Last week’s almost Autumn like weather was a welcome change and teased me with what I had to look forward to in the coming months.  Having been holed up in the apartment for the better part of August, I hadn’t been exposed to the soul sucking heat that had its grip on DC.  But just when I thought I’d escaped Summer’s grasp, Mother Nature decided to throw in some more hot days this past Labor Day weekend.  On Saturday I was hit with the bitch known as DC Summers.  And I really wanted to sucker punch her back…instead I made this super easy dressing.

I know what you’re thinking: “a recipe for salad dressing?? Really Shaw Girl? Have you gotten THAT lazy?”.  No I haven’t, thank you (kind of rude of you to say that though, don’t you think?).  This vinaigrette isn’t just about the recipe, but more about the wonders of Marshall’s.  The other day, I was idly going through my Google reader and saw this post from the Arugula Files about finding lovely cooking oils in Marshall’s of all places.  I’ve been known to buy a ton of kitchen gadgets, bowls and plates from the Housewares section there but I always assumed the food items were dated and sketchy.  Imagine my surprise to read that Marshall’s had La Tourangelle oils…for half price!  It didn’t take me long to head over to the Marshall’s in my neighborhood and sure enough there was the familiar little can of walnut oil staring back at me.  At this point, everything becomes a blur, as I’m sure I bought out the stock of La Tourangelle oils in a frenzy of excitement.  We won’t talk about how much I ended up buying…it’s best that way.  I will say that if you go to La Tourangelle’s website, there are a slew of recipes featuring their oils, one of which is this divine roasted shallot walnut vinaigrette.

Roasted Shallot Walnut Vinaigrette (from La Tourangelle)

4 small shallots, peeled

3/4 cup + 6 tbsp toasted walnut oil (disclosure: I only used 3/4 cup and 3 tbsp of the oil for fear it would be too oily)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/8 cup sherry vinegar

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Toss the whole, peeled shallots in 2 tablespoons of the walnut oil and place them in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake until the shallots are tender, about 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

In a blender, combine the roasted shallots, mustard and vinegars and puree.  Slowly add the 3/4 cup of walnut oil and continue to blend until all the ingredients are combined.

Instead of smartly asking Carmen for the recipe to the wonderful Sesame Salad he served at the neighborhood dinner, I decided to try to recreate it. As luck would have it, James had recently made a sesame salad and was kind enough to share the recipe. James’ recipe called for meat or seafood, but I decided to omit them because I wanted something light that would highlight the fabulous bounty of vegetables I got this weekend in my CSA box.

When James sent me the recipe, there weren’t any measurements for the ingredients. James is an organic cook who flies by the seat of his pants in the kitchen (and trust me, this is a philosophy carried throughout his life…he is an endless source of entertaining stories). However, this doesn’t help someone trying to replicate his successes. But if I can make it through watching my beloved Opera cake falling on the head of the Diva, I can decipher James’ recipe. Or at least fry trying (yeah, I know, it was a bad pun…couldn’t resist it).

2 tablespoons sesame oil, plus 1 teaspoon for pasta water

2-3 hot peppers, diced (depends on level of spiciness desired)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons powdered Mexican hot pepper or paprika

3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 large red pepper or a pack of small multi colored peppers, diced

1/2 pound snow peas in their pod

1/2 pound asparagus, sliced

4-6 white mushrooms, chopped

8 ounces thick pasta (i.e. fettuccine, linguine or rice noodles)

Dash of salt, to salt the pasta water

Boil pasta with salt and sesame oil until done, then drain and set aside.

Heat the remaining sesame oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add the hot peppers, sesame seeds, garlic, and Mexican hot pepper (or paprika). The oil should NOT be smoking at any point! Let the spices simmer on lowest setting for 3-4 minutes, and afterwards, turn heat to medium and add the soy sauce and allow the spices to meld with it for about 2 minutes. Add the peppers and asparagus and cook for about a minute before tossing in the mushrooms and snow peas. Reduce the heat to low and add the hoisin sauce. Toss to make sure everything is coated evenly. Cook for another 3 minutes and then add the pasta. Toss to coat the pasta in the sauce and vegetables. Keep the pasta and vegetables on low and allow the sauce to thicken (this takes about another 4 minutes). The salad can be served either hot or chilled for a few hours before eating.

Note: Picture of pasta taken by Liz.