The snow has finally melted in the Northern Catskills

The last time I visited my friend, Rita's, and husband David's enchanting home in the northern Catskill Mountains there was so much snow outside that the only way to walk around was on snow shoes.  Allegra's paws got tiny cuts on them crunching through the ice-covered, blindingly white mounds of snow.
On a recent visit the snow was a distance memory and the property was lush with various shades of green. 

Rita, I, and our dogs, Frankie and Allegra went upstate for what has become a June tradition -a  girl's only weekend while David was away at an annual conference.  
The first thing that Rita does when she arrives at her upstate home is to fill the vintage bottles that line the living room fireplace mantle with something that was, or is growing  outdoors - this goes for all seasons.  So, during the dead of winter there may be branches of evergreens or dried leaves and vines.  For our recent weekend Rita placed branches of single petal, heirloom roses in each bottle.   The next thing she does is look through her vegetable garden for what has gone missing - "Someone ate the squash leaves", she said.  "Can you imagine, the squash leaves - must have been the baby woodchucks".   It's not easy being a weekend gardener. 

She did, however, find beets, assorted green leaves for salad, chocolate mint for tea - and things like chard, kale and arugula - "which no one seems to like."

I had plans to make pasta with beets and beet greens for dinner.  But, we both were kind of exhausted from the at least five-stops trip from the City so we opted for salad with Kunik cheese - about which I've written several times on this blog.   It was just right.

Blueberries and yogurt for Saturday breakfast and a plan to go off in search of Heather Ridge Farm and their farm cafe called The Bees Knees.  We thought we knew where we were going but a series of missed turns and unclear directions had us going in circles before arrived at the farm.  The charming place on, yes, a ridge has tasty, made-from- the-heart food - but vegetarians have little to no choice as
Heather Ridge Farm raises animals so their menu is meat-centric.

My chili - called "Oink & Moo" served with a corn muffin seemed just the right  thing to eat on the chilly, overcast day.   Tart lemonade and ice tea flavored with the farm's honey and mint were beverage choices.

Before we left for our adventure Rita took an early morning walk into her woods - she had a hunch that because it had rained for days that there just might be some early chanterelles.  She was right and came back with enough golden trumpets to make a tasty concoction that we spread on crackers and had  as an hors d'oeuvre with a glass of Lillet on the rocks.

RITA'S CHANTERELLES
Clean and chop the chanterelles.  Saute in extra virgin olive oil with chopped leeks and garlic scapes until tender.  Finish with a dab of butter.

We had  beet pasta for dinner:

PAPPARDELLE WITH BEETS AND BEET GREENS

Saute diced beets in olive oil with minced garlic.  Tear the the leaves from the ribs of the thoroughly rinsed beet greens.   Chop about 1/3 of the ribs into pieces the size of the diced beets.  Add to the saute.  Add water to the saute pan and cook until the vegetables are fork tender 30 - 40 minutes - adding water as needed.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.   Add the greens to the beets with a bit of lemon zest and juice, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.   Add water.    Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's directions.  Two minutes before the pasta cooking time is complete use tongs or a wire mesh strainer to remove it from the pot and add directly to the beets.   Toss the combine.  Serve immediately garnished with fresh, whole milk ricotta.  (We bought some exceptionally good fresh ricotta at the Barbers Farm stand in Middleburgh, NY).

There were blueberries and strawberries hanging around the refrigerator so I make a quick crumble.  It was a good dessert but an even better breakfast the next morning served cold with Evans yogurt - the BEST, from Norwich, NY - and a glass of iced coffee.

QUICK FRUIT CRUMBLE (is there any other kind?)
Add fruit of your choice; berries, peaches, nectarines, plums, etc. mixed with a little lemon juice and sugar or honey to a buttered baking dish.  Use your fingers to rub together equal parts of unsalted butter, flour(or 1/2 flour, 1/2 rolled oats), and sugar to make crumbs.  Add a pinch of salt and flavor, as I did with ground cinnamon and a splash of pure vanilla extract (sometimes I use almond extract).   Scatter the crumbs over the top of the fruit.   Baked at 350 degrees F. until the top is slightly brown and the sides are bubbly - about 30 minutes.

Allegra found a nest of baby minks and became completely obsessed.  I was happy that mama mink wasn't home when she was barking and digging at the nest.

We all had a good time.

