Basil

The summer basil is coming to an end. I really hate to see it go since it is one of my favorite herbs. I have found some ways to use it in different dishes but perhaps the best way is to make it into a pesto and serve it over your pasta, broccoli, fennel, potatoes or peas.

I was looking at some old cookbooks the other day and ran across The Splendid Table, by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, from 1992. It is such a good cookbook on Italy that I could not resist trying some of her pesto recipes. The combination of pesto and balsamic vinegar in this green bean recipe is so good. I’ve been adding a dash of the balsamic vinegar to other vegetables and it just adds a special flavor at the end of cooking.

From The Splendid Table, by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

Green Beans with Balsamic Pesto

Serves 6-8

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic

1 1/3 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves

¾ cup (3 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed

4 to 5 tablespoons commercial balsamic vinegar blended with ½ teaspoon dark brown sugar

Working Ahead: The flavors of this dish are best when it is served right after the pesto and beans are combined or when it is left at room temperature no more than 4 to 5 hours before serving. The pesto can be prepared several hours before the beans are cooked. Cover and keep at room temperature until ready to toss with the beans. The finished dish can be served at room temperature, but do not toss basil pesto with freshly cooked hot beans, let them cool down.

Making the pesto; Combine the olive oil and garlic in a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend until almost smooth. Add the basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and blend until the basil is finely chopped but not puréed. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Cooking the beans: Pour about 2 inches of water into a 6-quart pot. Place a collapsible steamer in the pot, cover, and bring the water to a fierce boil. Pile the beans in the steamer, cover the pot, and steam 6 minutes, or until tender crisp.

Finishing the dish: Turn the beans into a shallow serving bowl. Add the pesto to the beans, stirring in the vinegar and sugar mixture. Toss to thoroughly coat the beans. Taste for seasoning, and serve hot or at room temperature.

This recipe of basil with potatoes would be especially good with lemon chicken or some sausages.

Basil and Onion Mashed Potatoes

Serves 8

5 pounds, small red-skinned potatoes

1 to 1 ½ cups milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions, minced

½ cup minced Italian parsley

2 large cloves garlic, minced

½ cup minced fresh basil leaves

½ cup water Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Working ahead: The potatoes can be prepared the day before serving, up to the point of baking the casserole. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before the final baking.

Cooking the potatoes: Scrub the potatoes and place them in a 6-quart pot with cold water to cover. Put the lid in place, and set the pot over high heat. Bring the water to a lively bubble. Adjust the heat so the water does not boil over, and keep the pot partially covered. Cook the potatoes 15 to 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Meanwhile pour 1 cup milk, the butter, and1 tablespoon of the oil into a large bowl.

Sautéing the flavorings: While the potatoes are cooking, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the onions and all but 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Turn the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook 15 minutes or until the onions are soft and clear. Stir occasionally. Uncover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 8 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown. Then stir in the garlic and basil, and cook another minute. Add the water and scrape up any brown bits in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Turn into the large bowl.

Mashing the potatoes: When the potatoes are tender, drain and peel them. Pass the hot potatoes through the coarse blade of a food mill and set over the large bowl, or mash them in the bowl with a potato masher. Blend the mashed potatoes with the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl. Season to taste. If the potatoes seem dry, add more milk. The mixture should be like very thick whipped cream, but not so loose that it will not hold a high mound on a spoon. Lightly oil a shallow 2 ½ quart baking dish. Spread half the potato mixture over the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the cheese, and then spread the remaining potatoes over the cheese. Sprinkle with the rest of the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Baking and serving: Preheat the oven to 350ᴼF. Lightly cover the potatoes with aluminum foil, and bake 30 minutes, or until hot to the center. Just before serving, sprinkle with the reserved 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve hot.

Emeril's Chicken

My daughter and I talk about food quite a lot, and she said she remembers a chicken dish I did years ago that was so good. We remember it being stuffed with goat cheese and some other things, but I could  not put my finger on the right recipe. In Wilmington this week, I scanned my cookbooks, and realized it was an Emeril recipe from his cookbook nearly 20 years ago. My daughter has a good memory!

Emeril is quite famous now as we all know, but he got his beginnings at Commander’s Palace when Ella Brennan called him to cook in 1983. Emeril had gone to Johnson and Wales University, a prestigious school specializing in the culinary arts, had done his requisite trip through Europe, with an emphasis on France. He stayed at Commander’s Palace for seven and a half years before opening his own restaurant in 1990, called Emeril’s Restaurant.  I remember Commander’s at that time as being some of its best years.

