red wine vinegar

Summer Salads Some Aren't- Grilled Radicchio Wedge Salad with Lentils, Honey & Spiced Walnuts

26 Aug 2011
grilled radicchio wedge salad

My week long series on Summer Salads marches on. Today I have a grilled salad. A grilled wedge salad. Afterall, it's summer.

Now I like a wedge salad. I even like a wedge salad with good old-fashioned iceberg lettuce. I really do. I don't understand why it gets such a bad rap.

But just because I like the classic wedge salad doesn't mean I can't play around with it some. Because I like fresh takes on the familiar. This Grilled Radicchio Wedge Salad with Lentils, Honey & Spiced Walnuts is just that. A fresh take on the familiar wedge salad. But it didn't start that way. I set out to make a lentil salad with chopped radicchio in it. But I made a wrong turn. That's what I like about wrong turns. They always lead somewhere unexpected.

But before I get too far along here I better bring up the obvious. Radicchio is a terrific vegetable. But many people don't really care for the particular brand of bitter that radicchio sports. So a lot of these folks end their relationship with it right there. But really, grilled radicchio is a whole other taste. Sure it's bitter. But it's a better bitter.

Now if my entire goal today was to introduce you to grilled radicchio then I would have simply advised that you grill it on each side, then sprinkle it with salt and fresh lemon. It would have made a fun, piping-hot alternative to a wedge salad.

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Summer Salads Some Aren't- Marinated Swordfish with Tomatoes and Sizzling Garlic

25 Aug 2011
Marinated Swordfish with Tomatoes and Sizzling Garlic

Summer is a time for adventure. But there are all sorts of adventures for all sorts of people– from outrageous to contagious.

Food can bean an adventure. Because everything about summer screams "let's eat". From "wanna pack a lunch and head to the beach" to "how 'bout we stay home and watch the sunset". Summer adventures revolve around food. But they don't necessarily revolve around cooking. Which is a shame, because some of the best and most colorful produce of the year makes its way to our mouths in the warm months of summer.

This is why salads are perfect summer food. Busy cooks are on the go and can't always put the time they'd like into every meal they bring forth. Families have conflicting schedules. Vacations are always something to consider. That cabin by the lake is a great respite from summer heat, but the little 1950s oven hasn't worked properly since, well the 1950s! Salads are the answer to all these questions. But they don't have to be limited to a few limp greens from a plastic bag. That's an adventure I am not interested in.

When the summer months bring out the outdoor enthusiast in all of us, I plan meals that suit my adventures and keep me satisfied without weighing me down. To help keep us all rolling this summer I am presenting a week of the freshest fare the season has to offer. Today's presentation is Marinated Swordfish & Tomato Salad with Sizzling Garlic. It's the third in my week long series. It's a meal in itself, and it's as bright and colorful as the tomatoes you choose.

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Grilled Radicchio Wedge Salad with Lentils, Honey & Spiced Walnuts

grilled radicchio wedge salad
By jgreghenry Published August 22, 2011
Prep time: 30
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 0.5 c honey
  • 0.25 t alpeppo pepper (or other type chili powder)
  • 0.5 t tummeric
  • 0 salt & pepper, as needed
  • 0.5 c walnuts, broken in large pieces
  • 1 c puy lentils
  • 0.25 t crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T red wine vinegar, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 head radicchio, left whole
  • 0 pecorino romano, shaved into thin shards, to taste

Directions

Prepare the walnuts: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a bowl combine, honey, alpeppo pepper, tumeric and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir until well incorporated. Pour half the honey mixture into a new bowl and set aside for the lentils.

Add the walnuts to the remaining honey and mix to coat the nuts well. Spread the nuts onto a parchment lined baking sheet in as close to a single layer as possible. Bake the nuts 15-20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until crunchy but still sticky. Set aside.

Prepare the lentils: Add the lentils to a medium saucepan, cover with about 2 inches of water, add the crushed red pepper flakes and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes, until tender but not yet mushy. Drain the lentils and return them to the pan. Discard bay leaves.

In a small bowl whisk together the reserved honey mixture, olive oil, vinegar, a pinch each of salt & pepper until the honey dissolves. Stir the mixture into the lentils while they are still hot, then set aside covered in a warm place.

Grill the radicchio: Heat the grill or grill pan to medium-high (indirect heat). Cut the whole radicchio head into 8 wedges. Brush the grates or the grill pan with a little olive oil. Grill, cut side down, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and sprinkle with a little salt & pepper to taste.

Arrange 2 wedges per person on 4 plates. Set a large spoonful of lentils alongside the wedges. Garnish with reserved nuts, shaved pecorino romano and a drizzle of vinegar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: The flavor combination was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi

Marinated Swordfish & Tomato Salad with Sizzling Garlic

Swordfish and Tomato Salad
By jgreghenry Published August 20, 2011
Prep time: 60
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb swordfish steak (1 inch thick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 4 T extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 T fresh lemon juice
  • 5 large fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus whole small to medium leaves for garnish
  • 0 salt and pepper as needed
  • 1 lb cherry tomatoes on the vine, or small heirloom tomatoes; whole,halved or quartered
  • 1 lb whole grape tomatoes
  • 1 T red wine vinegar
  • 3 T marcona almonds, chopped
  • 3 T oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
  • 3 clv garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine swordfish, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, sliced basil and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 20 minutes. Spread swordfish and its marinade in a single layer on the prepared pan. Season with salt. Bake until cubes are just cooked through and opaque, about 5 minutes. Discard marinade and cover loosely with foil, set aside in a warm place. Meanwhile, combine cherry and grape tomatoes in a medium bowl. Season with vinegar, salt and pepper; toss to combine. Arrange the fresh tomato mixture and any accumulated liquid with the drained swordfish and on a large serving plate. Garnish with almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and whole basil leaves. Make the sizzling garlic dressing: Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in small sauce pan set over medium heat. Add the garlic slices and cook until the garlic begins to color and is very fragrant. Pour the oil over the tomatoes while still blazing hot. Where it comes in contact with the tomatoes and basil it will cook the mixture somewhat, making a nice varied texture. Serve immediately.
Source: Inspired by La Cucina Italiana

Perfectly Seared Scallops with Mushroom Risotto, Guanciale & Blackberry Sauce

13 Aug 2011
Seared Scallops with Spicy Blackberry Sauce, Guanciale & Shiitake Risotto

I was in a creative mood when I made these Seared Scallops with Spicy Blackberry Sauce, Guanciale & Shiitake Risotto. You might even say I was getting a little experimental– as I was trying to recreate a restaurant dish without actually having the recipe.

In the end my recipe has a lot of steps and ingredients, which means it's not for everyone I know. Still, I am not here to apologize for that because this recipe is really just an introduction to what I really want to talk about. Scallops.

Scallops themselves should be simple to make. But they aren't always, are they?

Scallops should be served rare, if you cook them all the way through you are destroying their delicate nature. An overcooked scallop is a rubbery waste of money. But just because I won't submit to an overcooked scallop does not mean I want it improperly cooked either. In fact I like quite a bit of crunchy crusty searing on my scallops.

But how to best achieve this?

Well, choosing good scallops is the first step. Many scallops today are artificially pumped up and waterlogged by a chemical called STP. If possible get scallops without this additive. The proper term for an STP free scallop is "dry". Ask your fish monger if you are unsure. I have a whole post devoted to scallops and STP here.

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