Ah… Bings!

Besides choosing firm, fleshy, glossy plump fruit with stalks that are not dried-up, what do you need to know about cherries? There are two types, the sweet, eat-as-is-type that you see in the photo and sour cherries that are used for pies and other delights.  For our purposes let’s stick with the eat-now variety.

Cherries do not improve after being harvested, which means that they are ripe at harvest and fragile, an exemplar of the seasonal.   If you haven’t eaten your cherries already (they don’t last long in this house), refrigerate them loosely in a bag with holes and away from strong smelling foods.  Don’t let them languish there too long.

The cherries in this photo were both labeled as "Bing" at the supermarket.  The dark red is the classic Bing.  My favorite food geek, Harold McGee, writes that the deep red fruits contain more antioxidants, which means that they are very good for you.  The California Cherry site makes all sorts of health claims.  Naturally they have a vested interest in extolling the virtues of cherries, but who can resist believing all of it with such a lovely and delicious fruit?

What you don’t need to know, but what is fun and interesting, is that Bing cherries were named after Ah Bing, a Manchurian Chinese foreman who helped the horticulturist Seth Lewelling in the late 1800’s develop this particular variety. 

Ahhhh…. Bings!

Gazpacho Toledano or Attack of the Killer Tomato!

Here’s a recipe for some killer gazpacho (a chilled tomato soup that is not only delicious but also pure health-in-a-bowl).  This recipe is adapted from The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two, by Anna Thomas.  My copy of this book is so tired that the pages have gone from white to whole wheat.  That said-there’s nothing to tire of regarding this recipe.

This makes 6-8 servings…. enough to send a liquid ‘thank you’ to the farmer across the street.  Keep those tomatoes coming Jerry!

Equipment

• Chopping stuff (surface, knife)
• Peeling stuff (a peeler)
• Measuring stuff (spoons and cups)
• Two large bowls
• A blender or food processor

Ingredients

7-8 medium ripe tomatoes (this is a very inexact recipe, so feel free!)
2 medium cucumbers
1 green bell pepper
1 small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 slices of rustic white bread (not the mushy soft stuff)
1 1/2 cups of cold water
6 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
4-5 Tablespoons of wine vinegar (I usually use red wine or sherry vinegar)
3 teaspoons of salt (or to taste)
2 teaspoons of paprika (paprika comes in hot, mild or smoky- careful with the hot variety)
A pinch of ground cumin
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

• Wash all your vegetables
• Cut the tomatoes into 4 pieces and put them in the bowl
• Peel the cucumbers, slice them lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.  Cut into inch pieces and put them in the bowl
• Cut the bell pepper in half and seed it.  Cut into inch-sized pieces and put them in the bowl.
• Peel and dice the onion and (you’ve got it) put into the bowl
• Peel the garlic, roughly chop it and put it into the bowl (starting to see a trend?)
• Cut the bread into cubes and add it to the bowl

Roughly mix up the vegetables and bread in the bowl and put into the blender in batches, adding a little water each time. Blend until it’s pureed (soup).  Add the puree to the second bowl as you go.

When all the vegetables, bread and garlic are pureed and in the second bowl add the oil, vinegar, seasonings and any remaining water.  Add more water if it’s too thick; also adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Chill for a couple of hours before serving.  Serve with some extra chopped vegetables and croutons if you are feeling deluxe!

Summer in a bowl!  Bon Appetite!

Zucchini wars strike Brooklyn! Or: What to do with an unexpected cucumber.

This isn't the country, but that doesn't mean that we don't grow food or raise chickens (evidenced by large bags of chicken feed at Pip's favorite pet store).  I am not ready to write about chickens, but I am ready to write about unexpected cucumbers.  Lucky me! Yesterday on the gate was a bag of locally grown tomatoes, a zucchini and a cucumber.  Very locally grown, in fact.  The contents of the bag were the fruits of my neighbor Jerry’s gardening labor.  Jerry lives on the other side of the street, the side of the street that gets morning sun on the garden.  This accident of directional fate means that his patch of terra firma produces an abundance of what I can't, namely tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini.  I won't be able to engage in zucchini wars by hanging a revenge bag of courgettes on his gate, but I can return the favor with this terrific recipe for Agua Fresca from Oaxaca.  It requires cucumber, pineapple, celery, sugar and lime.  (Follow the imbedded links for ‘how to’s’ regarding pineapple preparation et al.)

