Arbo picnic, Spring 2009

I was starving by the time i got back from grocery shopping so I made this quick little sandwich which is a perfect outdoor snackin’ companion.  Three ingredients: Havarti with dill, baguette, sliced pink lady or gala apples.  If you’re feeling fancy throw some greens or mustard in there, I was fine without.

I’m used to filling up on bread prior to my meal, then not having enough room left in my stomach to finish my plate.  Alex informed us that in France people eat baguette after their meal using it to wipe up the extra sauce and juices on their plate because the French never leave a morsel behind.  They also use the baguette in the cheese course which follows the main course.  After the baguette and cheese there is a dessert usually consisting of yogurt or fromage blanc.  My initial thought was that this routine was completely backwards but by midweek I began to really enjoy this style of eating, the dinner portions weren’t enormous and if you’re still hungry afterward there is always plenty of baguette and cheese to finish the job.

Even though I’m happy to be back in Boston there is a part of me that misses being in France.  Last night, with my jet lagged conquered, I decided to recreate a couple of dishes I enjoyed over there.  Neither of them are particularly “French” but that fact that I ate them there makes them french in my book.

Culinary treats I brought back, they confiscated my sauscisson at US Customs!

Roasted Chops with Apples & Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw with Mustard Dressing
Preheat oven to 375.  Slice up an apple and onion, toss with olive oil, salt pepper and herbs (thyme or rosemary work well) and evenly distribute to the bottom of a baking dish.  Season the pork chops with olive oil, salt and pepper, then crush a couple of garlic cloves and run them over the meat.  Leave the garlic cloves and a sprig of herb on top of each chop and before baking add a splash of beer to the baking dish.  Cook for 30-45 mins (depending on the thickness of the cut) and let sit for another 5 minutes before serving with the roasted apples, onions, and drippings.

Pre-roasted chops

The slaw was a recipe that we enjoyed at the wedding dinner Alex’s parents had for he and Tara and I was very anxious to recreate this with the dijon I brought back to states.  This side is so simple and I ate it as a snack most of the work week.  Finely shred red cabbage and carrots and mix together in a bowl.  When you are ready to eat spoon some mustard vinaigrette on your potion and toss together.  For vinaigrette blend together 3 TBS french mustard, 2 TBS white wine vinegar or lemon juice, salt, pepper and enough olive oil until it reaches your desired consistency.

Monster Chicken Sausage Panini
4 links chicken sausage, butterflied and pan crisped on both sides
pesto (homemade our your favorite purchased variety)
combo of mozz and grated parmesan cheese
3-4 artichoke hearts, chopped
olive oil spray (trader joe’s makes a good extra virgin kind)
Focaccia
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

Last year I acquired a cast iron pan with grates and a panini press (score!) but prior too that I constructed my own*.  Heat up the pan with the top panini press while you assemble the monster panini.  Cut the foccacia in half, spread a layer of pesto, then a layer of cheese, then the chicken sausage, artichoke hearts, and the final layer of cheese.  Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if desired.  Spray the bottom of the pan with ev olive oil spray, put the sammy in and spray the top with olive oil before putting the press on.  Keep the heat at low-med for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.  Slice up like a pizza and serve to hungry guests!

You can always swap out the pesto for marinara and the chicken sausage for some veggies such as baby spinach or roasted red pepper.  The possibilities are endless, the thing that counts here is that it’s monster-sized.

*This is how you construct a make shift panini press: heat olive oil in a large skillet, add your sandwich, spray the top of the sandwich with olive oil spray, place a layer of aluminum foil over the panini then top that with a smaller skillet.  To weigh it all down and achieve the “press” put a tea kettle full of water on the top skillet.  The set up is not visually appealing  but it does the job!

My first attempt at broccoli and potato soup was an utter fail.  I made it in the slow cooker and when the potatoes weren’t breaking down after 4 hours i cranked the heat up which somehow curdled the whole mixture.  Please note that some of the curdled soup was ingested by 2 unnamed fellas that had a bit too much to drink that night. My second attempt tasted yummy but I had to add more butter, cream and cheddar than my liking.  If it weren’t for my overflowing potato bin and giant head of broccoli I probably would have gave up on this recipe, but after opening a bottle of vinho verde I summoned the confidence to give this soup another whirl.

Broccoli & Tater Soup
1 large head of broccoli, coarsely chopped reserving 1/2 C of smaller florets
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and small diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 carton of chicken or veggie stock
2 cups of water
1 parmesan rind
1/3C grated pecorino romano
1 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS flour
1/4C white wine
1/8C cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot saute onions and celery in the butter and olive oil.  Once softened add flour and stir for one minute, then add wine and and stir to dissolve any flour lumps.  Add a sprinkling of salt and pepper along with the stock, water, potatoes, broccoli, garlic cloves and parmesan rind.  Cover and simmer on medium high heat for a 1/2 an hour.  Uncover and continue simmering for another 1/2 hour- 45 minutes.  Turn off heat and puree mixture with an immersion blender or food processor (don’t forget to take the parmesan rind out!).  Once pureed, bring to a low simmer and add cream, grated cheese, reserved broccoli florets and grated carrots.  Check for seasoning and its ready to serve.

Baked Baba Ganoush
1 large eggplant
3 large cloves of garlic
1 tomato
1/2 C of bread crumbs
grated parmesan cheese
1 bunch of basil leaves
oregano, salt, pepper, & olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut eggplant in half and make about 3-4 slits in the flesh of each side.  Place garlic cloves on top and season generously with olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano.  Cover and bake for about 20 minutes, remove the garlic cloves and set aside, continue baking the eggplant for another 10 minutes or until the flesh is soft and can be easily scooped out of the skin.  Leave oven on while you mash the eggplant flesh and the peeled garlic cloves together in a bowl.  Spoon into a baking dish and top with sliced tomato, bread crumbs and grated parm.  Bake another 10-15 minutes or until the top begins to brown.  Sprinkle with freshly chopped basil and serve.  This makes a perfect side to a garden salad or it can be served with crusty bread as an appetizer.

The best part about this dish is that the oven does all the work, perfect after a week of labor intensive meals.  Pop it in the oven, sit back and sip some wine!

Well, I rejoice in all the aforementioned rituals, but what better way to honor the summer cornucopia than with…

BACON!

And really, the idea of turning on a heat source to cook salty meat may not be the most appealing concept in the middle of Boston August, but bacon just pairs so well with the clean and fresh flavors of summer. I know bacon is very trendy right now (I would argue it’s on its way out, but that’s another story for The Fashion Club of Food), but the combination of pig products and fruit is a classic. A typical lunch I enjoyed last summer (yes, in the South of France, which I will continue to reference/brag about) was a salad with melon and ham. It’s refreshing, light and delicious, but filling: you can still look good in your topless swimsuit but have the energy to frolic about in the Mediterranean after eating this dish.

To get the full effect, you can use whatever greens or vegetables you have on hand as long as you incorporate melon and bacon, ham, or another cured/smoked pork ingredient. I was thrilled to see a recipe for Cool Melon Salad with Hot Bacon on TheKitchn this past week, and I was inspired to pick up a slab of bacon from Stillman’s when we discovered a melon in our CSA box (also from Stillman’s!).

I thought: “What better way to honor the First Melon than with a crown of cured pig innards?”

The recipe is as follows, adapted from TheKitchn:

Melones* and Bacon
4 or 5 strips of smoked bacon, cut into 3″ pieces
1 small cantaloupe
a small handful of arugula or watercress

for the dressing:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
freshly ground pepper

Cube the melon

Top the cubed melon with the greens and stick in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients:

• Whisk the olive oil, honey, and lemon juice (I love making salad dressing in a Pyrex with a baby whisk!)

• Cook and drain the bacon

Toss the melon and arugula/cress with some of the dressing, to taste. Add the bacon, toss again, and grind some pepper on top.

*I like to pronounce Melons “Melones”, like Gunter does in his “TuttiFruttiSummerLove” song.

With some bread and cheese or for lunch this would be quite enough for 2-4 people, but I didn’t have any bread on hand, and it was feeding trough time, AKA dinner time. I decided to cook up all of the bacon from the slab and make a big batch of Spaghetti alla Carbonara, because I’m a fat kid at heart and a light melon salad really just wasn’t going to cut it, despite my desire to look svelte. The following, from Cook’s Illustrated, is by far my favorite recipe that I’ve found for this delight.

It really, really helps to use fresh eggs in the Carbonara. Please do yourself a favor and buy the freshest, free-range eggs from a local farmer’s market and use them for this dish, for poached eggs, and for hollandaise. They really do make a difference.

I cooked up a whole pound of this stuff, and we enjoyed a serving with the salad and had plenty of leftovers, so it’s a great way to maximize your time spent in a sweltering kitchen: just do it all at once, and you’ll get 3 meals from the effort.

The recipe: (for 1 lb. of pasta)

1/4 cup unsullied olive oil
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 cup dry wine (drink the rest with dinner!)
3 large eggs (FRESH FROM HEN!!!)
3/4 cup Parm (use the good stuff if you can) grated
1/4 cup Romano grated
3 garlic cloves minced into a paste
Salt & Pepper

I’ve simplified the instructions from Cook’s Illustrated, because we all know how persnickety (but good!) they can be.

I think it’s a good idea to assemble all of the ingredients (do your mis-en-place or whatever!) and get the pot of water for the pasta going at the same time. Start the bacon, and by the time you are adding the white whine (heh), you should be able to add the pasta to the pot and have everything timed right.

• Cook the lb. of Spaghetti however your grandmother, college roommate, or the internet taught you (it’s not rocket science), but err on the side of doing it last because it’s got to be hot hot hot to cook the eggs. When you drain it, you want to toss it immediately with the sauce but reserve some of the cooking liquid just in case.

• Cook the bacon until crispy in the olive oil over medium heat, about 10 min.
• Add the wine to the bacon
• At this point, you should start the pasta in the boiling water
• Cook the wine down for about 8 min.
• At this point, whisk together the eggs, cheese, and garlic
• Drain the pasta and put into a warm bowl. I put the colander in a large heatproof bowl and drain into that to warm it up. Careful!
• Toss the pasta, IMMEDIATELY, with the egg mixture.
• At this point, Cook’s wants you to season with flaked sea salt, which I did, but it is not necessary
• Add the bacon mixture and toss
• Grind pepper on top
• Devour
• Buy a one-piece.

