Cooking

August and everything after

Sonya Verlaque

French Potato Salad

This is a great potato salad that does not use dairy and is served at room temperature, so you don’t have to worry about storage and chilling if you are taking it outdoors to the pool or a picnic. It also stores in the fridge and as the dressing settles into the potatoes tastes even better the next day. I just served this recently to a bunch of friends and they thought it was a nice, lighter version for summer. You can also use any herbs that you have fresh available really, just make sure all herbs are chopped well so you don’t feel like you are eating leaves with your potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs small potatoes (red/gold)
• 1 tbs salt
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 3 tbs champagne vinegar
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• 1 tbs grainy mustard
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 shallot, peeled a sliced
• 2 tbs fresh dill, minced
• 2 tbs fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tbs basil, chiffonade

Preparation directions: Bring a large stock pot of water boil, and while waiting to boil chop the potatoes into quarters or bite sized pieces. When boiling, place the potatoes in the pot and cook for 20-25 min until for tender. Strain and place in a bowl with a towel covering it so the potatoes can steam. In the mean time, place the olive oil, champagne vinegar, mustards, and pepper into and whisk or blend until it forms an emulsion. Add herbs and shallots and stir, then pour over the potatoes and toss, and let sit. This can be served warm or at room temperature, or stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days, if it lasts that long.

Gnocchi alla Romana

This is gnot your normal gnocchi! Its baked as flat discs and is crispy, cheesy and delicious. This recipe is from the James Beard winning chef, David Leite and is from Rome. Made with coarse ground semolina instead of potatoes. It makes a great base for a ragu or marinara for dipping.

• 1 quart (4 cups) whole milk
• 2 to 3 tsps salt
• 7 ounces (just over 1 cup) semolina flour
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preparation directions: To make the semolina gnocchi, heat the milk and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. When the milk starts to simmer, slowly sprinkle the semolina flour over the surface, whisking constantly to make sure that lumps do not form. Once all the semolina has been added, reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to whisk for 7 to 10 more minutes, until the gnocchi-to-be mixture becomes thick and velvety. The mixture may thicken considerably after just a few minutes, but try to continue to cook it for the full 7 to 10 minutes. This is to make it tender and a nice smooth texture.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the eggs, and the butter. Turn the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet, spreading it evenly into a 1/2 inch thickness. Set aside in the fridge, if there's room, or set aside at room temperature until cool and firm, about an hour. Preheat the oven to 400E F (200EC). Using a circle cookie cutter or the mouth of a glass that's about 2 inches wide, cut the cooled semolina into gnocchi. Dip the cutter or glass into water between each press to prevent the dough from sticking. Place the cut gnocchi on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, making sure to leave at least 1/2 inch between them so that their edges can caramelize.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the bread crumbs on top of the semolina gnocchi. If you don't want them thickly coated, don't use all of the cheese and crumbs. Bake until the semolina gnocchi are golden brown, slightly puffed, and crisp around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Slow Cooker Ragu

To serve with your polenta we may need a nice beef ragu, however no one wants to have the stove or oven on all day in August. This is made in a crockpot so you can get on with your day and have dinner ready later in the day. This also freezes really well, and can be rewarmed easily for meal prepping or if it makes too much for your household in one sitting.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs beef roast the cheapest cut, or even stewing meat so its pre-cubed
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2-3 sprigs each fresh rosemary and fresh thyme stems discarded and finely chopped
• 1 small red onion peeled and finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
• 1 carrot peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery stick finely chopped
• 1½ cups red wine such as Chianti
• 3 - 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation directions: Chop onion, carrot and celery, mince garlic and chop rosemary and thyme and put everything on the bottom of a crock pot. Cut roast into 2¢-3¢ cubes and brown them in olive oil in a frying pan over high heat in stages, don’t overcrowd the meat so it browns nicely. Add it to the vegetables. Taking the frying pan off the heat, pour wine into the pan and use wooden spoon to loosen all the delicious bits from the bottom of the pan, that's where much of the flavor is concentrated.

Pour the wine into the crock pot along with canned tomatoes. Sprinkle barley all over, which will add texture and more flavor to your ragu, not to mention fibre and nutrients. Add a teaspoon of salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

In the last hour take the lid off and shred the beef with two forks, add one more tablespoon of fresh rosemary and thyme and a splash of water or wine if the meat is too dry. Cook for one hour longer. At the end of cooking time stir in butter for more flavor and to add a gloss to your ragu.