Hurricane Preparations: Poptart Alternatives

Us in the metro NYC area have been freaking out about the pending hurricane. So far, it's just been sporadic heavy rain and a few gusts of wind. Like most people, I prepared early, have been hunkered down for hours and am totally bored (despite knowing the worst is yet to come). Before going into lock-down mode, I: dragged my terrace furniture in, located my old Walkman (for the radio), ran out to buy AA batteries (and water. and good dark chocolate. and wine. and a new trench coat for fall), and dropped by the farmers market. Yes, my market was open and hopping. But ironically, while the tomatoes and squash were still plentiful by the time I rolled in, practically ever single sweet was sold out. No chocolate chip walnut scones from Bread Alone. No Pie Lady & Son. It was pretty depressing. So rather than resort to strawberry poptarts, inspired by one of the many blog posts I've been reading to pass the time this afternoon, I cranked the oven to 400 and baked. I used some Italian plums I had picked up a few weeks ago in plum muffins, based on a recipe from the Joy of Baking. The yogurt and oil-based mix is super moist. The plums, which I quartered and folded into the batter, gave off a lot more juice that I expected. Although I baked the batter in muffin tins, it still almost took the full recommended baking time. In the meantime, I decided to make Julia Child's eggplant and zucchini gratin since it's a dish that tastes good hot or cold (or room temperature, if it comes down to it). The beauty of this recipe is that you "pan fry" the eggplant to start the cooking and then combine it with the other vegetables so it cooks evenly. So between the baked goods, the veg, the chocolate, the wine and my retro yellow Walkman tape player with radio, I think I am set. Best of luck to everyone...and stay safe!

Fennel Pepper Primavera

Winter farmers markets can be quite interesting. You never know what you're going to find. Case in point, my local winter's market, held the second Saturday of each month, has everything from fish to fowl, pickles to pastry, chutney to cheese. But the most popular vendor is the sole produce vendor. Seriously, the crowds are three people deep around the little stand. Why? Because of the variety and the prices. Last month, I fought the crowds and spent $20 at the stand, taking home: *Mint, cilantro and dill *A butternut squash *A bunch of kale *One huge fennel bulb *Three small sweet potatoes *A handful of red onions *A carton of radishes *A bunch of scallions *Four mild white bush zucchini The butternut squash and kale went into a soup, the herbs, scallion and radish into salads and the fennel and squash into a roasted primavera. Using a technique similar to roasted ratatouille, I chopped up the onion, fennel and zucchini with minced garlic and multicolored bell peppers (from Costco), drizzled with a glug of olive oil, and roasted in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. I finished the "sauce" by dumping the contents of a large can of plum tomatoes (which I "chopped" while in-can, using kitchen scissors) into the roasting pan, turning off the oven and letting the residual heat finish the cooking. The end result was a rich primavera with a significant tomato flavor. Oven roasting concentrates the flavors of even the most pedestrian vegetables (bought at a farmers market or not). Use as a pasta topping or serve over polenta or even couscous. Now...what to do with three small sweet potatoes?

Soup for Summer: Part 1 - Squash

Despite the record heat, this is one of my favorite times of year, because week-to-week, there's always something new at the farmers market. The other day, I hit my local market and bought a sea of green -- from bok choy to dill, wild arugula to squash, napa cabbage to garlic scapes. So what to do but make a green soup? I recently subscribed to Eating Well, and also receive their free email newsletter. This recipe was inspired by one of the soups featured. Although it will be a few weeks until the local corn is ready, this is a nice way to use up some of the zucchini that will be flooding the market for weeks to come. And since it's pretty low cal, it's a great soup for bathing suit season too!

Dilled Zucchini and Corn Soup

Ingredients 1 t. Olive oil

1 Shallot, diced 2 Medium zucchinis, chopped 2 C. Chicken broth

1/4 t. Salt Kernels from 1 ear of corn 1 t. Lemon juice 1/4 C. Feta, crumbled

2 t. Fresh dill, chopped

Additional dill, plain yogurt for garnish (optional)

Method Saute shallot in olive oil over medium heat; add zucchini and cook until the squash starts to soften.

Add the broth and salt, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes over low heat.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth.

Return to put and add corn, cook for 5 additional minutes over low heat.

Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice, dill and feta.

