Recipes

Arugula Citrus Salad

4 cups              Arugula

2 cups              Romaine, torn into bite size pieces

2 T                   Fresh mint or parsley, coarsely chopped or torn

1 ½ – 2 cups     Citrus of your choosing, peeled and cut into slices or suprêmes

                        **Reserve the peels, squeeze them for juice for dressing         

1 1/2 tsp          Shallot, finely minced

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup              Pistachios (if raw, toast gently in a dry pan or in the oven)

Toss arugula and dry, clean romaine pieces in a bowl, sprinkle with shallot and herbs,  gently mix.  When ready to serve, season with salt and pepper, toss, add citrus segments and dress lightly, toss gently.  Sprinkle pistachios over the top.  Check for seasoning.

Vinaigrette

¾ cup  olive oil

¼ cup  Champagne vinegar

4 tsp    Orange juice – reserved from citrus peels

½ tsp   finely minced shallot

Pinch   Lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Place shallots into a jar, add vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper and let sit for a few minutes.   Add the juices and zest and some of the oil; cover, shake and taste.  Add remaining oil to taste and adjust for  seasoning and balance.  Store in the refrigerator for one week.

Arugula Citrus Salad

Chocolate Truffles

12 oz               Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 C                   Heavy cream

Optional:         ½ tsp vanilla or 2 tsp prepared coffee

 Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Set the cream to warm gently in a sauce pan over medium low heat.  Take off the heat when small bubbles begin to appear around edges of the pan.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer, slowly over the chocolate and let sit for a minute or so.  Carefully stir the mixture together until incorporated and glossy.  Let cool at room temperature until mixture has firmed up and is scoopable, an hour or so (a shallow dish will expedite process).  Scoop tablespoon sized mounds and roll into balls. If they are too soft to roll easily, pop them in the refrigerator until they are more manageable.  Roll in the desired coating.  Store in an airtight container.

Potato Leek Soup

2 Cups             Yukon Gold potatoes; washed, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 Cups             Leeks; trimmed of tough outer leaves, washed and coarsely chopped

6 Cups             Chicken broth; or vegetable broth if preferred

2 Cups             Cream, milk, half and half or plain yogurt

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chopped parsley or chives for garnish

Place potatoes, leeks and stock into a saucepan.  Simmer gently until the potatoes yield nicely to the tines of a fork.  Blend carefully with an immersion blender; or in a blender with center removed from the lid and a folded, clean tea towel held firmly over the top.  Take care not to fill blender more than half-way when blending hot liquids.  Stir in your choice of dairy, return to heat and warm gently.  Season, taste and adjust as needed.  Plate and garnish generously with parsley or chives. Enjoy.

Note: The most efficient way to clean leeks is to cut them up and float in a bowl of water, gently agitating them so any debris will fall to the bottom of the bowl.  Do not skip the garnish, as it greatly enhances the soup.

Variation:   2 C carrots, 1 C leeks simmered in 4 ½ C broth with a few sprigs of thyme.  Add 1 tsp of grated garlic, a pinch each of ground cumin and coriander during the last few minutes of simmering. Finish with 1 C cream and season.