Petatou De Chère Fraise Au Thyme Et Olives Nicoises Recipes

FETA AND MARINATED NIçOISE OLIVES WITH GRILLED PITAS

Steps:

• Make marinated olives:
• With a vegetable peeler remove 4 wide strips zest from lemon. Thinly slice garlic. Break rosemary and thyme into 1-inch pieces and halve bay leaves. In a small airtight container stir together all marinated-olive ingredients. Marinate olives, covered and chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 1 month.
• Prepare grill.
• Put feta on a platter and pour olives and marinade over it. Lightly brush pitas with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill pitas on a rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals about 1 minute on each side. (Alternatively, grill pitas in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.)
• Serve pitas warm with feta and olives. Serve cucumber spears on the side.

BOEUF à LA NIçOISE: BRAISED BEEF STEW WITH RED WINE, TOMATO, OLIVES, AND BUTTERED NOODLES

Steps:

• Toss the beef in a large bowl with the cracked black pepper, 1 tablespoon thyme, the garlic, and the orange zest. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Take the meat out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. After 15 minutes, season it on all sides with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt. Reserve the garlic and orange zest.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot and almost smoking. Place the meat in the pan, being careful not to crowd it. (You will need to do this in batches.) Sear the meat until well browned on all sides. (This step is very important and should not be rushed; it will probably take 15 to 20 minutes.) As the batches of meat are browned, remove them to a baking sheet.
• Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, fennel, and carrot. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the crusty bits left in the pan. Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and the reserved garlic and orange zest. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelized.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly to coat the vegetables. Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce to a glaze. Pour in the red wine and reduce it by half (about 5 minutes). Add the beef stock and bring to a boil.
• Add the meat to the pot. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven about 3 hours.
• While the meat is in the oven, cut the whole tomatoes in half lengthwise. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a baking dish in which the tomatoes will fit snugly. Place the tomatoes in the dish, cut side up, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Roast the tomatoes in the same oven for 1 1/2 hours, until they are shriveled and slightly caramelized on top.
• To check the meat for doneness, carefully remove the lid and foil, being aware of the hot steam. Spoon a piece of meat out of the pan and press it with your thumb or a spoon. If it's done, it will yield easily and almost fall apart. If it's not super-tender, cover again and return the pot to the oven. When in doubt, taste it!
• Take the pan out of the oven and uncover completely. Using a ladle, skim off the fat that rises to the top.
• Turn the oven up to 400°F.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
• Ladle half the braising juices into a large sauté pan and add the olives. Return the meat to the oven for 15 minutes to caramelize.
• When the water boils, cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Transfer the noodles to the pan with the braising juices and olives. Over medium-low heat, toss the noodles in the juices to coat well and bring to a low simmer. Stir in the butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Quickly add the spinach and a cup chopped parsley, and toss for just 1 minute, until the spinach begins to wilt.
• Transfer the pasta to a large warm platter. Spoon the meat and its juices over the noodles. Tuck the roasted tomatoes in and around the noodles and meat. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped parsley over the top.

PETATOU DE CHEVRE FRAIS (POTATO TART WITH GOAT CHEESE)

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold, salted water. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain, peel and slice into 1/2-inch rounds.
• Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then gently fold in the egg yolk. Set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar with half the herbs and shallots. Slowly whisk in the oil. Set aside.
• Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the remaining herbs, the shallots and all but 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Place the potatoes in the bottom of 6 small metal pastry rings set on a cookie sheet. Place a slice of cheese on top of each, pressing the cheese with a spoon to the edge of the ring. Refrigerate for half an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
• Remove the rings from the potatoes. Place the potato-cheese rounds in the oven for 7 minutes. Spread 1 tablespoon of cream on top of each and glaze briefly under the broiler. With a spatula, carefully transfer to 6 small plates. Garnish with mesclun and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over all.

PETATOU DE CHèRE FRAISE AU THYME ET OLIVES NICOISES

Steps:

• In a small bowl whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients except oil with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in oil in a stream until emulsified.
• In a 3-quart saucepan cover potatoes with 2 inches water and simmer until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander and cool. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices and in a bowl toss gently with shallots, thyme, tarragon, parsley, 1/4 cup olives, and 2 tablespoons vinaigrette until combined well.
• Arrange pastry rings on a baking sheet. Divide potato salad among rings, layering potato slices to 1/2 inch below tops of rings, and top with goat cheese pieces, spreading cheese evenly to cover potato salad completely. Potato goat-cheese rounds may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring rounds to room temperature before proceeding.
• Preheat broiler.
• In a small saucepan simmer cream with basil leaf until reduced by about half. Whisk in yolk and salt and pepper to taste and remove pan from heat.
• Carefully remove rings from rounds and spread about 1 tablespoon cream mixture evenly over top of each round. Broil rounds on baking sheet 6 inches from heat until tops are golden.
• Toss mesclun with chervil and remaining vinaigrette and divide among 6 salad plates. Transfer warm rounds to plates with a spatula and garnish with thyme sprigs and remaining 1/4 cup olives.