BLT SALAD WITH WARM ONION VINAIGRETTE
1 thin loaf (baguette) French bread
1/4 cup olive oil
5 slices bacon
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
2 large Florida tomatoes, cored
1 head romaine lettuce
1 medium onion chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the
loaf of bread on the diagonal into 12 3/4-inch-thick slices. Lay them
on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until
golden brown. Brush each one lightly with olive oil and set aside.
While the bread toasts, fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp,
pouring off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat. Put the bacon aside
on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Put the vinegar, sugar, and basil in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Slice the tomatoes into thin wedges and put them aside in a separate
salad bowl. Wash the inner leaves of lettuce and dry them well. Tear
into pieces and add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil in
the pan with the bacon fat. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat,
stirring, for 1 minute. Scrape the onion into the bowl with the vinegar
and stir the dressing well.
Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and lettuce and
toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, arrange 3 slices of toast on each
plate, ends touching in the center. Pile the dressed salad in the
center of the toasts, then crumble the bacon and sprinkle it over
the top of each salad. Serve at once.
YIELD: 4 servings
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CIOPPINO
Cioppino is a California-style seafood stew made
with a tomato-based broth and originally created by Mediterranean fishermen
who settled in that state. This version is simple and honest, easily
adaptable to your favorite seafood. Serve with nothing more than good
bread and a glass of white wine.
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-1/2 cups (about 5 large) cored, seeded,
and chopped tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 6-1/2-ounce can chopped clams with
their juice
1-1/2 pounds thick cod, haddock, or
other boneless fish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 pound bay or sea scallops
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
basil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
In a large enameled soup pot or
Dutch oven, warm the olive oil. Stir in the onions and green pepper
and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute, then stir in the tomatoes,
wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, and salt. Bring to a simmer,
then simmer the broth, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
Stir the clams and their juice into the stew. Add the chunks of
fish fillet. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir the scallops and basil
into the stew. Cover and simmer for 4 to 8 minutes more, until the
scallops are done. Salt and pepper the stew, then serve piping hot.
YIELD: 4 to 6
servings
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