David made the above sage-colored chairs from a pattern purchased at Wave Hill - they're chairs designed for the grand NYC gardens overlooking the Hudson River towards the Palisades.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

Lisa Corti reimagined.   Rita used one of her worn-out Lisa Corti quilts - check out the website to see some of the prettiest quilts and home ware, ever - in her vegetable garden to keep the weeds from growing (remember, she's a weekend gardener).  The mulch anchors the quilt.

Nantucket, June 2011

The weather during the first weekend of June was spectacular.   I know that it was glorious on Nantucket and I've heard that it was much the same all up and down, in and out of the the Northeastern USA.

Allegra - the beautiful "New York City Special" which is how I describe her whenever asked, "What kind of dog is she?" - and I drove from downtown Manhattan to Hyannis Airport, making a few obligatory stops; gas in Darien, CT., the McDonald's in Madison, CT which has a very large meadow behind it where Allegra can have a spin and a roll , and Kyler's Catch Seafood in New Bedford, MA (just off I-195 at Washburn Street) which has a huge selection of fresh fish at the MOST reasonable prices - I stop there going , yes, to buy fish to bring  to Nantucket (coals to Newcastle anyone?), and on the way home to stock up on enough fresh fish to eat for dinner and lunch for about 6 days in a row in NYC.   And before you know it, after dodging drivers that absolutely have to have a phone conversation or send a  text message at 75 miles per hour, we arrived, 5 hours later in Hyannis - and Legs (which is what I call her from time to time) was howling with delight, fully aware of where she's about to be.   She walked on the plane and sat in the aisle near the door.  Then she & I (we were the only passengers on the plane) arrived on Nantucket 12 minutes later.  Finishing off the trip by plane rather by ferry - is a little reward for all that driving.

We arrived on the island, settled out in Wauwinet (the east end of the island) at my sister, Laura's and brother-in-law Jimmy's Eden-like spot, then took off for town to do a few errands, and have  an heure bleue stop at one of my favorite places on earth, Sesachacha Pond also on the island's east end.   If you look clear across the pond you'll see see a dip in the sand - beyond the sand is the ocean.  Once or twice a year, the town's DPW plows that area so that the salt water comes into the pond and mixes with the fresh leaving behind a perfect blend of water described with the unseemly word, brackish.   Allegra loved sniffing around (thank goodness she didn't find anything dead to roll on) and even went in for a splash and a gulp.

Dinner was simple, and simply delicious.  Just picked asparagus - from the an established mound in Laura's renowned vegetable garden/orchard - were roasted with olive oil and salt. Basta.  Roasting intensified the flavor of the stalk.  Wild salmon from Alaska via New Bedford, was cut into single-portion size fillets and briefly marinated in maple syrup (grade B) and Dijon mustard, then grilled,  flesh-side down for 3 minutes, then skin-side down for another 2 or 3 minutes.   That's it - a tavola!

Saturday was all about the Nantucket High School graduation.  Emil, son of my friends, Anna and Steve Bender was one of the 89 class of 2011 graduates.  Following the graduation there was a fine party hosted by the families of 7 of the male graduates on the spacious property of one of the boys.  There was a shed/cantina where the boys' fathers took turns grilling burgers, dogs, Brazilian steak, chicken, and sweet sausages.  That's just what I saw before I turned the corner to find a whole lawn set with tables and chairs and a tented food area at the far end.   Under the tent, the U-shaped table formation swayed with loads and loads of food from a selection of salads that could have been the banners for the families who made them; tabbouleh, Brazilian rice vinaigrette, Swedish potato salad, salsa, all-American tossed green salad with many assorted veggies, crumbled feta cheese and dressed with a favorite from my childhood, Good Seasons Italian dressing combined mixed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar - to name just a few of them; pizza enrolado, a Brazilian pizza stuffed with ham and various vegetables; Vietnamese-style country ribs -prepared with love and attention by Emil's father, Steve; watermelon, mixed berries, and fruit salad; chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake and brownies.  It was a grand collaborative effort that not only fed the guests in style but created the kind of vibe that encourages conviviality.

Sunday was about the beach.  Heaven.  After the longest winter in memory (and what has now turned out to be the shortest spring) - the beach - out on the south end of the island chosen in order to shelter us from the somewhat active northerly winds - fragrant with ragosa roses and salt air was the perfect antidote to everything - worries included.  Just to be able to stretch out on the warm sand then dip sunkissed legs into the still icy Atlantic was worth all those stress-filled hours on the road.

And then we did the whole thing in reverse.

Be back soon.


