Fourth of July '13

The Fourth of July is coming and what to cook? I am grilling some pork chops along with squash from the garden. I decided to work on some new sides and since I have lots of green beans (Louisiana Purple Pod) I could not refuse to use them as a major side dish. Also along with the beans our tomatoes are in so I thought I would add some okra and corn to make another tasty side dish. (My okra and corn are a little late but others are in and you can find all in the markets.)

Using my new cookbook from Charleston from the Lee Brothers, I have been doing their really good green bean recipe. I have probably done it five times already (I’ve got lots of green beans!), but it is easy and uses bacon which reminds me of my mother’s green bean recipe

Both recipes are from The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen, 2013.

Long-Cooked Green Beans

 

 

Makes 8 servings

 Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

½ pound smoked slab bacon or smoked sausage, sliced

2 pounds green beans, stems trimmed, cut into 2-to3-inch lengths

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring 2 quarts of water to a simmer with the bacon in a 6-quart stockpot over high heat. Add the beans, and when the liquid returns to simmer, turn the heat to low, and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes (you should be left with just 1 ½ to 2 cups broth; if the beans appear to be boiling dry, add water as necessary by half cups).

Season to taste with salt, and add the butter, stirring to melt, before serving.

Serve the beans warm and slightly soupy.

 

 

Pan-Roasted Okra, Corn, and Tomatoes

Serves: 6  

Time: 45 minutes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

8 ounces fresh okra, halved lengthwise

Kosher salt

1 ½ cups corn kernels (from 2 large ears)

2 pounds fresh tomatoes

2 ounces slab bacon, cut into large dice

1 medium white onion, chopped (3/4 cup)

1 large garlic clove, mashed to a paste

1 to 2 teaspoon vinegar, either red wine, white wine, or distilled white (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot and brush lightly with vegetable oil. In a bowl, toss the okra with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook the okra in the pan in two batches, turning once, until charred and tender, 3 to 4 minutes per batch depending on the size and freshness of your okra .Reserve in a bowl so you can reuse the cast-iron skillet.

Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the corn and season with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Add the corn to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred in spots, about 3 minutes. Reserve the corn in a bowl, separate from the okra.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Score the tomato bottoms with an X. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and blanch for 10 seconds to loosen their skins. Transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to cool. Core and peel the tomatoes, and halve them crosswise. Working over a sieve set in a bowl, tease out the seeds with your fingers. Press on the seeds to extract the juice, then discard them. Chop the tomatoes and reserve them in the bowl of their juice.

Pour the remaining tablespoon oil into the skillet over medium-high heat, and when it simmers, add the bacon. Sauté the bacon until it just begins to brown, about 4 minutes, then add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir continuously for about 2 minutes, allowing the onion to release some moisture, but not letting it brown. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute to let its flavor bloom (do not brown the garlic). Then add the tomatoes, and stir to combine. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 4 minutes until the tomatoes have mostly collapsed.

Add the corn, stir to combine, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the okra, stir, and cook just until the okra is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with the vinegar (which you may or may not need, depending upon the acidity of the tomatoes), salt, and black pepper; serve.

Happy 4^th of July!

 

 

 

Charleston 2013

We have just returned from our annual trip to Charleston for the Spoleto festival. I do look forward to this every year. Charleston is just a wonderful Southern city with lots of great architecture and lots of good food and a bit more refined than New Orleans. The food scene there has really improved since 30 years ago when we started going to Spoleto and the only good restaurant was Henry’s. Alas, Henry’s is long gone!

We arrived on Saturday evening after a 13 hour drive and had a reservation for The Ordinary, a new restaurant by Mike Lata of FIG fame. The place at 9PM was hopping and the noise level made it hard to think, let alone talk. But the seafood (for which it is known) was very good. We had oysters on the half shell; a wahoo served in lime, cilantro, and fish sauce was a great appetizer. We had two fish courses consisting of a grouper and a triggerfish which was outstanding. Just go for lunch or on a night during the week when it is not so noisy.

On Sunday we had brunch at Husk another one of Sean Brock’s creations. There is now a Husk in East Nashville (which I plan on trying the end of the month). Husk gives a list of their sources of vegetables and meats right inside of the entrance. My husband noted that one farm was near his home in rural Middle Tennessee. Their pimento cheese on crostini was a hit for the appetizer. The cheese had little chunks of ham which added to its tastiness. After seeing A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Dock Street Theater, we had reservations at Magnolia’s. This restaurant has been around for quite a while and the hit of this restaurant was their Blue Crab Soup, which was their take on the famous She-Crab Soup of Charleston.

