Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

• 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 1 pound Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (4 cups)
• 6 radishes, diced
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced diagonally

Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved, then whisk in chives.

Toss cabbage, radishes, and celery with dressing.

VERDICT:  It's nice to have a salad without a million ingredients, and these ingredients are sturdy enough to hold up for a while without completely rotting in the refrigerator.  The dressing was a little watery--perhaps a bit less buttermilk.  Lund's didn't have Napa cabbage, so I used Savoy, and it seemed fine.  Keep.

Ricotta, Tomato and Spinach Frittata

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 300g cherry tomatoes
• 100g spinach leaves
• small handful basil leaves
• 100g ricotta
• 6 eggs, beaten

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 (400 degrees). Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the onion for 5-6 mins until softened and lightly golden. Add the tomatoes and toss for 1 min to soften.

Remove from the heat, add the spinach leaves and basil, and toss together to wilt a little. Transfer all the ingredients to a greased 30cm x 20cm rectangular baking tin. Take small scoops of the ricotta and dot over the vegetables.

Season the eggs and beat well, then pour over the vegetables and cheese. Cook in the oven for 20-25 mins until pale golden and set. 

Serves 6.

VERDICT:  I didn't season this well enough, but it wasn't terrible and would be a good vehicle for using up any number of leftovers--basil, leafy greens, long-past-their-sell-by date eggs.  (Note: 30cm x 20 cm turns out to be 12x8", so I added a couple extra eggs to fill up the pan.)  Keep.  From the BBC's Good Food site.

Sweet Corn Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

For the salad:

• 1 clove shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 3 ears of fresh, uncooked corn, the kernels scraped from the cobs with a sharp knife (about 2 3/4 cup)
• 4 Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 long red sweet pepper, seeded, ribs removed and diced
• 1 small handful fresh dill (about 4 smallish sprigs), minced
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• Crumbled Feta cheese, rinsed, as a garnish

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup plain European style thin yogurt, stirred
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1 small clove garlic, minced and mashed with a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Salt the shallot slices in 1/2 t. salt and allow to sit about 20 minutes to draw out any harshness. Rinse well with water and pat dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl toss the corn kernels lightly to separate them, add the shallot and the remaining salad ingredients and toss again to combine.

In a smaller bowl combine the buttermilk, vinegar, onion, yogurt, and garlic and whisk to combine. Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking, until amalgamated. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

Serve the salad slightly chilled, garnished with the feta cheese. Pass the dressing separately.

Serves 4.

VERDICT:  I did everything about this in the wrong/lazy way--I didn't salt the shallot or rinse the feta, and I used English cucumbers, a red bell pepper, and non-European-style yogurt.  And the dill I'd gotten the day before had already gone soft and brown, so I threw some dried dill in the dressing instead.  It still turned out very nicely.  Keep.

Buttered Radish Tartines

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, preferably a good French butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped black olives (such as niçoise)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• 16 (1/4-ounce) slices whole-grain French bread baguette
• 8 to 10 radishes, very thinly sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt

Place butter, olives, parsley, thyme, and red pepper in a small bowl; mash with a spoon to combine. Spread butter mixture evenly over bread slices; top with radish slices. Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

Serves 8 (2 tartines); 69 calories.

VERDICT:  These were delightful--an excellent way to use up leftover radishes.  Keep.

Kale, White Bean and Savoy Cabbage Soup

• 1/2 cup dried cannellini beans or other white beans
• 6 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups diced baking potato (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)
• 8 cups thinly sliced kale (about 1 bunch)
• 4 cups chopped Savoy cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large garlic clove, minced

To prepare the soup, sort and wash the beans, and place in a large Dutch oven. Cover the beans with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain beans. Return beans to pan; cover with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt; simmer 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium-low heat. Add potato, onion, and leek, and cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, kale, cabbage, chopped parsley, pepper, and minced garlic. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 30 minutes. Add bean mixture; cook 30 minutes.

Serves 6.

VERDICT:  A little bland (you're supposed to serve it with garlic toast), but acceptable as a way to use up cabbage.  The thing that dooms it is that you make it from dried beans, which I don't have the patience for.  Toss.