge – it will keep this way for a week, possibly more. You can also defrost the product on the kitchen counter fairly quickly, less than an hour depending on the brand – the Trader Joe’s version is ready in 20 minutes.