Garnish with additional dill and/or a dollop of plain yogurt.

Sunday: Stuffed Round Zuchini

I'm a sucker for cute packaging. I judge a book by its cover, a store by its window display and a vegetable by its shape. So when I saw round zucchini in the market on Saturday, I had to have some, especially since the last time I came across them was in Bologna. In my mind, a round zucchini is a zucchini made for stuffing. And so when I spied some early sweet corn, inspiration struck: I would make a riff on the corn gratin featured in the New York Times a few weeks ago and use it to fill the squash. So despite the semi-heat (hey - it hit 80 yesterday), I cranked the oven to 375 while merrily sauteing veggies on the stove top. Since each squash only held about 4 tablespoons of gratin mixture, I baked the leftovers in a small dish.

Although I wished I used more cheese in the mixture, the end result was tasty: an eggy custard studded with corn and red pepper. But perhaps because of the cheese I used (or maybe the extra egg white, or the fact I used 1% milk), the custard did have a bit of a gray tinge.

However, the gray was barely noticeable in the gratin I baked in the squash. In fact, it looked very impressive, and would make a great brunch dish (but only for those who will appreciate the cute factor!).

Green and Yellow Squash Stuffed with Corn Custard

Although you can cook the squash in a baking dish or cookie sheet, I was paranoid about them collapsing and used large ramekins. Remember to season the inside of the squash before filling.

Ingredients

1 t. olive oil, plus extra for rubbing on squash

1 Cippolini onion, diced

1/2 Red pepper, chopped

1 Clove of garlic, roughly chopped

2 Ears of corn, de-kerneled

1/4 c. Milk

1 Egg

1 Egg white

1/4 c. Grated or shredded cheese (I used a combination of Romano and Swiss, because that's what I had)

Salt

Pepper

Spices (the original recipe called for cumin seed, I used some ground cumin and chili powder)

Method

Prepare the squash for stuffing by slicing off the top third, reserving the stem end. Using a pairing knife, carefully hollow out a first chunk of squash, taking care not to puncture the sides of the vegetable. Then, with a teaspoon, continue scooping out the squash flesh until all sides are smooth and even; chop the flesh and set aside.

Rub the interior and exterior of the squash cups with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub the reserved stem ends with olive oil and set on a piece of foil.

Prepare the vegetable filling by sauteing the onion, garlic and red pepper in olive oil until soft. Add the chopped squash flesh to the pan; season with salt, pepper and any additional spices and pepper; and saute until most of the water from the squash has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the kernels from one of the ears of corn.

Prepare the custard base by combining the remaining corn kernels, the milk and egg and blitzing in a traditional or immersion blender until smooth.

Add the sauteed vegetables and cheese to the custard base along with extra salt and pepper. Spoon approximately 4 tablespoons of the filling into each squash cup; bake the remaining filling in an oiled dish.

Put the filled squash cups, stem ends and extra gratin in a 375 degree oven. Check the stem ends after approximately 20 minutes and the extra gratin after about 35 minutes. The stuffed squash will take the longest to cook, but should only require a total of 40 minutes.

Everybody Loves Hashbrowns

I come from a potato lovin' family (must be those Eastern European roots). In fact, my parents literally cannot make less than 5 lbs. of potatoes at a time -- be it mashed, scalloped, in salad or baked. Growing up, the one way we did not prepare potatoes was fried. Oh, sure, we had home fries (what do you think we did with all of the leftover baked potatoes?) but never crispy fried potatoes in oil. "Deep" fried potatoes were left to the experts (a.k.a. McDonald's). But I've learned it's very easy to whip up hash browns at home that are so much better than the "puck" served at the golden arches (and that's saying something because fast food hash browns are still pretty darn good). All of the main elements can be found at your local farmer's market, and you probably already have the rest in your kitchen.

Zucchini and Potato Hash Browns

I don't like using a lot of oil, so I fried these in a small, non-stick stir fry pan. The sloped slides also make for easy scooping/flipping. Since these are best hot from the pan, it's a perfect treat when cooking breakfast for one (half recipe) or two.

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded

Salt

8 oz. potato, peeled and coarsely shredded (I used the last of what I bought from Paffenroth Gardens at the greenmarket a few weeks ago)

1 shallot, minced

1 egg white or 2 T. liquid egg white

1-2 T. Bisquick or flour (to bind)

Black pepper

Canola oil

Method

Mix shredded zucchini with a few dashes of salt; place in colander and drain for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix salted zucchini and shredded potato.

