Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [268]
Rice and Chicken Salad
For 4 to 6 servings
Salt
1 cup long-grain rice
1 teaspoon mustard, Dijon or English style
2 teaspoons choice quality red wine vinegar
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup imported fontina cheese OR Swiss cheese diced very fine
½ cup round, black Greek olives, pitted and cut into fine dice
2 tablespoons green olives in brine, pitted and cut into fine dice
1 red or yellow sweet bell pepper, core and seeds removed, and cut into fine dice
3 tablespoons sour cucumber pickles, preferably cornichons, cut into fine dice
1 whole boiled breast of chicken, skinned and diced into ½-inch cubes
1. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, then drop in the rice. When the water resumes boiling, cover, and adjust heat to cook at a gentle, but steady simmer. Stir the rice occasionally and cook until it is tender, but firm to the bite, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the rice, rinse in cold water, and drain well once more.
2. Put the mustard, salt, and vinegar into a serving bowl. Blend them well with a fork, then add the oil, beating with the fork to incorporate it into the mixture.
3. Add the drained rice and toss it with the seasonings. Add all the other ingredients, toss thoroughly, turning over the salad components 4 or 5 times, and taste and correct for seasoning. Serve at cool room temperature, but not out of the refrigerator.
Leftover Boiled Beef Salad
As FAR AS I am concerned, no beef dish is tastier than cold, leftover boiled beef. It may not satisfy quite the same wants as does a rib roast, a T-bone steak, or even the same cut when it was steaming in its broth, but it is light and fresh, and its flavor is wonderful.
For 4 servings
1 pound leftover boiled beef
Salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar OR freshly squeezed lemon juice
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Trim the meat of all loose bits of fat and skin. Put it in an airtight container just large enough to hold it, and refrigerate it. If the meat has already been sliced, fit one slice neatly above the other before putting it away, to leave as little surface exposed to the drying effects of air as possible. You can store it for as long as 3 days.
2. Take the beef out of the refrigerator at least 2 hours before you are going to use it. If the meat is still in one piece, slice it the very thinnest you can. Spread the slices on a serving platter, and season with salt, olive oil, turning the slices to coat them well, vinegar or lemon juice as you prefer, and several grindings of black pepper. Turn the slices over again, and serve when the beef has fully returned to room temperature.
Other Ways of Serving Sliced Leftover Boiled Beef
• Over a bed of raw finocchio or celery sliced very, very thin. Season as described above.
• Over a bed of arugula and peeled orange or grapefruit sections. Season as described above, using lemon juice.
• With lukewarm cannellini beans. Season as described above, omitting the vinegar and lemon.
• With ¼ cup tuna and capers mayonnaise in the style of Vitello Tonnato.
• With one of the green sauces, this recipe and this recipe, or Horseradish Sauce. Let the meat steep in the sauce for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
• With mayonnaise and mustard.
DESSERTS
Croccante—Italian Praline
Croccante is the darkest, crunchiest, and least sweet of pralines, an irresistible candy that outshines most desserts and is astonishingly easy to make at home. Serve it alongside the after-dinner coffee, or to visitors at any time they may drop in, stash some in a bag when you are going on a trip, or crush it and grind it and use it as topping for ice cream or to mix with the frosting of other desserts. You can store it for weeks in a tightly closed jar or wrapped in aluminum foil, but once you start nibbling