BRIGHTEN UP YOUR PLATE
Recipes that add some ZIP to your Winter meals
Happy Thursday and welcome to another edition of the What’s 4 Dinner? newsletter.
Exciting news:
We now offer our recipes in a handy-dandy PDF format, so you can download, save, and print them! Just click the “Read Now” button after each recipe to download it to your computer or view on your smartphone.
A LITTLE MORE LIGHT PLEASE…
AU: It’s officially mid-January, and if you’re like me, you’ve already grown tired of roasted root vegetables and hearty bean soups. Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE both of those things—but when you know the glorious Summer bounty of tomatoes, berries, stone fruit, and corn is out of reach, doesn’t it make you crave those bright, sweet, acidic, juicy flavors MORE??
EK: YESSSSSSSS! That’s why I loved your Sheet-Pan Gnocchi last week. The sweet pops of roasted cherry tomatoes and lemon zest were so refreshing. It’s crazy how much a great plate of food can change your mood.
AU: You’re absolutely right, EK! So, if the view outside your window looks more like a frozen tundra than a cheery citrus grove, don’t worry! We can help transport your tastebuds to a brighter, sunnier place…
WHAT’S 4 DINNER?: NYC WINTER SALAD
AU: I was in NYC just before the holidays and was lucky enough to dine at two New York temples of incredible, thoughtful food.
First up, I went to Ignacio Mattos’ perfect, perfect, perfect restaurant estela. My (very stylish) friend Alberto and I enjoyed the most wonderful feast of silky, salty Jamón Ibérico, then Oysters with a yuzu kosho mignonette, Lobster with XO sauce, and the insanely delicious Ricotta dumplings with mushrooms and Pecorino Sardo.
Of course, we had to get the culinary icon that is the Endive salad with walnuts, anchovy, and ubriaco rosso cheese. It’s so famous he put it on the cover of his cookbook…
Estela’s endive salad is an exquisite example of how sometimes the most amazing dish, is comprised of the most simple ingredients. And that got me thinking more about how salads—especially during the Winter—can really transform a meal…
If cooking is about the balancing act between salt, fat, acid, and heat, then a meal requires the same treatment. You need a bright, light counterpoint to the often heavy, rich dishes that we crave during the colder months.
The next day I got to see one of my best friends for lunch at the quintessential NYC restaurant that is Union Square Cafe. It’s the restaurant that launched Danny Meyer’s empire and with good reason. Since it sits on the corner of—you guessed it—Union Square in New York City, it reaps the benefits of getting the very best daily produce from the Union Square Farmer’s Market. I took full advantage of this fact, and ordered the most amazing Chicory Salad with Honeycrisp Apples, Walnuts, and Clothbound Cabot Cheddar. My friend Kerri and I decided to split the salad to start, because I had to save room for a Peekytoe Crab Pasta dish that was out of this world (and because service is so good at Union Square Cafe, they of course split the salad onto two plates for us).
Anywho… after having these two delicious salads that lean on in-season bitter greens and chicories (like endive and radicchio), I decided to riff at home and combine the two…
WHAT’S 4 DINNER?: NYC WINTER SALAD
AU: This salad combines two amazing dishes I had on a recent trip to NYC. While it’s a delicious meal on its own, it would make a wonderful partner to a roast chicken, and juicy steak, or any kind of pork dish! Look for a good-quality aged cheddar; One that seems closer to a Parmesan cheese in texture. The vinaigrette is purposely on the sweeter side to balance out the bitter greens, and please don’t skimp on the orange zest at the end–it really ties all the different flavors together.
NYC WINTER SALAD with Honeycrisp Apples, Walnuts, Aged Cheddar, and Garlic-Anchovy Breadcrumbs
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 small head radicchio or treviso
3 heads Belgian endive
1 Honeycrisp apple, cored and sliced thinly
1/2 cup of Aged Cheddar cheese, grated on the largest holes of a box grater
1/3 cup toasted walnut pieces
Apple Cider Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Garlic-Anchovy Breadcrumbs (recipe follows)
¼ cup minced chives
1 orange, zested
Method:
Cut the Belgian endive in half lengthwise, and then into 1-inch pieces, excluding the thick cores. Cut radicchio in half, remove core with the tip of your knife, and then tear into bite-sized pieces. Combine endive and radicchio in a bowl large enough to toss with all of the other salad components.
