The Recipe

Source: A Taste of Southern Italy by Marlena de Blasi

8 tiny artichokes, preferably the purple-lipped variety, or 4 small, very young artichokes, several inches of their stems still intact
1 1-pound fillet of baccala, skinless and boneless
1 cup whole milk
juice of 1 lemon
1 small head red lettuce, radicchio or red oak leaf, washed, spun dry, and coarsely shredded
4 ounces large green Sicilian or Greek olives, crushed lightly with a mallet, stones removed, the flesh coarsely chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and finely minced
1 small, dried red chile pepper, crushed, or 1/3 to ½ teaspoon dried chile flakes
1 ½ tablespoons good red wine vinegar
fine sea salt

Prepare the artichokes, trimming just a snip from their still-tender leaves and leaving them whole if they are tiny, slicing them in two, or even in fourths, if they are a bit larger, cutting out the choke should it have begun to develop beyond an innocent embryo.

Soften the baccala a bit with a mallet and soak for 24 hours in cold water (change the water three times, adding 1 cup of milk to the final water), rinse the baccala in cold water, cover again with cold water, and poach for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, acidulate the artichokes with the juice of a lemon, add the shredded lettuce, the copped olives, and the poached baccala, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Make a simple warm vinaigrette by heating the olive oil, softening the garlic without coloring it for a minute or two, and scent the oil with the crushed chile. Remove from the heat, add the vinegar and a whisper of sea salt. Beat the dressing with a fork and pour it over the elements in the bowl, tossing them about and combining them well.

Present the salad with a young, cooled red wine that will do its best to stand up to both the artichokes and the baccala.

The Recipe

Source: Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen (quantities scaled down)

Yield: 5 servings

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 1/2 grapefruits, cut into supremes (segments)
1/2 pound baby spinach
2 1/2 fl oz balsamic vinaigrette
salt and black pepper to taste

For each serving, combine some avocado slices with about 3 grapefruit segments.

Toss 1 1/2 oz spinach with 1 tbsp vinaigrette for each serving. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Arrange the spinach on chilled plates. Top it with the avocados and grapefruit. Serve immediately.

*To add a crunchy texture to the plate, top the finished salad with a few toasted pecans or pine nuts.

The Recipe

Source: Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen. (I’ve modified the quantities to fit the home kitchen.)

Yield: 2 Cups (16 fl oz)

4 shallots
2 heads of garlic
9 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp chopped thyme
1 tbsp honey
salt & black pepper to taste

Peel the shallots and garlic and remove the cores. Place them in a small ovenproof saucepan and completely submerge them with the oil. Cover the pan with foil and place in a 350 F oven for 2 hours, or until both the shallots and the garlic are extremely tender, almost to the point of falling apart, and light golden.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Separate the shallots and garlic from the oil and reserve both.

Place the vinegar, herbs, honey, shallots, and garlic in a blender and blend on high until smooth. With the blender on low, slowly drizzle in the reserved oil, then season with salt and pepper. Reserve until needed.

The Recipe

Source: Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen by the CIA

Roasted Beet Salad

Yield: 10 servings

4 beets, greens trimmed to 1 inch (about 2 pounds)
salt, as needed
3 oranges, cut into suprêmes (segments)

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Arrange the beets in a 2-inch half hotel pan; add water just to cover the bottom of the pan. Season with salt. Cover with foil and roast until fork tender, approximately one hour depending on size.

While the beets are roasting, combine dressing ingredients.

Trim the beets, slip off the skin, and slice into 1/4-inch rounds. The slices should also be halved or quartered as needed to provide a uniform size. Add the dressing while still warm.

Let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving or cooling for storage.

Alternate the sliced beets with orange slices, but be sure to assemble this at the last minute or the beets will bleed onto the oranges.

Curry Vinaigrette

For 1 cup:

3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced lemongrass (optional)
4 ounces Curry-Infused Oil
pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine the vinegar, orange and lemon juice, honey, ginger, and lemongrass.

Whisk in the curry oil gradually.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Curry-Infused Oil

5 oz sunflower oil
3 tbsp curry powder

Heat the oil in a small saucepot with the curry powder until approximately 150 F. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Strain the oil into a bottle or other clean container. Allow to cool, and recap.

