Fennel, Celery, Blood Orange and Pistachio Salad

Today was Open Door Weather at the office and I have zero complaints.  It is sunny, surprisingly warm and the sky is without a single cloud.  Birds are chirping.  I know this sounds like a big fuck you to my east coast sisters, but y'all just had a few Snow Days to tromp through freshly fallen snow and go sledding and have an excuse to drink spiked cocoa and binge eat all the snacks whilst watching every episode of Friends.  I have no excuses.  I HAVE to go outside and go to work and NOT wear all my pretty knit scarves and sometimes it gets too hot in my office and the only solution is to open all the doors, which are extremely tricky to lock again.  I guess I have a few complaints.

Apologies, that was extremely annoying.  I'm done.  Let us enjoy that sunshine.

BUT it is Winter Salad Season and despite the midday warmth, evening temperatures dip cold enough to merit chucking the fresh greens and going for something slightly heartier.

Cue fennel and the oh-so-seasonal blood orange, which are two of the greatest lovers in culinary history.  These ingredients are paired in endless variations, but in this salad here, I stay classic.  No frills, nothing too fancy.  Essential: the madonline.  Slice that fennel really thin.  Ooo la la.

We paired this salad with oven roasted trout, which was excellent, but any mild white fish would be welcome if you'd like to make this into a full meal.  To drink: Copain's 2013 Tous Ensemble Chardonnay.  We often drink Copain as Daniel worked there for nearly two years, but it never gets old.  The newest vintage of their Tous Chardonnay was the perfect pairing for this meal - vibrant and lemony, but with enough floral and stone fruit notes to feel balanced and food friendly.  Lemon verbena, peaches, and sunshine.  Such a gem in this unseasonable season!

FENNEL, CELERY, BLOOD ORANGE and PISTACHIO SALAD
serves 2

1 medium fennel bulb, sliced very thin (keep the fennel fronds for garnish)
4 stalks celery and leaves, sliced thin, leaves chopped
1 medium scallop, sliced thin
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 blood oranges
1 tablespoon olive oil
handful pistachios, toasted
10 - 12 mint leaves

Slice the fennel very thin with a mandoline.  Put in serving bowl.  Slice celery and shallot and add to bowl.  Add lemon juice and stir to coat vegetables.

Cut the rind and pith off the blood oranges.  Slice the fruit into rounds and add to bowl.  Squeeze the rinds over the bowl to get as much blood orange juice in the salad as possible.   

Gently toss with pistachios, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Just before serving tear the mint leaves and add to bowl.  Garnish with more mint and fennel fronds.

That wow factor.

Everyone can make pretty good food.  Apply heat, add salt, eat.  Follow directions and dinner will be served.  If you can read a recipe, you can make something to fill you up.  But, there are just a few people that can make exceptional food.  I've found that usually the differences in technique are miniscule, but the outcomes can be substantial and special.

I had an aha (!) moment last week, which led to something crazy delicious.  And it is so simple.  And I am obsessed.  Almost every recipe that calls for a seed or nut asks you to toast them first.  Of course, I usually do - I love that depth of flavor that is brought out with slight browning.  When I'm behind or stressed or can't be bothered, I skip that step.  Never again, especially with sunflower seeds.

Looking back, the first time I had toasted sunflower seeds and was impressed with their complex flavor was at a restaurant in Brooklyn, where the chef had brilliantly garnished branzino crudo with a sprinkling of the seeds.  Since eating that dish I have tried to recall every component and always had difficulty placing that exceptional flavor, that umami quality that lingers long after the meal is over.  That wow factor.

Last week I was making a simple tomato and fig salad and didn't have the pine nuts that were called for.  Instead, I threw some sunflower seeds in skillet, lightly toasted them, and tossed them with the salad.  Amazing!  Now I add them to everything and I don't even care.  They take every dish to that next level of tasty - from pretty good to sublime.  With a little salt, they taste like popcorn.  I love them so much that I stopped writing this post just to toast up a fresh batch.  Eating them right out of the pan, still warm, is a treat.  Mixed with a handful of almonds and you have a complete snack.

TOASTED SUNFLOWER SEEDS

sunflower seeds
salt

Throw a handful of sunflower seeds into a dry skillet over med-high heat.  Don't walk away!  Keep tossing in the pan until evenly browned and toasty.  Sprinkle with salt while still warm.

