From the ArcaMax Publishing, Wolfgang Puck Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/wolfgangpuck/s-172607-915465
Today, more and more people who love to cook and eat good food - not
to mention who care about the well-being of themselves, their families
and friends, and the planet on which we all live - are going organic.
It just makes good sense.
When you grow fresh food in season in a natural way - without
chemicals or pesticides that could possibly harm the environment or
ourselves - you're likely to pay more attention to its nurturing. The
results, as I've seen them from dedicated organic farmers everywhere,
are consistently outstanding produce with dazzling variety,
appearance, taste, and nutritional value.
Who wouldn't want to enjoy it?
My favorite way to enjoy organic produce when springtime comes around
is in a big main-course salad. I love to go down to one of our local
farmers' markets in the Los Angeles area, or to my dear friends at
Chino Farm near San Diego, and get an incredible variety of crisp,
fresh-tasting, beautiful organic greens. You'll certainly find them at
your own area farmers' market, and even in some enterprising
supermarkets in smaller cities and towns.
Then celebrate springtime's freshness with one of my favorite
main-course salads, a Lobster Cobb, featuring organic leaves,
tomatoes, the slender French-style green beans known as haricots
verts, and other colorful and satisfying ingredients.
The Cobb is a classic Southern California chopped salad, spontaneously
invented one night 70 years ago by Bob Cobb, owner of the famed (and
now departed) Hollywood celebrity grazing spot, The Brown Derby. The
only protein in his original version came from bacon, blue cheese, and
egg; but innovative L.A. chefs had long since begun to embellish the
salad with bite-sized chunks of leftover or freshly grilled chicken
breast.
When I launched Spago back in 1982, it seemed like fun to make an
extra-upscale version featuring freshly cooked lobster meat (you can
also use precooked lobster from the market). I also lightened up the
salad a bit, using vinaigrette in place of the usual French, Thousand
Island, or Ranch dressings. To this day, the Lobster Cobb is still our
most popular lunchtime salad - so much so, in fact, that even when we
try giving it a rest from the menu our guests still insist on ordering
it!
You can substitute chicken, grilled shrimp or salmon, or even steak
for the lobster. If you want something closer to the original, make it
with bacon alone; and, for a lighter version, leave out the cheese and
the egg yolk and substitute maybe some chopped ham or smoked turkey
breast for the bacon. Believe me, guests have requested every
variation imaginable - and they're all delicious, especially when you
make the salad with the freshest springtime produce you can find.
SPAGO'S LOBSTER COBB SALAD
Serves 4
LOBSTER:
3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, quartered
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lobsters, each 1 1/2 pounds
COBB DRESSING:
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/3 cup walnut oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
SALAD:
1/2 pound sliced smoked bacon, chopped
6 hard-boiled eggs, chilled
1/2 pound haricots verts or other small fresh green beans, trimmed,
cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 ripe avocados
2 hearts romaine, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
1 small head watercress, stemmed and rinsed, leaves separated into
bite-sized clusters
1/2 pound mixed yellow and red grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
4 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
Salt
First, if using live lobsters, prepare them. Bring a large pot of
water to a boil. Add the celery, onion, thyme, vinegar, and black
pepper, and boil for 10 minutes. Add the lobsters, cover, and simmer
for 8 to 10 minutes, until the shells are bright red and the lobster
is cooked through. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and water.
With a large wire skimmer, remove the lobsters from the water and
immediately immerse in the ice water to stop cooking. Shell the tail
and the claws and cut the meat into 1/2-inch chunks. Set aside in a
covered container in the refrigerator. Alternatively, buy a cooked
lobster in the shell; shell the meat, cut it up, and reserve.
Next, prepare the dressing. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk
together the shallot, Dijon mustard, and vinegars. While whisking,
slowly drizzle in the oils to form a thick emulsion. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
Prepare the salad ingredients.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until
crisp, about 5 minutes. Then, with a slotted spoon, transfer to paper
towels to drain. Set aside.
Shell the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Pass each
separately through a medium strainer or food mill and reserve in
separate bowls.
Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the haricots
verts and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the water with a wire skimmer
and immerse in ice water. Drain well and set aside.
Halve, pit, and peel the avocados. Cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Place in
a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, add the romaine and watercress and season lightly
with salt and pepper. Add 1/3 cup of the dressing and toss. Divide the
greens among 4 large chilled serving plates. Arrange the toppings in
rows on top, starting at one side with the bacon, followed by the
haricots verts, egg yolk, lobster meat, egg white, tomato, and finally
the avocado. Sprinkle the cheese all over the top. Serve the remaining
dressing on the side. Alternatively, in a large salad bowl, toss the
greens with the other ingredients and enough dressing to coat, then
mound salad on large chilled serving plates.
Chef Wolfgang Puck's TV series, "Wolfgang Puck's Cooking Class,"
airs Sundays on the Food Network. Also, his latest cookbook, "Wolfgang
Puck Makes It Easy," is now available in bookstores. Write Wolfgang
Puck in care of Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite
114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207.