When he opened his restaurant in 1990, he promised himself he would only use the freshest, top-quality products in every dish. He was HOT for homemade; so many of the condiments and other food products such as goat cheese, Worcestershire sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, tasso, andouille sausage , and seasonings are made at the restaurant.

He has opened many other restaurants since 1990 and has many other cookbooks, plus TV shows and his own cookware brand. I think this cookbook, Emeril’s New Orleans Cooking, published in 1993 is one of his best. He explains his sauces and stocks and gives good advice for every recipe. Try this chicken pocket recipe and your guests or family will be really impressed with the presentation and taste.

Chicken Pockets Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Chorizo, and Pine Nuts on a Bed of Southern-Style Black-Eye Peas

Makes 4 main-course servings

8 ounces (1 cup) chopped chorizo, the casings removed and discarded

4 ounces (1 ½ cup) goat cheese, such as Montrachet

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

3 tablespoons chopped green onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

3 turns freshly ground black pepper

3 cups Southern-Style Black-Eye Peas (Recipe below). They are in locally.

4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each), pounded very thin

4 teaspoons Emeril’s Creole Seasoning (I used whatever Creole Seasoning I had on hand)

2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400ᴼF. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Combine the chorizo, goat cheese, pine nuts, green onions, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix until thoroughly blended. Makes 1 ½  cups of stuffing.

Prepare the Black-Eye Peas.

Spread the chicken breasts on a flat surface and sprinkle each, top side only, with ½ teaspoon Creole Seasoning. Place a heaping 1/3 cup of the stuffing on half of each chicken breast and fold the other half over the stuffing and pinch the edges together. Brush the tops with the oil, using ½ teaspoon on each, and sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon of the remaining Creole Seasoning.

Place the pockets on the baking sheet and bake until the chicken is golden brown, for about 18 minutes.

To serve, spread ¾ cup of the Black-Eye Peas on each of 4 plates, and top with 1 chicken pocket.

Southern-Style Black-Eye Peas

Makes 3 cups

1 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup chopped onions

2 ounces (¼ cup) chopped tasso, or other spiced ham

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 ¼ cups dried black-eye peas (You can use fresh right now; just adjust the cooking time.)

1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tasso, garlic, peas. Add Creole Seasoning and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover, stir once, re-cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the salt, stir, cover again, and simmer for a final 10 minutes, or until the peas are tender. Remove from the heat.

The Highlands and Pork Belly

This past month has taken me to Birmingham a couple of times and of course I stop in at Frank Stitt’s restaurants whenever possible, usually Highlands. We were there on a Monday night and our favorite Highlands Bar and Grill was not open, so we ate at Stitt’s Bottega. They were completely booked even on a Monday night! We ate at the bar, but we like it there, and had a Negroni which is a good summer drink. Much to my delight, Mr. Stitt was in the restaurant and even brought us our food. I was just delighted and he actually remembered us from past visits.

The next week took us to Highlands on a Wednesday night and again we ate at the bar there also and had our Highlands’ martini. Is does not get any better than that! The food was outstanding as usual. At Highlands we always start with the cold raw oysters, which go down like sweet morsels from the sea. My appetizer was a piece of pork belly served over creamed corn, with green tomato relish and pepper jelly served to spice up the taste. This was really a great combination, so I came home and tried to recreate. I am a big fan of pork belly; in fact I like all things pig. Pork belly is being served in so many upscale restaurants these days and it is easy to prepare. Perhaps it should not be on your plate every day, but saved as tasty treat for a special occasion. So here is my re-creation of this wonderful appetizer at Highlands.

Roast Belly of Pork (from The River Cottage Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)

2 pounds of pork belly (can buy at Whole Foods)

Fresh thyme leaves

Salt

Score the belly, in slashes about 3/8 inch apart, with a sharp knife (a box cutter is handy for this) and rub vigorously with salt and thyme leaves, getting them in the cracks.

Roast in the oven at 425ᴼF for the first 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350ᴼF and cook for a further 45 minutes, until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a skewer and the crackling has crackled to an irresistible golden brown.

Remove the crackling before carving, then cut the joint into thick slices. Serve each person one or two slices of meat with a good crackling.

Creamed corn is easy to do. I used 2 ears of fresh corn and added 1 tablespoon of butter and ½ cup cream and cooked until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

The pepper jelly I bought since I did not have time to make it.

As for the green tomato relish, I was not able to get to a farmer’s market to purchase so I found a recipe from John Edgerton’s Southern Food Cookbook. This is a little time consuming but makes a lot so one can have some on hand for your next pork belly!