EGGPLANT AND TOMATO SALAD WITH TOASTED SUNFLOWER SEEDS

1 medium eggplant
3 - 4 medium tomatoes
a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
a mix of chopped herbs (parsley, tarragon, basil, chives, etc.)
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Preheat your oven to 425.  Dice the eggplant into 1 inch cubes.  Toss with 2 tbsp oil, salt and pepper.  On an oiled baking sheet, roast the eggplant for about 25 minutes, or until soft and starting to brown. 

Cut the medium tomatoes into large wedges.  Drizzle with the remaining tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and are releasing their juices.  

In a small bowl, mix together the cooked grains, the warm tomatoes with their juices, cherry tomatoes, and eggplant.  Add lemon juice and red wine vinegar, stirring so all ingredients are evenly coated.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.  Just before serving, mix in the chopped herbs and top with the toasted sunflower seeds.  

We ate this late summer salad alongside a beautiful piece of grilled halibut and an arugula salad, but it is substantial enough to be a main course.  Especially if you added feta or a few pieces of torn mozzarella.

For a libation to pair with this lovely meal, we chose Chablis.  Jean-Marc Brocard has been making chardonnay in Chablis for decades and since 1998 has been farming biodynamically.  The care and attention he devotes to his vineyards is apparent in each sip of this delightful wine, but it is the Kimmeridgian soil that makes his wines exceptional.  One whiff and you'll pick up notes of limestone, steel, and fresh herbs.  Light and clean, pure minerality, pleasant chalkiness and just a touch of fruity lemon.  It paired perfectly with our bright herb sauce for the halibut and the toastiness of the sunflower seeds brought out the chardonnay's natural depth and richness, which I might have otherwise overlooked.  At just $22, this wine is a steal and this producer is one to always keep an eye out for - he recognizes the beauty of Chablis soil and lets it do all the work for him, as any noteworthy winemaker should. 

TROUT addendum

I've had a little feedback from my TROUT post, so I decided to address all concerns and questions on a new page. 

1.  How do you tell that the fish is done without overcooking? 

Don't be afraid!  Cooking whole fish can be intimidating, but once you've done it a few times you'll have a knack (and a craving) for it.  I suggest to initially undercook the trout and work from there.  Every oven is a little different, so this will take some trial and error.  Why not set your timer to 10 minutes, and then check doneness?  Use a fork to pull the flesh away from the backbone, which is the thickest part of the fish.  The flesh should be flaky and the skin should pull away from the meat easily.  If the flesh looks creamy and is resisting the fork, it needs a few more minutes.  Check after two and see the difference.  Depending on the size of the fish, I usually cook mine for 12 - 15 minutes at 425 degrees.  Then, I finish the trout under the broiler to crisp up the skin.  This will quickly finish cooking the top layer of flesh, and the bottom of the trout will continue cooking from residual heat.  Fish IS delicate and can be sad if overcooked and dry, but if you keep an eye on it you'll be just fine. 

2.  Do you eat the head?

NO!  If properly cooked, the head, entire spine and little fishy ribs should easily pull away from the flesh.  I eat the top fillet first, pulling the flesh away from the bones with my fork, eating as I go.  Skin and all.  When half of the fish has been devoured, I gently lift the head and the rest of the bones follow, leaving me with the underside fillet and a perfect little fish skeleton, which I discard.  I suppose people do eat the eyeball, but bleh I do not.

3. Come on, I KNOW you're drinking wine with dinner.  Please share tasting notes.

Fair enough.  Wine was definitely consumed with this meal, and it was a delicious bottle.  Perhaps not the classic pairing with such a delicate fish, but it was tasty nonetheless.  And besides, getting too scientific with food and wine pairings takes away from the romance.

We enjoyed a bottle of Ceritas 2010 Chardonnay from the Porter Bass Vineyards, very close to our house in Guerneville.  Ceritas is the creation of John Raytek, and like any talented winemaker,  he focuses on the quality of the soil, the vineyards, and fruit above all else.  His wines are expressions of place, of terroir, and the result is exceptional.  This Chardonnay is pretty.  Its femininity shows with notes of elderflower and lavender, which are complimented by lively lemony acidity and soft chalkiness.  The mouthfeel is slightly round - a lady with curves and a bit of a strut.  With the trout it was lovely, and it would be lovelier still with a richer dish.  I'm imagining crab cakes or pork tenderloin or a bite of nutty cheddar cheese.  Cheers!