Episode 62: Salads & Dressings

Fennel, Cucumber, Tomato, Almond & Orange Salad
A Classic Viniagrette
Dijon Mustard Viniagrette
Black Pepper & Honey Viniagrette
Caesar Dressing
Poached Pear & Gorgonzola Salad
Panzanella
Salad Nicoise

FENNEL, CUCUMBER, TOMATO, ALMOND AND ORANGE SALAD
1 cup sliced almonds (90 grams)
2 bulbs of fennel (or carrots, jicama)
1/3 cup orange juice (70 millilitres)
4 roma tomatoes
1 cucumber
2 oranges
½ cup best Ligurian olive oil (125 millilitres)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 10 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Place the almonds on a baking tray and place in the 325 degree oven to toast, about 5 minutes, but watch carefully as they can brown and burn easily.

Use a melon baler to remove the core of the fennel. Shred the fennel head on a Japanese mandolin. Place in a bowl and toss in orange juice so that it doesn’t turn brown. Halve and de-seed roma tomatoes. Cut into julienne strips and add to the fennel. Peel and slice the cucumber lengthways and remove seeds in the middle. Add the cucumber, that looks like half moons when sliced, to the fennel and tomatoes. Peel and cut the oranges into sections, leaving the pith behind. Add the orange segments to the other ingredients. Add the olive oil and season to taste. Remove the toasted almonds from the oven and add directly to the room temperature salad.

Yield: 6 servings
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A CLASSIC VINIAGRETTE
2 shallots, very finely diced
4 ounces red wine vinegar (125 millilitres)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey or sugar
7 ounces grape seed oil (205 millilitres)
1 ounce white wine or water (30 millilitres)
salt and pepper

Preparation time is 5 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Add the Dijon mustard and the honey or sugar to the red wine vinegar, stirring to combine. Stir in the shallots, the grape seed oil and salt and pepper to taste. Do not whisk the mixture, just give it a stir. Add the white wine or the water to taste. The dressing may not require all of it.

Yield: 500 millilitres or 16 fluid ounces
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DIJON MUSTARD VINIAGRETTE
 2 tablespoons good quality Dijon mustard (30 millilitres)
4 ounces white wine vinegar (125 millilitres)
6 ounces olive oil (175 millilitres)
4 ounces grape seed oil (125 millilitres)
2 teaspoons sugar (10 millilitres)
salt and pepper
water

Preparation time is 5 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Add the vinegar to the Dijon mustard, stirring vigorously to combine. Then add the olive and grape seed oils, whisking continuously until mixture becomes homogenous. Add sugar, a dash of water and salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 500 millilitres or 16 fluid ounces
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BLACK PEPPER AND HONEY VINIAGRETTE
4 tablespoons honey (60 millilitres)
4 ounces champagne vinegar (125 millilitres)
1/2 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
7 ounces grape seed oil (205 millilitres)
2 ounces white wine (60 millilitres)
salt

Preparation time is 5 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Combine ingredients and stir well. Do not whisk. Add salt to taste.

Yield: 500 millilitres or 16 fluid ounces
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CAESAR DRESSING
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt and cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon or dry mustard (5 milliliters)
1 egg yolk
1-2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 2 flat fillets of anchovy, chopped finely
1 lemon, juiced
½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (7 ½ fluid ounces)1/2 cup olive oil (125 millilitres)

Preparation time is 10 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Crush the garlic clove in a wooden bowl with a pinch of salt. Add the cracked pepper, mustard, egg yolk, anchovy paste and lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Stir vigorously. Add the olive oil in a steady stream and stir until emulsified. Add salt to taste.

Yield: 300 millilitres or 10 fluid ounces
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POACHED PEAR AND GORGONZOLA SALAD
3 pears
1 cup of Pelee Island Merlot red wine (250 millilitres)
2 cinnamon sticks
½ cup sugar (100 grams)
6 cloves
4 cardamom pods
Arugula leaves to lightly cover 6 plates, stems trimmed
3 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese (90 grams)
1 cup halved light walnuts (60 grams)

Ease of preparation is easy
Preparation time 1 hour 15 minutes

Peel and halve the pears, remove seeds and place in a saucepan. Add the red wine, cinnamon, sugar, cloves and cardamom seeds. Poach over a low heat for at least an hour. Turn the pears regularly so that each side gets a chance to rest in the liquid.

Remove the pears from the poaching liquid. Fan each pear half by cutting the pear in thin slices lengthways, almost to the end of the pear, but not quite through the stem. Arrange the arugula on a plate with the fanned pear on top. Crumble the Gorgonzola over the top and sprinkle with walnuts. Dress with honey and black pepper vinaigrette.

Yield: 6 servings
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PANZANELLA
1 ciabatta loaf
4 red beefsteak tomatoes
4 yellow beefsteak tomatoes
½ cup Italian flat leaved parsley, coarsely chopped (62 ½ millilitres)
½ cup basil, coarsely chopped (62 ½ millilitres)
¾ cup olive oil (175 millilitres)
1/3 cup good balsamic vinegar (70 millilitres)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 15 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Tear the ciabatta into bite-sized pieces. Place on a baking tray and toast in a 300 degree oven until crisp but not brown. Dice the tomatoes and add the chopped basil and parsley. Toss the toasted ciabatta, diced tomatoes, and herbs in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste. Serve within half an hour, while the croutons are still soft on the outside but crispy in the centre.

Yield: 6 servings
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SALAD NICOISE
6 eggs, hard-boiled
6 tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
2 cans White Chunk Albacore or Italian tuna in oil (12 ounces)
15 small red potatoes, cooked cooled and quartered
10 ounces green beans, cooked (300 grams)
4 ounces capers (120 grams)
4 ounces Nicoise olives, pitted (120 grams)
Dijon Vinaigrette

Preparation time 15 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Combine the tuna, broken into large flakes, the potatoes, capers, olives and Dijon vinaigrette. Peel and slice the hard boiled eggs into quarters. Arrange the eggs, tomatoes, cucumber, and green beans around the tuna mixture.

Yield: 6 people
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Recipes are courtesy of Chef Elizabeth Manville with the Official Residence of the Canadian Consulate General, New York, NY