Lychees

At the moment, you could make the argument that New York is tropical.  That’s an over-heated brain talking.  This may be cruel, but remember winter? I usually write about the seasonal and local this time of year, but couldn’t resist these beautiful tropical fruits. After all, Lychee are not local to us, but they are local somewhere (I heard once that there is a world outside of Brooklyn). Also, chinatown has these in stands everywhere so it’s certain that in some spots on the planet Lychee are in season as well. Chances are you will be able to find these plum sized tropical fruits in your own alternate shopping universe.

Intrigued (just a little)?  What do you really need to know?  Just like cherries, Lychee are picked when ripe and do not improve after harvest.  Choose them intact and red to pink in color.  Unlike cherries, they will keep for a couple of weeks.  If you don’t have a cool place in your kitchen, they are best stored loosely in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator.  The pretty pink shell color will turn brown, but the interior fruit will remain juicy and ready to eat.  Splitting the shell carefully with either your fingers or a knife, and carefully peeling it away, pale white flesh will be revealed.  Sweet and pleasantly floral, full of vitamin C and with healthy amount of potassium, lychees will sooth even the most over-heated culinary adventurer.  Don’t eat the seed and don’t worry about winter…. plenty of time for that!

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.

Learn Something New Everyday: Blanching Almonds

Now it may seem a bit odd to squander a summer entry on 'how to blanch almonds', but this is all part of my master plan to introduce you to Horchata.  Horchata and I met recently by way of the food trucks in Red Hook (not far from Chez Pip).  Nothing beats a lazy Saturday afternoon that's complete with a refreshing ‘learn something new everyday’ moment.

Don’t quote me (because I’m quoting Wikipedia), but I am teaching you how to make Mexican Horchata.  This means blanched almonds, cinnamon, vanilla and, most importantly, rice.

So let’s get back to blanching.  Blanching almonds is dead easy and a skill that you can use year round (flourless chocolate cake for example).  Starting with 'Equipment', here’s how:

Equipment

• Something to boil water in (kettles are useful things... put one on your wish list if you don't have one already)
• A bowl

(Pretty easy so far... right?)

Ingredients

• Raw Almonds (for the Horchata recipe you will need a cup of them)

Method

• Place almonds in a bowl
• Pour boiling water over them
• Let almonds sit briefly until you can pluck one out and slip the nut from the now puckered skin.

You did it!  For next week's follow-up Horchata recipe you will need to have rice, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract a sweetener (sugar? agave?) and a lime.  Useful equipment will be a blender, a spice grinder (helpful but not strictly necessary) and a fine mesh strainer or some cheesecloth.  

Ready yourself for a dairy-free, delightful and delicious culinary 'learn something new every day' moment!