Leafy or Lacy

As you may recall from last year, I'm not big on the resolutions.  They never pan out so instead I try to give myself "guidelines", within which there's a lot of ambiguity and wiggle room.  Call them anti-resolutions.  This year's anti-resolution is to try and incorporate more vegetables into my diet.

I am not a vegetable lover but I do like salads.  As you know, I have been conducting a lettuce exploration project.  When we left off last year, I had proclaimed my love for both arugula and radicchio.  Baby spinach, always a fan favorite was on the list as well.  And then there's always my favorite, good old romaine.

Well, add another lettuce to that line up:  frisee.  Who knew that something that looked so lacy and delicate could pack such a flavor punch.  It's a little bitter which I really like, and it makes a really lovely looking salad, which I also really like.

To be fair, I didn't just stroll up to the lettuce and say to myself "I think I'll make a salad with frisee tonight".  No, I had a recipe.  Sometimes I need a little push in the right the direction and Martha Stewart, who I think is probably a little on the pushy side anyway, nudged me in the right direction.

Paired with red endive, hard boiled eggs, and a really delicious Dijon vinaigrette, the frisee was not only really tasty, it made for quite a snazzy presentation.

And while this salad may not technically count as leafy greens, it does count as a lacy green.

Recipe:  Frisee Salad with Hard-Cooked Eggs
(Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, December, 2011)

Ingredients:

For the Vinaigrette

1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

2 heads frisee, trimmed, about 8 cups
1 head red endive or radicchio, sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
3 tablespoons tarragon leaves
3 large eggs, hard-cooked, peeled, and quartered

Directions:

Make the vinaigrette:

Whisk together shallot, vinegar, and mustard in a medium bowl.  Gradually whisk in the oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Make the salad:

Toss together the frisee, endive, and tarragon in a large bowl.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette, and gently toss to coat.  Transfer to a platter, and top with the eggs.  Season with salt and pepper.