SUSANSIMONSAYS: I ought to give you the marinade ingredients for the country ribs.   Steve actually used a marinade recipe that he found for Vietnamese Garlic Roasted Quail - this is enough for 8 quail - so maybe 4 or 5 poounds of ribs:
2/3 cup mushroom soy
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sugar
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon blackpeppercorns, crushed
2 tablespoons sesame oil
nam cham (Vietnamese fish sauce) to serve
fresh basil leaves to garnish
Beat soy with honey and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.  Stir in the garlic, crushed peppercorns and sesame oil.    Rub the marinade on the ribs.   And then follow whatever recipe you use for country ribs.  Whether you marinate them for several hours then grill - or slow roast for 6 or 7 hours.   Serve with a splash of fish sauce and garnish with fresh basil.

Last Weekend

The gorgeous Allegra & I are off the Nantucket this upcoming weekend.    But, first, a quick word about last weekend - Memorial Day weekend - which we spent in the relative quiet of New York City.  

I started the weekend on Friday by inviting a friend over for lunch.   

We ate outside, sitting in the shade of Norway maple tree that overhangs my terrace.  I made salad with grilled chicken, very slim green beans dressed with peanut sauce ( see blog posting from  January 8th 2011 for recipe) all sitting on a bed of green leaf lettuce.

Serves 3 - 6

GRILLED CHICKEN, MAY 27th 2011
Marinate 1-inch wide strips of 6 chicken breasts in:
2 tablespoons sesame oil
zest & juice of  1 lime
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
1 clove garlic mashed through a press
2 tablespoons soy sauce
a few drops of sriracha sauce
Let marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
Grill over a charcoal or gas grill for about 3 minutes on one side and 2 to 3 minutes on the other

Blanch the green beans, toss with enough peanut sauce to evenly coat.  For this particular dish I fried 'til crisp the white part of ramps (because their season is just ending) and tossed them into the beans.

Pile pieces of green leaf lettuce on a serving platter.  Top with the beans, then the chicken.  Serve immediately.   While the grill was going  I toasted some pieces of olive-oiled baguette to accompany the salad.

We had a bowl of frozen vanilla yogurt topped with the rhubarb-strawberry compote from my last blog.  I often serve amaretti cookies with a dessert like this one and show my companions how to smash them, either between your hands or on the table then sprinkle the crumbs over the dessert.  Yum!

Fast forward to the Monday, the 30th, Memorial Day and another little meal outside, under the maple.  By Monday it was steaming hot - which translate ito drinks poured over mountains of ice and freezer-chilled beer.

To go with those gelid beverages we - my guests & I were fed fried asparagus by another guest, His Royness, Roy Finamore, legendary cookbook editor, and winner of a James Beard award for his book, "Tasty, Get Great Food on the Table Every Day" ( Houghton Mifflin Co. 2006).  Roy used his string beans fritto  recipe from "Tasty..." for the Pecorino cheese battered, rolled in bread crumbs, olive oil fried asparagus - and, Man, oh Man were they deeeeeeeeeeee-vine.    Salty, crunchy, and grassy with a tiny spritz of fresh lemon juice for a tiny bit of tang - the asparagus got us started in fine style.

Our main course were grilled cheeseburgers ( made with local, grass fed beef) and  two salads:

STEAMED POTATO SALAD WITH MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE AND CAPERS

Serves 4 or 5

1 pound smallish red skin potatoes cut in half, steamed until a fork passes through them with ease

While the potatoes are steaming add a heaping tablespoon of finely chopped shallots, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, 1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/4 extra virgin olive, 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped capers (preserved in salt)  and 1 teaspoon sea salt to a large bowl and whisk together until emulsified.   Cut the hot potatoes into 1/2-inch chunks and add to the vinaigrette - toss together.   The hot potatoes will absorb the vinaigrette  as they cool.   Taste for seasoning and add as needed.

RADISH & BLACK OLIVE SALAD

Serves 4-ish

1 large bunch radishes, leaves and root end removed.  Rinse thoroughly - they are covered in secret pockets of dirt!
Use a mandolin to thinly slice.  Wrap the sliced radishes in a layer of paper towels or a cotton tea towel so they can sweat out some of their liquid.   Let them rest for an hour or so.
Toss together with some coarsely chopped black olives, chopped chives, chopped fresh mint, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice and sea salt to serve.

