Dinner last night was yummy. We had grilled steaks with this tapenade:
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 lb. Picholine olives, pitted
5 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. drained capers
4 anchovy fillets
2 garlic cloves
Place almonds in processer (don't forget to put plastic wrap under the cover for easy clean-up!) and grind finely; transfer to small bowl. Place remaining ingredients in processor and blend until fine paste forms. Add almonds and blend 5 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. [Note: I halved this recipe and still had way too much, even for two honkin' big rib-eyes.]
The side dish was equally sublime, a classic example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts:
Roasted Carrots & Parsnips with Shallots & Herb Butter
1 lb. carrots, peeled
1 lb. parsnips, peeled
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 shallot, minced
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°.
Cut carrots and parsnips into 2" x 1/4" matchsticks. Put them in an 11x15" Pyrex baking pan* and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast, stirring every 15 minutes, until they are nicely browned, 40-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Add butter to roasted vegetables and toss to coat. Serve immediately and wolf down in one mouthful.
*I don't have an 11x15" Pyrex, so I used my 9x13" Pryex, figuring that they wouldn't have specified Pyrex if they'd wanted me to use my 11x15" metal pan. I realize now I should've just used my two 9x13" Pyrex pans to mazimize surface area for browning. But no matter; this was an outstanding side dish and sure to become a regular in my kitchen.
Sounds tasty! Unfortunately we've already reached that time of year where I refuse to put my oven on for more then 15 minutes at a time. Our apartment is too small and our appliances are too old; it heats up the whole place.
Posted by: Lora | May 16, 2005 at 11:18 AM