Store in a cool, dark area. Use within 3 to 4 days.

The Recipe

Source: The Essential Mediterranean by Nancy Harmon Jenkins

Makes 6 servings

5 to 6 medium carrots, peeled
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon harissa or hot red pepper paste, or to taste [See Recipe Below]
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup chopped, pitted black olives, preferably dry-cured
¼ pound feta cheese, crumbled

Using the large holes of a grater, grate the carrots into a bowl. In a mortar, pound the garlic to a paste with the caraway seeds and salt. Stir in the lemon juice and harissa, mixing well; then add the olive oil. Beat with a fork or a small wire whisk to amalgamate and immediately pour over the grated carrots. Set aside at room temperature for about 30 minutes to develop the flavors.

Just before serving, stir in the olives and cheese.

For the Harissa:

Makes ½ to ¾ cup, about 8 servings as a garnish

15 medium to large dried red chili peppers
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
sea salt
4 or 5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
about ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Rinse the chilies quickly in running water, then break off the tops and shake out the loose seeds. Set the chilies in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Weight a plate over the chilies to keep them under water. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes to soften.

Meanwhile, roast the coriander, cumin, and caraway in a dry skillet over medium heat until the aromas of the spices start to rise. Transfer to a mortar with a pinch of salt and pound to a grainy powder. Add the chopped garlic and pound to a paste.

Drain the chilies and discard most of the seeds and membranes. Using a spoon, scrape the softened pulp into the mortar, discarding the tough, papery outside peel of the peppers. Pound with a pestle to a coarse paste. Work in about ¼ cup of oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The sauce should be very thick but easy to spread.

If you’re not using it right away, put the harissa in a clean glass jar, smoothing the top, and pour a little more oil over to seal it. It will keep, refrigerated, for 2 to 3 weeks.

The Recipe

Source: Garde Manger published by the Culinary Institute of America

For the Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette:

Yield: 32 fl oz / 960 mL

6 fl oz / 180 mL lemon juice
2 fl oz / 60 mL Champagne vinegar
1 oz / 28 g Dijon mustard
½ oz / 14 g minced garlic
1 ¼ oz / 35 g minced shallots
salt, as needed
coarse-ground black pepper, as needed
1 tbsp / 6 g fennel seeds, crushed
1 ½ tsp / 3 g red pepper flakes
8 fl oz / 240 mL olive oil
4 fl oz / 120 mL extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz / 28 g chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ oz / 14 g chopped oregano

Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes.

Whisk in the oil and reserve.

Whisk in the parsley and oregano just before service. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Chef’s note: This versatile dressing can be used not only on green salads, but also as a dressing for grain or legume salads. The spices can also be adapted to suit a variety of regional flavor profiles.

For the Salad:

Yield: 10 servings

10 oz / 284 g Kalamata olives
16 fl oz / 480 mL Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette
2 lb 4 oz / 1.02 kg romaine lettuce
10 whole wheat pitas, cut into 8 wedges each
1 lb 4 oz / 567 g seedless cucumbers, peeled, sliced 1/8 in / 3 mm thick
1 lb 4 oz / 567 g cherry tomatoes, halved
10 oz / 284 g yellow peppers, cut into julienne
10 oz / 284 g red onions, peeled, sliced 1/8 in / 3 mm thick
15 oz / 425 g feta cheese, crumbled

Drain the olives and mix with 4 fl oz / 120 mL of the vinaigrette and allow to marinate overnight.

Clean the romaine lettuce and partially remove about a third of the stem. Wash and spin-dry.

Just before serving, whisk the vinaigrette vigorously and reseason. Toss 3 ½ oz / 99 g of the romaine lettuce with 1 fl oz / 30 mL of the vinaigrette for each serving.

Arrange the wedges of one pita around the rim of a chilled plate. Place the dressed romaine lettuce in the center of the plate and top with 2 oz / 57 g sliced cucumber, 2 oz / 57 g tomatoes, 1 oz / 28 g peppers, onions, and olives, and 1 ½ oz / 43 g feta cheese.