Kale kale kale.

Oh summer salads, how I love you!  You make every meal more fun and healthy and there are so many ways to make you.  Sometimes I feature a grain or bean like kamut, farro or chickpeas.  Maybe cherry tomatoes, corn, avocado.  All are variations on beautiful fresh produce, plenty of herbs, and some kind of flavorful dressing. 

At my little local farmer's market last week I picked up kale, squash and tomatoes from Tom, my new favorite farmer.  His produce is gorgeous and he always has really lovely bunches of flowers that I don't know the name of but look very pretty in vases with random branches and leaves I've plucked from my backyard.  Flower arranging is a piece of cake after a few tries and plenty of greenery.

Most of my summer salads are good, a lot of them are great, but the one I made with Tom's produce was fantastic.  A keeper, for sure.  It's all about the dressing, which can be used on a million different salads.  Start playing!

CHOPPED KALE, SUMMER SQUASH, AND CHERRY TOMATO SALAD

1 bunch kale, tender leaves separated from stalks, chopped into thin strips

a couple handfuls of the best cherry tomatoes you can find, halved

2 - 3 yellow summer squash, sliced in rounds very thinly on a mandoline

5 - 6 tbsps cotija cheese, crumbled

basil, torn

1/4 cup balsamic

lemon juice from one lemon

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp dijon mustard

3/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup white wine

salt and pepper

Massage the kale with your hands to soften it.  

Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl or a ball jar.  I like using ball jars (or old mustard jars) because shaking is the best way to mix it.  Taste and season accordingly. 

Toss kale with dressing and let it sit for at least 20 minutes.  Mix in squash, tomatoes and basil.  Top with cotija and serve.

We served this salad with grilled steak and balsamic-thyme grilled peaches and red onions.  Paired with Syrahs from Radio-Coteau and Copain, all was right in the world.  Radio-Coteau's more robust and lush Syrah was a nice foil to Copain's leaner and prettier 2011 Les Voisin.  Full disclosure - we meant to open the 2009 instead.  Whoops.  Turns out this young Syrah is still really really good.   

 

Happy Winter Solstice!

Fork.  The shortest day of the year may come as a dismal reminder that winter is upon us, promising many cold nights and crisp days.  Snow and ice and doom and gloom.  I can't say I'm thrilled by the low temperatures, but the darkness of the season certainly begs for cozy evenings and slow cooked meals.  So don't despair!  As you're lamenting the absence of August blueberries and September tomatoes, turn to the bright tang of December citrus to brighten your day.

Paired with red wine and balsamic vinegar, orange juice is a zippy braising liquid for gamey lamb chops.  Add dried apricots, olives and fennel and you have a wonderfully rich winter dish sure to be a optimistic reminder of the season.

Solstice Braised Lamb

orange, balsamic, fennel, apricot, olive

2 lamb shoulder chops

1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and finely ground

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup orange juice (preferably fresh)

a good handful of dried apricots

a good handful of cured olives, pitted

2 bay leaves

zest of 1 orange

1. Trim your lamb chops and season with ground fennel, salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large, high-sided ovenproof skillet over high heat.  Sear chops until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. 


2. Add wine and vinegar.  Boil until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.  Add orange juice, apricots, olives, orange zest and bay leaves.  

3. Braise lamb in oven, covered, for 45 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking until meat is very tender and falling off the bone, about 45 minutes more.  Baste often.  

4. Reduce braising liquid on the stove until thickened and saucey.  Serve lamb with sauce. 

With kale salad and roasted butternut squash.

Glass.  Do eat this meal with a hearty red wine.  The orange sauce is intensely flavorful and demands a wine that is full-bodied and rich.  Lamb always seems to pair beautifully with the wines of Northern Rhone, and most favorably with Syrah.  All dark and earthy and black olivey.  Deep purple, warm spices.  We chose a new world Syrah, made with the Rhone Valley in mind.  Copain's 2007 Baker Ranch Syrah is all sorts of roasted fruit, black pepper, and bold olives.  The orange sauce popped and the meat sang.  And we reveled in winter cheer.

Play.  Long nights and short days are perfect excuses for cozy couch sessions with forgotten movies.  This tiny gem, which many have seen but only once, promises to bring a delightful warmth to the coldest of evenings.  Little Miss Sunshine is the charming story of a quirky family road trip, complete with hi-jinks, revelations, and dancing.  As the title suggests, the scenery is bright with the Southern sunshine and the main characters radiate an honest mix of melancholy, passion and joy.  Simply put, you'll feel happy when the credits roll and on the darkest of days, that's all we need.