Broccoli Salad with Toasted Pecans

Oh my, where did the time go. How has over a month passed and we haven't even posted a thing? We really can't say to be honest what happened except maybe: our summer vacation ended and we both had to go back to work. Me; 60+ hours a week hiring and getting ready for a new school year. G; starting a new role at the district level in a new district. Life is just consuming I suppose. 

That being said I'm hoping now that the year is up and going  and the sunny days are gone that we can actually sit down and share some good food with you all.

Last weekend another sign of autumn being in full swing for us was that Supper Club started up again after our annual summer hiatus. It's always a great gathering with our supper club friends. 

This month Jeff & Kris kicked off by hosting an autumn themed menu.

We all began by gathering out on their lovely patio catching up over the some delicious appetizers made by Derek & Lisa.

First up were these absolutely tasty corn fritters served with a chipotle cream and fresh salsa.

Next was a starter that was 100% new to the whole group; potted pork.

This was an interesting but delectable dish for us all to enjoy. Basically shredded pork in clarified butter that we smeared on crusty crostini with caramelized shallots and grainy mustard. This was so good. Literally there wasn't crumb left on either appetizer platter.

We chatted, caught, chatted some more, caught up some more and next thing you know it was almost 8:30 and we hadn't considered moving on to the main course yet.

We did get to the delicious main course which was a very appropriate for the season; beer- cheese soup with toasted bread croutons. Some how being totally out of practice in photo taking and blogging I got off course and totally skipped taking photos of both the soup and the great dessert.

But we can tell you the soup was fantastic. We brought a hearty but fresh broccoli salad with toasted pecans. Growing up both broccoli and cauliflower were always served with a cheese sauce. So a side to go with cheese soup seemed natural to me to be something with broccoli. I wanted one that was fresh and not laden with mayo so this recipe from Alton Brown met the ticket.

The meal was great as always and ended with a great autumn cheesecake made by Arnie & Jenni (again so remiss that I forgot photos, I promise to get back in the swing of this thing again soon.)

As always looking forward to our next gathering.

RECIPE:

Broccoli Salad with Toasted Pecans adapted from Alton Brown Foodnetwork

Ingredients
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound broccoli, rinsed, trimmed and sliced thinly on a mandolin
6 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 ounces coarsely chopped, toasted pecans or hazelnuts
2 tablespoons chiffonade fresh basil leaves
Directions
Whisk together the vinegar, zest, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. While whisking constantly, gradually add the olive oil. Add the broccoli and toss to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Stir in the tomatoes, hazelnuts and basil. Cover and allow to sit, at room temperature or in the refrigerator, for another 15 minutes before serving.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/fresh-broccoli-salad-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback