Crème Fraîche Salad Dressing
Creamy, yet light, this dressing is fantastic tossed with greens and thinly-sliced radish.
Ingredients:
¼ cup crème fraîche
¾ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 scallions, white parts only finely-minced, or 1 shallot, peeled and finely-minced
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, olive oil, and honey.
2. Add the scallion or shallot, vinegar, salt, and pepper and whisk again. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste, or a touch more vinegar if you prefer your dressing on the acidic side.
Rainbow Tomato Salad
Simple to make, but big on taste, this salad is all about the quality of the ingredients, so use the best you have.
Ingredients:
4 ripe rainbow slicing tomatoes
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons high-quality olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh herbs, such as parsley and marjoram
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together red-wine vinegar and olive oil; stir in shallot and herbs.
2. Core tomatoes; cut each into 8 wedges and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Grilled Peppers & Zucchini
Serve these classic grilled vegetables from Domenica Marchetti’s The Glorious Vegetables of Italy atop warm bread.
Ingredients:
3-4 frying peppers
2 zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, sliced thin
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high, then place whole peppers on grate and grill until skins are blistered and blackened. Add zucchini slices and also grill until just soft with grill marks.
2. Transfer grilled peppers to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand about 10 minutes. Remove peppers and lay on cutting board. Cut each in half, seeding and stemming, then scrape off charred skin with a knife. Cut into thin strips.
3. Drizzle olive oil over peppers and zucchini, season with salt and sprinkle with parsley. Toss to coat, then add slices of garlic. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to meld flavors before serving.
Variation: Try rubbing both the zucchini and peppers with our signature F&L dry rub before grilling—delicious!
Winter Citrus & Fava Shoot Salad
This crisp, citrus-kissed salad is both bold in flavor and beautiful in presentation.
Ingredients:
1 blood orange
1 Navel orange
½ pound fava shoots
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, quartered, cored and thinly sliced, plus a handful of the fronds
Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, peeled and minced
⅓ cup freshly squeezed juice from an orange
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
¾ cup olive oil
Sea salt salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
- Spread the salad greens out on a large, round serving platter to make a bed.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut the tops and bottoms off the orange. Stand oranges up and slice to remove the peel and membrane. Then, slice oranges crosswise into thin wheels.
- Arrange the orange on top of the salad greens, overlapping the slices slightly. Then layer on the fennel slices. Scatter the onion slices on top of the salad.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and then season with ground pepper if desired.
How-To: Prep Fava Beans
Our quick guide to peeling and prepping fresh fava beans!
Ingredients:
1 pound fava beans
Method:
1. Peel: Pull off the top and “unzip” the seam of the bean pod. Open the pod and remove the beans. (There are usually 4 to 5 beans per pod.) The beans have a waxy outer coating, which you’ll need to remove.
2. Prep: Blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The waxy coating will slip then right off.
3. Cook: From here, steam the beans until tender in a steamer basket or covered in the microwave, 3-5 minutes.
Purple Kohlrabi & Turnip Slaw
This crisp, zippy slaw is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled meats, or even served atop burgers.
Ingredients:
1 pound kohlrabi (about 2 small heads, leaves included)
1 cup small turnips, peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Separate the stems from kohlrabi bulbs, trim, and discard the tough bottoms of the stems. Half the leaves lengthwise, then thinly shred crosswise. Trim root end from bulb and peel away tough outer layer; halve lengthwise.
2. Fit a food processor with a shredding blade (or use a box grater) and shred the kohlrabi bulb and turnips.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, peanut oil, honey, and sesame oil; season with salt and pepper. Add green onions, kohlrabi leaves and bulb, and radish to bowl; toss to coat. Let stand at least 15 minutes.
Marinated Persian Cucumber Salad
Super simple and healthy, this salad is perfect for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
2 Persian cucumbers
1 red onion
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Peel the cucumbers and then half lengthwise before thinly slicing. Then, peel and thinly slice the onion and place in a bowl with the cucumber.
2. Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and oil in a bowl and whisk together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the vinaigrette over the cucumber and onion mixture and toss well to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1-2 hours before serving cold or at room temperature.
Fresh Pasta with Sautéed Fall Mushrooms
Also rich with chicken stock and herbs, this pasta beautifully captures the flavors of mellow, earthy mushrooms.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh pasta
4 cups mixed mushrooms, washed and patted dry
¼ cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup combined fresh chopped parsley, sage and thyme
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
¼ cup grated Grana-style cheese
Method:
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop in pasta noodles and cook until al dente, about 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and rinse, reserving ½ cup of the starchy cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter with the olive oil over medium heat, stirring to combine. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are soft and tender and then add chicken stock and cook until reduced slightly, another 3-4 minutes. Add in fresh herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Add in the drained pasta and toss. Add in reserved 1 tablespoon of butter and grated cheese, and mix to distribute. If pasta seems dry, add in reserved cooking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until adequately moist.
Roasted Asparagus with Fried Duck Eggs
This easy sheet pan dish is topped with bright lemon juice.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds asparagus, trimmed of tough stems
3 duck eggs
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Cut the asparagus into 2-inch pieces. Put the oven rack in the center of the oven, about 5 inches below the heat source, and preheat the broiler.
2. Film the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil. Place the asparagus in the pan and season with salt and pepper, tossing to coat asparagus in oil. Spread out evenly and pop the pan in the oven under the broiler, cooking about 3 minutes or until the asparagus just starts to brown.
3. Being careful not to touch the pan’s handle, use the spatula to push the asparagus to the edges of the pan, leaving the center empty. Carefully break the eggs into that space. Broil 1 more minute, until egg whites are set. Remove the pan from the oven.
4. Squeeze the lemon juice over everything in the pan and give the pan another sprinkle of salt. To serve, top a generous helping of asparagus with a duck egg and serve with a side of toasted bread to sop up the excess yolk.
Variation: This dish is also lovely topped with a pat of fresh spring herb butter. To prepare combine, ¼ cup room temperature butter with 2 tablespoons of mixed, chopped herbs and a sprinkle of sea salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.