Green Tomato Relish or Chowchow

Begin with a peck (1/4  bushel) of hard green tomatoes (about 4 dozen of medium size), 6 medium-sized onions, 12 bell peppers (6 red, 6 green), a medium-sized bunch of crisp celery, and about half of a medium-sized head of cabbage. Chop them coarse. (This is slow work by hand, a little faster with a food chopper, and a quick job with a food processor, but the last way tends to extract too much liquid from the vegetables, making the mixture runny. Hand chopping may make for the best texture, consistency, and taste.) Mix everything in a large heavy pot and add 4 cups of cider vinegar (5% acidity) 4 cups of sugar, and salt to suit your taste (about 1 tablespoon to start). Mix well, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Midway through the cooking process, tie 4 tablespoons of pickling spices (a commercial product) in a cloth and add to the pot. When the relish is tender and well-seasoned, remove and discard the spice bag. Ladle the piping hot mixture into sterilized pint jars and seal them with new two-piece lids. The recipe makes 12 pints.

Recipes may vary for this relish, but most will contain green tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, sweet peppers, and cabbage (cucumbers, celery, and cauliflower are used optionally). But the vegetables are always chopped fine, mixed with vinegar and sugar, seasoned with various spices, cooked and then put up in jars.

 

Tomatoes 2012

Our tomatoes have almost come to an end this summer, mainly due to the heat, but you can still find them in the farmer’s markets and the grocery store. It seemed a short season for me since I do love tomatoes and look forward to them every year. I could eat sliced tomatoes, basil and mozzarella every day, with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I am always searching for new ways to use them and found a wonderful one-dish meal using tomatoes in the August issue of ‘Food and Wine’. This is a Provencal casserole called a panade. It is a gooey, crispy meal and my husband and I ate it for lunch and then dinner, even though it is to serve eight. I guess we really liked it!

Tomato, Chard and Gruyère Casserole

8 servings

5 ½ pounds Swiss chard, stemmed

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1 cup dry white wine

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

One 1-pound loaf of day-old peasant bread, sliced ½-inch thick (any hearty bread)

3 pounds beefsteak tomatoes, sliced ½ inch thick

9 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (3 cups)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the chard for 2 minutes: drain. When the leaves are cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water. Coarsely chop the chard.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and thyme and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 12 minutes. Add the chard and the wine and simmer over moderately high heat until the wine is reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400ᴼ. In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Line the bottom of the dish with one-third of the bread, overlapping the slices slightly and cutting the bread to fit. Top with half of the tomato slices and season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the chard on top, then sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat the layering once and finish with the remaining bread. Pour the hot stock over the casserole and press with a spatula. Brush the top with the melted butter.

Cover the dish with foil and bake in the upper third of the oven for 1 hour. Uncover the dish and bake for about 10 minutes longer, until the top is browned and crisp. Let the casserole rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead: The cooked chard can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Another recipe from the same issue was a salad of heirloom tomatoes with a vinaigrette using anchovies. I really like anchovies so this recipe spoke to me. Heirloom tomatoes can be very pricey (or you can grow your own favorite) but they are delicious in this salad.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

4 servings

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 anchovies, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 large eggs

1 ½ pounds assorted heirloom tomatoes-large ones sliced, small ones halved

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Flat-leaf parsley and marjoram leaves, for serving

In a small skillet, combine the olive oil, anchovies, garlic and lemon zest.

In a small bowl, toss the shallot with the vinegar and let stand 10 minutes.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Turn the heat to low and, when the water is simmering, gently place the eggs in the water. Cook for 6 minutes, until lightly boiled. Have an ice bath ready near the stove. With a slotted spoon, plunge the eggs in the ice bath and cook for 2 minutes. Peel the eggs.

Arrange the tomatoes on 4 plates and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the shallot and vinegar over the tomatoes.

Warm the anchovy dressing over moderate heat to a gentle simmer; pour over the tomatoes. Cut the eggs in half crosswise and place a half on each plate. Scatter the parsley and marjoram over the salad and serve.

Enjoy the tomatoes.  Winter will come soon enough and tomatoes are not the same then.

 

4th of July 2012

We celebrate this coming Wednesday our independence with parades, parties and cookouts. I am having some friends over and we will share doing the meal and then we will walk downtown and watch the fireworks. Here is my menu which reminds me of my youth when my mother did lemon pie and potato salad decorated with hardboiled eggs. I always do hamburgers on the Fourth, but now I use grass fed beef. Some things do change.

 Happy Fourth of July!

