Menu for One

(Raw) Asparagus Salad with Pecorino

Slaw week continues on Menu For One!  This one is perfect beside grilled meat or seafood, and might even develop into a one-pot meal/side-salad with the addition of couscous, or a protein-rich whole-grain like quinoa.  

Now, when you read this recipe, you'll notice that there's no mayonnaise (mayo-haters rejoice!).  I looked into it, and found that technically, slaws don't require mayonnaise.  "Slaw" is a word derived from the Dutch word "sla" meaning salad.  The term usually refers to shredded cabbage coated in some sort of "moist dressing," but can include other vegetables.

Because there's no cooking involved, this Asparagus Salad can be assembled as fast as you can chop and stir.  The key to this dish is to use the young, pencil-thin asparagus if you can find it.  For me, that's always the asparagus I find at the grocery store and never the kind I'm looking for.

Asparagus, Pecorino, and Red Onion
from Anne Burrell, host of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef

 

Chop off the tough ends of one bunch of asparagus.  Cut the remaining pieces of asparagus crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.  Combine in a medium bowl with one small red onion, finely diced, and 1 cup coursely grated pecorino.  Add 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, a glug of olive oil, and a couple of pinches of kosher salt.  Toss to combine and adjust dressing to taste, adding a little more olive oil at a time.  

I guess it was a close-ups only kind of day when I photographed this dish - not quite sure what that was all about, but I think you get the idea.  Depending on your appetite and whether this serves as a side or a main course, you should have enough left over for tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Pearl Couscous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese

Confession: I like costume dramas.  Jane Austen films in particular, and I'll watch them over and over again (although I promise I won't make you watch them).  And the funny thing is, that after I've seen one, I notice that my sentences become more drawn out, and are peppered with words like "quite" and "whilst."

Even if Jane Austen films aren't your thing, I'm sure there's been a moment when you've been talking to someone on the phone who's trying to be quiet on their end, and then all of a sudden you say to yourself, "wait - why am I whispering?"

Well, I've been working a lot lately, and my day job of writing in formal legal-ese is bleeding into my thoughts about this blog.  In starting this post, I had to fight the urge to write "Pursuant to page 554 in the How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Cookbook by Mark Bittman...."  So bear with me.  I'll snap out of it.

That being said, we had a few days of heavy rain in Atlanta last week (desperately needed) and it seemed like one of the last opportunities to make some hot-out-of-the-oven comfort food before the weather gets too hot for comfort down here.  I turned to a recipe I had made once before, but that can be easily manipulated to feature whatever veggies you've got in your fridge, and in my case, green beans.  

In a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, sauté a finely chopped shallot or a small handful of chopped red onion.  Add to the pan 8 ounces of asparagus or green beans cut into one-inch pieces and cook until softened, but still underdone.  In a 2-quart casserole, combine the veggie mixture with 2 cups cooked pearl couscous (aka israeli couscous, a toasted couscous that is larger than the traditional couscous; it's about the size of a pencil eraser).  This time around, I substituted orzo for the couscous, and it worked out okay, but pearl couscous may still be the better way to go.

In a separate measuring cup or bowl, combine 1/2 cup of pesto, an egg, and 1/2 cup of cream, milk, or stock, whatever you have on hand, and pour over the casserole.  While it settles into all the nooks and crannies, pull out 4 ounces of goat cheese.  Using your fingers,break the cheese into small pieces and distribute over the top of the casserole.  Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbling.  I was a little impatient here and didn't quite get to the golden brown stage, but it was still tasty.

I think the trick is not cooking the veggies all the way through before putting them in the casserole.  Frankly, depending on the size of the veggies, I may not sauté them at all.  Otherwise, the veggies get cooked once in the sauté pan and then again in the oven, resulting in a color I refer to as "potluck green" (if you know what I mean).  Mark Bittman does a nice job showing several variations that can be made depending on your taste, the occasion, or the vegetables in season.  His book is straightforward and comprehensive, and I recommend that you take a look at it (or its brother, How to Cook Everything).  

Unintentionally, I ended up enjoying a completely green meal the weekend of St. Patrick's day.  But I did not enjoy it under a rainbow.  Or beside a pot o' gold.  Better luck to ye.