This bounty of fresh market vegetables prepared in a variety of ways are enhanced by the flavorful dressing and the spicy rich oils that accompany them.
Bouquet of Market Vegetables with Sunflower Seed-Mustard Emulsion
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts, more for garnish if desired
- 2 Tbs. dashi or 2 Tbs. vegetable broth plus 1/4 tsp. fish sauce
- 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbs. fish sauce
- 1/2 Tbs. dry salted capers, rinsed, dried, and minced
- 1 small clove minced garlic
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. esplette or cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbs. poppy seeds
- Flaky sea salt
For the Sichuan pepper oil
- 3 dried Guajillo chile peppers, stems removed and coarsely chopped
- 2 dried Ancho chile peppers, stems removed and coarsely chopped
- 2 dried chile de arbol or Thai bird chile peppers, stems removed and coarsely chopped
- 1 dried Morita (chipotle) chile pepper, stem removed and coarsely chopped
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- 3 Tbs. Sichuan peppercorns
- 3 whole star anise
- 3 Tbs. allspice berries
- 3 Tbs. fennel seeds
- 3 Tbs. annatto seeds
- 1 Tbs. whole cloves
- 1/4 tsp. ground mace
- 2 cups grapeseed oil
- Kosher salt
For the basil-mint oil
- Kosher salt
- 2-1/4 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
- 3/4 cup fresh mint leaves, tightly packed
- 1-3/4 cups grapeseed oil
For the market vegetables
- 4 cups any combination of the following vegetables, roasted and cut into bite-size pieces: spring onion, mixed mushrooms, fennel hearts, artichoke hearts, carrots, squash, baby beets, or turnips
- 4 cups any combination of the following vegetables, blanched and cut into bite-size pieces: sugar snap peas, snow peas, asparagus, broccoli, or green beans
- 4 cups of any combination of the following vegetables, raw, cut into bite-size pieces: radishes, scallions, baby spinach, romaine, or butter lettuce
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Put the vinegar, lemon juice, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, dashi, mustard, fish sauce, capers, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, espelette pepper, and 1/4 cup water in a blender and puree until smooth, about 1-1/2 minutes. With the blender running on medium speed, slowly stream in the oils until emulsified. Stir in the poppy seeds, adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
Make the Sichuan pepper oil
- Combine all ingredients and 1 Tbs. salt in a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the oil turns orange and becomes fragrant, about 8 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from the heat, let cool, and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the basil-mint oil
- Bring a medium pot of well salted water to a boil. Blanch the basil and mint leaves until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain, then run under cold water until completely cool. Squeeze out the excess water and coarsely chop. Transfer to a blender with the oil and 2 tsp. salt, and puree until the mixture is mostly smooth. Strain through cheesecloth set over a medium mesh strainer left undisturbed for 6 hours or up to overnight (do not push the mixture through). Discard the solids and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To serve
- Arrange the vegetables of choice in shallow serving bowls. Toss with enough dressing to lightly coat, drizzle with the hot pepper and basil-mint oil to taste, and garnish with hemp hearts, if using, and flaky sea salt. Bring the remaining dressing and oils to the table.