We started our meal with a "Tasty..." recipe and ended with one too.  Roy's Strawberry SHORTCAKE.
Shortcake capitalized because that's recipe included in the book.  Once you've got it - use it with any fruit in season.  When the strawberries have gone it's onto to peaches, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries - you get the idea.
Here's what Roy says, "I've been baking this tender cake - almost cake, almost biscuit - for thirty years now.  When I lived in Vermont , I'd make it for breakfast, putting slabs of the cake into bowls with fresh-picked raspberries from the yard and ladling in top milk, which we got from the dairy farmer down the road."

 Makes one 8-inch cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch sat
1/3 cup butter softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until it starts to lighten.  Gradually pour in the sugar, beating while you pour, and continuing beating until very light.  Beat in the eggs.
Now switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the dry ingredients and milk in batches: half the dry, all the milk, and the rest of the dry.   Beat for a moment or two with the spoon until the batter is smooth.  It will be stiff.
Add the the batter to the pan and pat it out into the pan with floured fingers.  Give the pan a rap on the counter top to release any air bubbles, then slip into the oven.  Bake for about 25 minutes, until risen and browned in spots.
Let the cake cool on a rack for about 5 minutes, then turn out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack.
Roy sliced about a pint of strawberries and let them macerate with 1 packed tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar and a few grinds black pepper.

Assemble the cake:   Spoon some of the strawberry juice over the cake and then spoon on the fruit.   Whip a cup of heavy cream and spread over the berries.
Serve right away, or refrigerate for later.



SUSANSIMONSAYS:   I'm all talked out.   Next week, Nantucket!

A Rhubarb? No, a Tea Party with Rhubarb, etc.

My only rhubarb (ahem!) would be with the weather.  Will sun ever come out again I growled towards the heavens? And despite - or because of the incessant rain - my garden is lush and glorious. I'm one of those lucky New Yorkers who has an outdoor space.  Not just a sliver of balcony but a full-on, south-facing space with established plants and an enormous Norway maple - growing in the adjacent garden - that hangs over a corner of my garden, and in the summertime gives the blazingly hot spot a patch of shade.

The periwinkle blue clematis (don't ask me its name - because it has long ago been erased from my memory - which I shouldn't have trusted in the first place - and like a real gardener, should have written down)  and its saucer-like, white neighbor are the first plants I see when I open my back door. They almost make me forget the weather.  But not for long, because the relentless rain battered them, and they are disappearing sooner than usual. 
The heuchera, however - ding-dong (my adjective) coral belles and purple palace - are enduring specimens having lived for at least 15 years confined to not too big pots. They live through the freezing and thawing winter weather, love to be covered with snow, and faithfully come back, year after year.

I chose this apartment, with its very large garden (almost the size of my apartment)- instead of one with an extra bedroom - so that I can entertain outside.  I can invite more people for a meal in the warm weather then the cool.  My guests can dine comfortably, surrounded by fragrant plants, chirping birds, and the occasional firefly, buffered from screeching city noise by thick greenery and my apartment.   All is weather-dependant, of  course.    

My friends, the Bellati had been in New York for the past 2 weeks visiting from their home in the Veneto, Italy - ( see Contessanally for all their adventures while in the City - well, at least Nally's!) - I wanted to have them over for tea - in the garden - on their final day in New York.  You probably know how that tea in garden didn't happen - it happened inside.  It wasn't really raining - but it was grey and chilly.   However, I carried on with my menu.  

This rhubarb started with rhubarb, the stalk.  It seems that every farmer, in every market in the greenmarket system has piles of blushing rhubarb for sale.  I'm crazy about rhubarb - even although it makes my teeth feel like a chalkboard being scratched by fingernails.   I do several things with rhubarb.  But this compote is my favorite way to use it.  Once I have the versatile  compote in the fridge I use it in several preparations.

RHUBARB & STRAWBERRY COMPOTE

I use honey for this compote.  First and most importantly, my brother-in-law, Jim Gross, is a beekeeper on Nantucket.  His dozen or so hives produce hundreds and hundreds of pounds of  blue-ribbon award-winning honey not defined by a particular blossom - but, a blend of many - he collects his honey at the end of season.  I like the way its deep, earthy flavor  takes the edge off the rhubarb without turning it into something that's cloying. And, the sturdy rhubarb stands up to the honey and retains its integrity.   Local strawberries are coming from South Jersey.  Huzza.


Makes about 1 3/4 quarts

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 pounds rhubarb, leaf end and root end removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 quart strawberries, hulled and cut in half
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
juice of 1/2 orange
1/2 - 3/4 cup pure honey

1.  Add all the ingredients to a large, non-reactive saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook until the rhubarb is soft - 15 - 20 minutes.
2.   Let cool.  Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.


