Weeknight (if you get off at 2pm) Vegetarian Spring Dinner

Ingredients

Recipe

Process vegetables.  Pre heat oven to 300 degrees. Fill a 6 quart pot with cold water, roughly two inches from the top and place over high heat.  Shell the peas and set aside.  Place asparagus on cutting board.  Cut off tips, then cut stocks in ½ inch sections, avoiding the woody bottoms and set aside.

When oven is heated, put tomatoes skin side down onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Drizzle some olive oil and move tomatoes around to coat.  Do this gently so the flesh does not remove from the tomato.  Sprinkle them with sea salt and roast until dried, 45-60 minutes depending on the tomato ripeness.  Set aside to cool.  Increase oven heat to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, when water comes to a boil, add ¼ cup kosher salt and stir until dissolved.  Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.  Add peas to boiling water and blanch until tender, about two to three minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove from water and put them immediately into ice bath. (Tip – turn off the burner to make it easier to scoop them out, then return to a boil)  Next, add asparagus stalk sections to pot and boil for one minute, then add tips and boil for one more minute, then turn off burner and remove them with slotted spoon and place in ice bath with the peas.  Put potatoes in pot and turn heat back to high, reducing to simmer once boiling.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from pot and set aside to cool.  Once peas and asparagus have cooled, remove from ice bath and place on paper towels to dry.

In a small bowl, whisk Boursin cheese and cream until combined.  Slice potatoes in half and toss in a bowl with about ½ of cheese/cream mixture and salt to taste.  Split equally into two oven proof bowls or ramekins and top with remaining cheese/cream mixture.  Place in 350 degree oven and cook until it starts to bubble, about 30 minutes.

Make dressing for salad.  In a small bowl, add mustard, mayo and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add a few grinds of pepper and some salt and whisk to combine.  Add vinegar and whisk to combine.  Taste and adjust to taste with more vinegar and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, asparagus, peas, radicchio, rhubarb and scallions.  Toss to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

When potatoes are finished, remove from oven and place on a heat proof plate for serving.  Whisk dressing again and add to salad, tossing thoroughly to combine, making sure everything is coated.  Spoon the salad onto plate with potatoes.  Sprinkle chives evenly over top of potatoes and roasted tomatoes over top of salad and serve.

Makes a hearty dinner for two and pairs nicely with a medium bodied white, like Sancerre, Viognier or unoaked Chardonnay.

Now, pour a small whiskey, sip, then go to bed.  That was a lot of work!