Pour a little more than half of the vinaigrette around the edge of the bowl, and gently toss the endive and radicchio, so it’s evenly coated. Add in apple slices, cheddar, and walnuts and continue to toss. Taste for seasoning, adding salt & pepper, if needed.
Pile this mixture in the middle of a serving platter. Sprinkle generously with Garlic-Anchovy Breadcrumbs and chives.
Zest orange directly over the whole platter and serve immediately.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Yields 2/3 cup
Ingredients:
1 small shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, grated/minced
4 Tablespoons (¼ cup) Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Whole grain mustard
2 teaspoons honey, maple syrup, or agave
4 Tablespoons (¼ cup) Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Method:
In a medium mixing bowl, add minced shallot, minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, Dijon and whole-grain mustards, and honey. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
Slowly pour in olive oil while whisking constantly until the vinaigrette appears emulsified (it’s okay if it’s slightly broken–that’s very trendy these days). Set aside until ready to assemble salad, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Garlic-Anchovy Breadcrumbs
Makes 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced or grated on rasp-style grater
2 anchovy filets, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup of homemade bread crumbs or store-bought Panko
3 Tablespoons Olive oil
Kosher Salt
Method:
Place a 6”- 8”skillet over medium heat, and add 3 Tablespoons of olive oil. Once oil is almost shimmering, add anchovies and stir until they begin to break up and dissolve. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add breadcrumbs and toss in the anchovy-garlic oil until well-coated. If the pan seems too dry, add a touch more oil. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs become deeply golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Scrape breadcrumbs onto a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt while still hot. Let cool until it’s time to assemble the salad.
GENIUS KITCHEN HACK ALERT!
AU: Elizabeth just blew my mind with this genius idea. I was complaining about not wanting to dirty up the food processor just to make breadcrumbs (all those parts to wash!), and she responded with this brilliance: If you don’t have a food processor to make homemade breadcrumbs, freeze a crusty loaf of bread (like a baguette) until it’s solid and then grate it on the large holes of a box grater. INSTANT BREADCRUMBS no food processor necessary!!
ARUGULA SALAD WITH BACON & EGGS IN THE LYONNAISE STYLE
EK: It is cold where I am, so I like my winter salads to be bright, but hardy. Thus, my Salade Lyonnaise-inspired salad! One of my favorite foods is a Salade Lyonnaise. There’s nothing like crisp slightly bitter greens, a mustard-rich French vinaigrette, smoky bacon and an almost runny, jammy egg. And, until recently, I only ate it when I went to a French restaurant or when I visited France.
That all changed this fall when I was lucky enough to spend a week in a Provence farmhouse where I cooked dinner every night. One morning we went to the small local market where I found the most beautiful head of frisée (a.k.a. curled endive), and I had to buy it. It was round and lush—about 18-inches in diameter—and it inspired me to make a Salade Lyonnaise at home. I made it from taste memory and it was so good that I wondered why I never made it at home before.
I mean, can you think of a better salad than one that is all about bacon and eggs? There really is nothing more satisfying, especially during the long, cold winter.
As cooks are want to do, I adapted the idea of the salad topped with bacon and a poached egg to my own personal preferences. I prefer a 6 1/2 minute jammy egg to a poached egg for topping salads or avocado toast. I like the texture of the white better when you make a soft boiled egg than when you poach it. It is also much easier to make and in my method, the shell literally slips off.
I also prefer a straight-up sherry vinaigrette instead of a vinaigrette that uses bacon grease for most of the olive oil. However if you are a fan of the flavor of bacon grease I’ve got you. I fry little cubes of country bread in the bacon grease to make flavor-packed croutons. If you are going to make the croutons, make sure you cook the bacon slowly so that the leftover oil is not burned or scorched. I also cook diced red onion—or shallots—in the bacon grease for a couple of minutes instead of adding onion to my vinaigrette because the quick-cooked, flash-fried onions are milder, but add a nice savory flavor.
