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.

If Is June, It Must Be Strawberry Season

Yay! June in New York State means strawberry season and this year's crop is especially good. Since the season for local berries is so short, there's only one way to enjoy them: as nature made them. But after a long workweek, you may prefer to drink them. And the recipe couldn't be easier.

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris

Makes three drinks, or one super grande drink for those that are extra thirsty.

Ingredients

1 Pint Strawberries 1/3 C. Rum

1/4 C. Fresh lime or Lemon Juice

3 t. Simple syrup or agave OR 3 packets of Splenda

Splash of orange Juice

4-6 C. Ice cubes

Method

Add all ingredients to blender; blitz until well Incorporated.

Garnish with whipped cream if you're feeling extra decadent.

Spring Finds at the Farmers Markets

After several weekends on the road, I am starting to return to old routines, including visits to the farmers market and some home cooking (as opposed to home defrosting). A few weekends ago, my travels took me to Ithaca, NY, and of course I stopped at the farmers market. Although Macro Mama’s was sadly missing, I did find a few other prizes, including a large bunch of rhubarb and basil plants. A few days later, I actually was able to get out of work in time to make it to the Union Square Greenmarket before they closed for the day. For a Friday market before a holiday weekend, the place was buzzing, but I managed to pick up some choice items, including spearmint mint plants (“mojitos?” the vendor asked as I handed over a 5 dollar bill), wild arugula and $11 worth of sugar snap peas (my bad for not looking at the sign saying they were $6 a pound).

So with my haul from Ithaca and my haul from Union Square, I spent Memorial Day weekend chopping and boiling and baking and braising. I prepared the Cheater’s Pulled Pork (which, with my off-brand slow cooker being on the fritz, took 22 hours to cook) and tried the potato salad with yogurt, arugula and dill posted on The Kitchn last week.

I made a riff on Simply Recipes rhubarb crumble, and enjoyed some pickled ramps on a Hoffman's Hot Dog. And I did end up mixing some mojitos with the fresh mint, lime juice, rum, agave syrup and a hit of Fresca. Not a bad way to toast the start of the summer season.

10 Ingredient Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble The tartness of the rhubarb really shines through in this recipe (aka, if you want it sweet, add more granulated sugar). Serve with whipped cream or ice cream to help mellow the flavors and make this humble dessert more special. Ingredients Cooking spray 1 lb. Rhubarb, cut into one inch pieces 1 lb. Strawberries, hulled and sliced into quarters 2 T. Corn starch 2 T. Orange juice ½ C. Granulated sugar ½ C. Butter, cubed ½ C. White whole wheat flour ½ C. Brown sugar 1 C. Ginger cookies, crushed Method Preheat oven to 375. Cover a 9x13 dish with cooking spray; add rhubarb, strawberry, granulated sugar, corn starch and orange juice and toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar and cookie crumbles; add butter cubes and mash together until combined; sprinkle on top of fruit mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes until fruit has cooked and topping has crisped. Serve warm or cold, but make sure you serve with vanilla ice cream!

Crisper Clean Out: Asparagus and Ramps

About two weeks ago, I hit the Union Square green market. You could tell people had spring fever, because every other person was walking around with a bunch of just-purchased lilacs (with a going rate of $7-8 a bunch, you could make a killing as a lilac farmer down here). But those in the know were walking around bunches of other springtime favorites -- asparagus and ramps. So for $10 bucks, just a little more than a bunch of flowers, I grabbed some of both. And they sat in the fridge for a week and a half. I had intended all along to try pickling the ramps. I made a special trip to Penzey's for their pickling spice mix. I got myself a nifty container. But for one reason or another, I did not get around to it until last night. Since you only pickle the white parts of the ramps, I had whole mess of the green leaves leftover. I decided to use some of them in a pasta dish based on a recipe I found online (which, ironically, was originally was inspired by a recipe from Talula’s Table). I crisped a bit of pre-chopped pancetta, and then added a few sliced Baby Bellas and sliced ramp leaves. In lieu of eggs or cream, I (attempted) to melt a wedge of Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese into the pan, before adding the asparagus, which I sliced thinly and blanched, and a bit of cooked lemon pepper pappardelle. Since the cheese did not really melt, I added a healthy amount of grated cheese at the end and called it dinner (by then, it was 9 p.m., my kitchen smelled like ramps and vinegar, and Lost was starting). Still, I was happy to clear two more items out of the crisper.

