As cooks — and as people — we are composites of everyone who has ever influenced us. Every time I put a pinch of salt on my strawberries, I think of my grandmother, who taught me this little trick (a three-pack-a-day smoker with almost completely desensitized taste buds, she even salted her coffee). When I make an aïoli with lemon zest, as well as juice, I remember Gordon Drysdale, the chef who taught me about the sweetness of the zest, as well as just about every other kitchen basic I know. Every time I perfume my tomato sauce by slow-frying the garlic along with crushed anchovies and chile flakes, I am grateful to my wife.
When I went to cooking school, I was lucky enough to do a work/ study program, which meant that I washed dishes, and shopped and assisted in the school’s cooking classes, in exchange for being allowed to take the professional course for free. It meant that I was lucky enough to witness the same classes numerous times, often taught by different instructors.
I had the good fortune to work with James Peterson, who is probably this country’s most respected cookbook writer and the author of what is probably the most indispensable single cookbook, “Sauces.”
Peterson had a kind of breezy, wisecracking manner that belied his great culinary intelligence and considerable knowledge. More often than not, he tended to ignore, or radically revise, the classic French curriculum he had to teach. In most cases (except for dessert, about which he couldn’t have cared less), what he showed us was both easier to execute, as well as better-tasting than the classic French technique he was supposed to be demonstrating.
Peterson showed us the salad that is part of the filling for the sandwich below, a mixture of arugula and whole basil leaves, to which I have added cherry tomatoes and red onion. The dressing is simple vinaigrette made with sherry vinegar and olive oil. Rather than laboriously whisking the vinegar into the oil, which gives you a semi-emulsified dressing that coats the front of your palate with fat and burns the back with acid, Peterson simply drizzled the oil over the greens, followed by the vinegar. The result is a salad with a perfect mouthfeel.
I have made most of my salads this way ever since.
Eggplant, Mozzarella, and Tapenade Sandwich
Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
1 large globe eggplant
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound mozzarella
1 baguette
1 quart arugula leaves (about 4 ounces)
16 basil leaves
1/2 pint sweet cherry tomatoes, preferably Sungolds, stemmed, rinsed and halved
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup tapenade (recipe follows)
Directions
Roast the eggplant: Preheat oven to 350.
With a serrated knife, cut off the top and bottom of the eggplant and discard. Slice the eggplant horizontally into 1/2-inch rounds. Place the eggplant slices in a mixing bowl and toss with salt and pepper and about 1/2 cup of olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and bake until tender and golden, about 25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble the sandwich: Slice the mozzarella into 1 1/3 inch rounds and sprinkle with olive oil and freshly ground pepper.
Slice the baguette in half lengthwise. If the baguette is not perfectly fresh or if you like your bread crispy, toast the baguette in a 400-degree oven for about 5 minutes.
Toss the arugula, basil leaves, cherry tomatoes, and red onions with salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sherry vinegar.
Spread the mayonnaise on the top half of the baguette and the tapenade on the bottom half. Place the eggplant slices on top of the tapenade, followed by the mozzarella and the arugula salad. Place the top half of the baguette on top of the sandwich and secure at intervals with sandwich picks.
Slice the sandwich into sections and serve.
Tapenade
Ingredients
2/3 cup pitted black olives, such as Nicoise or Kalamata
6 anchovy filets
2 tablespoon capers
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse into a rough paste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
