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Like a lot of women, I am a member of a book club. Our club is kind of a “bad girls” book club. Oh, we do read the books (most of the time) & we do spend a fair amount of time discussing them, but the books are mostly just a reason for getting together to eat great food & drink wine! My food contribution last night was a delicious & easy to make winter salad of Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Toasted Almonds & Kale with a VERY Lemon-y dressing & lots of freshly grated Parmesan. So yummy & the girls loved it! Shaved Brussels Sprouts & Kale Winter Salad 1 large bunch of Tuscan kale, pulled off the stem & torn into bite sized pieces 1.5 - 2 lbs brussels sprouts, sliced in a food processor through the feed tube with the slicing disc or cut thinly by hand 1 c finely grated parmesan cheese 1/2 c almonds, toasted & chopped coarsely Toss above together in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over, toss again and let sit for 10 minutes or more so that the flavors have a chance to develop and the salad has time to get tender from the lemon juice. Dressing: 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, chopped finely 1 small shallot, halved & slivered finely 2 T Dijon mustard zest & juice of 3 lemons salt & freshly ground pepper Put the mustard, juice and zest in a bowl along with the shallot and the garlic, salt & pepper. Add the oil in a steady stream whisking to incorporate. Pour over the salad and mix with your hands to insure that it gets well distributed to every leaf. It seems like this is way too much lemon but with the cheese, the nuts and the heartiness of the kale and Brussels sprouts...it is perfect! As an added bonus, this salad keeps just fine for a day in the fridge and if you add some crispy bacon, hard cooked egg and some cooked chicken, you have a mighty fine lunch or light dinner! I was going to write a blog about figs but every time I leave the house and return, it’s as though the Easter bunny (aka my friendly gardener & friend Annie) has come late and deposited beautiful colors of eggplants on my doorstep! I love to use eggplant to make ratatouille, it is the perfect dish for using up the garden’s bounty, but I wanted to find something more interesting to make. Here is what I came up with: Roasted Eggplant w/Honey, Jalapeño, Garlic, Cilantro & Lime 6 Japanese style eggplant, cut down the middle lengthwise or 1 large regular eggplant, cut in half & sliced into half moons 3 T olive oil salt & pepper to taste 1/3 cup honey 2 jalapeno, sliced crosswise into rings 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely cilantro, whole or torn leaves to scatter over 1 lime, squeezed over the eggplant before serving Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the eggplant, garlic and jalapeño in the olive oil, salt & pepper and spread out cut side down on a sheet pan. Drizzle w/honey and roast for 20 minutes. It should be nice and brown and caramelized, almost candied. Let cool for 15 minutes then squeeze lime over and sprinkle w/cilantro. Eat! And…for your Summer recipe box Wratatouille (Wren Ratatouille) 1 large eggplant cut into 1” chunks 1 red onion, cut into wide slivers 2 squash, zucchini, yellow, whatever kind you have 1 large or 8 mini peppers, all colors 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped roughly, about 4 tsp 4 T olive oil salt and pepper 2 t herbs de Provence In a large skillet put a tablespoon of the oil & heat until hot, toss in one vegetable at a time, cooking each one separately adding salt & pepper and 1 tsp of the garlic. Sprinkle with the herbs, about 1/2 tsp. After sautéeing each veggie until al dente, place in a large bowl together and toss. Beautiful!
Wash and dry the beets and place in a large piece of aluminum foil with salt & pepper and a little olive oil. Roast the beets at 425 degrees for about an hour, until a knife inserted in the middle passes easily through. Let them cool and then cut into 1 inch pieces and drizzle with some of the sherry vinegar. While the beets are roasting, make the vinaigrette! Vinaigrette whisk together: 2 T sherry vinegar 1 t Dijon mustard 1 T honey 1 t fresh lemon juice pinch of salt & a few grinds of pepper add slowly, while whisking: 3 T ex virgin olive oil 2 T walnut oil (if you don’t have, just use all olive oil) ½ t chopped fresh tarragon (optional) It should be emulsified and stay together at room temp without separating. Assemble the salad Toss the green beans and walnuts together with some of the dressing and arrange around the outside of the platter. Toss the beets, blueberries and red onion together with some of the dressing and mound in the middle of the platter. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve chilled. Serves 4
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Cheers!As a caterer for over 30 years, I have established a reputation for consistently creating original menus inspired by the occasion and the season, presenting them with an ease and elegance uniquely my own. Fresh, locally-sourced ingredients are the basis of my creative “from scratch” menus, which range from the classically elegant to rustic and whimsical. Categories
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"Love your recipes! Pat made your avocado toast a few weeks ago, delish! I'm taking them to a party in a few weeks, although the mushroom crostata looks pretty darn good!"
—Thanks, Melody Archives
September 2020
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