Pickled Ramps

Inspired by a recipe from Serious Eats

Unless you have a incredibly well-stocked spice pantry, consider buying a pickling spice blend, which will save you some money and time.

Ingredients 1 C. White wine vinegar

1 C. Sugar

1 C. Bottled water

2-3 T. Pickling spice mix (a combination of mustard, coriander, and fennel seeds, plus peppercorns and bay leaves)

2 Lb. Ramps (wild leeks)

1 T. Salt

Method

Set a pot of salted water to boil.

Prep the ramps by cutting off most of the leaves and the hairy root ends; clean well by submersing in a bowl of water and letting the grit settle to the bottom (as you would clean regular leeks). Once the water is boiling, blanch ramps for about 30 seconds, then immediately shock them by adding to a bowl of ice water; drain well and insert into a glass jar; sprinkle with salt.

Add the vinegar, sugar and bottled water to the pot; bring up to a boil.

Add the spices to the pot and leave on heat for one minute.

Pour brine mixture over ramps; let cool to room temperature and then seal glass jar and refrigerate.

Crisper Cleanout: Apple Muffins

I admit it -- I've been letting produce pile up in the crisper. Oh sure, if it gets soggy and/or brown, I'll toss it, but if it has some life left in it, I let it sit, waiting for the right day, right moment, right recipe. But no more. This week, I am using up all of the odds and ends that have been in the fridge drawer for too long. First up: Fuji apples. Shamefully, I've had about 10 small apples lingering around SINCE THE SECOND WEEKEND OF MARCH. Because that's when I bought them at the Hastings Indoor Market. They were starting to look a little shriveled, so I pulled them out on Sunday and made apple muffins. After all, who doesn't bake when it's 86 degrees out? After much deliberation, I chose Ellie Krieger's recipe, which uses apple sauce and raw apples. Since I had so many apples, I actually made my own sauce (which actually was more of a mash, since Fuji's don't break down easily). Making apple sauce is simple, and it does not take much effort (of course, turning on the oven and the stove on a warm day has it's own challenges). But the nut topping is what makes these a standout. Do not omit! Despite slaving over a hot stove/oven and dirtying all of my mixing bowls plus assorted other implements, the end result was worth it. And getting to enjoy breakfast al fresco on my newly madeover terrace made it that much better.

Double Apple Muffins

Inspired by Ellie Krieger's Apple Muffin Recipe

Ingredients 5-6 C. of apples, chopped ½ C. Milk 1 T. Lemon juice ½ C. water ½ t. Cinnamon 2 T. Brown sugar 1/2 t. Cinnamon ¼ C. Pecans, chopped 2 C. White whole wheat flour 2 T. Corn starch 1 t. Baking soda ½ t. Salt ½ t. Cinnamon ¼ t. Nutmeg ½ C. Brown sugar ¼ C. Vegetable oil 2 Eggs 1 t. Vanilla

Method Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Simmer over medium high heat about two-thirds of the chopped apples with a quarter cup of water and a dash of cinnamon, reserving one-third of the raw apples. In the meantime, pour half a cup of milk into a liquid measuring cup. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside. Next, mix the next three ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts) in a small bowl, set aside. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg) and whisk to insure they are well incorporated. In your largest bowl, whisk together the oil and remaining half cup of brown sugar. By now, your apples on the stove should be tender and starting to break down into a sauce (if not breaking down, give it a whirl in the blender). Add apple sauce/mash to large bowl and whisk to cool slightly. Once close to room temperature, add eggs one at a time, and then add vanilla. Add one third of the dry ingredients to the large bowl, mix until just combined. Follow with half of the milk mixture, and then repeat dry-milk-dry until everything is in the bowl. Fold in the remaining raw apples. Scoop the batter into a prepared muffin tin. Top with the sugar-cinnamon-nut mixture. Bake for approximately 20 minutes; allow them to cool before removing from pan.

Hastings Outdoor Market Returns...Sort Of

The Hastings market had its first outdoor showing earlier this month. Despite the cool temperatures, the flowers were out in full force.

I had the chance to visit old favorites (Breezy Hill had my favorite Honey Crisps, Chutney Masala was out) and find some new favs. First up was Big Girl Baking, whose table was literally groaning under the variety of treats.

