Plenty's Lettuce Salad

For a while it seemed like everyone and their parakeet was talking about the book Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, so of course I had to add it to my collection. It's all about vegetables. Lovely, lovely vegetables.

I'm nowhere near being a vegetarian, but I love vegetables. Plain, raw, steamed, boiled, baked, grilled, fried, sauced ... it doesn't matter. I love 'em all. There are very few vegetables that I don't like. Uh... okay, argula isn't my favorite vegetable, but if someone else serves it, I'll eat it.

So a whole book full of vegetable recipes sounded great. I paged through it looking for something to make from what I had on hand, and then realized that just about every recipe required a vegetable that I had used the last of yesterday.

So, I settled on salad for now. Yes, salad. What the heck, I wanted salad anyway, so I figured that a salad recipe was a slam-dunk. I had butter lettuce, and I thought I had radicchio (but I didn't). The recipe called for curly lettuce, but I had no idea what that was. Eh, butter lettuce was fine. I was going to add some romaine, then changed my mind.

I was all set until I opened the jar of sundried tomatoes. Ottolenghi noted in the recipe that most sundried tomatoes are too harsh for salads, and that he prefers the semi-sundried varieties. He was right - I didn't like the flavor of those tomatoes at all, so I used some fresh tomatoes instead.

I'm going to look for the semi-sundried tomatoes next time I'm shopping, or I'll make my own - he has a recipe. Or I'll pick up a bag of the ones that are sold near the prunes and raisins. I've found that those are pretty good, and they'd probably take well to a good soak in olive oil.

So, what I made wasn't exactly the recipe in the book, but it was close. The interesting thing (to me) was the addition of capers. I love capers. I use them in cooking, but I'd never thought about putting them on a salad before. Turns out that I really liked them. I'll be doing that again more often, I'm sure.

Another thing I thought was interesting was using olive oil plus grapeseed oil. As much as I love olive oil (and its health benefits) in some salad dressings the flavor can be pretty assertive. Cutting it with a milder oil makes sense, particularly when the other flavors aren't very strong.

I bookmarked another recipe from this book, as soon as the vegetables I need look appealing at the store. I'll be posting that one later. Meanwhile, I gawk at the pretty vegetable dishes.

Lettuce Salad
From Plenty by Yotam Ottolengh
Used with permission; all rights reserved

Dressing:
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
Salt and black pepper

1 head of butter lettuce, leaves separated
1/2 head of curly lettuce, leaves separated
1 head of radicchio, leaves separated
3 green onions, green and white parts, thinly sliced on a sharp angle
20 radishes, trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch thick sliced
2 cups semi-dried tomatoes, whole or roughly torn
2 tablespoons capers, whole if small or very roughly chopped

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients, being quite generous with the salt and pepper.

Wash the lettuce leaves, dry well and keep whole or tear into large pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the radicchio, green onions, radishes, and tomatoes.

Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the capers over the top.

That one recipe that always works: Basic White Bread

Everyone who cooks a lot has a few recipes that they could make from memory, even though they require a specific formula. For some people. it's morning pancakes. Or biscuits. Or maybe pie crust or cookies.

For me, that recipe is my basic bread formula. It's the one that I know will always work. I can knead it by hand or in the bread machine or with a stand mixer or food processor. I can bake this bread in a loaf pan or free-form. Or I can make buns.

It's not a fancy loaf - it's basic white bread.

Depending on how I make it, how I shape it, and how I let it rise, it can be a different type of bread. But it always works. Always.

I usually use my stand mixter to knead the dough, so that's the instructions I'm giving here. But you can knead it in the bread machine (using the manufacturer's directions for the order to add ingredients) or knead it in the food processor (combine dry ingredients first, with the oil, then add the water while the machine is running). Or knead by hand. It all works.

It's Just White Bread

1 cup lukewarm* water
2 1/4 teaspoons** instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
11 1/4 ounces (2 1/2 cups) bread*** flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, then add the flour. Knead with the dough hook (or you can use the flat paddle, if your prefer) until the dough is smooth. Add the salt and olive oil and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest until it doubles in size - about an hour.

Flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Knead it just enough to knock out the air, then form it as desired. This will make 1 loaf or 12 buns. This time I made a loaf in my loaf pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until it has doubled in size - about 30 minutes.

Uncover the bread (or buns). If you made a loaf, slash it as desired.

Bake at 350 degrees until the dough is nicely browned, about 30 minutes.

Let the loaf (or buns) cool on a rack.

*If you're using a food processor, use cool water.
**If you plan on baking in a bread machine, use 1 teaspoon of yeast.
***All purpose flour is fine. Or you can substitute up to 1 cup of white wheat flour with no other adjustments.

This has been submitted to YeastSpotting.

Recipes for you direct from The Chew

The folks at The Chew are kicking off summer with some grilling recipes and tips from Michael Symon and they offered a few recipes for me to publish here.

Can't argue with that, huh?

I've been a big fan of Symon's for a while. He seems like such a normal guy, and his giggle makes me laugh. And his recipes make sense. These in particular are family-style recipes rather than fancy-plated dishes. I like that, too.