On Monday, after a little car trouble, which meant spending 3 hours in a dealership, we refreshed ourselves with a visit to the Hominy Grill. I had been reading about this small local restaurant which is open for breakfast and takes no reservations. Lunch was a treat with okra and shrimp balls for the appetizer, and a really tasty fried green tomato BLT for our main course. We then went to hear the Westminster Choir at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul. Then we ventured out for our last meal of the trip at McCrady’s. This is also a Sean Brock restaurant and we return here every year. We had a 4 course tasting meal (which many restaurants are doing these days) but portions were small so one did not feel full. We had the small, sweet bay scallops for our first course, then a small piece of cobia, a perfect lamb chop, and then three types of cheeses for dessert---a wonderful way to end the trip.

I did buy a new cookbook by the Lee brothers who have written three cookbooks on Charleston and their 2007 cookbook won the James Beard ‘Best Cookbook of the Year Award. I bought their latest one and have been using it this week. You must try their cheese spread which came from Henry’s (which I mentioned above). It was always served on the table before you ordered instead of bread and butter. The crab soup recipe is just great. You can do this any time of the year, and not just when crabs are at their peak. So get a feel of Charleston with these recipes and plan a trip there in the future.

Recipes taken from The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen by Matt Lee & Ted Lee, 2013.

Henry’s Cheese Spread

Makes: 1 ½ cups, enough for 6-8 people for snacking. Time: 10 minutes

10 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (3 cups)

2 ounces (1/2 cup) lager or ale

Juice of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, drained

2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Crystal

1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth and spreadable. Transfer to a small bowl to serve with crudities.  We liked it with Ritz crackers.

Celery and Crab Soup

Serves 4. Time: 30 minutes

1 cup heavy cream

2 pinches of celery seeds, ground in a mortar and pestle

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups chopped celery (6-8 ribs), plus yellow leaves, for garnish

1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc

1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and finely diced (about 1 ½ cup)

2 cups fish or shellfish broth, or bottled clam juice

1 cup lump fresh (nonpasteurized) blue crab meat (lump, backfin, or claw, or any combination thereof)

Freshly ground black pepper

Pour the cream into a small saucepan, add the celery seeds, bring to a simmer, and cut the heat. Cover and reserve.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the celery, onion, and salt, and sauté, covered, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and softened, about 7 minutes. Add the wine and continue to cook until the pan is almost dry, about 7 minutes. Add the potato and the broth, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and continue to cook, uncovered, until the potato is completely soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer, in batches if necessary, to a food processor and process completely smooth.

Wash the sauté pan and dry it. Pour the soup back into the pan over lowest heat. Add the cream and the crab meat to the stew, and whisk gently to combine completely. Cook until the crab and cream are just warmed through to serving temperature, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Divide the soup among four bowls, and garnish each with celery leaves.

 

 

 

Father's Day 2013

I have my menu planned for this Father’s Day weekend. I think Dad should get to grill, but of course the women do the rest. I have chosen flank steak since it is not as expensive as other cuts of beef and it does grill well. Using grass-fed is best but it is hard to find grass-fed flank steak. With my steak I will have Dad grill some asparagus. To complete the meal I have chosen a salad with spring vegetables (from our garden) with a green goddess dressing. Dessert will be fruit with whipped cream!

From Louisiana Cookin’  June 2013 issue.

Grilled Flank Steak with Coffee-Dijon Marinade

Serves 4

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 ½ pounds, flank steak

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

In a small bowl, stir together garlic, mustard, vinegar, oil, espresso powder, salt, and pepper. Place steak into a large, shallow dish, and rub garlic mixture on all side of beef. Top with shallot and parsley. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Spray grill rack with nonstick nonflammable cooking spray, and preheat grill to high heat (400 to 450ᴼ). Grill meat 3 minutes per side for medium-rare or until desired doneness. Remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Taken from the ‘Wall Street Journal’ May 25-26, 2013 issue, and contributed by chef, Renee Erickson.

Spring Vegetables with Green Goddess Dressing

Serves 4

Salt

1 pound new potatoes

3 ½ tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for seasoning

2 cups shelled English peas or thawed frozen peas

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 pound spring onions, root ends trimmed and halved lengthwise

1 ½ tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

2 canned anchovy fillets

½ clove garlic, peeled and chopped

Juice of half a lemon, plus more, to taste

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves

2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves

½ cup fresh basil leaves

Heat broiler.  Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until easily pierced with a fork, 10-15 minutes. Remove potatoes from pot with a slotted spoon. Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, halve crosswise and season with salt and ½ tablespoon oil.