My Mother’s Potato Salad

5 pounds red potatoes

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup Miracle Whip salad dressing (no substitute)

1/3 cup milk

2 Tbsp. yellow mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1 bunch radishes, sliced

6 hardboiled eggs, sliced (for decoration)

Boil the potatoes until, about 20-30 minutes. They are tender when you can easily stick a fork into the potato.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl blend mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, milk and mustard until smooth. This dressing should be fairly thin, so don’t skimp on the milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When cool enough, peel the potatoes. Cut the warm potatoes into cubes and add to the dressing, folding carefully as you add them. Add green onions and radishes to blend well.

Add the sliced hardboiled eggs on top for decoration. Chill well to blend flavors.

All American Burgers

1 lb. Grass fed beef

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. water

½ tsp. seasoned salt

½ tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. pepper

4 sandwich buns

Prepare and heat grill. Combine all ingredients except sandwich buns in a large bowl and mix gently. Shape into 4 patties. Cook 4-6” from coals 10-15 minutes, or until hamburgers are no longer pink in the center. Toast buns on the grill and add any favorite fixings to you hamburger-mustard, ketchup, cheese, pickles, relish, onions, lettuce, or tomatoes.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

6 ears of corn

Butter, salt, and pepper

Carefully peel back husks from corn, leaving them attached at the base. Remove silk from corn and discard. Smooth husks back over corn and tie with a piece of string to keep closed. Soak corn in cold water for 1 hour. When ready to grill, drain corn, shaking and squeezing of excess water. Place on g rill 4-6” from medium high coals and grill for 12-18 minutes until corn is tender. Turn corn frequently while cooking. Remove string and peel back husks to serve. Add butter, salt, and pepper.  (My shucks were too dry and I pre-boiled the corn before grilling the ears bare.)

Best Berry Salad

A good way to use berries in season and adds a nice additional salad to the meal.

2 cups blueberries

2 cups raspberries

3 cups sliced strawberries

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

1 tablespoons honey

Salt and pepper

Place berries in a serving dish; toss gently to mix. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and blend with a wire whisk until combined. Just before serving, drizzle over berries. Serves around 6.

My take on my mother’s lemon pie.

Citrus Tart with Orange and Lemon

1 ½ cups crushed gingersnap cookies

5 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs, separated

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Garnishes: Fresh mint leaves, lemon and orange slices

Stir together for first ingredients. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; set aside.

Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, and egg yolks until blended.

Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks form; fold into condensed milk mixture. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 325ᴼ for 20-25 minutes or just until filling is set. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Remove tart from pan, and place on a serving dish.

Beat whipping cream and granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Dollop cream around edges of tart. Garnish with mint leaves, lemon, and orange slices.

Serves 6-8.

Melons

Recently my longtime friend, Alice, and I shared cooking a meal.  She brought a beautiful but also healthy desert—melons.  They are in season and she said the local ones were so good.  The recipe came from Lee Bailey’s Southern Food & Plantation Houses.  It is a pretty coffee-table book with lovely pictures of homes in Natchez with recipes for luncheons, elegant dinners, Sunday suppers, fish fries, barbecues, buffets, etc.  Despite it being a pretty book the recipes are simple and tasty.  Lee Bailey is dead now but long before Martha Stewart produced attractive books about how to entertain he showed us glamorous cooking and beautiful presentations accessible to the uninitiated.   Bailey was born in Bunkie, Louisiana (where I also have a friend) but lived and worked in Manhattan and Long Island.  But he didn’t forget his Southern roots.  He had an Aunt who lived in Natchez and visited her often.  On a trip in the late 80’s he teamed up with the Pilgrimage Garden Club of Natchez to produce his Southern Food book.  The melon recipe was for a lunch under the trees at Edgewood, an 1850’s home in Natchez.  Use it for a family desert, for a buffet luncheon or dinner….or breakfast.

 

Melon with Blueberry Sauce

Serves 8

2 cups fresh blueberries

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon vodka

Dash of ground cinnamon (optional)

1 very large honeydew melon or any other good melon, peeled, seeded, and cut into medium-thin slices

Place the berries, sugar, lemon juice, vodka, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook slowly for 20 minutes. Cool, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Arrange melon slices on individual plates and put a line of sauce down the middle of each.

(Alice used both honeydew and cantaloupe slices and added some sliced strawberries and decorated with mint.)

 

The July issue of ‘bon appétit’ had a great melon dessert with lime. Other ripe fruit can be used such as pineapple, peaches, or plums. You can chill any leftover syrup for sweetening iced tea or cocktails.