Add egg, Bisquick/flour and black pepper, mix well.

Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of canola oil in a small pan over medium heat.

When oil is hot, add hash brown batter in heaping tablespoons, taking care not to crowd the pan. Flip when edges begin to brown, adding more oil as needed.

Drain briefly on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with extra salt as desired.

Mangia Bologna: Cooking with Carmelita of Cook Italy (Part 2)

Four weeks ago, I was shopping in cooking in Bologna, Italy. My how time flies. Fast forward one month, and some of the seasonal ingredients I found in the markets in Italy are finally available here in New York State, including the first asparagus of the season! Sadly, I have yet to make it to the Union Square Greenmarket in time to buy some (sells out too early). But regardless, I thought it was high time I shared some more photos from my Bologna adventure. When we last were in Bologna, I had: gotten up at the crack of dawn; walked to the Milan train station in the foggy, semi-dark; boarded a high-speed train to Bologna; navigated my way through the city to meet Carmelita; slurped down a cappuccino; wandered through the back streets snacking on chocolate and pork; tried to follow as Carmelita exchanged remarks with shop owners, in rapid Italian, literally and figuratively over my head; and, after poking around a butcher shop that displayed its wares au naturale, half contemplated becoming a vegetarian.

Too soon, we were at Carmelita's darling apartment to begin cooking. In fact, I admired her sun-filled flat so much, I think she should seriously consider entering Apartment Therapy's Small Cool contest next year.

Side note: I entered mine the first year of the contest, and while it was small, it was deemed neither cool nor cute. This was before I realized how design-savvy AT readers are and how architecturally-savvy and creative other entrants would be. Sadly, I have made just a few improvements in the years since, but what can I say, my apartment suits me! At least until September, as my goal is to move once my lease is up.

But I digress. Carmelita's apartment is very cool with a large window overlooking a nearby church and a tricked-out kitchen running almost the length of one wall. The large prep table also doubles as her dining table, with bench seating tucked underneath.

First on the agenda was making the pasta dough. I had never made pasta. I may never make pasta again. I don't know if I have the patience to get the dough just so (something about folding and kneading and avoiding pleats). But in case I do get ambitious, Carmelita did make me write down the correct proportions: 100 grams of [cake or pastry] flour to 65 grams of egg.

With the dough tucked in the fridge, it was on to the other prep. Like shelling fava. I had never shelled fava beans before either. Nor would I have known that you can/should peel the skin off the individual beans.

We blanched the asparagus with the fava (since they were going to be pureed together), as well as boiled the hollowed-out round zucchini. Apparently, Italians do not like their veggies cooked al dente, as we left both pots on the stove much longer than I would have at home. But eventually, the zucchini was drained and cooled and half of the fava and asparagus blitzed together with olive oil to make a bright green sauce.

Once cooled, we stuffed the zucchini with a luscious mound of ricotta (which had been pushed through a potato ricer) mixed with the tiny shrimp (which had been cooked and coarsely ground with a mortar and pestle), olive oil, salt, pepper and freshly ground nutmeg. Garnished with larger shrimp (which were kind of mangled as I was not really good at slicing them lengthwise) and served on a bed of citron, I was pretty impressed -- this four ingredient dish looked like something from a food magazine.

However, eating would have to wait as the work wasn't over! Although the clams had been soaked and cooked, we still needed to shuck them, not to mention chop the parsley and garlic that would join the clams to make a simple sauce for the pasta. Plus there were morels to clean.

But once all that was complete, we took a quick break and popped out to Carmelita's corner wine shop, which just happened to be the famous Enoteca Italiana, to get a nice chilled white to drink with lunch.

The shop, which I later learned is in all the guidebooks for Bologna, is quite small but has a nice upfront area perfect for sipping a glass of wine and people watching. The shop also has a really interesting and well-priced selection of regional and Italian wines, but I could not face the thought of dragging wine bottles with me the rest of the afternoon (Unfortunately, I somehow got lost and couldn't find the shop when I tried to return later in the day. Oh well - another reason to return!).