Meanwhile, fill another medium pot with salt and bring to a boil. Add peas and blanch until they rise to the surface, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer peas to ice water bath. Drain and pat dry. Bring water back up to a boil. Add eggs and cook 6 minutes. Drain eggs and run under cold water. Once eggs are cool enough to handle, peel and halve lengthwise. Season yolks with salt.

Arrange onions on a roasting tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Place tray under broiler and roast until onions are tender and charred all over, about 10 minutes total.

In a medium bowl, toss blanched peas with ½ tablespoon oil and mint. Season with salt to taste.

Make dressing: Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, anchovies, garlic, remaining oil, lemon juice and remaining herbs in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, 1 minute. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.

To serve, place a generous dollop of dressing in the center of each plate. Arrange onions around dressing. Set potatoes over dressing. Arrange peas and egg halves around potatoes. Season with salt to taste.

Dewberries

I have been picking dewberries this week but it is much later this year. Our spring has been cool and everything is a little later. This has been nice since the heat will be upon us soon.

Dewberries are a type of trailing blackberry that grows on long canes along fence rows and trellises. Some people feel them superior to all other blackberries. I was reading an article on dewberries in an issue of Bluffs & Bayous (a Mississippi magazine) and the author was telling of his childhood picking dewberries. All the children were given big buckets and Grammaw told them not to pick the red ones! She made dewberry jelly and use the money to raise funds for her church. He said the nice thing about dewberries if that you can pick them off the side of the gravel road with dust all over them, blow them off some, and they’re actually good. This way you do not have to wait for that cobbler to cool and you don’t have to share them with somebody that did not help you pick them!

Since Memorial Day is coming, I thought using fruit for dessert would be the thing and since I have “free dewberries” it just makes good sense to use them.

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

This is a very old recipe that illustrates another of the basic forms of southern cobbler: fruit wrapped in pastry. In this recipe, whole berries are scattered over buttered sweet biscuit dough that is then rolled up like a jelly roll and baked. Because of the shape, this technique goes by many names, including Valise Pudding, Bourrelet, or Dolly in a Blanket.

Dewberry Roll

Serves 8

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes and chilled

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or lard

1 large egg

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 cups fresh dewberries

¾ cup sugar

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water, for an egg wash

Ice cream or whipped cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 400ᴼF.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes and drop the shortening in bits over the flour mixture and toss to coat. Use your fingertips to work them in until the pieces are the size of garden peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk, pour over the flour mixture, and stir with a fork or your fingertips until the dough comes together.

Pour the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment and gently knead until the dough is smooth, about 5 turns. Roll or pat the dough into a rectangle that is ½-inch thick, turned so one of the long sides is at the bottom. Spread the soft butter evenly over the dough. Scatter the berries over the butter, leaving the bottom 2 inches bare. Sprinkle the sugar over the berries. Starting at the top, roll up the dough toward you, making sure it is tight enough to hold the berries in place. It should look like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam and the ends closed. Transfer the roll (still on the parchment) to a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the top and sides with the egg wash.

Bake until the pastry is browned and any escaped juices are bubbling, about 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with ice cream or whipped cream.

 

Strawberries

Strawberries are at their peak and they taste wonderful. I bought my first ones this week, waiting for the season to peak, and I was not disappointed. They were sweet and succulent.

Explorers and colonists found huge fields carpeted in wild strawberries growing in the South and much of eastern North America. There were stories of riders and horses emerging from those fields so covered in red strawberry juice that they looked wounded. The profusion and variety of native berries astounded the colonists, who shipped specimens back to Europe to bolster the viability and flavor of Old World varieties.

Strawberries are not actual berries because they carry their seeds on the outside. The plants spread through self-propagation. They send out runners and take hold and send out more runners, spreading by leaps and bounds. Perhaps this ability to strew themselves about led to the name “strawberry,” as a derivation of “strewberry.” Another common notion is that the name came from the common practice of mulching the plants with straw.

Most strawberries are scarlet red, but there are also white and yellow varieties. They can range from tiny to large and from lumpy to smooth, but all good specimens are unmistakably redolent. Their botanical name, Fragaria, means fragrance, which suggests the sweet perfume that wafts from perfectly ripe strawberries. People accustomed to only long-hauled fruit are often awestruck by the intense flavor of strawberries left to fully ripen on the plants, where the warm sun can coax every bit of natural sweetness from the berries.

