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)

Fresh Garlic

Last week's 'try-something-new' purchase was too extravagant (large) for the usual kitchen photo spot.  These impressive stalks (elegantly seated on the deck) are Fresh Garlic.

This is what garlic looks like before the bulb is separated from the stem, and before it takes on the white papery outfit that we are so accustomed to.  

Originally intended for a pickling recipe, I ended up *braising these impressive fellows, serving them last night over salmon burgers.  They were milder than you might think and there are plenty left over for an omelet.  I’m also thinking that they would make a nice addition to mashed potatoes.  Certain to be at the farmer’s market again this week, I may get a few more stalks for this weekends’ grilling moment.  My guess is that they will keep good company with their fellow destined-for-the-grill-basket vegetables.

* Braising, in this case (although braising is most often mentioned regarding the preparation of meat) meant a quick sauté of the thinly sliced lower ends followed by some chicken broth and a tight lid.  Leaving them at a low simmer until tender and serving them as a garnish at room temperature was just the trick! 

Shocking!

Sugar Snap peas are at the market.  Not shocking news, but a little shock treatment and you have an almost instant snack.  We’ve done this before, but I wanted you to know that you don’t have to save the ‘shock treatment’ for sugar snaps  (even though they are today’s photo op).  Broccoli, asparagus, carrots, green beans, snow peas all brighten up after a little hot/cold treatment. 

Here’s how:

Get a large pot of water to a ‘rolling boil’ (large bubbles) and throw in some salt.

While the water is coming to a boil, wash, cut and trim your veg (only if it needs it).  Smaller pieces will cook more quickly and what we are attempting today (no worries… I have every confidence in your success) is to quickly produce brightly colored veg that is only marginally cooked and retains an almost ‘raw’ character (let’s keep it real!).

Also while waiting for the pot to boil (it’s large after all and has more water in it than you think you need), prepare the ‘shocking’ part: a large bowl containing ice cubes and cold water.

Find your spider, large strainer, slotted spoon or tongs (in other words, something to grab the veg from the jaws of being over-cooked).

Action time!

The water is boiling; quickly tip the prepared veg into the boiling maelstrom.

Wait just long enough for the color to heighten and depending on what’s in there, pull it out now! (or wait a minute or two if you want it cooked just a little)

Grab the ‘get-it-out-of-the-pot-quick-tool’ and quickly transfer the veg from the hot water to the cold cold ice bath….. burrrrrrrrr, who knew that there could be such drama kitchen-side?!

Once your veg has truly chilled out (you may be in a moment of perfect food/cook synchronicity), you can toss it in a little vinaigrette, make a simple dip, pull out some of that fancy salt you rarely use or simply mangia tutto (eat it up)!

Not so shocking after all, but I hope you surprised yourself!

Spring Cleaning and Optimism

Maybe I should wait until after The Rapture (just in case), but some brands of optimism know no bounds and I feel confident that there will be a blog (and appetites) next week. How about adding a sense of order to give us a little spring in our culinary step?  Jerry was absolutely right about too many entries to navigate.  Now you can look at the ‘Label’ area on the right side (below the photo of Sylvia laughing) if you want to skip to a category.  Feel free to let me know if there are some labels that you would like me to include.

So… in the service of simplicity, I’m trying to keep it just that.  “Food for Thought” are my little rants and musings, “Vegetables” include everything from squashes and potatoes to the leafy green stuff (what do you think?  Should that be another category?), “Fruits” are self-explanatory and if you want to find them via season there are the “Seasonal” listings.  Rice is actually a grain, but in case you didn’t know, I felt it was important enough to share billing with grain.  “Sauces and Dips” are not dance steps and also include salad dressings.  “Kitchen Equipment” is the place to go for the instructional non-food stuff.  A little self-control has been exercised with “Herbs and Spices”; I’ve tried to save this for entries about single ingredients.  Naturally there are herbs and spices almost everywhere, this is for very basic information.   No doubt, I’ll be adding a few more labels as I work to complete this, but before something happens, I want to get posted.

As much as I’d like to stay up all night and complete this spring-cleaning,  a new salmon recipe beckons and a blogger has to eat! 

Tomorrow is going to be just fine (not worried a wink).  Next week we can go into raptures about something edible and seasonal! 

Friday the 13th and the Vanishing Index

A few weeks ago, one of the readers of Kitchen Primer, Jerry, asked for an index.  It’s on the way Jerry!  Thursday I figured out how to label entries and insert a list on the side.  Well, I thought I did.  Between yesterday (after having revisited over 50 of the entries, tagging them and reposting) and today, that work seems to have vanished (hate when that happens).

SO…  a little blog sleuthing is in order (not to mention some repeat work) and hopefully by next weekend there will be an index (or part of one) for your blog reading pleasure.

Please pardon the absence this week of not only the index but also anything else useful. I will work behind the scenes at New Kitchen Primer and with any luck (tell me that this has absolutely nothing to do with today being Friday the 13th) next week you will have an index to revisit past stuff and we can again move forward with some kitchen basics.

I'm going to leave you hanging (had to tie this in with the photo somehow) and see you next week after a bit of mystery solving.

True Grit and Asparagus

 

Here we are in May and I was just looking into the archives. March of 2010 was the time asparagus made an appearance here last.  I may not have written about these delicious signs of spring since then, but I’ve been eating this favorite whenever it’s available and now is the time to seize the asparagus moment!

Once you review the Asparagus entry of last year, I want to add to your asparagus erudition.  In fact, last weekend I added to mine.  After purchasing a nice fresh bunch at the local farmer’s market (not perfect as you can see), I rushed home to photograph a method of storage for you.  When bringing home some nice fresh firm spears (look for firm closed tips), treat them like lovely flowers.  Cut off just a bit from the bottom of the stalks (you can do this in one fell swoop, it’s just to get a fresh cut), stand them in a heavy glass or jar with a bit of water and pop them in the fridge.  Retrieve them soon (the fresher the better), cook and enjoy!  Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, it is in theory and in reality is pretty simple.  The mistake I made with this bunch is that I didn’t wash the spears enough.  The cooked spears were gritty and dinner was a sad occasion.  Thank goodness it was just Sylvia and I… this could have been one of those embarrassing culinary moments (that said, I’m a firm believer in getting well practiced at embarrassment.  Being good at being embarrassed is on top of my personal ‘life skills’ list… but I digress).

Enough about me, let’s take it from the top:

Pick firm spears with tops that point up, are tight, and compact. You want the entire spear to have good vivid color (asparagus comes in a variety of colors- green, white and purple).  Make sure the spears are without spots and not wilted in any way.

Fat or thin is fine (what ever you choose); spears should be of roughly the same size for even cooking.

Wash well!!!!  True grit is out of place here (see embarrassing paragraph).  Swish them in a basin and change the water until it is clear and grit-free.  Be careful not to damage the tips.

Snap off the woody ends and cook.

Last March’s entry explained how to poach them.  That’s a very nice method.   But if you are ready to practice a little bit of true grit in the kitchen, turn on the broiler and find your mitt.

After washing, pat your grit-free spears dry and put them in a single layer on a sheet pan (your heaviest). Here you can lightly toss them with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

With your oven set to broil, place them under the broiler for just a couple of minutes.

Check your spears and shake the pan, cooking them just a little bit more.  Don’t over do it!  This will not take very much time (5 minutes max) so keep your mitt on and don’t wander away from the stove.  Done!  Slide them on to a plate and turn off the oven.  Very easy and very delicious.

No grit and true grit all at the same time!