Leeks!!

In keeping with the dinner in courses theme, I've been looking around for simple veggie ideas.  One of my current favorites is a classic french dish of boiled leeks in vinegarette.  Here's what you do:

leeks--1 or slightly less per person (depends on how big the leeks are)
Trim, wash, and prep your leeks according to this video: LEEKS!  (follow the 1st set of instructions she gives for preparing leeks for a recipe that calls for the entire leek)

Next, let's make the dressing:
Remembering from earlier posts that we always want to keep our dressing ratio of 2 parts oil to 1 part acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc), our dressing would look something like this:
8 TB olive oil
4 TB red wine vinegar
1 TB dijon mustard
However, if you are trying to cut back on the fat, you can replace the oil with vegetable stock.  Usually I make mine like this:
7 TB stock
1 TB olive oil
4 TB red wine vinegar
1 TB mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Shake it up in a mason jar and set aside.  Now let's get back to those leeks:

Boil a pot of water, making sure the water is at least 3-4" deep.  Carefully place the leeks in the pot, cover, and gently boil for 6 minutes. 
Remove leeks from the pot and put them in a bowl of ice water so they stop cooking.  Remove from the bowl after 30 seconds so they don't get too cold.
Finish cutting the leeks lengthwise in half, and place on a rimmed plate or serving dish.  Pour the dressing over them, and serve.
NOTE:  I love dressing.  You may want to reduce the amount used if you are not dressing-crazy like me.

Uncle Jim's Olive Tapenade

For my daughter's 4th birthday this year, I kept the menu simple by just putting out tons of amazing breads and spreads.  One of the biggest hits was Uncle Jim's olive tapenade.  He made it when we were in NYC a few weeks ago, and I was so excited to learn that this was a homemade item (as they are expensive to buy already prepared).

Here is the super simple recipe:
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I just used one clove)
1 Tablespoon drained capers

Zip them up in the food processor.  While it's going, drizzle in about 2 TB olive oil (the original recipe called for 1/4 cup!  but Jim says he never uses that much) and 1 TB fresh parsley.
That's it!!
This needs to be served at room temp. 
I made a double batch, and it kept nicely in the fridge for a few days.