Anticiplate

I am absolutely exhausted. Chefdom is hard. And, I only do it 3 days a week.  Cooking and ballet have fallen by the wayside, and long nights of sleeping and cat naps have become the norm. I need to get my act together, pretty soon. This is not a sustainable pattern for me, and my day job.

Last week, I finally gave in an decided to get a new SLR camera. It was time. I have had my little point and shoot for a long time, and it has just seen its day. I also think I had maxed out my potential to improve my pictures with the little camera. Although the pictures I just took for this recipe are not good, at all, at least they are just as good as my old camera, and I don’t even know how to work this one!

What better way to try out my new camera than to photograph a new recipe I just learned for this Cauliflower Salad the second weekend at The Restaurant. I guess it is not really a recipe, actually, but mostly ingredients tossed together to your liking. But, it should be heavy on the cauliflower, generous on the anchovy dressing, and everything else is up to your own taste.

I changed stations to be at the “cold” station with Chef M, learning all new techniques and cooking styles. I definitely did not feel as comfortable at this station. I had to learn how to shuck oysters-quickly, plate a dish that has more than one element (and has the artistic potential to be in the MOMA), and refine my gelato scooping technique using hot water from the espresso machine for the scoop. Chef M explained to me that the cold station was the most important station at The Restaurant. It is generally the customers first, and last experience, at The Restaurant and it needs to be “spot on” and beautifully impressive each time. Then why am I working there?

This salad is comforting to me. I love all of the different shapes, colors and textures. The mini tree-like cauliflower, the garnet color from the slightly sweetened grilled radicchio, the spiciness from the rocket arugula, the creamy toasted pinenuts, the bright citrus from the navel orange, and the saltiness of all of that anchovy dressing.  I also loved this salad, because similar to the gnocchi, I have worked on every element of the dish from start to finish. I learned how to grill the radicchio, break down and blanch the cauliflower, create an anchovy dressing, desegment oranges, toast pine nuts, finely mince chives, and use a mandoline without slicing off my fingers. I also have probably made this salad 50 times now, so I feel like it has become my own.

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 20 minutes

*Adapted from a recipe learned at The Restaurant

1 head of cauliflower, broken down into small florets

1 small clove garlic

1 1.5 oz. can of anchovy filets in olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Kosher salt to taste

Olive oil

1 head of Radicchio

1/4 c. white balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. olive oil

1 bag of Arugula

1 orange, desegmented

1 shallot, sliced thinly on a mandoline

2 tbsp. chives, finely minced

1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Olive oil to taste

Make sure the cauliflower are all broken down to the smallest floret they can be in. Blanch cauliflower in a pot of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes, until just tender. Plunge into an icebath, and let sit until cool. Drain on a paper towel, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or mortar and pestle, grind the garlic, anchovies, lemon, and salt. Slowly add in the olive oil until emulsified. Adjust seasonings to taste. It should be thick, like a Caesar dressing.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a medium bowl, cut radicchio into 4 pieces, leaving the core attached. Toss with the white balsamic and oil and season generously with salt. Place the radicchio on the grill and let wilt, turning often, until softened, and has good grill marks. Toss back in the original bowl, and let cool. Cut the radicchio into bite-size pieces and discard cores.

In a medium bowl, toss some arugula, radicchio, cauliflower, oranges, pine nuts, shallots, chives, and season with salt. Toss the salad with the anchovy dressing. Add more lemon juice, or olive oil if needed and taste to seasonings. Stack high in a shallow bowl and drizzle with more olive oil. Serve immediately.