Melon Carpaccio with Lime

Serves 6

½ cup sugar

4 sprigs mint plus small leaves for garnish

½ t. thinly sliced fresh red chili (such as jalapeño or Fresno)

½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

½ cup fresh lime juice

½ 5-lb. melon (such as honeydew), peeled, halved, seeded, cut crosswise into ¼ “slices

Coconut, mango, or lemon sorbet (optional)

½ tsp. lime zest

Bring sugar and ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add mint sprigs and chili. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Remove syrup from heat; cover and let steep for 15 minutes for flavors to infuse.

Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; stir in lime juice.

Do Ahead: Syrup can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled.

Arrange melon slices in a 13x9x2” glass baking dish. Pour syrup over melon in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.

Divide melon slices among plates, overlapping them decoratively. Pour remaining syrup in dish into a small pitcher.

Do Ahead: Melon carpaccio can be made up to 5 hours ahead. Cover and chill melon and remaining syrup separately.

Drizzle some of syrup over melon. Place a scoop of sorbet in center of each plate, is using garnish with mint leaves and lime zest.

 

See what melons are in the market.  Melons love heat and we have a lot of that.  You might want to think of growing your own next year. I have planted Edisto Mystery (seed from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange) this year, said to do well in the hot humid conditions which prevail in my garden.  It should be coming in soon.

 

Recently my longtime friend, Alice, and I shared cooking a meal.  She brought a beautiful but also healthy desert—melons.  They are in season and she said the local ones were so good.  The recipe came from Lee Bailey’s Southern Food & Plantation Houses.  It is a pretty coffee-table book with lovely pictures of homes in Natchez with recipes for luncheons, elegant dinners, Sunday suppers, fish fries, barbecues, buffets, etc.  Despite it being a pretty book the recipes are simple and tasty.  Lee Bailey is dead now but long before Martha Stewart produced attractive books about how to entertain he showed us glamorous cooking and beautiful presentations accessible to the uninitiated.   Bailey was born in Bunkie, Louisiana (where I also have a friend) but lived and worked in Manhattan and Long Island.  But he didn’t forget his Southern roots.  He had an Aunt who lived in Natchez and visited her often.  On a trip in the late 80’s he teamed up with the Pilgrimage Garden Club of Natchez to produce his Southern Food book.  The melon recipe was for a lunch under the trees at Edgewood, an 1850’s home in Natchez.  Use it for a family desert, for a buffet luncheon or dinner….or breakfast.

 

Melon with Blueberry Sauce

Serves 8

2 cups fresh blueberries

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon vodka

Dash of ground cinnamon (optional)

1 very large honeydew melon or any other good melon, peeled, seeded, and cut into medium-thin slices

Place the berries, sugar, lemon juice, vodka, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook slowly for 20 minutes. Cool, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Arrange melon slices on individual plates and put a line of sauce down the middle of each.

(Alice used both honeydew and cantaloupe slices and added some sliced strawberries and decorated with mint.)

 

The July issue of ‘bon appétit’ had a great melon dessert with lime. Other ripe fruit can be used such as pineapple, peaches, or plums. You can chill any leftover syrup for sweetening iced tea or cocktails.

Melon Carpaccio with Lime

Serves 6

½ cup sugar

4 sprigs mint plus small leaves for garnish

½ t. thinly sliced fresh red chili (such as jalapeño or Fresno)

½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

½ cup fresh lime juice

½ 5-lb. melon (such as honeydew), peeled, halved, seeded, cut crosswise into ¼ “slices

Coconut, mango, or lemon sorbet (optional)

½ tsp. lime zest

Bring sugar and ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add mint sprigs and chili. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Remove syrup from heat; cover and let steep for 15 minutes for flavors to infuse.

Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; stir in lime juice.

Do Ahead: Syrup can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled.

Arrange melon slices in a 13x9x2” glass baking dish. Pour syrup over melon in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.

Divide melon slices among plates, overlapping them decoratively. Pour remaining syrup in dish into a small pitcher.

Do Ahead: Melon carpaccio can be made up to 5 hours ahead. Cover and chill melon and remaining syrup separately.

Drizzle some of syrup over melon. Place a scoop of sorbet in center of each plate, is using garnish with mint leaves and lime zest.

 

See what melons are in the market.  Melons love heat and we have a lot of that.  You might want to think of growing your own next year. I have planted Edisto Mystery (seed from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange) this year, said to do well in the hot humid conditions which prevail in my garden.  It should be coming in soon.