I haven't tried any of these (yet) but they looked pretty good, so I figured I'd publish all three and let you have some fun with them.

Michael Symon says that his wife would tell you that the best thing he makes is fried chicken. "I could beat anyone in a fried chicken contest," he said. But the barbecue pork butt is his personal favorite - the one thing he'd want if he was stranded on a desert island.

And it's hard to argue with flank steak.

Crispy Lime Cilantro Chicken Wings with Sriracha
Recipe by Michael Symon, Courtesy of The Chew on ABC

3 Lb Chicken Wings
4 Cups Duck Fat
1/2 Cup Cilantro Leaves
2 Jalapenos (thinly sliced)
Marinade:
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
2 Limes (Juiced)
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Wing Sauce:
 1/2 Cup Sriracha
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Honey (or more if desired)
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Lime Zest
1/2 Tsp Salt
 
Combine the kosher salt, sugar, paprika, lime juice, and extra virgin olive oil. Add the chicken wings and toss to coat. Place the wings in a gallon sized bag and marinate for 1-2 hours.

Place a cast iron pan over medium high heat and add 4 c of duck fat. Using a deep fry thermometer to monitor the temperature, allow the fat to heat to 320 degrees. Preheat your oven to 350.

After the wings have marinated, spread them out on a baking tray, with any liquid remaining from the marinade, and bake for 15-20 minutes until just about cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

In the meantime, make the wing sauce by placing a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add all of the ingredients and whisk occasionally until the butter has melted then taste and season with salt, and more honey if desired. Set aside until ready to use.

When your fat is hot (360F), add the wings, deep frying until golden and crispy. Remove them onto some paper towels and season them with salt. Place them in a bowl; pour the sauce over the top, then mix to evenly coat all of the wings. Add in the cilantro leaves, tossing one more time.

Serve with your favorite accompaniments (Michael served with lime wedges and sliced jalapenos).

Michael Symon's Flank Steak with Grilled Potatoes and Arugula 
Recipe by Michael Symon, Courtesy of The Chew on ABC

1 1/2 - 2 Lb flank steak
2 Lb baby potatoes (Yukon or redskin)
6 cups arugula 1/2 shallot (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
Salt
Pepper
For the Marinade: 
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic (crushed and roughly chopped)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili flake
1 small bundle fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
For the Vinaigrette: 
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Whisk together all the marinade ingredients, and pour over flank steak. Refrigerate in a gallon bag for 6 hours or overnight.

Make the vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together. This can be made ahead of the time, refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove steak from the marinade to a towel or paper towels, and discard marinade. Pat steak dry on both sides, and allow to come to room temperature.

Put the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Add 1 T of salt and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and gently boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 18 minutes. Strain the potatoes and let them cool slightly. When they are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise and toss them with 2 T of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Heat your grill to medium high. Season the steak with freshly ground black pepper, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on it. Place the steak on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Place the potatoes on the grill also, cut side down, and grill for about 2 minutes per side.

When the flank steak is done, place it on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.

As the potatoes come off the grill, remove them to a mixing bowl. Spoon some of the vinaigrette over them, and toss to combine. Add the arugula and shallot on top of the potatoes with a little more vinaigrette, salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

Slice the flank steak thinly and against the grain and serve an top or alongside the potatoes and arugula.

Michael Symon's Pulled Pork Butt BBQ with C-Town BBQ Sauce
Recipe by Michael Symon, Courtesy of The Chew on ABC

For the Butt:
1 Bone-in Pork Butt (about 5 pounds)
2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Cracked Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Coriander (toasted and ground)
1 teaspoon Cumin (toasted and ground)
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Habanero Glaze:
1 Gallon Fresh-squeezed Orange Juice
4 oz Fresh-squeezed Lime Juice
1 Habanero (whole)
1 cup Brown Sugar
C-Town BBQ Sauce:
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup Onion (minced)
1 tablespoon Coriander Seed
1 teaspoon Cumin Seed
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Cider Vinegar
1 cup Sherry Vinegar
1 3-oz Can Chipotle Adobo (pureed til smooth)
2 cups Ballpark Mustard
1 Garlic clove
Pinch of Salt

For the Butt: 
Combine spice ingredients and rub all over the outside of the pork. Refrigerate overnight.

To make the Glaze:
Place all habanero glaze ingredients in a non-reactive pan over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half. This will take about an hour.

Preheat oven to 225F.

Mark pork on grill. Once the pork has been grilled slightly put in oven. Cook for 6 hours, brushing with glaze every 45 minutes. Pork should reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

When the pork reaches proper temperature, remove it from the oven and let rest for about 30 minutes. Using two forks, shred the meat into long, thin strands and toss with C-Town BBQ Sauce. Pile the pulled pork onto soft buns and top with slaw, some sweet pickles and enjoy.

For the C-Town BBQ Sauce: 
Sweat onions and garlic over low heat for 1 minute with a pinch of salt in olive oil.

Add coriander and cumin seeds and let them bloom for additional minute. Add sugar and melt. Add vinegar and reduce over medium heat for 10 minutes by about 1/4. Remove from heat and stir in chipotle and mustard.