Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [46]
Place the nettles in the bowl of a food processor with the mint, garlic, pine nuts, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Process until the mixture has formed a paste. With the machine running, pour in ⅓ cup olive oil. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the cheese. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Slice off the small side muscle from the scallops, then rinse in cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Season with salt on both sides. Heat a skillet for about 1 minute. Add the 3 tablespoons olive oil and test to make sure it’s hot (a drop of liquid should sizzle when it hits the skillet). Place the scallops in the skillet. They should have plenty of room so that they sear instead of steam. If the skillet is small, sear them in batches. Cook the first side for 1½ minutes, then flip and cook the second side for 1 minute. When done, the scallops should have a brown crust but still be translucent in the center.
Place 4 scallops on a plate and top each with a teaspoon of pesto. Season with the remaining lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with a few small mint leaves.
Baby Artichokes with Fresh Chervil
Easy to prepare, baby artichokes require only half the work needed for the larger globe variety. Because they’re so small, they haven’t formed the fuzzy inner choke that requires so much trimming, and they are fully cooked in 20 minutes or less. The herb chervil is in the same family as fennel and has a mild licorice taste. It is slightly sweet and adds a cooling herbal zing to summer dishes.
Serves 4
12 baby artichokes
2 lemons
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
½ bunch fresh chervil, coarsely chopped, plus 4 sprigs fresh chervil for garnish
Rinse the artichokes in cold water. Fill a bowl halfway with water and squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Slice the second lemon into wedges and set aside.
To trim the artichokes, cut off the stem of each one at the base. Remove the tough green leaves around the base by peeling them back and snapping them off until you reach leaves that are yellow and tender. Slice off the top third of the artichoke and discard. If the artichokes are very small, leave them whole. Otherwise, cut them in half vertically. As you trim each artichoke, drop it into the lemon water to prevent it from turning brown. Repeat until all of the artichokes are trimmed.
Drain the artichokes and heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and toss in the garlic. Stir for 20 seconds, then add the artichokes and 2 teaspoons salt. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer, covered, until the artichokes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chervil. Taste the broth and season with salt, if needed.
To serve, divide the artichokes among four plates and pour a spoonful of the cooking broth on each. Season with salt and pepper and a wedge of lemon. Garnish each plate with a sprig of chervil.
Eggs and New Potatoes with Green Olive Pesto
This is a cross between an egg salad and a potato salad, two classic warm-weather dishes that usually rely on mayonnaise for flavor and binding. In this recipe, the creamy texture of the new potatoes pulls the ingredients together, and the nut-and-olive pesto imparts a rich taste. A traditional basil pesto works just as well. Because their skin is thin and delicate, there is no need to peel new potatoes; simply wash them thoroughly. This healthy salad can be eaten in sandwiches or with lightly dressed lettuce greens.
Serves 4 to 6
5 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
1 cup finely diced new potatoes or red potatoes (roughly 3 to 4 potatoes)
¼ cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 anchovy fillets
6 green olives