A Cool Meal for the Dog Days of Summer

OR-G - pretty to look at, fun to drink!

 Sue fell in love with this vodka bottle, which started the quest to find out if the contents were as good as the bottle was beautiful.  On the strong recommendation of a handsome young employee at Total Wine Sue happily bought a bottle, and will be buying another bottle.  OR-G is French vodka flavored with persimmon, mango, papaya and lime and made an excellent cocktail mixed with a splash of club soda and a generous wedge of lime.  OR-G is OMG good.  The flavor was surprisingly fruity without being sweet, and even though the bottle indicates they have recipes, we just plowed ahead with our own version.

 It has been so hot here. You ask, how hot?  How about over 100 most of this week?  While it is not unusual to get this hot here, it is usually in August,  not  July.  So we wanted something cool, refreshing, and   something that didn’t require heating up the oven.  And boy did we score with this choice. Sue found some great Ahi tuna, and the vegetables are so luscious this time of year, it was a perfect combination.  And yes, once again there was excitement in the produce aisle when Sue found the baby potatoes. They were just too cute to pass up.



Ahi tuna searing in rosemary olive oil

 This meal evokes a grape arbor, olive trees, fragrant herbs and flowers and a large gathering of close friends and family.  We made do with two hungry women in an air-conditioned house….we’re all about adapting.  Provide us the grape arbor, and we’re there.  The fresh flavors and richness of this dish will transport you anywhere you dream to be.



Nicoise Salad

Classic Tuna Nicoise Salad

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

Prep Time: 10 min

Inactive Prep Time:  --

Cook Time:  30 min

Level:  Easy

Serves:  4 entree salads

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1/4 pound haricots verts, or small, thin green beans, ends trimmed
• 2 pounds yellowfin tuna loin, trimmed of sinew
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1 large head romaine or Bibb lettuce, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• 1/2 pound Roma plum tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup halved and seeded black brine-cured olives
• 1/3 cup halved and seeded green brine-cured olives
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
• Chopped fresh herbs, for garnish (parsley, tarragon, chive, etc.)

Directions

Bring 2 medium pots of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes to 1 pot and blanch until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander, pat dry, and set aside. Add the green beans to the other pot and blanch until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, pat dry, and set aside.

Arrange the tuna on a cutting board and cut into 4 equal portions. Season the tuna steaks with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, each. Heat the oil in a large skillet (or 2 medium skillets), over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the rosemary sprigs and tuna steaks and sear, about 30 seconds per side for medium-rare. Remove from the pan and dice the tuna into 1-inch pieces.

Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces and combine with chopped fresh parsley and tarragon. Toss with enough of the Anchovy Dressing just to coat. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed. Toss the potatoes and green beans in 1/4 cup of the Anchovy Dressing. Arrange the lettuce along the side of 4 large plates (or 1 serving platter). Spoon the vegetables along the other side of the plate. Arrange the diced tuna over the lettuce. Arrange the tomatoes, olives, sliced red onions, and eggs on the other sides of the plates (or serving platter). Garnish with additional herbs if desired and serve immediately.

Anchovy Dressing:

• 1 anchovy fillet, drained
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 large egg*
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a medium bowl, mash the anchovy, salt, pepper, and garlic into a paste with the back of a fork. Add the egg and whisk well to blend. Add the lemon juice and mustard, and whisk well. Add the oils in a steady stream, whisking constantly to form a thick emulsion. Add the shallots, capers and Worcestershire, whisk well, and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Yield: 1 cup

Weight Watchers: 19 points



Ricotta-Raspberry Ice Cream

Raspberry-Ricotta Ice Cream
Recipe from Whole Living Magazine, July /August 2012

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups ricotta
• ½ cup cane sugar
• ¾ tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• Pinch of coarse salt
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup raspberries

Directions

Puree ricotta, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Stir in cream. Freeze in ice cream maker, then mix in 1 cup berries. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm. For the best texture, freeze the ice cream in a shallow, flat container.

Weight Watchers: 9 points

Our biased and unsolicited opinions:

We loved every single element of this salad.  If you are not a lover of seared tuna, then you may want to substitute a grilled meat of your choice.  We substituted multi-colored  baby potatoes for the sliced red potatoes and were very pleased with results. We liked the tuna sliced rather than chopped. We also chose to quarter the tomatoes. The beauty of a composed salad like this, is that you can let the vegetables determine how you present them. The dressing was mild in spite of the strong ingredients and didn’t overpower the salad. We were so surprised by the amount of flavor that the rosemary infused into the tuna in just the few minutes it took to sear.

The wine was good but a bit strong for this meal. A Sirah or a Pinot Noir or even a sparkling white would be a better choice. This was an on-hand wine, and we wanted to try it, but it was over our established budget, and now we wish we had saved it for a better pairing.  We are sort of sorry, sort of . . . .

Maipe, Malbec2008, Argentina

The taste of the ice cream was great (how could it not be?). Sue liked the texture, but Meg thinks it should be smoother, and she is going to keep making and eating it until she has it right. This would lend itself to a variety of summer fruits, so let us know if you try something other than raspberries.