Asparagus with Hard-boiled egg vinaigrette

A small challenge to find this recipe. It got me annoyed that I get so many generic search results from google, none of which has heard of a hard boiled egg vinaigrette. Yet it is so healthy and delicious. Makes any vegetable taste fullsome and edible just on its own. What a lunch it could be.!

So I found this on http://foodnouveau.com/recipes/sandwiches/asparagus-with-hard-boiled-egg-vinaigrette/ but, just in case this recipe/website disappears, I copied and pasted it. It sounds great. the addition of the chilli's.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as an appetizer 

Kosher salt or fleur de sel
2 scallions, white and light green parts separated and finely sliced
1 tsp [5 ml] red wine vinegar
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled
1 tsp [5 ml] Dijon mustard
1/3 cup [80 ml] extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp [15 ml] capers, rinsed and dried
Pinch dried chili flakes
2 tbsp [30 ml] handful of fresh, flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 lb [450 g] asparagus, peeled if needed, trimmed and cooked to your liking

In a small bowl, pinch together 1/4 tsp [1.25 ml] salt with the white part of the sliced scallions. Once the scallion begins to release some juice, stir in the red wine vinegar and set aside.

Separate the egg yolks from the hard boiled eggs. Place one egg yolk in a medium bowl. Chop the other egg yolk and egg whites separately, and keep both aside for later.

Mix the Dijon mustard into whole egg yolk until smooth. Using the back of a spoon or fork, beat in 1/3 cup of the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Once emulsified, stir in the vinegar and white scallions.

Add the reserved egg whites to the sauce, along with the capers, the chili flakes and most of the parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce seems too thick, loosen with the extra olive oil.

To serve, arrange the cooked asparagus on a plate. Spoon over the sauce, then garnish with the chopped egg yolk, reserved parsley and scallion greens.

Note: This asparagus makes a fine tartine topping (as pictured). If desired, toast two large slices of whole wheat sourdough bread, then top with the asparagus and the hard-boiled egg vinaigrette.


Recipe Credit: Seven Spoons

Broad beans and Feta salad

My neighbour grows broad beans for the neighbour over her other side. She said it was his favourite and she grew it in exchange for all the favours he gives her. It made me think that broad beans must be something amazing. 

In Japan, we were once served a burnt broad bean pod. All they did was burn the broad bean shell and all over a barbecue, sprinkled with salt and served on a long plate. We were meant to break into the blackened skin and eat the inside. The way it was presented, I thought I was eating the most wholesome, treasured broad bean. 

So I have been dreaming about a good broad bean recipe, I buy broad beans and managed to get Nathan to like it raw. 

Here is one that I made for my mother's birthday dinner. I cooked roast lamb with lots of roast vegetables - brinjal, tomatoes, zucchini, onions. and needed something green. This wasn't planned so this is what I did:

1 packet Frozen broad beans

1/4 cup Frozen small peas

1/4 packet of Feta cheese block

Sprinkle of dried oregano

Slice the Apple mint leaves finely

Sliced roasted pistachio nuts

Glug of olive oil and lemon juice

Chilli flakes, salt and pepper

Throw the packet of frozen broad beans into boiling water for 5 minutes. 

Then remove, allowing it to cool, then remove the broad bean skin. 

Heat the frozen peas for 1 minute. 

Break up the feta with a fork till it is crumbly. Stir in the oregano to flavour it. 

Leave this to marinade while removing the broad bean skin

Mix the broad bean, peas, and salt. 

Add the lemon juice, feta and fold gently. 

Spread the mint, pepper and chilli all over the top of the salad. Fold them in. 

Sprinkle the sliced pistachios

Serve. 

We could add:

Fried bacon bits

Apple bits

Cabbage salad

Another salad we made was this cabbage salad from my japanese salad cookbook.

Cabbage salad

• 1/3 Cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces - 1cm x 1cm
• 1 Fried tofu skin
• 1 tbs Fried slivers of garlic
• Dressing: 3 tbs mayonnaise, 3 tbs ponzu, a pinch of shichimi

Heat the fried tofu skin over a griddle. Prepare the cabbage.
Mix the dressing ingredients till its smooth.
Cut tofu to 1cm x 1cm pieces and sprinkle over the cabbage with garlic.
Pour dressing over the salad and more shichimi.

Tofu Salad

While my cousins were here, I served my favourite Japanese salad: Tofu salad with sesame dressing. I had been ordering it at nearly every restaurant that had it, till I discovered its made using a ready made salad dressing. First I bought the wrong dressing - it was a sesame ponze sauce not a salad dressing. I was disheartened. I then found the right dressing and Stephen was eating this salad every day. My cousins came, then Mama and again we were eating this salad everyday.

So here goes:

Tofu Salad

• Tofu - 1 portion of silken tofu, wrapped in a towel and left for 20 minutes with a weight over it. This drains the water, placed at the bottom of the dish
  
• Onions, sliced, lots of it - here I use the japanese leek. It can be substituted by spring onions or finely sliced red onions
• Green pepper, finely sliced
• Mizuno leaves, or any salad leaves available, cut into bite sized portions
• 1 small tomato (not a cherry tomato) chunked
• A few soy beans (edamame), some left over bits.

Add more green fresh vegetables, like cucumbers, bean sprouts, lettuce, cabbage. I dont use vegetables that need cooking, unless its the tofu itself.

• Pour salad dressing over the salad and mix
• Scatter corn flakes over the salad for texture.

Dig in.


Here is a recipe I found for the Sesame salad dressing called Gomadare.

Gomadare

• roasted white sesame seeds: 2 large tablespoons
• soy milk: 4 large tablespoons (optional)
• miso: 1 teaspoon
• soy sauce: a little (up to taste)
• sugar: a little
• ground white sesame: a little

Method
First ground together with a pestle the white sesame seeds, soy milk and miso until it has attained a nice smooth consistency.
If have difficulty mixing it, heat it a little.
Add soy sauce, sugar and ground white sesame to taste.
A little experimentation will work wonders.