Crudite Salad A La Grecque Recipes

CRUDITE SALAD A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• Combine shallots, olive oil, and dried oregano in a small saucepan, and place over medium-low heat. Let cook until shallots are translucent and very soft, about 20 minutes. if oil starts to sputter or brown, reduce heat.
• Meanwhile, cut vegetables, and set each aside in its own, separate bowl: Cut cauliflower and broccoli into bite-sized florets. Trim stems from mushrooms, and cut them in half. Slice each celery stalk and carrot into 3-inch-long, thin sticks. Slice larger radishes in half.
• Season each bowl of vegetables with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add lemon juice to shallots and warm oil; stir to combine. Pour just less than 1/6 of the mixture over each bowl of prepared vegetables, keeping in mind that the mushrooms will absorb the dressing and require a little more than the other vegetables. Toss each bowl of vegetables; let stand for between 1 and 4 hours. Arrange vegetables on platter, and serve.

VEGETABLES à LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• In a 3- or 4-quart saucepan combine vinegar, wine, olive oil, garlic cloves, shallot, bouquet garni, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, kosher salt and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 15 to 30 minutes while you prepare vegetables.
• Add carrots to the broth and simmer 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, bring back to a simmer, and cook another 15 minutes, until carrots and cauliflower are tender but not mushy. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables to a bowl. Some of the broth and seeds can come along with them.
• Add mushrooms to broth and simmer 5 minutes. Remove to bowl with carrots and cauliflower.
• Stir broth and ladle 11/2 cups plus some of the coriander seeds into a small saucepan. Set aside.
• Add artichoke hearts to the pot in which you cooked the other vegetables and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until tender. Transfer to bowl with other cooked vegetables. If using artichoke leaves, steam them now. When finished, discard this broth.
• Bring reserved broth in the small saucepan to a boil and cook until liquid reduces to 1/2 cup. Pour over the vegetables, add lemon juice and fleur de sel and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning. Leave at room temperature until ready to serve (for best flavor, let vegetables marinate for a few hours), or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Just before serving, garnish with herbs and, if you wish, with steamed artichoke leaves, which can be dipped into the marinade. Serve on small plates with the reduced marinade spooned on top.

VEGETABLES à LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• In a pot, bring the liquids, spices and herbs to just below a boil.
• Cook each vegetable, separated by type, in the seasoned liquid. Start with the onion, then fennel, then cauliflower or mushrooms, then celery. Cook each until it can be pierced with a knife and tastes delicious. As each batch is done, scoop it out with a slotted spoon or a hand-held sieve. Place on a cookie sheet to cool.
• If spices or bits of herb stick to the vegetables, put what you can back in the pot and don't worry about the rest - everything will marinate together, so things will redistribute. When all the vegetables are cooked, layer them in a 1-quart Mason jar - it looks nice if you do mushrooms, then onions and so on. Pour all of the cooking liquid over them, without straining. The olive oil in the liquid will rise to the top and create a seal.
• Serve alone as an hors d'oeuvre, or as part of a salad, or on little buttered toasts. Or in an omelet. Or in a sandwich. Anywhere, really, but in a strawberry tart. Refrigerate for up to a month.

SALADE A LA GRECQUE WITH GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Brush chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill, turning once until cooked, about 12 minutes total. Set aside to cool.
• In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, oregano garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
• Place the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red pepper, onion, parsley, and mint in a large bowl; add 1/2 cup dressing, toss to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide salad and mound on four individual dinner plates or wide shallow bowls; sprinkle with olives and feta. Slice chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips and fan out on top of individual salads. Place lemon wedge on each plate and serve immediately.

TOMATOES A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• Slice tomatoes lengthwise into quarters, through the stem. Place in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until soft but not browned, about 1 minute. Add vinegar, lemon juice, and coriander. Let simmer 1 minute.
• Immediately pour hot vinaigrette over tomatoes, and let marinate at room temperature until completely cooled. Alternatively, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Just before serving, peel cucumbers, leaving on stripes of skin for decoration, if desired. Halve cucumbers lengthwise; scrape out seeds with a spoon and discard. Cut cucumber into 1/2-inch semicircles. Garnish tomatoes with oregano, and serve cucumbers in a separate bowl.