The Roslindale Farmers market is one of the best farmer’s markets I’ve ever been to. In terms of accessibility, affordability, and quality, I would say it is better than many of the larger and more famous markets (like Seattle’s Pikes place or San Francisco’s Ferry Building) in large cities. California has a long growing season, that’s not in question, but I really love being back in the great food culture of New England. I feel that quality goods are appreciated, and better tasting, when everyone knows there is such a short production period. This year, I am trying my best to overbuy from the market, and bring the ingredients home to preserve. So far, I’ve only had time to blanch & freeze. I hope to can by seasons end.

Last week I discovered the true gem of the Roslindale market at the Allendale Farm stand.  All of the stands have started producing some really quality heirloom tomatoes. My personal favorite is, I think, the Cherokee Purple. I love all of the tomatoes with dark green and purple skin, and thick red flesh with minimal seeds inside. Not so hidden on the back table of the Allendale stand are $5 bags of tomatoes. For the past several weeks I have assumed that these were the second rate duds, probably over ripe, ugly, or just plain boring vine or patio tomatoes. Boy was I wrong! What I found was a nearly 5 lb bag of beautiful Heirlooms, all at different stages of ripeness- perfect for planning my weekly meals. The second week I went to check out this deal, there were still heirlooms, although this week, a little too overripe for my needs.

After an awesome lunch of Wedged lettuce, sliced heirlooms, and homemade blue cheese dressing, I started brainstorming what I would do with the rest of the lot. On Sunday night, I made a tart. Next time I make this, I think I will either just bake the crust, and not the ‘maters, or roast the ‘maters before baking off the tart as a whole. I would also add the mozzarella for the last 20 minutes, rather than have it on there the whole time. Nobody likes dehydrated mozzarella. The basic ingredients are below.

Summer Tomato Tart

Crust
2 cups flour
2 T parmesean
1 t crushed black pepper
6T cold butter, in cubes
Ice water

Mix in the usual pastry crust manner. Refrigerate for 1/2 an hour.

Filling
Sliced heirlooms
red onion
Fresh Mozarella
Basil Leaves, whole
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

Slice everything to the same thickness, and arrange within the crust as a sprial.

Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Green lentil Salad w/ Mushrooms & Thyme
1 C green lentils
1 Celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
1/2 package mushrooms, medium chopped
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
bunch of scallions, chopped
1 TBS champagne vinegar
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Put lentils in a pot with celery, carrot, onion, bay, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cover with water and let simmer until lentils are tender (20-30mins) and skim off the foam that appears on the surface.  While lentils are simmering saute the mushrooms with olive oil and freshly chopped thyme. When the lentils are tender, drain and let cool and discard the vegetables and bay leaves.  In a large bowl combine lentils and mushrooms, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil to moisten the mixture and add a splash of champagne or white wine vinegar to awaken all the flavors.  Add the scallions and your work week salad is complete.

This salad is tasty warm or cold, if I have goat cheese on hand i like to sprinkle it on top, but my Man Crow persists it is fine without.

c/o Real Simple

I love eating sandwiches on the beach.  When I’m in Maine I have to go for the Amatos Italian, but when I stick around the Boston area I need to come up with some sandwich alternatives.  Flipping through the most recent issue of Real Simple I laid my eyes on this beauty pictured above: Salami Sandwich w/ Goat Cheese and Fennel.  I rediscovered my love for salami after the delicious antipasto platter we had at VBar & Mark’s engagement party, and who can deny fennel, goat cheese and arugula!?

Even though this recipe only has about 5 ingredients I tweaked them to make it real simple for me, aka using up the items i had on hand rather than making another trip to the grocery store.  My version was a pita pocket, with grainy dijon mustard, genoa salami, provolone, thinly sliced fennel and green leaf lettuce.  Emily and I enjoyed these bad boys on the beach yesterday along with a whole slew of other tasty treats we had prepared all day Saturday.  Stay tuned for some more beach friendly recipes!

In true Crow fashion, there was way to much food. It is always better to have too many with leftovers, than not enough to feed everyone. Although, one day it will be nice to figure out exactly how much food 20 people will eat over the course of a night of casual munching, being left with loads’o'leftovers at the end of the evening is still okay in my book.

For Holly’s & my contribution, we decided to honor our great Sicilian lady friend with an antipasto platter, and a grilled fennel & herb salad.

Here is the lovely spread! Below you can see the close-ups of our veggie & meat platters

On the platters:

Olives
Marinated Mushrooms- store bought and jazzed up with fresh herbs
Fresh summer Tomatoes
Balsamic Marinated Onions
Roasted Garlic
Roasted Peppers
Pickled Peperoncini w/parsley

Hard Salami
Genoa Salami
Provolone
Prosciutto
Holly’s mega-homemade mustard

I think we are getting the hang of this cooking thing!