Salmon Nicoise Salad

Last Year's Post:  Muffuletta Sandwiches
Two Years Ago:    Chicken with Fresh Cherry Salsa

Nicoise refers to something from Nice, France.  In this case, it refers to a famous main-dish salad typically made with tuna, green beans, potatoes and eggs.  Salmon is a relatively common substitute and I wanted to use it here for two reasons:  fresh wild salmon is in season right now, and salmon has lower mercury levels than tuna.  Plus, salmon is really good for you along with the green beans, potatoes and olives.  Fresh salmon is preferable to frozen, and wild-caught is better than farmed.  Buy the best quality fish you can find - it really does make a difference.

This is a fabulous and pretty main dish salad suitable for company, and it's easy to make because you can do all the cooking in advance - all that happens at the last minute is assembly.  That makes it perfect for a summer meal.

There are four ingredients that you might consider a little fancy-schmancy, but they're worth it.  The first is haricot verts, or small French green beans.  You'll often find them pre-packaged as "French green beans" at the grocery store.  If you can't find them, use regular green beans.

The second is tiny multi-colored potatoes, which can be found pre-packaged in most stores these days.  They're really cute but if you can't find them use the tiniest potatoes you can find.

Frisee is a light green lacy lettuce that's very pretty (on the right in the picture below).  You can find it in some grocery stores or natural foods stores.  I found the red variety in a plastic container with three other types of lettuce in my local store and thought the combination of the two would be pretty, but you could always just use a bag of spring mix lettuce instead.

And finally, Nicoise olives are slightly smaller than their more common Greek cousin, kalamatas, but you can use kalamatas in a pinch - the taste is fairly similar.

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Salmon Nicoise

Serves 4

Note:  to make ahead, make the vinaigrette and refrigerate.  Cook the salmon, eggs, beans, and potatoes and refrigerate covered separately.

For the vinaigrette:

½ medium shallot, diced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 mashed anchovy fillets or anchovy paste, optional

12 ounces skin-on salmon fillet, preferably fresh and wild caught

Olive oil, for brushing

Salt and pepper

4 eggs, room temperature

6 ounces haricot verts (thin French green beans), trimmed

12 ounces tiny multi-colored potatoes

6 cups frisee or other lettuce

1/3 nicoise olives, pitted

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously.  Alternately, add all ingredients except olive oil to a small bowl, then whisk olive oil in slowly.  Taste vinaigrette and adjust seasonings.

Season the salmon by brushing with olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper.  Grill on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes on the first side and approximately 3 minutes on the second side, until the internal temperature reaches 140d.  Remove from heat and let rest.  Remove the skin.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, then gently submerge the eggs.  Boil for 9 minutes, then remove and immediately place in an ice bath.  Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath with the eggs.  When cold, remove the eggs and beans from the ice bath and pat dry.  Finally, add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for 15-20 minutes until fork-tender.  Remove, drain, and let cool.

When ready to serve, divide the lettuce between four plates.  Break the salmon into large flakes and place in a pile on each plate.  Cut the potatoes in half (or thirds, if larger) and place next to the salmon.  Divide the haricot verts and olive between plates.  Shell the eggs and slice or cut in half, and place on each plate.  Scatter the capers on top of each salad, drizzle with vinaigrette, and serve with any remaining vinaigrette passed separately.

Pan-Seared Tuna with Capers and Red Wine Sauce

Last Year's Post:  Orzo and Radicchio Salad
Two Years Ago:   Pan Bagnat

We try to eat seafood once or twice per week because it's light, healthy and a good change of pace.  The whole key is to find whatever is fresh and fabulous at the store.  This week we found some beautiful wild-caught fresh tuna; I was particularly excited to find small thick steaks rather than larger thinner steaks because they're much easier to cook without over-cooking.  I learned that lesson many years ago from an avid Vermont fisherman who told me never to cook tuna any more than medium-rare because it gets dry and tough.  I'm still not a sushi person but I do like tuna with a very pink center.

It's a good idea to ask the person at the fish counter whether the fish you're looking at was previously frozen - the label doesn't always say, and freezing/thawing does affect both texture and taste.  Always go for fresh when you can.

Although I love most foods grilled, I prefer meaty fish steaks such as tuna and swordfish pan-seared because that's the only way to get a uniformly caramelized crust.  A cast-iron skillet is your tool of choice for getting that beautiful crust without sticking - just be sure to let the fish cook for the first two minutes over high heat without touching it.  Then carefully try to lift it with tongs, and if it's ready it should release without any problems.  If not, let it cook for 30 seconds or so and try again. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet use a regular skillet instead - just don't use a non-stick pan because the browning will never happen.