I decided to use my strawberries in a salad. My husband does not like fruit in his salads but I told him to give this a try. This was a good salad and I got to use some of those peas that my husband keeps producing.  With the strawberries, almonds, and peas in this salad it is worth doing and a pretty one also.

From ‘bon appétit’ June 2013.

Strawberry, Almond, and Pea Salad

Serves 4

½ cup Marcona almonds (can be found at Whole Foods)

2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 tsp. whole grain mustard

1 tsp. poppy seeds

1 tsp. sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 cup fresh English peas (from about 1 lb. pods) or frozen peas, thawed

3 cups baby arugula or watercress, thick stems trimmed (Fortunately we have both arugula and fresh peas in the garden right now.)

8 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered if large (about 2 cups)

1 cup pea tendrils (also known as pea shouts) can be found at farmers’ markets or natural food stores or better yet from your own vines.

1 oz. Parmesan, shaved

Preheat oven to 350ᴼ. Spread out almonds on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk vinegar, mustard, poppy seeds, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in oil, season with salt and pepper.

Cook peas in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes for fresh peas, or 2 minutes for frozen. Drain; transfer to a colander set in a bowl of ice water. Drain.

Add arugula, strawberries, pea tendrils, peas, and almonds to vinaigrette; toss to coat. Top with Parmesan.

We all know we can use strawberries in many good desserts. Strawberries are lovely in blender drinks. But perhaps the best way to enjoy fresh strawberries is just sliced with whipped cream. So go out and pick some of those berries!

 

Cauliflower

“Cauliflower,” wrote Mark Twain, ”is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” Cauliflower is indeed a cultivated member of the cabbage family and was being planted in the American colonies by the 1600s. Each group of immigrants that brought along cauliflower, mainly the English, the Sicilians, and some Asians, took its own approach to handling cauliflower’s noncommittal flavor, from taming it down even further with cream and eggs to punching it up with bold spices. Even now, southern cooks rarely rave about any intrinsic tastiness in naked cauliflower, but they do appreciate its willingness to play well with other ingredients.

In eating at La Petite Grocery in New Orleans last week, we ate some delicious cauliflower which had been roasted and then served with a parsley, caper, and garlic dressing. Chefs are finding new ways with cauliflower and I am finding it more and more on the menu.

Most cauliflowers grow in large heads of thick white clusters, shielded from too much sunlight by broad, deeply ribbed leaves. However, some new varieties produce small heads with astonishing, vibrant colors, such as orange, canary yellow, deep purple, and bright green. I found the purple and green variety at Whole Foods and brought them home to try a recipe from Domenica in New Orleans by chef Alon Shaya. It was a great dish and a wonderful way to prepare cauliflower.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Whipped Goat Cheese

Serves 8

Roasted cauliflower

2 ½ cups dry white wine

1/3 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 bay leaf

1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed

Whipped Goat Cheese and assembly

4 oz. fresh goat cheese

3 oz. cream cheese

3 oz. feta

½ cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. olive oil plus more for serving

Coarse sea salt (for serving)

Roasted Cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 475ᴼ. Bring wine, oil, kosher salt, juice, butter, red pepper flakes, sugar, bay leaf and 8 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add cauliflower, reduce heat, and simmer, turning occasionally, until a knife easily inserts into center, 15-20 minutes.

Using 2 slotted spoons or a mesh spider, transfer cauliflower to a rimmed baking sheet, draining well. Roast, rotating sheet halfway, through until browned all over, 30-40 minutes.

Whipped Goat Cheese and assembly: While cauliflower is roasting, blend goat cheese, cream cheese, feta, cream and 2 Tbsp. oil in a processor until smooth; season with sea salt. Transfer whipped goat cheese to a serving bowl and drizzle with oil.

Transfer cauliflower to a plate. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with whipped goat cheese.

Do Ahead: Whipped goat cheese can be made one day ahead. Cover; chill.

Another way to use cauliflower is to roast it with spices. In this recipe, cauliflower can be used as a side dish or as an appetizer.

Taken from The New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle.

Spice-Roasted Cauliflower Florets

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon curry powder, preferably red sambahr-style

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of cayenne pepper

4 cups 2-inch cauliflower florets (about 1 pound)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450ᴼF.

Mix the sugar, salt, pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne in a small bowl.

Place the cauliflower in a large bowl. Drizzle with the butter and oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle the spices evenly over the cauliflower and toss to coat.

Spread in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring every 5 minutes, until the florets are crisp-tender and browned on the edges, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.