Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [70]
Whisk the sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, and soy sauce in a serving bowl. Add the sugar snaps and toss to serve.
Green Bean Salad with
Boiled Lemon, Pecans, and
Parmigiano-Reggiano
This is a reinvented classic from Puglia in southern Italy; it owes much of its flavor to the boiled lemon skin, incredibly mellow and refreshing. Makes 6 servings
1 large lemon
1½ pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup toasted pecans
3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved
Place the lemon in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander set in the sink and cool to room temperature (do not run cool water over the lemon).
Cut the lemon in half. Gently scoop out the pulpy insides, placing them in a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl. Squeeze the pulp a little to extract some of the juice without letting any of the fibrous bits through the mesh, then set aside over the bowl to drain. Slice the lemon rind into
¼-inch strips, then chop these strips.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander set in the sink and refresh with cool water until room temperature. Drain well.
Discard the lemon pulp. Whisk the vinegar, salt, and pepper into the bowl with the lemon juice in the bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
Place the green beans, chopped lemon rind, pecans, and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a large serving bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat.
Variations: Substitute sugar snap peas, chopped asparagus spears, or broccoli florets for the green beans.
Substitute Asiago or Pecorino Romano for the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Fennel and Pear Salad
An easy way to prepare this Italian-inspired salad is to slice the fennel and pear with a mandoline, the blade set just under 1/8 inch. Make sure you use the food guard to protect your fingers as the fruit and vegetable pass over the very sharp blades. Or use a food processor fitted with the 1mm slicing blade, although it will juice the ingredients, rendering them a little soggy. Failing all that, a sharp chef’s knife will do the trick. Makes 4 servings
1 large fennel bulb
2 ripe pears
3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Trim the bottom off the fennel bulb; trim off the stalks and fronds. Remove and discard the outer layer. Slice the bulb into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Separate these, then cut any intact sections into very thin spears. Place in a large serving bowl.
Peel the pears, then core them by inserting a melon baller into their thick end and coring out the seeds with a rotating motion. Slice into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place in the bowl with the fennel.
Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss to serve.
Variations: Substitute 1 large apple for the pears.
Substitute Asiago or Pecorino Romano for the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Substitute white balsamic vinegar for the lemon juice.
Jicama and Arugula Salad with
Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Jicama is a root vegetable, sort of like a huge water chestnut with a thin, brown skin. It’s sometimes considered the celery of Latin America. Once peeled, it’s so crisp and nutty, it makes an excellent salad alongside sandwiches. Makes 8 servings
Two 1-pound jicamas, peeled and quartered (see Note)
2 blood oranges
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped arugula leaves (remove the stems if fibrous or tough)
Shred the jicama through the large holes of a box grater or with the shredding blade of a food processor.
Squeeze the juice from