Note: First, make the ghee: Put the butter in a small pan, bring it to a simmer, and cook until it turns brown at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Let the butter sit for a minute. Then tilt the pan and carefully skim off the solidified top crust with a spoon, taking care to remove as much of this stiff white froth as possible. Put it in a small dish. Pour the clear golden butter into another small dish, and pour the darker brown dregs at the bottom of the pan into the dish containing the froth. This can be done well ahead of time, even a day or two before; ghee keeps well in the refrigerator.
Fresh kale is wilted ever so slightly by tender-crisp, hot onions -- and glazed with reduced vinegar before being graced with freshly made croutons, shaved cheese, and figs (fresh or dried). A single pan handles all the parts of this recipe that need heat, and the flavor that accumulates in there is absorbed by the bread as it toasts. Deliciousness builds, step by step, and the results are glorious. (My feelings about this dish are pretty much summed up in the yield estimate.)
Chicken Larb (Laotian Chicken and Herb Salad)
The only thing I might like better than Brussels sprouts roasted to a crisp are thinly sliced raw Brussels sprouts dressed with a bright vinaigrette and toasted nuts. This salad takes a little more time to make than the usual shaved sprouts salad, but the extra work is worth the flavor and texture combination of nutty brown butter vinaigrette, crunchy Brussels sprouts, crisp slices of sweet apple and toasted hazelnuts. And unlike most salads, it tastes even better the day after it's made.
Ingredients
Every now and then I like a salad with attitude. This one has it, with its mix of assertive, crunchy radicchio, pungent anchovy-lemon dressing, and crispy croutons. Serve it with a rich main course such as Vegetable-Stuffed Pasta Shells or Crêpe Cannelloni with Mushrooms and Zucchini.
This salad says summer and is a foil for the steak. It is a simplified version of one I ate recently in Spain.
Combining carrots and oranges, seasoned with orange flower water and cinnamon, is a frequently served favorite in Morocco. The salad should be just moist enough to need a spoon to eat it. The key to this dish is grating the carrots very finely so that they can absorb the orange juice and soften slightly. For a version with more texture, add a few pieces of chopped orange segments, or grate the oranges instead of juicing them.
This egg salad supposedly originated with a chef who cooked for European royalty before a stint at the National Casino in Budapest, Hungary. Odds are you won’t find this delicious dish on any Las Vegas or Atlantic City menu, but it is a sure bet for lunch or at the dinner hour. Butter and sour cream lend a rich foundation, but it’s still lighter than a typical mayonnaise-based egg salad. And the anchovies add a hint of salt and briny depth. This is terrific served with lettuce and fresh vegetables as a salad, or with lettuce and tomato on toast as a sandwich.
Actually, this was created by Gill's friend Jane, but it comes to us via Gill, so we're putting her name on it. It's a salad that uses up the kinds of things you find in the refrigerator during the summer.