Equipment

• Something to chop with and a place to do it 
• Blender 
• Mesh Strainer ( a medium mesh strainer is best for this)
• Something to squeeze juice out of a lime

Ingredients

• 2 cups of chopped pineapple
• 1 cup of chopped cucumber (after it's been peeled and seeded)
• 1 cup of chopped celery
• Lime juice (from one or two limes- your call)
• Sugar (to taste)
• Cold water (maybe 1/2 cup, again- entirely up to you, you’re the boss!)

Method

• Place chopped pineapple, cucumber and celery (in batches if necessary) in blender.
• Add cold water to facilitate blending and to make this into a beverage!
• Add Lime juice and sugar to taste (you can do this... cooking is an inexact art!)  
• Blend and strain

Enjoy!

Now to contemplate the fate of those lovely tomatoes and an equally lovely zucchini.  Not exactly warfare.  In fact, things are pretty neighborly here in Brooklyn! 

Confessions with a Sugar Snap

 

So many blogs are confessional by nature, something I've done my best to avoid (with varying degrees of success).  Today, however, I'm going to brazenly confess that I have been goofing off most of the week upstate in farming country.  I had intended to do some food reportage and by doing so, keep myself amongst the useful and hard working.  Well, a bit of sun, a welcoming pool and no agenda was all that was needed to corrupt any plans of substance or right thinking.

My gracious hostess pal, Kristen, furthered this 'devil may care', 'fun in the sun', 'no worries' experience with her straightforward seasonal cooking.  I have to say; I am SO over culinary calisthenics.  Give me a simple, surprising dish and I am happy as a (on vacation) clam.  Are you ready?  It doesn't get any simpler than this (well it does if we are talking naked veg which is also very nice, but lacking in the surprising department).  Here we go:

• Acquire some sugar snap peas (the link takes you to last year's introduction)
• Wash them
• Trim them (or not)
• Toss them
• Eat them

Hey!  Wait a minute... aren't you missing something (other than the sun block)?

Toss with:

• your best olive oil (just a drizzle)
• a generous pinch of your best (and coarsest) salt
• some sesame seeds

That's it.  You can go back to the pool, forget the agenda, relax and enjoy!  Thanks Kristen... sugar snap peas prepared this way will always make me feel on holiday, pool or not!

Horchata: Try this at home!

We are not playing with matches.  Not even close.  We are, however, matching what was my recent and delightful introduction to Horchata.  Why not?  With the magic of the internet (where there is a recipe for just about anything) there is no reason not to try making something that you enjoy in the privacy and safety of your very own kitchen.  And guess what?  I did make the Horchata, but I also improvised.  Friends were coming over for an impromptu dinner and here I was about to be caught shy of dessert.  Now that’s how to see your hostess-ing reputation go up in flames! The horchata base was sitting innocently in the refrigerator waiting to replicate the delicious drink experienced in Red Hook.  So what’s a hostess on the hot spot to do?  Ice pops of course!  Instead of adding all the water, I added just less than half.  I also took my time straining it so that the mixture was quite concentrated.  After a devil-may-care splash of Marsala, the ice pop mold was located and voila!  Horchata ice pops were on the menu.  And, all modesty aside, they were a pretty big hit.  Not exactly playing with fire (my friends are a forgiving and adventurous group), but far less hazardous and way more delicious! 

Here’s a transcribed recipe for Horchata taken from the Food Network that originated with Emeril Lagasse.  You can follow the link or find your own recipe.  After finding Emeril’s on the web, I looked at Mark Bittman’s The Best Recipes in the World.  He has a slightly different method that works too.  My guess is that there as many versions out there as there are batches of this terrific drink.

Equipment

• Measuring gadgets
• Blender (certainly)
• Spice grinder (if you have one)
• A couple of bowls (and a pitcher if you have one)
• Fine mesh strainer and wooden spoon to coax things along
• Zester or sharp knife

Ingredients

• 8 Tablespoons of uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1 cup of Blanched Almonds (after last week you’re expert… right?)
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 strips of lime zest- just the green part (make sure to avoid the white pith, it’s bitter)
• 3 cups of hot water- later you will need 4 cups of cool water
• 1 cup of sugar or agave 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method

Place the rice in the blender or your spice grinder.  Process until it is like powder and as fine as you can get it. 

