I’m a big fan of salads in the summertime, for reasons that all of you understand, I’m sure! And this simple one combines some of my favorite elements of summertime cooking: fresh vegetables, an easy preparation process, and improvement over time. I made this last Sunday, along with a whole bunch of other salads, and have been enjoying it all week.
Cold Marinated Cauliflower
- 1 head fresh cauliflower, or frozen
- Good, strong French mustard
- Olive Oil
- A nice balsalmic vinegar
- Dill
- Parlsey
Chop the cauliflower into biggish pieces, and cook it until it’s almost tender. This will change according to the size of the pieces, the size of the pot, and so on, but I judge tenderness by the stems (a little crispier than I would normally like them to be), which gives the head part the perfect crunch.
While the cauliflower is cooking, mix a bit of vinegar and a bit of olive oil with a bit of mustard, until you have a nice salad dressing. Again, the amounts needed will change according to quantity and taste, but you can start with 1 tbsp each of oil and vinegar, and 1 tsp mustard. Mix well, adding a bit more of each, until the taste is perfect.
When the cauliflower is cooked, drain it and let cool. Then toss in the dressing, add the herbs, and let marinate for a few hours. This is a dish that gets better over time, so (if you have any left) you’ll love it even more Friday at lunch than for Sunday dinner!
There’s a tired old joke that goes like this:
One couple invites another couple over for dinner. “I’ll bring a tarte!”, says the woman. “What’s her name?” asks the husband.
Bah-da-boom!
But this (savory) tarte is easy to make, and impressive to bring, as it seems both complicated and refined, while managing to be both hearty and child-friendly at the same time. Served with tomato soup it’s perfect in the winter; with a green salad, it’s light and tasty in the summer.
Are your taste buds watering yet? They should be, but I must warn you that this is not for those of you on a diet, as it comes from the ‘the more cream the better’ section of my recipe book!
Potato Leek Tarte
- 4 to 5 smallish potatoes, enough to make 3 cups when diced and cooked
- 3 cups chopped leeks (the white part only)- I use frozen.
- 1 cup chopped bacon
- 1 ready made pie crust (the flaky kind)
- At least one cup (heavy) cream
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Dice and boil the potatoes until tender. While they are cooking, saute the bacon until about half as crispy as you like it to be normally, and then add the chopped leeks. Cook until it’s all tender, bacon and leeks. Then put the cooked potatoes into the pie crust, cover with the leeks and bacon and pour the cream on top. I usually don’t add any other seasonings, as the bacon is salty enough. Bake until crispy on top, about 1/2 hour.
I serve this both hot and cold, and have lately found it to be a great picnic food!
