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

Minestroni

I am slowly developing my version of a minestroni soup. There is Italian version: taught by Jamie Olivers et al which is fry the root/stock vegetables then add tomatoes, beans, then pasta and cabbage. Sprinkle generously with parmesan before tucking in.

A few tips for a good minestroni are: add the rind of parmesan cheese in the soup while its boiling, fry some bacon with the root vegetables.

I start with a basic tomato sauce taught to be by Jocelyn. Fry some garlic slices in oil. I added bacon as well. When its well fried, remove all fried garlic and bacon. Add a tin of tomatoes into the oil, add your dried herbs like rosemary and oregano and cook till it becomes a sauce. You can use this for pasta, pizza topping or anything.

Then add the vegetables you want in the soup - carrots, beans, chick peas, peppers, onions. Add some chicken stock and cook till the vegetables are soft. Add some chopped salami (some dried leftover salami is perfect) or sausage. Just before serving add some pasta. When it is soft, add some chopped curly cabbage like the silverbeet, cavalo nero or chinese cabbage.

When the pasta is soft and cabbage is cooked, serve into bowls, sprinkle generously with parmesan and some cheddar, parsley and tuck in. Don't forget the fried bacon!

Dressing for fish

I found this most wonderful sauce for fish in Stephanie Alexander's recipe book . It is not hers - its a Thai recipe she adapted from the famous Australian Thai food chef, David Thompson's (he wrote that huge Thai cooking tome) She says she uses less garlic and chilli but I dont really measure for this recipe, so perhaps I am tasting his version. It's simply the most gorgeous sauce I have tried and will make over and over again.

1 coriander plant (including root) well washed
1 tspn salt
2 cloves garlic
4 fresh small green chillis, chopped
1 tbs castor sugar
3 tbs fresh lime juice
2 tbs fish sauce

I pounded the salt, coriander root and garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle then added all the ingredients and mixed them up.

I drizzled it over some grilled fish and it was awesome.

Delicious..

The next day, I had some left over and I mashed it into an avocado - that was delicious too - I just ate that with bread.

Today, I made some sauce (without the sugar and chillis) mashed it into an avocado, added some chopped onion, tomatoes and chopped tuna sashimi. But Stephen said that although it tasted really nice, you couldnt taste the tuna. I agreed, the garlic was too overpowering but I did enjoy the texture of the tuna in the mixture.