In a large bowl or pitcher, combine rice ‘flour’ with the almonds, cinnamon and lime zest.  Pour 3 cups of hot water over everything and let it stand overnight in the refrigerator.

After it’s had an overnight in your fridge, work in batches, putting the mixture into your blender and processing it until it is as smooth as possible.  Add 2 cups of cool water to your initial blending.

Placing a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, gradually strain the liquid.  You can stir gently with a wooden spoon or spatula.  There will be a lot of solids left.  Discard them.  Take your time.  The more patient you are, the smoother your Horchata will be. 

When it is all strained, place in a pitcher or clean bowl and add the remaining 2 cups of cool water (or don’t if you want to try the ice-pop thing) and add the vanilla along with the sugar.  Keep tasting and add the amount of sugar that you like…. this is personal!

Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled (which you will be too when sharing this non-dairy drink with all your pals).  Serve on ice.

White Currants

Once in a while one simply has to respond to beauty.

These diminutive white currants were today’s find from the Coop.  Not sure what to do with them just yet.  A little bit of research in Harold McGee’s book, On Food and Cooking, tells me that currents in general have growing restrictions in the United States.  This is because currants can carry a disease that affects white pines.  It’s difficult to imagine such jewel-like fruit doing harm to anything, but does explain why currants, especially black currants, are more common in England.  Perhaps their laws are not nearly as severe.  Currants in general are used more in France and the UK. 

The berry I sampled from this lot was a little bitter.  Was I disappointed?   Somewhat.  That said, having these in front of the camera today made me stop, observe and be in the moment.  Maybe they won’t make dessert, but they were responsible for a much-needed pause, and just a little bit of quiet before July 4^th and spectacles of a grander sort.  Whether your weekend is full of loud or quiet moments (or both), enjoy!

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

 

Not unlike Zucchini Wars, this recipe has made a few stops.  It came to me via Habibi’s person Glenn, who picked it up some where from CBS and a person named Tony Tantillo (we don’t know whose person he is).  Whoever wants to take responsibility is fine by me.  This is delicious and very simple to make.  According to Glenn, any shape of zucchini is fine, a peeler does the trick no matter what.  So… here we go.  Don’t be daunted by the length of this.  As usual, I’m trying to give you every detail in a simple way so that any beginners out there will be good to go!  “Bon Appetite!” from Pip’s person (that would be me).

Equipment

• Knife
• Small bowl and larger serving bowl
• Vegetable Peeler
• Zester
• Something to get the juice from your lemon
• Whisk (if you have one, otherwise let’s improvise using a jar with a tight lid)

Ingredients

• 2 large Radishes
• 1 medium Zucchini (or a couple of small ones- this is one of those non-precise recipes)
• 1/4 pound Spears of thin Asparagus (give or take)
• 1 Lemon
• 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pecorino Romano cheese
• Salt (kosher or better please) and Pepper (freshly ground if possible)

Method

• Wash your vegetables and the lemon
• Cut radishes into thin slices and place them in a bowl of water for 10-15 minutes
• Cut asparagus at an angle into 1/4-inch pieces
• Using your peeler, make ribbons of the zucchini (you may want to discard the first peel, so that you don’t have one ribbon that’s all skin - also discard the ends)
• Use the zester on the lemon to get about a tablespoon of zest (again, you can ‘wing’ this)
• Drain the Radishes and combine all of the above in the larger bowl
• Juice the lemon and combine it with the Olive Oil in the small bowl adding the salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk the *!@# out of it, until it is emulsified (cloudy and fully mixed)
• Pour the lemon/oil mixture over salad and toss.
• Shave some Romano cheese over the salad and it’s time to eat!

Zucchini: My Little Courgette

Call it zucchini or courgette; both names are the diminutive for squash.  These are summer squashes, meaning that the skin is tender and edible, as are the seeds. Yet another case of wash and eat!  As you can see, size and shape can vary.  These little round courgettes (I’m feeling French) were snagged at the farmer’s market on the way to tango lessons (where I feel very Argentinean).

