Real Plum: salad

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Spring Has Sprung

Happy Sunday. Hopefully Spring is beginning to bloom depending on where you live. If that's not the case, fret not because last night I came across a spring-inspired dish that will whet your appetite for the season.

Two of my favorite vegetables, asparagus and fennel, get dressed up with some chopped capers and a light lemony, mustard seasoning courtesy of Bon Appétit magazine. The recipe pairs it with halibut which I may choose if it's available at the market today. Enjoy!

Slow-Roasted Halibut with Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad Bon Appétit | April 2010

by Ivy Manning

Thinly shaving the asparagus gives the familiar vegetable a new look—and a delicate taste. Because the asparagus is shaved so thinly, there is no need to cook it.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Salad:
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
3/4 pound asparagus spears (about 1 bunch), trimmed
1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb (preferably shaved with V-slicer)

Whisk lemon juice and mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil, then add capers. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.

Place 1 asparagus spear flat on work surface. Using vegetable peeler, shave asparagus into long thin strips. Place asparagus strips in medium bowl with shaved fennel. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Garden Variety

Last weekend my boyfriend Wendel and I attended an outdoor performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night that was produced by a theatre company that tours around the South Bay every year called, "Shakespeare by the Sea." It was a great way to spend a Saturday evening. In my opinion, an outdoor performance like this isn't complete without a tasty dinner. I always wanted to have a picnic under the stars but wanted to make something relatively easy and transportable. For an appetizer, I chose a homemade edamame pea spread with toasted pita wedges (recipe will follow on the next post). Our main dish was homemade steak sandwiches on sourdough bread with roasted tomatoes, arugula, muenster cheese and dijon mustard. I picked a light side dish that I found while perusing through the August issue of Bon Appetit magazine. Check out the recipe below. Super easy to make and super delish! It's even better with home-grown tomatoes.

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. coarse kosher salt

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 t. dried crushed red pepper

2 pounds medium zucchini, trimmed

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Small wedge of Parmesan cheese

Kitchen Notes: *I added a handful of cherry tomatoes for extra flavor and used a different peeler than the recipe recommended b/c I don't like the large ribbons.

Whisk oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/2/ teaspoon black pepper and crushed red pepper in small bowl to blend. Set dressing aside. Using vegetable peeler or V-slicer and working from top to bottom of each zucchini, slice zucchini into ribbons (about 1/16 inch thick). Place ribbons in large bowl. Add basil and nuts, then dressing; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Using vegetable peeler, shave strips from Parmeson wedge over salad.