Salad break

Sunset, Nov, 2000 by Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

Balance holiday feasting with refreshing greens

* My job as a food editor includes tasting many dishes-- often hourly in our test kitchen. When I'm seriously exploring restaurants on the road, I usually visit five or six a day, sampling my way through each menu. Sure, it's fun, but it's also mighty filling. During some dense dining on a recent whirlwind tour of Seattle eateries, I came across this salad at the Palisade restaurant at the Elliott Bay Marina and was struck by how it refreshed my weary palate. The sweet, smoky combination would be just the thing for a simple supper to break up end-of-the-year holiday excesses.

Butter Lettuce Shrimp Salad with Pears and Blue Cheese

PREP TIME: About 35 minutes

NOTES: Chef John Howie at Palisade smokes the hazelnuts himself, but you can occasionally find smoked hazelnuts in the supermarket. If you can't, use smoked almonds.

MAKES: 4 servings

2 heads butter lettuce (1 1/4 to 1 1/3 lb. total)

1/2 pound shelled cooked tiny shrimp

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (1/2 in. wide, if available)

1/2 cup roasted salted smoked hazelnuts or roasted salted smoked almonds (see notes)

2 firm-ripe Asian, Comice, or Bosc pears (about 1/2 lb. each)

2 tablespoons lemon juice or rice vinegar

Blue cheese dressing (recipe follows)

Fresh-ground pepper

1. Rinse and drain lettuce leaves; wrap in towels, enclose in a plastic bag, and chill at least 15 minutes or up to 2 days.

2. Rinse shrimp with cold water and drain. Rinse and stem tomatoes; if larger than 1/2 inch, cut into quarters.

3. Coarsely chop nuts. Rinse pears, core, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick sticks; in a bowl, mix cut fruit with lemon juice.

4. Mound lettuce on plates or in bowls. Over lettuce, evenly scatter shrimp, tomatoes, and nuts. Top equally with pears. Ladle dressing to taste over salads and sprinkle with pepper.

Per serving: 226 cal., 38% (85 cal.) from fat; 18 g protein; 9.4 g fat (0.8 g sat.); 22 g carbo (5.8 g fiber); 234mg sodium; 111 mg chol.

Blue cheese dressing. In a bowl, break 1/2 pound blue cheese (1 cup packed) into 1/2-inch chunks. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon dry mustard; stir until blended. If making up to 4 days ahead, cover and chill; stir before using. Makes 1 2/3 cups.

Per tablespoon: 60 cal., 87% (52 cal.) from fat; 1.7 g protein; 5.8 g fat (2 g sat.); 0.6 g carbo (0 g fiber); 121 mg sodium; 8.5 mg chol.

Count on this Russian

* Once upon a time, according to the various Russian authored cookbooks in my library, there was a Count Stroganoff who dabbled in the arts of the table. His legacy is this timeless dish bearing his name. It's recorded that he prepared it in front of guests, doubtless with an army of servants to lend a hand. Beef stroganoff, however, is uncomplicated enough to execute without a staff. Served in a ring of pasta, it makes a handsome main dish for a party.

Beef Stroganoff

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 45 minutes

NOTES: Make the sauce (through step 2) and slice the meat up to 1 day ahead; cover separately and chill.

MAKES: 5 or 6 servings

1 pound mushrooms

1 onion (6 oz.), peeled and chopped

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons brandy

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon catsup or tomato paste

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1 cup fat-skimmed beef broth

About 1 cup sour cream

Salt and pepper

1 pound fat-trimmed tender beef (such as tenderloin or New York strip)

Pasta ring (recipe follows), heated

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1. Rinse mushrooms; trim off and discard discolored stem ends. Cut mushrooms vertically into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan, combine mushrooms, onion, and 2 tablespoons butter. Stir often over high heat until juices have evaporated and mushrooms are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add brandy and stir until liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir flour into mushroom mixture. Then stir in mustard, catsup, horseradish, and beef broth.

2. Return pan to high heat and stir until mixture is boiling, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup sour cream and stir to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour mushroom sauce into a bowl.

3. Rinse meat and pat dry. Cut across the grain into 1/8-inchthick slices. Rinse and dry frying pan, place over high heat, and add remaining tablespoon butter. When it just begins to brown, add half the beef; stir until meat is lightly browned in some places and still pink in others, 2 to 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked meat to mushroom sauce. Add remaining beef to pan and repeat to brown. When all the meat is cooked, return stroganoff mixture to frying pan and stir until bubbling, 2 to 5 minutes.

4. Pour stroganoff into center of pasta ring, top with a dollop of sour cream, and sprinkle with dill. Cut through pasta with a sharp knife and serve stroganoff and pasta with 2 large spoons.

Per serving: 620 cal., 36% (225 cal.) from fat; 30 g protein; 25 g fat (13 g sat.); 68 g carbo (3.3 g fiber); 257 mg sodium; 89mg chol.