Chicories With Pears Blue Cheese And Secret Anchovy Dressing Recipes

CHICORIES WITH PEARS, BLUE CHEESE AND SECRET ANCHOVY DRESSING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Use a sharp knife to shave off the dark green tips of the frisée and escarole, then use your hands to tear off any remaining tough outer leaves, saving only the pale green and white, tender hearts for the salad. (Reserve the outer leaves for cooking greens - they'd be great for Thanksgiving stuffing!) Trim the radicchio, tearing off any bruised leaves and cutting off any root or stem.
• Once trimmed, separate all of the chicories into individual leaves, trimming more as needed to detach inner leaves. Leave the smaller leaves of all of the varieties whole, but tear or cut the larger leaves into generous bite-size pieces. Wash in cold water and dry in a salad spinner, then place in a very large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Spread pecans out in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast 7 to 10 minutes until lightly golden in the center. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• To make the dressing, use a pestle to pound the anchovy and garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt until the mixture is as smooth as toothpaste (or chop finely, then use the blade of a knife to smear across the cutting board until smooth). Whisk in mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a few cracks of pepper and shallot until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning: The dressing should be pleasantly bright and tangy, and the anchovy shouldn't be at all noticeable.
• To serve, quarter the pear, remove the core from each piece, and thinly slice. Add to the bowl of chicories. Crumble the pecans into the bowl in large pieces. Drizzle most of the dressing over the salad. Use your hands to toss gently to ensure the leaves are all coated evenly. Taste and add more dressing as needed. Transfer salad to a serving platter if desired, then crumble pecan-size pieces of cheese all throughout the salad, tossing as needed to distribute. Season generously with pepper and a bit of flaky salt. Serve immediately.

ARUGULA SALAD WITH ANCHOVY DRESSING

Steps:

• In a blender, combine lemon juice, garlic and kosher salt. Let sit for 2 minutes, then add anchovies and parsley, and blend to combine.
• With blender running, drizzle in oil until emulsified. Taste and add more lemon or kosher salt if necessary.
• In a large bowl, toss together arugula and just enough of the dressing to coat the leaves (you may not need all of it). Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and pepper and serve immediately.

ROMAINE SALAD WITH ANCHOVY AND LEMON

Steps:

• Prepare the romaine hearts: Cut off the bottoms, and remove a few of the outer leaves from each head. Gently separate the pale inner leaves and refresh in a deep basin of cold water. Drain leaves well, then spin dry, wrap in kitchen towels and refrigerate.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and anchovy. Whisk in the olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning; dressing should be rather tart.
• Put the leaves in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pour the dressing over the lettuce and gently coat the leaves, tossing with your hands. Using a peeler, shave large curls of Parmesan over the salad.

VIA CAROTA'S INSALATA VERDE

Steps:

• Wash the greens: Fill a sink or large basin with tepid water. Remove any wilted or damaged leaves from the butter lettuce, romaine and endive. Trim each head at the root to release whole leaves. Leave butter-lettuce leaves whole, but halve large leaves of romaine and endive on the bias, then drop into water. Trim and discard any roots and long stems off watercress, and drop remaining leaves and tender stems into water. Trim and discard dark green outer leaves and tops from frisée until only light green and white parts remain. Trim at the root to release leaves, and drop into water. Swirl greens in water, then drain. Wash twice more in cool, then cold, water, then transfer to a salad spinner to dry. Gently wrap in clean dish towels, and set aside.
• Place the shallot in a fine-mesh strainer, and quickly rinse with cold water. Allow to drain, then place in a medium bowl, and add vinegar and warm water. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then whisk in oil, mustards, honey (if using), thyme, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Taste, and adjust salt and vinegar as needed.
• To serve, gently pile a generous handful of greens into a serving bowl, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of dressing. Continue with another handful of salad and more seasoning and dressing, repeating until you have a glorious, gravity-defying mound of salad. Top with a final drizzle of dressing, and serve immediately.
• Wrap remaining greens in an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for up to 3 days.