Super BLTs with Watermelon Salad

These BLTs are super not just because of the ingredients-- Fatted Calf bacon, heirloom tomatoes, and wild arugula-- but because the olive bread is fried in bacon fat, and gets all toasty and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. This sandwich was really unspeakably delicious. The watermelon salad is a nice bright counterpart to the rich sandwich. This would make a great brunch-- the salad's easy to make a lot of, and you can just set out the sandwich ingredients for people to make them themselves. We made open-faced sandwiches to get the most stuff-to-bread ratio but you can arrange yours however you want.

Super BLTs

You'll need (4 servings):

1 long loaf olive bread or baguette, cut into four 6-inch pieces, then sliced lengthwise
8-16 slices thick cut bacon
3-4 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
2 handfuls wild arugula (the tiny leafy kind)

for the aioli:
1 egg yolk
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove
1t mustard
1/4c canola oil
salt


Place bacon in a cold cast iron skillet and gently heat to medium. Cook, turning often to cook evenly. You'll probably have to do this in batches. You can drain the bacon grease but don't drain the fat from the last batch, or save the grease in a glass jar.


In the meantime, make the aioli. Beat egg yolk with lemon juice, pressed garlic, salt and mustard. Whisk in oil very slowly until you achieve a mayonnaise-like consistency.


When the bacon's done, drain it on paper towels. Raise the heat and fry the bread in the bacon fat, cut side down, until golden; flip and fry a bit on the other side too.


Stack ingredients on the bread in any way you'd like, but if you're making open-faced sandwiches, don't put the arugula on top or it will fall off.

Katie put her bacon on top

Watermelon Salad

This may sound weird but it's a really good combination. Watermelon and feta is a common pairing in Israel; it's tasty and refreshing. We used a yellow watermelon, which was beautiful and unusual. Just cut up a watermelon into cubes and toss it with crumbled feta and chopped mint. Leftovers will last in the fridge for a day or two.

Figs with Cheese

We were supposed to caramelize them but couldn't handle it after eating all that bacon, so we just ate them halved with a bit of mild, milky cheese.

Filet of Sole with Harissa Aioli

This is quick, delicious, and even cheap-- sole is one of the least expensive fishes out there (English sole, that is. Petrale sole is considerably more expensive). Make sure your fish is fresh, or it won't taste like much-- or, worse yet, it'll taste fishy.

You'll need (for 2 people):

1lb sole
1/2c milk
1 egg
1/2c panko

1 egg yolk
1/4c canola oil (do not use extra virgin olive oil)
1 clove garlic
1T harissa paste (comes in a tube or a jar)
1t salt
juice from 1/2 lemon


Soak sole in milk. In the meantime, make the aioli.

(Jesse made this aioli. I tried to make it with a food processor and failed. Doing it by hand is time consuming but so worth it. If you want to skip this step, use prepared mayonnaise, but add the lemon juice, garlic, and harissa.)

Chop garlic into a paste, smooshing it with the broad side of a knife, a little salt, and a drop of oil.

Beat yolk with a fork. Add salt and lemon juice. Add oil in a very slow stream, beating well, until the mixture is the desired consistency-- thick but still saucy. Add garlic paste and harissa to taste.

Heat grapeseed or canola oil in a heavy skillet.

Beat egg with a splash of cold water to loosen it up in a plate or flat dish. Pour panko into another dish and season with salt and pepper. Drain fish from milk as you work; dip in egg, drain; encrust with panko.

Fry in hot oil about 1-2 min/side, depending on the thickness of your filets. Drain on a paper towel before serving.

Crispy Za'atar Lingcod with Roasted Pepper Caper Aioli

This can be made without the za'atar, a spice I brought back from Israel but that is readily available at Middle Eastern markets. You can make this an even quicker recipe by using store bought mayo instead of making the aioli base from scratch.

You'll need:

for the fish
1 fillet of lingcod per person (red snapper would be a good substitute)
1/4c panko (Japanese bread crumbs-- you can substitute with normal bread crumbs if you want; crushed cornflakes would better approximate panko's crunchy flakiness)
1t za'atar
1 egg
grapeseed or veggie oil for sauteing

for the aioli
1 egg
1/4c vegetable oil (do NOT use extra virgin olive oil-- it can turn a good aioli bitter!)
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt
1 roasted red pepper (you can roast it & clean it yourself, or buy the jarred kind)
1T capers + 1T crushed capers (crush them with your fingers)

Make the aioli first (it can be made a few days in advance). In a small food processor, beat egg with garlic & salt; slowly add oil while the processor is running so that the mixture emulsifies. Taste and adjust with more salt or garlic. (If you're using store bought mayo, just add crushed garlic and a little salt.) Add pepper and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl; stir in whole & crushed capers. Taste and adjust seasoning.

For the fish: Heat 1T oil in a nonstick or cast iron frying pan. Beat 1 egg in a shallow dish. Mix panko with za'atar in another dish. Salt and pepper fish fillet; dip in egg, then in panko. Press panko on so it sticks. Transfer coated fish directly into pan of hot oil. Saute until golden, then flip, about 3 minutes/side.

I served this with a farro pilaf. Farro is a very exciting wheat berry kind of grain with an earthy flavor and a very nice bite. You cook it like pasta in lots of boiling water, then saute it in oil or butter for some flavor. I sauteed 1 chopped onion, 1c mixed chopped mushrooms (crimini & shittake), 3 cloves pressed garlic, and 1t red pepper flakes, for about 10 minutes, then added the cooked farro. It was delicious.