 

Eggplant

At the farmer’s market last Saturday I noticed everyone had some eggplant. Now, my husband has not had any luck with growing eggplant and I don’t exactly know what the problem could be. Eggplant is really an oversized berry. Like potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco, it is in the nightshade family. It has grown in the South since the eighteenth century, but most colonists used eggplant only as a garden ornament. Many believed that nightshades caused madness so therefore they would not use them. Some of the earliest specimens were small, oval, and white, just like a hen’s egg, so the name was fitting and came to be used for all varieties. Thomas Jefferson grew eggplant in his garden but it did not catch on in America until much later.

Italian American cooks popularized the purple globe eggplant, nearly overshadowing all other types. Southern gardens produce Asian and Persian eggplants in addition to the Mediterranean varieties. These eggplants come in various shapes and colors, some as small as a pea, to a whopper, and can be both round and long. Their solid, striped, and variegated skins can be white, green, red, orange, pink, purple or lavender. People who extol eggplant claim there’s a thousand ways to cook them. It is true that eggplant is amenable to many cooking techniques, but it is agreed that is should not be eaten raw.

Italian immigrants spread their love for eggplant throughout the South with the dish of eggplant caponata. Sicilian immigrants had significant culinary influence in New Orleans and this dish is an example of their talents of mixing flavors, aromas, colors, and textures into this amazing dish. Although there are many variations, caponata always contains eggplant, tomatoes, and onions cooked in olive oil and seasoned with vinegar. This version features the sweetness of the peppers and the salty tang of olives and capers. Caponata has many uses: relish, salad, side dish, pasta sauce, and bruschetta topping. It can be served warm or room temperature, which is great during the summer. It is best made one day ahead.

Taken from, The New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle.

Eggplant Caponata

Makes 6-8 servings

Extra-virgin olive or vegetable oil for frying

1 pound eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 sweet red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 large yellow onions, diced

3 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced

1 cup pitted green olives

½ cup raisins

3 tablespoons drained capers

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Cover the rack with a few layers of paper towels and place near the stove to use for draining the cooked vegetables.

Pour the oil into a large skillet to a depth of ½ inch and heat over medium-high heat until simmering hot.

Pat the eggplant cubes as dry as possible. Working in batches, add a single layer of the eggplant to the skillet and cook until tender and browned on all sides, 7 to 9 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain. Replenish the oil as needed.

Add the peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until tender and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels and drain.

Stir together the tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers, brown sugar and vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the eggplant, peppers, and onions. Season with the salt. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add a little water if the mixture gets dry before the vegetables are done.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the vegetables cook to room temperature. For best flavor, cool, cover, and refrigerator overnight. Check the seasoning and add more salt, sugar, or vinegar if needed to balance the flavors. Return to room temperature or gently warm before serving.

Eggplants are great stuffed and wonderful used is casseroles such as mousaka (a traditional Greek dish) or in eggplant parmesan. You can slice them, dredge them in cornmeal or flour and just fry them.  Go to the farmer’s market and give this versatile vegetable a try!

 

At the farmer’s market last Saturday I noticed everyone had some eggplant. Now, my husband has not had any luck with growing eggplant and I don’t exactly know what the problem could be. Eggplant is really an oversized berry. Like potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco, it is in the nightshade family. It has grown in the South since the eighteenth century, but most colonists used eggplant only as a garden ornament. Many believed that nightshades caused madness so therefore they would not use them. Some of the earliest specimens were small, oval, and white, just like a hen’s egg, so the name was fitting and came to be used for all varieties. Thomas Jefferson grew eggplant in his garden but it did not catch on in America until much later.

Italian American cooks popularized the purple globe eggplant, nearly overshadowing all other types. Southern gardens produce Asian and Persian eggplants in addition to the Mediterranean varieties. These eggplants come in various shapes and colors, some as small as a pea, to a whopper, and can be both round and long. Their solid, striped, and variegated skins can be white, green, red, orange, pink, purple or lavender. People who extol eggplant claim there’s a thousand ways to cook them. It is true that eggplant is amenable to many cooking techniques, but it is agreed that is should not be eaten raw.

Italian immigrants spread their love for eggplant throughout the South with the dish of eggplant caponata. Sicilian immigrants had significant culinary influence in New Orleans and this dish is an example of their talents of mixing flavors, aromas, colors, and textures into this amazing dish. Although there are many variations, caponata always contains eggplant, tomatoes, and onions cooked in olive oil and seasoned with vinegar. This version features the sweetness of the peppers and the salty tang of olives and capers. Caponata has many uses: relish, salad, side dish, pasta sauce, and bruschetta topping. It can be served warm or room temperature, which is great during the summer. It is best made one day ahead.

Taken from, The New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle.