The other benefit to cooking indoors  (in the height of summer) is air conditioning - it's never attractive to bring in a plate of grilled food when you're dripping with sweat. My rule of thumb is cook outdoors when it's nice (60-90d-ish) and cook indoors at other times.  The Lawyer has been known to grill in weather as cold as -25d or as hot as 110d; proof that intelligence and common sense don't always go hand in hand.

Plating is a matter of stacking/assemblage.  You could put everything side by side on the plate but that wouldn't be nearly as cool.

This recipe is very Italian and would go beautifully with a soft red wine such as a Pinot Noir or Merlot.  Interesting fact of the day - tannic red wines can make fish taste metallic or fishy.  Who knew?

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Pan-Seared Tuna with Capers and Red Wine Sauce

Serves 4

¼ cup capers, drained

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1 small shallot, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Four small tuna steaks, 1 ½ inches thick

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces

4 cups packed baby arugula

Hot mashed potatoes

In a bowl, mix the capers with the oregano, shallot and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Start cooking the mashed potatoes.  Pat the tuna steaks dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron, but not non-stick) over medium-high heat.  When the pan is good and hot, add one tablespoon of olive oil and quickly swirl the pan to coat.  Add the tuna steaks and let cook undisturbed for approximately two minutes, until the bottom is nicely browned and releases easily from the pan.  Flip the tuna steaks and cook for approximately 2 minutes more, until rare to medium-rare (cook time will vary with the thickness of the steaks.)  Remove and let rest.  (Note: there will be some carry-over cooking while the tuna rests; do not overcook in the pan.  The inside should still be red when they’re taken out.)

Add the anchovy paste to the same skillet over medium heat and mash around with the back of a wooden spoon for approximately 30 seconds.  Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.  Remove the skillet from heat and swirl in the butter, one piece at a time, until smooth.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.  Finish the mashed potatoes.

To plate:  divide hot mashed potatoes between plates.  Place arugula on top of potatoes, then add a tuna steak on top.  Sprinkle caper mixture on top of tuna steak and drizzle red wine sauce around the side of the plate.

Rustic Greens and Potato Pie

Last Year's Post: Lentil Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage
Two Years Ago:  Savory Breakfast Scones

We all know that dark leafy greens are really good for us, but getting them into your diet is sometimes the hard part.  We also know it's good to eat vegetarian once in a while.  This rustic pie is a delicious option to meet both of those goals.  It's very flavorful and has a rich, creamy texture from the potatoes and cheese.   It's warm, earthy and hearty, perfect for a fall dinner on a cool night.  Serve it with a bright salad of corn, cherry tomatoes and green onions to balance all those earthy flavors.

It would make a wonderful meal for any vegetarians you might happen to know.  Or, you could always add cooked sausage or bacon to the pie if you're serving people who really want meat - and they'll still get the nutritional value of the greens.

I always like to talk about ingredient substitutions.  In this recipe you can use any combination of greens that you want - I chose half kale (bold flavor) and half spinach (milder flavor) but chard, collard greens or mustard greens would also work.  Regarding the cheese, I think you could substitute pretty much any cheese you want for the Gruyere - blue cheese would be an especially interesting choice.  If you go for blue cheese, for some reason a little voice in my head tells me that chopped walnuts would be a good addition.  Blue cheese and walnuts go well together.

This type of rustic pie is also called a galette or a tart.  As I mentioned, it's hearty enough to be a dinner entree, or you could cut it in small pieces served cold for a tapas party.  I particularly like this type of rustic pie because you don't have to be overly perfect with the pie crust - if the edges crack when you roll it out, no big deal - it's just that much easier to fold over the filling. 

The key is to make sure the greens have released their liquid and the liquid has evaporated prior to taking them off the heat, otherwise the filling may give up a little liquid when you cut the pie.  One tip is to set the greens aside for a few minutes to cool.  Drain any liquid that may have accumulated in the bottom of the bowl or pan before adding to the potatoes.  By the way, this goes for any greens added to any pie or quiche - you'll often see recipes for chopped spinach that tell you to squeeze all the liquid out prior to adding it to the other ingredients.  Same principle.

After that it's really easy to add the filling to the pie crust, fold the edges up and over, brush with a little egg and bake.  Although I didn't try it myself, I don't see any reason why you couldn't prepare the pie in advance and refrigerate it covered with plastic wrap, then bake it after coming home from work.  It might take a few more minutes in the oven since it's cold.

If you've been having a hard time figuring out how to get those dark leafy greens into your diet, this might just be the way.

printable recipe

Rustic Greens and Potato Pie

Serves 4-6

Note:  A simple salad of cherry tomatoes, corn and green onions dressed with a little olive oil is an excellent accompaniment.

