Table-top spaghetti marco polo

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 pounds Cooked spaghetti in a large salad bowl
1 cup Chopped walnuts
1 cup Chopped black olives
1 cup Chopped bottled red pimiento
Toss above three together in an attractive bowl
½ cup Chopped fresh parsley, in a small bowl
12 larges Leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced, in a small bowl
¼ cup Garlic vinaigrette (see oil and lemon dressing variation below) in a bowl or pitcher with mixing fork
Salt and white pepper, both in grinders
1½ cup Loosely packed chilled crumbled cheese such as feta, goat cheese, Roquefort, or blue
2 Strips of fresh lemon peel (1 x 21/2 inches each)
¼ teaspoon Salt, plus more, if needed
½ tablespoon Dijon-type prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice (up to 2)
½ cup Fine fresh oil
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

OIL AND LEMON DRESSING

Have all the ingredients at the table. With flourish and confidence, begin by elegantly folding into the spaghetti the chopped nuts and vegetables, along with the parsley and basil. Toss in spoonfuls of dressing, tasting for seasoning, and adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve onto chilled plates, sprinkle each salad with crumbled cheese.

Oil and Lemon Dressing: Mince the lemon peel very finely with the salt, scrape it into the mortar or bowl, and mash into a fine paste with the pestle or spoon. Beat in the mustard and 1 tbsp. of the lemon juice; when thoroughly blended, start beating in the oil by droplets to make a homogeneous sauce-easier when done with a small electric mixer. Beat in droplets more lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Emulsion note: Slow additions of oil and constant beating make the emulsion here, and if the sauce doesn't "take"-too bad-just beat it well before using.

Garlic Vinaigrette Variation: Mash and mince the garlic, then either mash it to a pure'e with the lemon peel, or alone with the salt. Proceed with the recipe.

Recipes from The Way to Cook by Julia Child (Knopf, copyright c 1989 by Julia Child) Posted to TNT - Prodigy's Recipe Exchange Newsletter by JeannePie@... on Apr 28, 1997

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