As usual, choose firm, unblemished squashes.  When it comes to zucchini, small (6-8 inches) will deliver more flavor.  This is the beginning of the season and at the moment; I’m enjoying them small and raw. 

Later on when Zucchini Wars start, the situation has been known to spin out of control. These guys can be very prolific and if you are lucky to live amongst people who grow zucchini, don’t be surprised to open your door to a bag of summer squash largess… which is your signal to drop a bag of your largess at someone else’s door and surprise another neighbor, and so on.

Grated, summer squash make terrific additions for batter breads and muffins.  They are also wonderful grilled. But it’s too hot for heat and raw zucchini salads are a snap to prepare.  Sylvia and I had a very tasty salad just the other night.  Sorry to be a little courgette, but I’m going to post the recipe next week (the garden beckons).  Be prepared with some zucchini (the long variety), a few radishes, some thin asparagus, a lemon and some Pecorino Romano.   Locate your vegetable peeler, zester and stay tuned for a very refreshing recipe.

Kirby Cucumbers and Sylvia’s Favorite Pickles

This is a Kirby, yesterday’s quick grab from the farmer’s market (along with some lovely round zucchini which are in the hopper for another entry).

Small (about 4-5 inches long) and firm, these are a member of the cucurbit family and a direct relative (as all cucumbers are) of watermelons.  Like watermelon these lovely little cucumbers are crisp, moist and refreshingly sweet.  These particular kirbys are sliced in preparation for Chinese Pickled Cucumber Salad, an easy recipe that is one of Sylvia’s favorites. That is the slices that are left…they are also terrific as is and part of this photograph has already been consumed!  The end bits were a little bitter (larger cucumbers have sweeter skin), but the slices were fine as is. Another case of instant satisfaction.  Delicious raw, great as pickles, what’s not to like?!  This recipe requires a little advanced thinking because it needs an over-night stay in the refrigerator.  If you can stop eating them as-is, it’s worth the wait. 

Adapted from Ken Hom’s Chinese Kitchen, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 12 oz of Kirby cucumbers  (about 4)
• 1 plus 1/2 Tablespoon of salt (kosher is best)
• 3 Tablespoons of sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of Chinese white rice vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons of sesame oil

Method

• Trim off the bitter ends of the cucumber and discard
• Thinly slice the remaining cucumber
• In a large bowl, toss the slices of cucumber with the salt and sugar
• Cover and refrigerate overnight

• When ready to serve, squeeze out the liquid (use your hands, best tools in the kitchen!)
• Toss the slices with the vinegar and sesame oil (you are allowed to use a spoon here!)

For color and punch, garnish with 2 fresh red chilies seeded and sliced (optional of course)

Basil and Heaven

Not quite sure where this summer went, but today it was cool enough to want the windows closed. Time to harvest the wealth of basil still outside and capture some summer souvenirs as consolation for when the weather is truly chilly. According to Wiki, the ancient Egyptians and Greeks believed that basil would open the gates of heaven for people passing on. Makes sense to me. Basil itself is heavenly.

If you don’t have a pot of this miracle in your garden or on your fire escape, you may still be able to pick up a nice fat bunch at the farmer’s market. It’s easy to preserve a bit of heaven (well, you can start with basil and philosophize later over sauce). Wash and dry (as in take a tea towel or salad spinner to get off any excess moisture) a large quantity of basil leaves and process them in a food processor with some extra virgin olive oil. Do this by packing the food processor with the prepared leaves and slowly (with the blade running) drizzle oil into the tube at the top. No need to measure, you want the consistency to be creamy, not too dry but soupy either. Done? Put your simple pesto into an ice cube tray and when it’s fully frozen, store the frozen basil cubes in a well-marked (date it!) bag in the freezer.

You now have passage to heaven! When the weather is truly cold, you can reclaim your basil (thaw it gently) and add it as is to soups or sauces. Or make Genoese Pesto Sauce! Follow the link until I can write again with a recipe tailored for first time pesto makers.


PS - You may have noticed (at least I hope you have) that my entries have been a little sparse lately. I haven’t given up on the blog, but will be making entries a little less frequently for a while. It’s almost a year since I embarked on Kitchen Primer, and I’m way way past 100 entries. I love doing this, but there are many things vying for attention (not the least being Sylvia, the prodigal daughter… Maybe I can get her interested in some pesto making!).