Finally, when I came back to the states, I couldn’t find frisée anywhere, so I substituted baby arugula and it hit the spot with it’s slightly bitter, peppery green.
ARUGULA SALAD WITH BACON & EGGS IN THE LYONNAISE STYLE
This simple salad has 2 core recipes that you will find yourself using for lots of other things, a homemade Sherry Vinaigrette and my favorite 6 ½ minute jammy soft-boiled egg. You can substitute pancetta in this recipe but you won’t have the smoky flavor that you get with bacon.
Makes 4 salads
INGREDIENTS:
4 generous cups baby arugula, washed and dried
4-5 slices thick cut bacon cut into strips or about 4 ounces pancetta
1 small shallot or half a red onion, diced
2 large slices of rustic Country white or sourdough bread, cubed (optional—you can serve with a baguette if you don’t want to make croutons)
4 eggs
Sherry Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
METHOD:
Place arugula in four individual bowls and set aside.
Preheat a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add bacon and cook slowly—stirring occasionally—until crisp all over, about 13 minutes. Add shallot or onion and cook until softened, a minute or two. Remove bacon and onion or shallots, and drain on a paper towel. Set aside until ready to make the salad.
If making croutons, add the cubed bread to the hot bacon fat and “fry” the croutons in the bacon fat. Remove from skillet and place on a tray fitted with paper towels to drain the excess fat. Set aside until ready to make the salad.
HOW TO: Perfect Jammy Eggs in 6½ Minutes
Note: I have found that 6 ½ minutes is the perfect amount of time to for me, 6 minutes results in a much runnier egg, and 7 minutes eliminates any runniness. Because I like a little bit of a runny egg and the jammy yolk, I have settled on 6 ½ minutes. Feel free to adjust the timing to suit your taste.
Meanwhile, bring about six inches of water to a boil in a small, deep pot—I use a 1.5 quart pot.
One at a time, using a large spoon, lower eggs into the bubbling water. Cook eggs for 6.5 minutes. Remove each egg with a spoon and place in a bowl of ice water. Immediately crack all over and peel under running water. The peel should slip off easily and quickly. Place peeled eggs in a bowl.
When all eggs are peeled, distribute the bacon and red onion or shallots over the greens, sprinkle with croutons and dress with 1-2 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Top with the jammy egg and serve immediately. To eat, break the egg and mix that with a bit of everything. If you prefer, skip the croutons and eat with a hunk of your favorite fresh bread for sopping up the juices.
Sherry Vinaigrette
You can make this vinaigrette in advance and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator or make it just before you need it. My vinaigrette follows the proportions of 1 part acid (vinegar, lemon juice etc.) to 4 parts oil. This way, it is very easy to double or triple the recipe as needed. This recipe makes enough for 4 salads to be lightly dressed as the egg yolk also adds moisture to the salad and there is nothing worse than an over-dressed salad.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon Sherry (or red wine vinegar if you don’t have Sherry vinegar)
1-2 teaspoons strong Dijon mustard (such as Maille, Amora or Trader Joe’s brand which tastes like Amora to me)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
METHOD:
Mix the vinegar and mustard until well combined. Add a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper.
Slowly add the oil a little at a time, whisking continually until well incorporated (emulsified). Continue until all the oil is gone.
Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
And if you’re looking for more ideas to pack some zing onto your plate, here are some of our favorite things we’ve found on the wild west of the web:
AU: Ever had a broccoli sandwich? I tried one at a restaurant here in Los Angeles, and it was SO GOOD. Deb Perelman’s (Smitten Kitchen) Broccoli Melts are pretty darn close and easy to make at home!
EK: I LOVE a grapefruit and avocado salad and this is the time of year to make it. I usually just wing it, but Alice Waters of Chez Panisse has this version of the salad was printed in Food&Wine magazine. I love the chervil that she adds but that is one herb that I have a hard time finding—I like a few sprigs of tarragon just as much.
And that’s What’s 4 Dinner! If you try these recipes, be sure to tag us on social media and use the hashtag #whats4dinner! Happy cooking and have a great week!! xo