Cabbage and Carrot Slaw with Walnut-Za'atar Pesto

A great salad found in Bon Appetit, not so great the next day but delicious made and eaten the same day! The pesto can be made a day ahead and chilled covered in the fridge.

Ingredients
Pesto
3/4 cup walnuts
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 oz. Gouda cheese finely grated
1 teaspoon za’atar
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt

Directions for Pesto
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toast walnuts on a baking sheet, tossing once until golden brown, approx. 8-10 mins.
Leave aside to cool.
Process 3/4 cup walnuts, 1 garlic clove finely grated, 2 oz. Gouda cheese finely grated, and 1 teaspoon za’atar in a food processor until nuts are coarsely chopped. With motor running, stream in 1/4 cup olive oil until coarsely ground. (actually I put the whole lot in and it came out fine, I skipped the streaming oil bit) Season with Kosher salt.

Pesto can be made one day ahead and chilled covered.

Ingredients
Cabbage and Carrot Slaw
1/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup whole-milk plain Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1/2 small green cabbage
1/2 lb carrots shaved lengthwise
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Za’atar to sprinkle on top

Directions for Slaw
Place currants in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit until soft and plump, about 8 mins.
Next, whisk 1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Thin with water until the dressing is a consistency of heavy cream.
Drain currants, add to dressing, along with 1/2 small green cabbage, outer leaves removed, very thinly sliced, 1/2 lb carrots shaved lengthwise and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley. Toss to coat. Season with salt.

To serve........

Swipe platter with walnut pesto and arrange slaw over.
Sprinkle with za’atar.

Tomato Peach Salad with Tofu Cream

Found in Bon Appetit, served last night, pronounced the most delicious dish I had ever made!!

Ingredients

8 oz. silken tofu
sherry vinegar
olive oil
soy sauce
kosher salt
black pepper
3 tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 medium peaches
1/2 red onion
2 ears of cooked corn on cob
fresh tarragon
fresh chervil (which I couldn’t find)

Directions

To Make the Blended Tofu Cream(can be made a day ahead and chilled in fridge)
In a food processor or blender put
8 oz silken tofu
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce and blend until light and creamy
Season tofu cream with salt
Cover and keep in fridge.

For the Salad
Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil,
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce in a large bowl.
Season with salt and pepper
Add
3 tomatoes cut into 1 inch wedges
2 peaches skin cut into wedges
1/2 a red onion thinly sliced
fresh corn kernels from two corn ears
1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced lengthwise in half
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chervil chopped
Mix together.

Swipe tofu cream on a platter and arrange tomato salad over top.
Serve with warm bread (Garlic Tuscon bread was good)

Pesto with Tuscan Kale and Collard Greens

Inspired to be more adventurous by Dean and Jason, the most creative cooks, who made our week together like being on a luxurious cruise with unbelievable dishes served to us, this was not actually made by them but was in Bon Appetit. I’ve been flipping over the pages, kind of skipping this recipe, but returning back from our time together, I thought I’d be brave and try it. The chefs Joe Sparatta and Lee Gregory at Southbound in Richmond, Virginia make a pesto with collard greens and peanuts. This recipe adds Tuscan Kale and I used pinenuts instead, not having any peanuts. However you could use almonds or walnuts. Served with linguine and a salad makes a nice meal. The pesto can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Can also be frozen.

Ingredients
                                                                               

1 bunch of collard greens
1 bunch of Tuscan kale
Kosher salt
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
     cheese (or pecorino)
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pinenuts (or unsalted
roasted peanuts/almonds/walnuts)
1 tablespoon finely grated
     lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
ground black pepper                                 


Directions

Remove the stems from the collard greens and Tuscan kale by ripping the leaves away.
Chop the leaves coarsely and wash in water.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add salt, and cook the greens and kale for 30 seconds. Pour through a colander and place the greens and kale in iced water to stop the cooking - this preserves the bright green color. Drain and squeeze out any excess water avoiding a watery pesto.
Place the greens in a food processor, add 3 cloves garlic finely chopped, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup pinenuts (or unsalted roasted peanuts/almonds or walnuts), 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Process on low speed until a coarse but well blended mixture forms.

Lobster Bisque

Inspired by The Cook’s Bible – Kimball

Ingredients
shells from 3 lobster carcasses meat removed and cut into pieces, you can use shells from 1 lb shrimp or ¾ lb crab.
½ cup dry sherry or cognac
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups chopped tomatoes
4 cups water
2 tblsps olive oil
2 tblsps butter
1 chopped Spanish onion
2 cloves garlic crushed
3 chopped carrots
3 stalks chopped celery
1 bay leaf
10 sprigs parsley chopped
1 teasp. fresh thyme or ½ teasp. dried thyme
salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions
Make the lobster broth first.
Remove any lobster meat from the carcasses and reserve.
Place the shells from 3 lobster carcasses by placing in a large pot. Add 4 cups water, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup dry white wine, half a cup sherry (optional) Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours covered.
While the broth is simmering, prepare the rest of the ingredients by chopping 1 Spanish onion, 3 carrots, 3 stalks celery, 10 stalks parsley, 3 large tomatoes and 2 cloves garlic.
Next drain the broth through a colander into a large bowl, discard the lobster carcasses
Heat oil and butter in the pot.
Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery parsley, tomatoes , garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme) salt and pepper.    Cover and cook for 15 mins. Do not let vegetables get brown.
Next, pour the reserved lobster broth into the pot add 3/4 cup rice and bring mixture to a boil.
Simmer covered for 20 mins.
Blend in food processor to a puree
Return the pureed bisque to a pot
Any reserved lobster meat you may have should be cut into pieces and added to the bisque
Reheat bisque and add 1/4 cup heavy cream.
Just allow the bisque to gently reheat, do not boil.