Late May Tea Party:

.  Sweet and Salty Almonds  (see Cocktail Prolonge, January 11, 2011 blog for recipe)

.  Radish and Butter Sandwiches - good quality butter spread on each side of sliced egg challah or brioche bread.  Line one side of bread with sliced radishes, sprinkle with coarse salt - I like flaky Maldon salt -  and chopped chives.  Make a sandwich and press firmly to insure that the radishes will adhere to the butter.  Cut into 2, 3, or 4 pieces.

.  Smoked Salmon on Cucumber Slices -  cut English cucumbers on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices - smear each slice with a bit of softened cream cheese, top each piece with a little folded piece of smoked salmon and garnish with a piece of chive.

.    Kunik Cheese with Crackers - I've talked about this upstate New York cheese in other posts.  It is with a doubt my favorite local cheese.  The voluptuous triple creme is made with goat's milk and Jersey cow's milk cream. 

.   Rhubarb- Strawberry Parfaits -  I used  juice glasses to create this Sunday sundae - first, some Rhubarb & Strawberry Compote, Ronnybrook Farm coconut yogurt and topped with a sprinkling of homemade granola.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

Make a scrumptious Rhubarb & Strawberry Smoothie  for one - add 1/2 cup of the compote, 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt, a splash of pure vanilla extract, a pinch of ground cinnamon, and 6 or 7 ice cubes to a blender and blend until thick and smooth.  Consume, with pleasure, immediately!

Asparagus, again

I had all good intentions of making this entry close on the heels of my last post, Asparagus, Finally - but BLOGGER, the host of this blog - lost my last post and then stayed down for awhile.  The excuse is a little better than "the dog ate my homework" - isn't it?
A few weeks ago, when there was a lovely, sunny and dry Saturday a couple of friends came over for afternoon tea.   Great chance to see these friends and a a great opportunity to cook some more asparagus.
The savory asparagus-ricotta tart, made with an olive oil crust rang just the right note with icy hibiscus tea, which turned into hibiscus tea margaritas - or something like that - before you could say muy bueno.

The olive oil crust is basically a pasta frolla - shortbread, that uses olive oil for fat rather than butter.  It's crunchy - almost cracker-like, and a perfect little platter for ricotta and roasted asparagus.

ASPARGUS AND RICOTTA TARTS

Tarts like this one can be served as a contorno, a side dish to an antipasto offering of  cured meats like prosciutto, soppressata and speck.  They're also a perfect teatime savory - served just as I did.  After all, teatime quickly segues into cocktail hour and before you know it it's time for antipasto.  Well, this way you'll get a jump start.

Serves 4 - 8

for the pastry
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt

filling
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, tough bottoms removed, peeled to within 1 inch of the tips
5 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
fresh chives, cut into 2-inch lengths - optional

1.   Make the pastry: in a food processor, combine the flour, olive oil, eggs, and salt and process until a dough forms, less than 1 minute.  Divide the dough in half, form each half into a disk, wrap separately in waxed paper or plastic wrap, and chill for at least 10 minutes.
2.   Make the filling:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.   Place the asparagus on a baking sheet with sides and cover with te 5 teaspoons olive oil.  Use your hands to thoroughly coat the stalks.  Roast until pale gold- about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven.
3.   Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees F.  Remove pastry from refrigerator and let come to room temperature, a botu 15 minutes.   On a lightly floured, smooth surface, roll out one of the disks into a 1/4-inch-thick circle.  Use two metal spatulas to place it on one side of an 11 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch baking sheet (I usually cover the sheet with parchment paper).   Use your thumb and forefinger to roll in and pinch the edge to create a little rim.  Repeat this with the remaining disk.  Spread half of the ricotta on the bottom of each pastry.  Place half of the asparagus, in a decorative way, over each layer of ricotta.  Sprinkle half of the Parmesan and salt over the top of each tart.
Bake until the pastry is golden, about 30 minutes.   Let cool on a rack just a bit, then cut each tart into 4 wedges.   Garnish with chives, if using, and serve immediately.