With wine in hand, we returned to the apartment to cut the pasta. I was not a natural, by any means, but after folding and flouring and rolling and flattening a few times, I started to get the hang of it.

While the noodles dried, we combined the shucked clams, reserved clam liquid and olive oil. Once warmed through, we removed the pot from the heat and added the garlic and parsley.

Then, it was finally time to start eating. We as we cut into the stuffed zucchini, Carmelita threw the pasta in boiling water, deftly flipping the cooked noodles into the clam sauce mixture just as I licked the last shmear of ricotta from my knife.

While I twirled the pasta and simple clam sauce (and debated if I should break the no-cheese-with-seafood covenant and ask if Carmelita had any parmigiano reggiano), she was back at the stove lightly sauteing the morels (which gave off a lot of liquid) before cooking the fish fillets using a kind of steam fry method.

Once cooked, Carmelita plated the fillets on a pool of the green asparagus-fava puree, surrounded the pool with the remaining fava and asparagus and topped the fish with morels (kind of apropos as I learned some refer to morels as a "dryland fish"). One last drizzle of olive oil, and it was done.

I begrudgingly left some pasta and clams behind in the bowl so I would have room to enjoy the fresh, clean flavors of the vegetables and the flakiness of the fish. Despite my best efforts, I was only able to eat half the fillet, but made sure I downed all of the spring vegetables. After all, I knew it would be a while before I saw any for sale in my local markets.

Before I knew it, it was after 3 p.m. After more than six hours of walking, shopping, cooking and learning, it was time for me to teeter off in search of a caffeinated beverage in hopes of reviving from food coma. I needed a second wind to explore Bologna.

If you plan to visit Bologna in the near future, I encourage you to check out Cook Italy. And if you cannot get to Bologna anytime soon, here is a rough overview of the ingredients and method for the dishes I enjoyed. Buno appetito!

The Springtime in Bologna Menu

Round zucchini stuffed with ricotta and shrimp, served on sliced citron

Ingredients

2 softball-sized round zucchini

1 c. Ricotta cheese

Palmful of small shrimp (approximately 1/2 c.)

5 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

Olive oil

Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Method

Slice stem and top from zucchini, cut approximately 1/4 inch from stem.

Using a melon baller or paring knife and spoon, hollow zucchini; chop and reserve flesh for filling.

Boil hollowed out squash and lids in salted water until soft; scoop from boiling water, drain and cool.

Bring water back to a boil, add small shrimp and remove as soon as they turn opaque (e.g., less than a minute!).

Bring water back to a boil for a third time, add larger shrimp and remove as soon as they turn opaque (approximately 2 minutes).

Grind/mash/blitz small shrimp until they are at a chunky, paste-like consistency.

Combine shrimp paste with reserved raw, chopped zucchini flesh, ricotta and a glug of olive oil.

Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Mound filling into zucchini, garnish with cooked jumbo shrimp that has been sliced in half lengthwise.

Fresh pasta served with a sauce of clams, garlic and parsley

Ingredients

Little neck clams

Fresh pasta

Garlic

Parsley

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

Shamefully, the method we used is a bit hazy (early wake up call + walking + wine = haze) but Cook's Illustrated's version, although calling for a few added ingredients, looks close. Not a subscriber? Try this link.

Fried steamed fish topped with morels served over an asparagus and fava puree

Ingredients

Fish fillets

Fava beans, shelled with waxy skin removed (or not, your choice!)

Asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

Morels, cleaned

Olive oil

Salt, pepper

Method

Again, I blame the haze, but do remember the method being quite simple: cook shelled and peeled fava beans and asparagus until tender; reserve half, combine the other half with a glug of olive oil and blitz using an immersion or standard blender; saute the morels in a dry pan, set aside; fry steam the fish until opaque; serve on a pool of the puree, surrounded by the reserved fava, asparagus and morels.

