Goddess Nicoise with Green Goddess Garlic Dressing

On Friday night I had a chance to slip away and spend the night with my dear friend Anne, who lives down in Bastrop. She lives in a beautiful historic home in the old downtown area, and it's always lots of fun to visit. Anne was a good sport, allowing me to choose a recipe from Appetite for Reduction for us to cook and enjoy for dinner on Friday evening.

Goddess Nicoise, page 25

I settled on the Goddess Nicoise salad, figuring it was an appropriate choice for two goddesses such as ourselves. We had a grand time and drank far too much wine throughout the evening; even so, we managed to pull off a delightful supper.

A briny mashed-chickpea-and-capers mixture here replaces the traditional Salad Nicoise components of tuna and hard-boiled eggs. Our tastes called for a little more dressing, caper brine, and salt than the recipe stated.

We were lucky to have the freshest red leaf lettuce available; Anne had just returned from visiting her cousin's farm that day, and she had brought back some farm-fresh produce with her, including some green garlic that we opted to use in the Green Goddess Garlic Dressing, instead of regular garlic.

The dressing... whoa. Deliciously mesmerizing. Delightfully titillating. Highly recommended.