I am usually hesitant to buy baked goods at the market...unless I can sample first, and Big Girl was really generous on the samples. So of course I picked up a loaf of olive oil tea cake (after reading a lovely recipe in the New York Times for lemon olive oil cake, I actually went out and bought all the ingredients to make it, but had been too lazy to turn on the oven). Next up was Hudson Milk Company. I am usually a non-fat Greek Yogurt person, but their yogurt from Maple Hill Creamery has made me a convert. Their flavored, whole milk yogurts are just sweet enough and so much better than any run-of-the-mill grocery store variety. I bought the lemon, and it did not disappoint. And then how could I pass up the cute offerings from Honey Locust? I snagged a bunch of young carrots for $1.50 and scallions for $1.00.

The April market got me super excited for Hastings' official outdoor season, but sadly, it does not begin until the beginning of June! But the market continues to pop up monthly, with the next date slated for May 8.

Carrot Soup with Yogurt

Using the carrots from Honey Locust and the lemon cream yogurt from Maple Hill, I did a lazy riff on the recipe for Moroccan carrot soup that was published in the April issue of Bon Appétit. By lazy, I mean I used ground cumin (rather than cumin seeds) and lemon flavored yogurt (in place of yogurt and lemon juice). Luckily, it’s hard to screw up soup! This only made 1.5 cups of soup so, for a larger batch, adjust the recipe accordingly.

Ingredients 1 t. Butter 1 Large shallot, finely chopped 4 oz. Carrots, peeled, cut into thin coins 1.5 c. Chicken broth 1 t. Cumin 1 t. Honey .25 c. (Non-sweetened) Lemon yogurt Salt and pepper Method Melt butter in small saucepan, add shallot and sauté for two minutes Add carrots, cumin and broth; bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer until tender Add honey and then puree soup using immersion blender, or in batches in standard blender, until smooth Before serving, drizzle yogurt over the soup and sprinkle with additional cumin

Beach Rental Cooking: Hilton Head Island

Just back from the beach, and boy do I have the vacation blues. I spent the past week on Hilton Head Island, and six days never went so fast. Despite it being early in the season, my visit coincided with spring break. And while the wide, sandy beaches provided plenty of space for everyone, sadly, the local restaurants did not. It seemed like hour-long waits for a table and overtaxed kitchens were the rule rather than the exception. A local pizza joint stopped answering its phone (walk-in orders welcome, 90 minute wait for a pie). So we ended up doing a lot of cooking. And discovered that while Hilton Head has a huge assortment of grocery stores (I hit the Fresh Market, Piggly Wiggly and Harris Teeter during my stay), there are really few produce stands. Maybe it was the season, but I only spotted one -- just off island before the bridge. Calling it a "stand" may be slightly generous (series of tables in a dusty parking lot?) but I gamely stopped and spent about $9 on tomatoes, red skin potatoes, green and yellow squash and a bunch of Vidalia onions (based on the conditions, I suggest skipping the "fresh local jumbo shrimp"). The challenge of beach rental cooking is to make the most of what you have, including limited ingredients and sub-standard kitchen equipment (e.g., dull knives). Since we had already purchased such staples as eggs, celery, mayo, baby spinach, feta, bow tie pasta and bruschetta topping, it was easy to turn the potatoes into potato salad, to toss roasted squash and onion with pasta, and to serve sliced tomato in sandwiches or with baked eggs.

Cooking while on vacation may not be everyone's first choice, but when you focus on simple, easy dishes, it's a heck of a lot better than fighting hunger pangs or loud patrons at the local tourist traps!

Beach Vacation Baked Eggs

If you're making breakfast for a crowd, or if your rental doesn't have large ramekins, you can also bake these in a metal muffin tin. Just reduce the quantity of ingredients slightly (don't overfill the tins) and cooking time (15 minutes or until set) accordingly.

Ingredients (for a single serving)

Cooking spray or olive oil

2 Slices of tomato

.25 C. Baby spinach leaves

1 Egg, lightly beaten

1 T. Crumbled feta

Method

Preheat oven to 400.

Lightly grease a large ramekin or muffin tin.

Layer tomato on bottom of ramekin or tin; top with baby spinach, beaten egg and feta crumbles.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until egg has set.