Eggplant Caponata

Makes 6-8 servings

Extra-virgin olive or vegetable oil for frying

1 pound eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 sweet red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 large yellow onions, diced

3 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced

1 cup pitted green olives

½ cup raisins

3 tablespoons drained capers

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Cover the rack with a few layers of paper towels and place near the stove to use for draining the cooked vegetables.

Pour the oil into a large skillet to a depth of ½ inch and heat over medium-high heat until simmering hot.

Pat the eggplant cubes as dry as possible. Working in batches, add a single layer of the eggplant to the skillet and cook until tender and browned on all sides, 7 to 9 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain. Replenish the oil as needed.

Add the peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until tender and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels and drain.

Stir together the tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers, brown sugar and vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the eggplant, peppers, and onions. Season with the salt. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add a little water if the mixture gets dry before the vegetables are done.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the vegetables cook to room temperature. For best flavor, cool, cover, and refrigerator overnight. Check the seasoning and add more salt, sugar, or vinegar if needed to balance the flavors. Return to room temperature or gently warm before serving.

Eggplants are great stuffed and wonderful used is casseroles such as mousaka (a traditional Greek dish) or in eggplant parmesan. You can slice them, dredge them in cornmeal or flour and just fry them.  Go to the farmer’s market and give this versatile vegetable a try!

 

At the farmer’s market last Saturday I noticed everyone had some eggplant. Now, my husband has not had any luck with growing eggplant and I don’t exactly know what the problem could be. Eggplant is really an oversized berry. Like potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco, it is in the nightshade family. It has grown in the South since the eighteenth century, but most colonists used eggplant only as a garden ornament. Many believed that nightshades caused madness so therefore they would not use them. Some of the earliest specimens were small, oval, and white, just like a hen’s egg, so the name was fitting and came to be used for all varieties. Thomas Jefferson grew eggplant in his garden but it did not catch on in America until much later.

Italian American cooks popularized the purple globe eggplant, nearly overshadowing all other types. Southern gardens produce Asian and Persian eggplants in addition to the Mediterranean varieties. These eggplants come in various shapes and colors, some as small as a pea, to a whopper, and can be both round and long. Their solid, striped, and variegated skins can be white, green, red, orange, pink, purple or lavender. People who extol eggplant claim there’s a thousand ways to cook them. It is true that eggplant is amenable to many cooking techniques, but it is agreed that is should not be eaten raw.

Italian immigrants spread their love for eggplant throughout the South with the dish of eggplant caponata. Sicilian immigrants had significant culinary influence in New Orleans and this dish is an example of their talents of mixing flavors, aromas, colors, and textures into this amazing dish. Although there are many variations, caponata always contains eggplant, tomatoes, and onions cooked in olive oil and seasoned with vinegar. This version features the sweetness of the peppers and the salty tang of olives and capers. Caponata has many uses: relish, salad, side dish, pasta sauce, and bruschetta topping. It can be served warm or room temperature, which is great during the summer. It is best made one day ahead.

Taken from, The New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle.

Eggplant Caponata

Makes 6-8 servings

Extra-virgin olive or vegetable oil for frying

1 pound eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 sweet red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 large yellow onions, diced

3 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced

1 cup pitted green olives

½ cup raisins

3 tablespoons drained capers

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Cover the rack with a few layers of paper towels and place near the stove to use for draining the cooked vegetables.

Pour the oil into a large skillet to a depth of ½ inch and heat over medium-high heat until simmering hot.

Pat the eggplant cubes as dry as possible. Working in batches, add a single layer of the eggplant to the skillet and cook until tender and browned on all sides, 7 to 9 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain. Replenish the oil as needed.

Add the peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until tender and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels to drain.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the paper towels and drain.

Stir together the tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers, brown sugar and vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the eggplant, peppers, and onions. Season with the salt. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add a little water if the mixture gets dry before the vegetables are done.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the vegetables cook to room temperature. For best flavor, cool, cover, and refrigerator overnight. Check the seasoning and add more salt, sugar, or vinegar if needed to balance the flavors. Return to room temperature or gently warm before serving.

Eggplants are great stuffed and wonderful used is casseroles such as mousaka (a traditional Greek dish) or in eggplant parmesan. You can slice them, dredge them in cornmeal or flour and just fry them.  Go to the farmer’s market and give this versatile vegetable a try!

 

Julia Child

August 15^th would have been Julia Child’s 100^th birthday. She is being remembered in news articles and magazines, and in New Orleans many restaurants are doing tribute menus to her. A new book has come out about her by Bob Spitz called, Dearie. Julia called everyone and everything “Dearie,” even if it was someone she’d just met, or the person driving her taxi, or a machine. It was just an endearing part of her, Spitz says.