It’s a Tomato! It’s a Cherry! It’s a Cape Gooseberry!

Also known as a Ground Cherry, this super little fruit (that’s a relative of a tomatillo) references Superman in more ways than one. Apart from having a ‘Cape’ attached to it, this cherry sized fruit contains a chemical, Cryptoxanthin. But fear not! This is not Kryptonite! Cryptoxanthin converts to vitamin A, which equates with its having anti-oxidant properties. I’m sure that Superman would have enjoyed these as a snack. He would have been able to swoop down in either North or South America where these are native. When you fly around and have superpowers, this is the bonus you get for having to fight bad guys most of the time. Maybe he picked some for Lois to use in a salad or enough for her to make preserves or a pie (who knows? maybe Superman likes to cook too!).

You and I don’t need a cape or superpowers to try these. All that’s required is a willingness to try something new and a trip to the farmer’s market. Just peel back the husk and eat the berry inside. You’ll be able to report back to your friends on this planet that it’s slightly tart, slightly sweet and very mild mannered.

Uhibbu Lemon Cucumbers!

Saturday’s farmer’s market at Grand Army Plaza was packed! Pip, Pookie (Pip’s pal has been staying with us) and I ran into canine and foodie pals alike. This is one of the few venues where we can all shop together. Sterling’s people, Cat and Dave, insisted that I take home some ‘lemon cucumbers’. Who could refuse that sort of directive? We had already joined Habibi (Arabic for “Beloved”) and his person, Glenn. Glenn is a very well traveled man, who, of all the off-leash crowd (wonder what the dogs call us?) could probably explain BCE (we are about to get to that) and a few other things as well. But, for all Glenn’s erudition, lemon cucumbers were a mystery for him as well. We had a mission! One farm stand later, culinary adventures bagged, dogs and off-leash acquaintances headed back to our respective kitchens and, as it turns out, research sources. Glenn and I had the twin impulse to get home and consult greater food minds.

How do I know this? Here’s the link that Glenn sent about Lemon Cucumbers.

My favorite source, McGee, writes that cucumbers were domesticated in India around 1500 BCE which is an awfully long time ago (what’s BCE? Here’s a reference from Wiki and one from About.com). A cucumber is in the squash /cucurbit family, keeping company with, well, squashes and watermelons! Apparently, watermelons and cucumbers are related, a good illustration of pointing out the obvious…. as in, duh… of course! It never really occurred to me before, but makes complete sense now. What isn’t obvious are these cucumbers.

Make sure to wash off any little prickles left on the outside and eat whole like an apple. Alternately, if you are feeling fancy or want to share, slice them and pull out some fancy imported salt to use sparingly as a seasoning. That’s it! They taste nothing like a lemon, so it’s not about looks! It is about a refreshing, mild cucumber that is easy to eat by itself or use (skin and all) as an easy addition to a seasonal summer salad. Ah… uhibbu lemon cucumbers! (Glenn tells me that this is the companion verb to Habibi. ”Uhibbu” is the Arabic verb for ‘I love’. Apparently Glenn’s dog is a pure-bred noun.)

Planets, Peaches, Donuts and Emperors

Unlike the core of Saturn that is filled with iron, nickel, silicon and oxygen compounds, Saturn Peaches are filled with fruit that has delicate almond undertones (the almond is a relative of the peach) and is sweeter than the usual variety. What are the other advantages (apart from not requiring space travel)? They are not as fuzzy as a regular peach and the stone (pit) doesn’t cling to the inside flesh the same way it does in an ordinary peach. Less mess at the core. They are a hardier shape, easier to hold and easier to squeeze into your lunchbox!

Saturn peaches were introduced to the Western World from China in 1869. A Saturn peach in China during the 1800’s, could only be planted in the royal grounds of The Emperor. There was a lot of unrest in China at this time. It’s nice to think that once in a while there was a break for these lovely peaches… a donut break! Which is the other name that you will find applied to these lovely fruits.

