Shaved Artichoke And Parsley Salad With Serrano Ham Recipes

SERRANO HAM SALAD WITH ALMOND GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt using a heavy knife or a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a blender along with 1/2 cup almonds, water, oil, vinegar, hot sauce, and black pepper, then blend until dressing is very smooth, about 1 minute. Coarsely chop remaining 2 tablespoons almonds.
• Cut a lengthwise slit in peppers and discard any seeds, then cut peppers into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
• Divide romaine and peppers among 4 plates, then arrange ham on top. Drizzle each serving with some dressing and sprinkle with chopped almonds. Serve remaining dressing on the side.
• *Available at specialty foods shops, some supermarkets, and The Spanish Table (206-682-2827).

SHAVED FENNEL, ARTICHOKE, AND PARMESAN SALAD

Steps:

• Pare the artichokes down to their hearts and scoop out the chokes with a spoon, dropping them into water acidulated with the juice of 1 of the lemons.
• Cut off the feathery tops of the fennel at the base of their stalks and remove the outer layer of the bulbs. Slice the bulbs very thin with a mandolin or a very sharp knife. Remove the artichoke hearts from the water and slice them very thin the same way.
• Assemble the salad in layers on a large platter or on individual salad plates. First make a layer of the fennel slices. Squeeze lemon juice evenly over the fennel and drizzle with salt and pepper. Then make a layer of the artichoke hearts, also slice very thin. Squeeze more lemon juice over them, drizzle evenly with another third of the oils, and season with salt and pepper. Cut thin shavings of the Parmesan with cheese slicer or a vegetable peeler and arrange them on top of the artichoke slices. Scatter the parsley leaves over the cheese, season with salt and pepper, squeeze more lemon juice over, and drizzle evenly with the rest of the oils. Serve immediately.

SHAVED ARTICHOKE SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare artichokes by trimming stem, cutting off pointed tips and removing tough leaves. Slice thinly with mandoline. As each artichoke is finished, drop slices into a bowl of cold water with about 10 percent vinegar or lemon juice.
• Slice Parmesan with mandoline, creating as many pieces as you have artichoke slices, and about the same size.
• Remove artichoke slices from water and dry, then toss with olive oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Sprinkle with a little salt and a fair amount of pepper, then lay Parmesan on top. Taste and add more olive oil, lemon juice, salt or pepper as needed. Garnish with herbs and lemon zest and serve.

ASPARAGUS AND SERRANO HAM SALAD WITH TOASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. Cook asparagus in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain spears, then refresh in ice water. Drain asparagus again and pat dry.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook almonds, bread crumbs, and cumin, stirring frequently, until toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Cool. Add remaining oil to vinegar in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss escarole with half of dressing and mound on plates. Arrange ham around escarole and top salad with asparagus. Drizzle asparagus with remaining dressing. Sprinkle salad with almond-and-crumb mixture.

ARTICHOKES WITH HAM

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Squeeze lemon into bowl, and add lemon halves; set aside.
• Trim artichokes; snap off tough outer leaves. Slice off the upper 2/3 of bulb and discard. Using a vegetable peeler, remove green outer layer from around heart. Using a melon baller, scoop out choke, and discard. Keep in acidulated water while preparing remaining artichokes.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add 10 of the artichokes and 2/3 cup oil. Cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a blender. Slowly add 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid and 1/3 cup oil. Blend artichokes until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer puree to a small bowl; set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk to combine the vinegar and mustard. While continuing to whisk, gradually add 3 tablespoons olive oil whisking until thickened; set aside.
• Place julienned pigs' ears in a small skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until heated through and golden brown. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Thinly slice the remaining 2 artichokes lengthwise. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the artichokes, and saute until crisp and golden brown. Remove, and set aside. To the same skillet, add remaining tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp. Saute until pink and just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
• Evenly divide the artichoke puree between 4 plates. Place ham on work surface. Divide shrimp between slices of ham, and wrap to enclose to form bundles. Place 2 bundles in the center of each plate. Garnish with sauteed artichokes and pigs' ears. Drizzle with vinaigrette, and serve immediately.

SHAVED RAW ARTICHOKE SALAD

Steps:

• Cut off artichoke stem and discard. Cut off top inch of artichoke with a serrated knife. Bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to base, then discard several more layers of leaves in same manner until you reach pale yellow leaves with pale green tips.
• Cut remaining leaves flush with top of artichoke bottom with a sharp knife, then pull out purple leaves and scoop out fuzzy choke with melon-ball cutter. Rub cut surfaces with a lemon half. Trim remaining dark green fibrous parts from base and sides of artichoke with a sharp paring knife, then rub cut surfaces with same lemon half.
• Trim mushroom stem flush with cap, then rub mushroom with same lemon half. Squeeze 1/2 teaspoon juice from remaining lemon half into a bowl. Shave artichoke and mushroom as thinly as possible with slicer and toss immediately with lemon juice, then with oil, parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Shave a few pieces of cheese on top of salads with slicer or a vegetable peeler, then drizzle with olive oil.

SHAVED ARTICHOKE SALAD WITH PARSLEY AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Halve each artichoke heart lengthwise.
• Thinly slice the hearts, tossing with 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice as you slice (to avoid discoloration).
• Arrange on a platter, top with Parmesan, and drizzle with olive oil and remaining lemon juice. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to taste.
• Sprinkle nuts and parsley over the top, and serve immediately.

SHAVED ARTICHOKE SALAD WITH PINE NUTS AND PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• One artichoke at a time, peel away outer leaves, leaving tender pale green leaves. Cut off stem and spiny tops of leaves. Cut artichoke in half lengthwise and remove fibrous choke. Slice artichoke as thinly as possible and place in a bowl. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over it, and toss well. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
• Add parsley, pine nuts and radicchio to bowl. Pour olive oil over mixture, and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Add cheese, and toss gently. Taste for seasoning, and serve immediately.

RAW ARTICHOKE AND MUSHROOM SALAD

Steps:

• Squeeze lemons into a small bowl. Set aside. Pull off tough outer leaves from artichokes and discard. Trim bottoms and tops of artichokes. Slice lengthwise and pull out the fuzzy choke, if any. Slice artichokes crosswise as thinly as possible and immediately place in lemon juice to prevent browning.
• Slice mushrooms. Remove artichokes from lemon juice with a slotted spoon. Combine with mushrooms and dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with half of the Parmesan and arrange on 4 salad plates. Garnish with remaining cheese, and serve.