Easter Treats: Pancakes and Scones

Happy Easter Monday! Despite temperatures in the 30s and 40s (yes, I saw snow flurries Easter morning), warmer weather was definitely on everyone's mind as evidenced by some of the dishes we had over the weekend. Yes, there was lamb. Yes, there was ham. But we also enjoyed zucchini pancakes, as published in The New York Times Temporary Vegetarian column. I prepped everything ahead of time -- dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another, shredded zucchini draining in a colander -- and mixed the batter right before frying. A double batch easily made 30 smallish pancakes with batter remaining (which I used the next day with fine results). Served with a dollop of garlicky cucumber yogurt salad (subbing dill for the cilantro and Penzey's Greek seasoning for Penzey's Turkish seasoning), it was a perfect appetizer: flavorful, light and something you could eat with your hands! A visit home also meant a visit to the local warehouse club store, and the opportunity to score fresh berries at reasonable prices, albeit a heavy carbon footprint. However, thrown into a scone mix from Orangette, by way of Everybody Likes Sandwiches, the results were worth it: barely sweet, the dense, biscuit-like dough was a great vehicle for the juicy blackberries and strawberries. Sprinkled with some cinnamon sugar, these scones and a cup of tea made a great pre-Easter mass breakfast...and post-mass breakfast II...and afternoon snack. Note to self: when berries are back in season at the Green Market, double the recipe!

Surplus "Squash"

I was at Union Square this weekend juggling an armload of red pepper, squash and cucumbers when a lady stopped me and said "that's a lot of zucchini." But look close, that's only three zucchini. The other six? Persian cucumbers.

As a child, I was always a pickle eater but hated cucumbers and related fruits, like tomatoes, for the longest time because of their watery, slimy seeds. It wasn't until I was in high school that I learned how to scoop the seeds out of your standard cuke. For some reason, I don't remember the English or seedless variety being available back then. But once I started life in my own kitchen, and using Fresh Direct, I discovered the Persian cucumber. Crunchy, sweet and compact -- easy to use up all in one sitting so none is left moldering in the crisper.

My Fresh Direct days are long over (because of the increasing price of Fresca, but that's a story for another day), but thanks to Oak Grove's green house growing, I have at least a few more Persian cucumber days...

Savory Cucumber Yogurt Salad

While most of my Persian cukes end up in salads, I do like this savory yogurt dish alongside Indian curries or a Trader Joe's Vegetable Masala burger.

Ingredients

1 Persian cucumber, peeled and shredded

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. red onion, finely diced

1/2 c. Greek-style yogurt (I use Trader Joe's brand 2% Greek Yogurt)

1 t. cilantro (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Other spices (I like a dash of Penzey's Turkish spice blend)

Method

Pile shredded cucumber in a kitchen towel or small strainer, squeeze out all the liquid you can. Combine shredded cucumber, minced garlic, red onion and yogurt. Season liberally with salt and pepper and an other spices desired. Chill for at least 30 minutes to let flavors combine. Use as is or use as a sandwich spread, dip or topping for spicy food.

Turn, turn, turn...

A few weekends ago, I spent $40.05 at the Union Square Greenmarket. I blame it on the season -- summer's ending and fall's beginning. The last of the tomatoes nestled next to the first of the winter squash. So I bought it all. And I actually used almost all (full disclosure:the scallions are currently lingering in the bottom of my crisper). But most of the veggies made their way into salads, the kernels from all six ears of corn are tucked in the freezer (ready to be pulled out on a bleak winter's day), the fingerling's were roasted and also used in soups, and the chocolate chip and coconut scones, well, I may have a piece of one left the freezer (which, after two weeks, shows admirable restraint, I think). The squash and eggplant received special treatment, however. Since the nip of fall in the air made turning on my oven actually tolerable, I made not one, but two batches of ratatouille oven-style. Not a bad way to say "hello autumn."

Roasted Ratatouille I like how roasting the vegetables gives them an almost meaty texture. I actually made this twice with my haul, as zucchini and eggplant have a more shelf life that you might think. Try eating the ratatouille over Israeli style couscous and consider sprinkling with crumbled goat or feta cheese before serving. Ingredients 1 med. zucchini 1 med. yellow squash 1 med. Italian-style eggplant 1 small red onion 2 cloves minced garlic (optional) 2 t. olive oil Italian herbs and spices .5 cup tomato sauce (I like to use Trader Joes’ Starter Sauce) Method Preheat oven to 400 degrees Chop zucchini, squash, eggplant and red onion into uniform pieces Toss with olive oil and minced garlic, if using, and spread into 9x13 baking dish Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, dried oregano and dried basil; add a few red pepper flakes if you like a bit of heat Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring vegetables at the half way mark Turn off oven; add tomato sauce and stir Leave in cooling oven for another 10-15 minutes