Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter & Lemon
The sweet, nutty brown butter here lends a beautiful finishing touch.
Ingredients:
1 large bunch medium radishes
1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Brush a large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Cut off all but ½ inch of green radish tops; reserve trimmed tops and rinse them well, checking for grit. Coarsely chop radish tops and set aside. Cut radishes lengthwise in half and place in a medium bowl. Add 1½ tablespoons olive oil and toss thoroughly to coat. Place radishes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Roast until radishes are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season to taste with more coarse kosher salt, if desired.
2. Melt butter in a heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Add pinch of coarse kosher salt to skillet and cook until butter browns, swirling skillet frequently to keep butter solids from burning, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice.
3. Transfer roasted radishes to warmed shallow serving bowl and drizzle brown butter over. Sprinkle with chopped radish tops and serve.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli Salad
This room temperature salad from The Barefoot Contessa has just the right amount of crunch!
Ingredients:
1 large bunch purple sprouting broccoli
¼ cup high-quality olive oil
1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. Remove and discard the bottom third of the broccoli stems. If some stems are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1½ teaspoons salt, and the pepper. When the water comes to a full boil, add the broccolini, return to a boil, and cook over high heat for 2 minutes, until the stalks are just tender. Drain well and place in a large bowl. Pour enough dressing over the broccolini to moisten and toss well. Splash with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.
Grilled Asparagus with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
A fresh blend of Meyer lemon juice, olive oil and garlic adds big flavor to grilled asparagus stalks.
Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon, plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest
½ cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and garlic. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as needed. Set aside.
2. Set a grill cooking grate or basket in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. While the grill is preheating, place asparagus in a large bowl and toss with the tablespoon of olive oil, coating evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add asparagus to grill and cook, turning occasionally, until well charred and tender, about 6 minutes total depending on the thickness of the stalks. Transfer asparagus to a serving platter and drizzle the vinaigrette over the top. Serve immediately.
Variation: Make it a meal by adding flaked smoked salmon and a fried duck egg to each portion of asparagus!
Fennel & Lemon Relish
This crisp slaw from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food II is excellent tossed with grilled veggies.
Ingredients:
2 lemons
2-3 fennel bulbs
1 shallot
2-3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Using a box grater or rasp, zest both lemons, then reserve the zest and fruit.
2. Peel and finely dice the shallot. Place shallot in a small bowl with the lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon, Champagne vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well and let sit for a few minutes to macerate. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Taste for salt and acid and adjust as needed.
3. Trim the fronds and dark green stalks from the fennel bulb. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise and then into a fine dice. Toss with salt to taste and stir into the lemon-shallot mixture. Remove all the remaining peel from the unjuiced lemon and cut the segments from their membranes. Cut segments into a medium dice and gently stir them into the relish. Let relish sit for 5 minutes before serving.