Mother Earth News has an article called Top 10 Reasons to Try a Donut Peach. They also have an article, ‘Saturn’ Peaches, that has a little more about how this Chinese fruit tree was adapted to be more cold hardy. All of which explains why this peach, with out-of-this-world sweetness, is now readily available to Emperors and mere commoners here on earth.

Gowanus Botanical Garden Report: A Tomato!!

Well, this is it, possibly the world’s smallest tomato farm. What you see is the season’s entire tomato production. Honestly? I’m surprised that we got this far. Historically the squirrels get first pick and one determined garden beast would have annihilated the entire crop. Maybe next year I will hazard a larger, more productive plant!

Did I mention that tomatoes are actually a fruit? We like to think of them as vegetables because of their low sugar content and their high amount of glutamic acid and sulfur aromas, chacteristics that are more common in savory foods (pardon the food geek moment).

So apart from taste, what’s so great about a tomato? It’s very rich in vitamin C and delivers a big dose of the antioxidant carotenoid lycopene, which is thought to fight cancers.

I’ve written about tomatoes before, so if you are feeling like a review, here are the links:

Hercules and Hydroponics
Quick! Before it’s Winter!

What follows is a non-cook cooking recipe and my favorite summer salad. It’s called Caprese and is always wonderful.

Caprese Salad

• Alternate slices of fresh tomato and fresh mozzarella on a plate
• Drizzle (control yourself!) with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar (or skip the vinegar)
• Season with freshly ground pepper, a dash of your best salt and fresh Basil Leaves

Bon Appitto!

Don’t Cook!

Get food. Eat it! If that’s the sort of cook (or non-cook) you are, this is your season. Find a farmer’s market or grocery store that has rapid turnover and carries fresh produce. Some fruit, cheese, tomatoes, salad greens, a good loaf of whole grain bread and you are good to go. Willing to boil or scramble an egg? The world is an even bigger place!

Seriously, there is plenty to eat that doesn’t require any more preparation than a shower (for the food…I’m assuming that you don’t need this prompt) and a bit of familiarity. Feeling adventurous? Maybe you don’t even need to be on a first name basis. If that sounds a little scary, some time browsing the cookbook section of your favorite bookstore might even convince you to purchase a guide to help get started. Don’t feel like doing that? Try the Internet!

This is the season for fruit, greens and all sorts of edible stuff that can be enjoyed without cooking. If you are at the farmer’s market, ask the farmer how to choose. Basic principles generally apply. Look for fruit or veg that’s not blemished or funky looking. Soft can be good, but not so soft that you can’t get what ever you are purchasing home in one piece.

Imagine yourself living in Paris or some other fantasy of a place where local markets abound. Buy just what you can eat in a day or two (or three). Buying fresh food as often as you can will insure that it’s fresh and flavorful. If you are lucky enough to have a farmer’s market in your life, spend a little extra time and money and reap the rewards. Supporting local food production means that your food hasn’t used a passport to get to your plate. Locally sourced food can stay in the ground or on the tree longer and this is where the flavor part comes in.

A small gesture of faith (in your abilities and self-sufficiency), and the rewards are soon to follow. Your wallet will be fatter, it’s possible that your waistline will be smaller (no processed food at the farmer’s market) and you most certainly will feel the better for all of it!

Swiss, not French! Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard may not have anything to do with Switzerland. In a moment worthy of French Philosopher Foucault, it’s more about what it isn’t. It isn’t a French 19th Century spinach seed variety and needed to be named something other than 'French'! So? Swiss Chard it is! (To be honest? It’s pretty close to spinach. Those 19th Century French were, perhaps, a little sensitive regarding these matters.)

Tres (that’s French) full of nutrients, eating this not-to-be-confused-with-French-Spinach leafy vegetable will reward you with vitamins C, A and B6, potassium and magnesium, iron and even calcium.

Young chard can be used is salads and needs to be used quickly! The more mature chard (later in the season) needs to be cooked and will loose it’s bitterness in the process.

Chard can be steamed (check ‘Steamed’ entry), braised (I need to do an entry for you about that) or sautéed (ditto re braised).

To get you started, here’s a link from Epicurious.

String Theory: Garlic Scapes

This picture of Garlic Scapes got me thinking of String Theory and maybe I’m not so far off. Information was thin enough to be zero dimensional.

