During week 3 of our Culinary Egg-venture cooking series, we made a delicious Eggs en Cocotte Forstière–and a couple variations. As usual, I prepared a salad to accompany the meal using some of the beautiful spinach and other greens I’d found.

I keep a variety of vinegars in my pantry at home and this week I thought I’d feature sherry vinegar with its nutty, caramelly flavors balancing the sharp acidity typical of a vinegar. This Spanish cousin to balsamic vinegar is made from sherry wine which is naturally fermented and then aged for six months in barrels. If you don’t already have a bottle in your pantry, I recommend this addition.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1/3 cup sherry vinegar

• 1 tbs shallots finely minced

• 1 tbs Dijon mustard

• 1 cup olive oil

Procedure

In a small mixing bowl combine salt, pepper and sherry vinegar until salt dissolves. Whisk in Dijon mustard and shallots. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste.

During week 2 of our Culinary Egg-venture cooking series, I shared an updated version of one of my favorite dishes from my childhood: Eggs Piperade. This Basque Country cousin of the Shakshuka features fennel, both the bulb and the seeds, along with bell peppers, and tomatoes creating an incredibly flavorful, delicious sauce in which we baked eggs and then topped with crispy chorizo bits. Big, bold flavors like this call for a side salad with bold, zesty flavors, so I paired it with an arugula salad  dressed with my zesty anchovy vinaigrette.

The anchovy vinaigrette stands up to the Piperade without overpowering it. This is also one of the few dishes in which I’ll use raw garlic, which can be too potent in many dishes, but plays beautifully with the anchovy here.

Peppery arugula or bitter dandelion greens make the perfect accompaniment. Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

• 2 oz anchovy, finely chopped (if using anchovies canned in oil, do not discard oil)
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Procedure

In a small mixing bowl whisk together chopped anchovy, garlic and mustard. Whisk in red wine vinegar and a pinch of ground black pepper. In a slow stream, whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.