olice oil

Mustard Sauce McGuffin

eggs with asparagus and mustard sauce
By jgreghenry Published October 1, 2009
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 1 c white wine
  • 0.5 c champagne or rice vinegar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 0.5 c extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • 0 coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine the wine and vinegar in a small non-reactive saucepan. Bring this to a simmer and gently reduce it to about 1/2 cup. 2. Transfer the reduced liquid to a double-boiler set over GENTLY simmering water. Whisk in the lightly beaten egg yolks. Continue whisking even after all the egg yolks are incorporated. You want to beat plenty of air into those eggs. 3. As the mixture cooks, the bubbles you create will set, adding heft and volume to the sauce without butter or cream. Eventually you will get a sauce that forms very light peaks. The perfect little bubbles should be consistent, uniform and noticeable. 4. At this point remove the sauce from the heat and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Pour it in a steady, slow stream until all the oil is incorporated. 5. Whisk in the mustard. 6. This sauce is best served immediately and warm, but it really does not suffer that much being made ahead and refrigerated.

Notes:

makes about 1 cup Source: Inspired by Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Orecchiette with Chickpeas

pasta with chickpeas
By jgreghenry Published September 28, 2009
Prep time: 150
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 3 T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, peeled, halved, and cut into 1/4-inch slivers
  • 1 stalk celery, cut in 1/4" dice
  • 1 carrot, cut in 1/4" dice
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 3 small sweet red pepper or 1/2 red bell pepper, minced
  • 1 pn red pepper flakes
  • 3 T tomato paste
  • 6 c vegetable broth
  • 0 very good olive oil for drizzling
  • 0 parmesan cheese, grated
  • 4 clv garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 0 salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lb orecchiette or other small sized pasta
  • 9 oz dried chickpeas

Directions

Put the chickpeas into a large saucepan, cover with cold water and soak overnight. The next day drain the chickpeas and rinse them with cold water. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan, adding the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and rosemary. Cook this mixture over medium high heat about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, but not yet colored. Season with plenty of salt and pepper (the beans like quite a bit of salt), then add the sweet red pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir in the tomato sauce and the stock. Then add the pre-soaked chickpeas, stirring to incorporate. Bring the pot to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours until the chickpeas are tender. You may need to add a bit more water through this process to maintain a constant level. Taste the mixture. Chickpeas benefit from a late in the process seasoning method, so season them generously at this time. Then turn the heat off until you are nearly ready to serve. At that point, bring the liquid to a boil and add the pasta. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the pasta is al dente. Remove the rosemary branch and serve warm. Pass very good olive oil and Parmesan cheese at the table to garnish each serving. Serve with lots of rustic bread.

Notes:

serves 6