The usual sources, McGee, Wiki, Larousse then the Visual Lover’s Guide, Bittman, Madison (you get the idea), were void of any in-depth information regarding these elegant strands.

Scapes are a very very seasonal occasion. Friday, after visiting a friend from upstate for another seasonal occasion (it was Andrea’s birthday), I returned with a monster bag of scapes. Now what? In the spirit of full disclosure, I had been in possession of a bag of these before. A foray for the photogenic at the farmer’s market (say that 10 times) had me returning to the studio with this strange acquaintance. The portrait was taken and then in my ignorance I dumped them all like a bad date. This time, Andrea had entrusted me with a huge sack of lovingly harvested largess and it felt callous to do the same again.

At the party, these had been braised with kale and were delicious. The possibility of turning them into a pesto was also suggested. I don’t always do what I am told, but this bag of green ‘string’ was suddenly feeling like a relationship worth pursuing. Time to step up to the plate and be a responsible adult. Where McGee and Larousse left me hanging, Epicurious came to the rescue. Here’s a simple recipe using the pesto idea for Spaghetti with Ramps that was delicious. The addition of some shrimp made my relationship with these mild garlicky/onion flavored greens almost grounds for a commitment.

I’m glad you had a birthday Andrea. The party bag was unforgettable.

Birthday Bash Watermelon

Sylvia just had a birthday. So did Karan, so did Ted. This is the occasion of our Semi- annual Birthday Bash (my father actually started this tradition, so we have to thank him too and say ‘happy birthday Al’!).

A Summer Birthday Bash means salads, grilled things, chilled drinks, cake and watermelon. I really should have a picture of the ‘gang’ on the deck enjoying summer bounty and each other, but a hostess gets busy.

Jim brought this amazing watermelon and I thought that you would like to know how to choose a good one (it’s obvious that Jim did, because this one was delicious… evidenced by my lack of restraint!).

Look for a watermelon that is heavy for it’s size, has yellow under tones and a nice solid resonance when thumped (Jim is musical so he must have known this). Avoid melons that are cracked or have soft spots. This one has seeds. If you don’t want to mess around with seeds, it is possible to buy a ‘seedless’ watermelon. The Japanese bred ‘seedless’ watermelons in the 1930’s; they are actually melons with seeds so small that you don’t realize that you are eating them. Watermelon is a very rich source of antioxidants, more so than tomatoes! Who knew?!

Eat your melon as soon after purchase as possible. If there should be some leftover, store a cut melon in the fridge with clear wrap on the exposed part.

And just in case you find yourself at a birthday bash eating watermelon with nothing interesting to say (impossible though that may be), you can off handedly remark that watermelons are a distant relative of an ancient African vine and that the Egyptians were eating it 5,000 years ago and the Greeks knew of it in the 4th Century BC (do you think that they had birthday pot-lucks?). Such information is sure to enliven any crowd, or at least get the ball rolling for some bad jokes and more melon!

Happy birthday everyone! What a terrific excuse to gather together and share a meal.

Sugar Snaps: Vegetable Candy

What? Have I gone mad? Nope. I’m not talking about eating sugar. What I am talking about are Sugar Snap Peas. Sugar Snaps become available in late spring (and to be honest, I wrote this blog entry a month ago, so great was my anticipation), choose unblemished firm bright fat beautiful amazingly green pods.

You can blanch them (and we’ve talked about that… see ‘Snack for a Samurai’… if you do blanch, make it a quick one) or you can wash them and eat them just as they are. If there was ever a vegetable that yearned for a makeover as candy, this would be it. Sugar Snaps are seriously sweet, crunchy and delicious.

Not content to leave well enough alone? Here’s a recipe for Sugar Snap Peas with Mint Leaves that I came across (don't tell anyone) in a Martha Stewart book.

Lightly blanch 1 pound of peas, drain and chill in a bowl of ice water. Drain again. In a large bowl, toss with 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves and 2 Tablespoons of the dressing recipe that follows. Fresh, seasonal and holding a promise that summer is just around the corner, this salad (that will serve 4) is also a ‘snap’ to make!

Combine in a medium bowl:

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
a dash of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper

Whisk in:

2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of canola oil

This vinaigrette will keep (tightly covered) for about 2 days in the fridge.

Enjoy!