Since I have moved to New York I have not been able to find the time to make myself anything very interesting for lunch. Since I woke up to rain this morning I figured I would stay inside and get creative with some of the ingredients in my fridge.
At school this week we learned how to make Nicoise salad as well as mayonnaise. I know that if I practice the techniques at home I am going to be able to remember them a lot better at school. The Nicoise salad called for hard boiled eggs, so I decided that whatever I was going to make today had to include those. We also learned how to cook vegetables in the a l’étuvée style. I love this method of cooking vegetables! All you have to do is put your vegetables in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough water to come halfway up the vegetables. You then add a pinch of salt and about 1 Tbsp of butter. Cover the saucepan with a parchment paper lid cut to the size of the pan with a small hole in the center. Cook the vegetables over medium heat until they come up to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium low. Cook until all of the liquid evaporates and the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. If you are not a vegetable fan seriously try this cooking method out; I am sure you will be shocked at how much better they taste!
Before I started school I had never made homemade mayonnaise before. The difference in taste compared to the stuff from the supermarket is huge. I also love that once you have mastered making mayonnaise you can add herbs and other flavourings and make many difference sauces for vegetables, sandwiches, and fish.
This salad came together quite quickly and all of the colours really made this gloomy day feel brighter. It was great to just play in the kitchen and try out some of the cooking methods that I have learned at school so far.