Those of us who love food know that Julia is the one who really changed things for the American woman in the way we eat and the way we live. She was a seemingly ordinary person who through talent, hard work, and the force of her personality launched something new in the world and changed the way we think about food.

Perhaps some of the things you do not know about her: She kept a diary her entire life--from the time she was 12 until she died; she also kept every story she wrote, every letter she sent her parents during boarding school and every invitation she received. In the end she had 180 boxes of material. She was a party girl. Julia went to Smith College and was a C student. At that time in her life she was much more concerned with finding speakeasies during Prohibition than with her class work. She was boy crazy and loved to surround herself with attractive men at dinners. She loved tuna fish. When people would go to her house for lunch they would be expecting a fabulous meal, but she often served them tuna sandwiches.

No one can deny Julia’s contribution to public television. Before Julia, educational TV in almost every city was only a conglomeration of college professors giving their lectures, or maybe the local symphony. There was no national star. ‘The French Chef’ did not have the money for retakes. Julia taped every show as if it were live, so if Julia made a mistake, it was aired that way---although many of her mistakes were planned. Once Julia realized that viewers liked to see her fumble a recipe, she started doing it for comedic effect.

One of the most memorable things Spitz said of Julia is how she would march into the kitchen of any restaurant, lean over the stove, and to the horror of the chef, would dip her fingers into the pot and lick her fingers. Then she would do the same thing with another pot. In Italy she did this, and he thought the chefs would get a cleaver to her. She never really understood the love of Italian cooking and the allure of it. She felt Italian sauces were just onions and garlic and olive oil and tomatoes!

When I need to really know how to prepare French food I always go to Julia. She has never steered me wrong. So this week we celebrate a great woman!

From Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home (You can find these vegetables in your garden or at the local market, so a good recipe for now.)

Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin

Makes 6-8 servings

½ cup, or so, olive oil

1 large or 2 medium eggplant

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence

1 teaspoon salt

2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound

3 or 4 ripe tomatoes, about 1 pound

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For bread-crumb topping:

½ cup or so fresh bread crumbs, not too finely ground

1/3 cup or so freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Arrange rack on lower-middle level of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Smear a baking sheet generously with 1/3 cup olive oil.

Trim off ends of eggplant and slice on the diagonal into ovals ½ inch thick. One at a time, lay slices on the sheet, press to coat lightly with oil and turn them over. Arrange slices, oiled side up, in a single layer and sprinkle on ½ teaspoon each, salt and herbs of Provence.

Bake about 15 minutes until eggplant slices are soft and somewhat shriveled; cool briefly. Leave oven on if you are baking the gratin right away.

Trim zucchini ends and cut lengthwise into slices no more than ¼-inch thick. Salt zucchini and let it sit about 15 minutes then wipe salt and moisture off (otherwise your casserole can be too watery.) Core tomatoes and cut into slices ¼-inch thick. Spread out slices and sprinkle lightly with ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper.

Film a baking dish well with 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle a teaspoon of the dried herbs all over the bottom. Lay one or two eggplants slices, lengthwise, against a narrow side of dish. Arrange a long slice or two of zucchini in front of the eggplant, then place 2 or 3 tomato slices in front of the zucchini. Repeat until pan if full of alternating rows of eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Arrange each new row of slices so colorful edges of the previous row are still visible.

Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan and a teaspoon of herbes de Provence. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, then toss and rub it in with your fingers to coat crumbs but keep them loose.

Sprinkle crumbs evenly over vegetables and drizzle remaining oil over all. Place dish in the center of the oven and bake 40 minutes, until vegetables are soft, juices are bubbling, and top is a deep golden brown. If the crumbs need more browning, you can stick them under a broiler for a few minutes.

I didn’t have any herbs de Provence so I went to the garden and got bunches of basil, thyme, sage and rosemary.  Herbs de Provence are just the common herbs of Provence, now sold commercially in different formulations.  They include, depending on the vendor, varying amounts of dried marjoram, thyme, savory, basil, rosemary, sage, fennel seeds, chervil, tarragon, and mint. Some add orange zest or lavender.  Lavender has been added for the tourist in the south of France who saw it growing  almost everywhere.  So if you are making your own herbs de Provence, you choose.

Julia almost picked another catch-phrase to sign off on her show, “The French Chef.” She was supposed to say, “This is Julia Child--until next time.” But in an early script, Julia crossed it out and wrote in her now-famous

“Bon appétit!”