Wilted Cabbage Salad
with Bacon and Cashel Blue Cheese
3 slices white bread, cut into 1/2-inch
cubes
6 tablespoons butter
7 ounces bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head Savoy cabbage, thick stalks removed and leaves sliced
1/2 head radicchio, thinly sliced
7 ounces Cashel
or other blue cheese, crumbled
Preheat the oven
to 350 degrees F.
To
make the croutons, toss the bread cubes in 2 tablespoons of
butter and spread on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated
oven for about 10 minutes, tossing and turning frequently
until they are golden brown and crusty. Remove from the oven
and set aside.
To
make the dressing, sauté the bacon pieces in 2 tablespoons
of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until the
bacon is beginning to crisp nicely. Remove the bacon with
a slotted spoon to a plate.
Add
the garlic to the same pan and fry it gently for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and carefully add the wine vinegar. Scrape
the bottom of the pan to loosen any caramelized juices. Taste
the hot dressing for salt and add some pepper.
To
wilt the cabbage, heat a very large frying pan with the remaining
2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the cabbage all
at once. Cook, stirring, for about 1-1/2 minutes, or until
the cabbage has wilted. Tip into a large bowl.
To
serve, add the radicchio, bacon, cheese, and croutons to the
warm cabbage and toss with the dressing of wine vinegar and
juices. Spoon some of the cabbage mixture into a biscuit cutter
or cooking ring 4 inches in diameter and press down slightly
until the cabbage mixture forms a neat shape. Carefully remove
the ring. Repeat with all the cabbage mixture and arrange
the molded cabbage rounds on warmed plates. Serve at once.
Roasted Sea Bass with
a Parsley and Caper Sauce
1-1/3 pounds sea
bass fillet with skin intact
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons drained capers
4 anchovy fillets
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Check the sea bass
fillet for any errant bones and scales, and divide into 4
equal portions. Season the fillets generously with salt and
pepper and lightly dredge in the flour.
Heat 2 tablespoons
of the olive oil in a large frying pan (preferably nonstick)
over medium heat and sauté the sea bass for about 5
minutes on each side.
While the sea bass
is cooking, grind the parsley, capers, anchovies, and garlic
in a mortar with a pestle or in a food processor. Finally,
when it is fairly well mixed together, add the mustard, lemon
juice, and the remaining virgin olive oil. Season with pepper
and check for salt.
To serve, spoon some
of the sauce onto each of the warmed plates and carefully
set the sea bass on top.
Potato Pancakes
with Horseradish Drizzle
1-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold or boiling potatoes, cut into
large (about 2-inch) pieces
2 teaspoons salt for boiling
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Horseradish Drizzle
4 teaspoons spinach water, reserved from pancake recipe
2 teaspoons reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper
towels.
Bring a large pot
of water (about 4 quarts) to a boil. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt.
Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.
Drain. Place the potatoes in a large bowl.
While the potatoes
cook, thaw the spinach in a microwave. Place the spinach in
a sieve over a bowl and press out as much water as possible.
Reserve the spinach water for the horseradish drizzle.
Heat the butter and
cream gently until melted. (A heatproof measuring cup in a
microwave on low setting works well for this. Check every
minute or so until butter is melted.)
Mash the potatoes
together with the spinach, butter mixture, flour, tarragon,
and salt and pepper to taste.
On a lightly floured
surface, pat the mixture into 1/2-inch thick cakes, about
3-1/2 inches across. Mixture makes about 12 cakes.
Heat the oil in a
large, heavy skillet on medium-high until hot. Brown the cakes
on both sides, and 3 minutes per side, making sure they don't
burn. Drain the cooked cakes on the paper towel-lined baking
sheet, and keep warm in the oven until all cakes are made.
Serve hot, with the Pale Green Horseradish Drizzle.
Mix together the spinach water (4 teaspoons only) with the
sour cream and horseradish until smooth. Mixture will be thin.
Drizzle it over the pancakes right before serving, or to nap
an appetizer plate, drizzle a small amount on the plate and
set 2 pancakes on top.
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