What Do You Do With Frisee & Other Blizzard Stories

As you probably know if you live on the East Coast, Boston got slammed with weather last week. We got 14 inches of snow and subzero temperatures and everyone got a snow day. Which is cool and all, but cabin fever is a real thing. So is my caffeine addiction. So I went out... to Starbucks, to Back Bay Yoga, and to Border Cafe for frozen strawberry margaritas with Z and B. Because when Boston is a frozen tundra, it makes sense to drink frozen tequila. Right? Right.

On Saturday, it warmed up so we decided to go about our usual Saturday business.

What Saturday business really means is produce shopping at Haymarket. But Haymarket was closed because of the weather, so we detoured to Russo's in Watertown. Russo's is wonderful. It has every kind of produce you might want. Did I need three kinds of lettuce? Nope. Did I buy three kinds of lettuce? Yep.

Somehow we got out of there without buying a Buddha's Hand. Thank goodness. Because what the hell would I have done with a Buddha's Hand?

What I bought: lettuce, zucchini, avocado, pears, pineapple, escarole, frisee, baby shiitakes, and a $10 wedge of Manchego cheese (Because it's all about balance, guys). Impulse buying, defined.

But it turns out that the frisee, the shiitakes, and the cheese play nice together. They make a quick, warm salad. So I don't feel so bad about my shopping. And having lunch at home (because it is SO cold out there) is looking pretty good.

Frisee Salad with Warm Shiitakes and Manchego

3 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 cup frisee, diced, at room temperature
1 cup baby shiitakes, cleaned
Manchego cheese, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute the shiitakes about 2-3 minutes or until just tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine white wine vinegar and the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and toss the frisee with the dressing. Top the frisee with the shiitakes and the Manchego. Serves one.