1 pie crust (homemade or store-bought)

¾ lb small boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or Red Bliss

1 medium onion

2 pounds cooking greens, such as chard, spinach, kale, collards, or a mixture

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 ounces Gruyere cheese

1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 cup ricotta

1/8 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1 ½” pieces; place in a medium saucepan.  Add cold salted water to cover by 1”.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife.

Meanwhile, finely chop the onion (about 1 cup).  Thoroughly rinse and spin dry the greens, remove the tough stems, and chop the leaves (about 24 cups).  (The tougher the greens, the finer you should chop.)

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until hot.  Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add half the greens and cook for 4-6 minutes, until wilted.  Remove the greens with tongs to a medium bowl.  Repeat with the remaining greens.  Return the first batch of greens to the skillet and cook everything for 2 minutes more, or until any liquid that collected in the skillet has evaporated.  Set aside.

When the potatoes are done, drain and mash using a potato masher.  Combine the potatoes and greens in a large bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

Roll the pastry out to make a 12” round.  Fit the pastry into a 9-inch pie plate; press against the sides of the plate allowing the excess to hang over the edges.  Put the pie plate in the refrigerator while preparing the remaining ingredients.

Grate the Gruyere (about ½ cup) and Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1/2 cup); fold the cheeses into the potato mixture along with the ricotta, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly beat the eggs, reserving one tablespoon.  Stir the rest of the eggs into the potato mixture and spoon the filling into the pie plate.  Gently fold the overhanging pastry over the filling, pleating as necessary to make it fit.  It will make a border covering the edges of the filling but the center will be uncovered.  Brush the pastry with the remaining 1 tablespoon egg.

Bake the pie for about 40 minutes or until the filling is heated through and the pastry is golden.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Special Brunch - Egg Strudel

Mother's Day is coming up!  Have you thought about plans for the mother or grandmother in your life?  For some people that means reservations at a nice restaurant.  If your family is like The Lawyer's, however, that's not very practical.  He has a extended family that includes four generations who are all very close. Family celebrations are large and include everyone from his parents (who are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary this summer) to several itty-bittys just learning to walk. One of the family's major annual events is their Swedish sausage-making party shortly before Christmas. They work in teams to shove a gooey mass of potatoes, meat and milk into (ahem) "natural casings". I tend to watch from a safe distance and try not to think about the casings.

If you also have extended family gatherings (hopefully sans casings), think about this egg strudel recipe for a wonderful Mother's Day brunch.

 It's visually stunning and makes a lot of servings.  It can even be made in advance and simply baked before the party.  That's why a little orange juice is added to the eggs - the vitamin C helps preserve their color.  Everyone from Generation 1 to Generation 4 will like the ingredients:  potatoes, ham, eggs, cheese, and puff pastry. I would suggest serving it with asparagus in lemon sauce on your prettiest plates, accompanied by mimosas and coffee for the adults and juice for the kids. (On second thought, maybe you shouldn't use your prettiest plates if there are kids involved.  Save them for adult occasions - see below.)

Not only would this make a great Mother's Day brunch, it's ideal for weekend guests or anytime you want to have a special brunch.  It looks very fancy but actually it's really easy - the key is how you cut the puff pastry for braiding.  Just follow the visuals and you'll be fine.

* * click here for a printable recipe copy * *

Egg Strudel
Makes 2 strudels, 8 to 12 servings depending on how they are cut

1 box (two sheets) puff pastry dough (1.1 lb)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup frozen cubed hash brown potatoes
1 cup green or red bell pepper, seeded, diced
½ cup onion, diced
1 cup smoked ham or turkey, diced
11 eggs
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan


Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and onion; sauté 3 minutes, then add ham or turkey.

Whisk 11 eggs and chives together. Add them to the pan and scramble just until set and still a bit soft. Season with salt and pepper and take off the heat. Stir in the cream cheese and orange juice until blended. Refrigerate eggs while working on the pastry.

Unfold a thawed pastry sheet on a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Roll pastry to a 12” x 10” rectangle, then transfer to a piece of parchment cut to fit a baking sheet. Trim pastry by cutting off the top corners at an angle and notching the bottom corners (see picture below).

 
Spoon half the egg mixture down the center, then cut an equal number of strips on both sides at a 45 degree angle. 

 Fold the flaps up over the eggs at both ends, then braid the strips by alternately crossing them over the filling. 

 
Repeat with the other pastry sheet and remaining egg mixture. Transfer parchment and strudels to baking sheets.

Combine the remaining egg and water by whisking; brush over the tops of the strudels and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. (At this point, strudels may be covered in plastic and refrigerated overnight.) 

 Bake strudels for 20-30 minutes, or until golden. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing.