I've been making salads for dinner, which is the perfect way to end a day. Loads of healthy greens, a few cooked veggies, a little protein, some flavorful accents and chopped herbs. The variations are pretty much endless, but I've been eating a pseudo-Nicoise salad almost exclusively and haven't gotten tired of it yet. What makes it pseudo? Well, there is no tuna. Cause I don't have any in the house right now. And the olives are kalamata, not nicoise. And I threw in some sunflower sprouts. Other than that, it has the greenery, the steamed green beans and new potatoes, the olives and the anchovies (oh, yes), and a mustardy vinaigrette with shallot. To make it even more Francais, I chopped up a handful of chervil and scattered it over the top of everything. I'm kind of obsessed with two things in the garden right now: chervil and radishes. Chervil is a wonderfully delicate herb with a taste somewhere between fennel and parsely. It is used quite a bit in French cooking, but seems underappreciated here in the Colonies. And radishes are an almost ubiquitous back yard staple, underappreciated and often grown out of a sense of duty rather than joy. At least for me. But this year I have discovered the pleasures of this humble, quick growing treasure. Best of all, I have found a way to serve it to Mr. Seasonality so that even he will enjoy it. Miracle of miracles.
A radish on it's own is a bit overwhelming (especially when it is roughly the size of a kitten); spicy, pungent, crisp and tender. A couple bites of one of ours sets my mouth and gut on fire and not in a good way. Paul Pitchford says that radishes are cool, pungent and sweet in nature. They transform phlegm, relieve food stagnation and are detoxifying. In Western medicine, radishes are used as a remedy for stones in the gallbladder, kidney and bladder. My mother used to make this concoction for sore throats (which I had plenty of as a child) that was surprisingly effective: one or two radishes sliced thin into a small jar and moisten with a tablespoon or so of honey. Let it sit for a few hours until the honey pulls the moisture out of the radishes and they become shriveled looking. Then drink the liquid in small sips over the course of a day. According to Mr. Pitchford, those of us with deficiency cold should not eat radishes, which is too sad to even think of. I have to say that too much of them throws off my balance, but as long as it is warm outside and my digestion is primed and on line, I'll probably keep eating radish in moderation. I'll let you know if I get any side effects.
Pseudo-Nicoise Salad
Part of the enjoyment of this as a meal is the presentation, so have fun with the
arrangement of the different elements on the plate
Boil water for steaming. In a steamer basket, cook until very lightly tender (10 minutes or so):
3 new potatoes, halved, per person
Add:
1 small handful green beans per person
Steam for 4-5 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.
Arrange on individual plates:
Large bunch of salad greens (I would encourage the inclusion of arugula)
3 anchovy fillets per person
4 or 5 olives (use kalamata or nicoise, not plain black) per person
A handful of sprouts (optional)
A handful of chervil or parsely, chopped per person (optional)
1 hard boiled egg per person (optional)
Sprinkle of blue cheese (optional)
Dress with your favorite vinaigrette. Or use mine.
Dressing:
Mix together in a small jar:
1/2 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or to taste)
pinch of salt
Radish Crostini
1 slice of bread (Sourdough is nice), toasted
Slather amply or to taste with:
butter
Arrange over the top:
1 large or 2 normal sized radishes
And sprinkle with:
pinch of fleur de sel
Devour. Enjoy.