I made the hibiscus tea according to instructions given to me by my friend (and one of my guests), Amy Chaplin, of Coconut and Quinoa.   Amy gave me my first packet of dry hibiscus petals - and these directions:   steep the tea - about 1 heaping tablespoon per cup of boiling water - sweeten with agave syrup to sweeten to taste.  A spritz of fresh lime juice to finish.   Drain the tea after 5 - 10 minutes and serve this breathtakingly beautiful drink over ice with a slice of lime.  If you're so inclined - and it's 5 pm somewhere in the world, add a splash of tequila, white rum or vodka.
SUSANSIMONSAYS: Guess what? Research has proven that hibiscus tea will lower high blood pressure.   Soothe hypertension.  How's that - beautiful, delicious, and healthy.  Sounds just right to me.
Find both loose hibiscus tea and tea bags at Republic of Tea.
BTW - my friend, Maryam - My Marrakesh -  tells me that the Egyptians sweeten their hibiscus tea with vanilla-flavored sugar.

Delicious, In-Between-The-Seasons Salads

I get to the point where I just can't bear to look at another box of  mixed baby greens,  baby arugula, hearts of romaine or  a wilted head of green leaf lettuce - even if they are all organic.  They all taste the same.  As I anxiously await the first heads of local lettuce - I'd trade, hmmm, what would I trade for a head of slightly bitter oak leaf lettuce, a bunch of just-picked (dandelions mixed in) peppery rucola, and a head of buttery Boston lettuce - well, I'll trade anyone of the below salads that I've been making to take their place.  These salads may require a bit more effort than simply rinsing and drying leaves and dressing them with fruity olive oil and fragrant vinegar - but they'll satisfy.  For sure.  As a matter fact, bring some of the "in-between" salad ingredients forward with you to mix with fresh lettuce leaves. Especially, nuts, seeds, and fresh herbs - they add color and texture - and nutrients.

PINK GRAPEFRUIT AND AVOCADO SALAD

I made this one for  Easter Sunday luncheon.  It was a beautiful day and my Easter bunny guests - and their adorable French bull dog, came to me after parading their splendorous finery on 5th Avenue.  Bill Cunningham caught them all in On the Street - Easter Parade 2011, his New York Times column that appeared in the paper, Sunday, May 1st.  We started our casual, by now traditional, lunch with this very pretty salad.  I choose it for color, pink and green, and for the way  creamy, nutty avocados mix with sweetly tart, explode-in-your-mouth grapefruit.  I added toasted hazelnuts for crunch, and chives for their defining flavor and because I have many pots of them in my garden.  My first springtime crop!

Serves 4

2 pink or red grapefruits
2 avocados, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 tablespoon chopped chives, plus a few whole blades for garnish
2 teaspoons vincotto or aged balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fruity extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
romaine lettuce leaves for serving

1.  Remove the sections from the grapefruit:  use a very sharp paring  knife to peel away the skin, then the white pith from the fruit.  Using the same sharp knife, carefully remove the segments one at a time by cutting between the fruit and membrane.   Remove the seeds from the segments.  Add to a mixing bowl.
Add the avocado pieces, chives and hazelnuts.
2.  In small bowl whisk together the vincotto, olive oil and salt.   Add to the larger bowl and carefully toss ingredients together.
3.  Serve, immediately (or the ingredients will discolor) on a bed of torn romaine lettuce leaves.

PINEAPPLE AND CARROT SALAD

I love pineapple - you may know this from other blog entries.  There must be a huge harvest  going on right now in Costa Rica as I keep buying them by the twos - two for 5 bucks.  Irresistible!   Instead of making dessert with them I'm now using pineapple for a savory salad - sort of.   I enjoy eating my version, basically a combination of two retro salads;  pineapple, and carrot, with marinated tofu, with a frittata,  or with roast chicken.

Serves 6 - 8

1 golden pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 carrots, peeled and grated (I used a box grater - not worth getting a food processor dirty for 4 carrots)
1/3 cup Thompson raisins
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 heaping tablespoon good quality mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar - or another fruity vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1.  Add the pineapple, carrots, raisins, and sesame seeds to a bowl.  Toss together to evenly distribute the ingredients. 
2.  In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar and oil.   Add to the large bowl and combine with the other ingredients.   Serve immediately.   Salad can be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container for up to a week.

RED CABBAGE AND APPLE SALAD

This salad is kind of a relative to the pickled red cabbage - another blog.   I toast the walnuts for this salad, just as I did the hazelnuts for the previous salad, because it brings out - emphasizes their flavor, and gives them extra crunch.  Once made it  lasts for up to a week in the refrigerator, and retains its crispiness.  

Serves 6 - 8

juice and zest of 1 lime
2 apples such as fuji or gala, cored and thinly sliced on a mandolin
1/2 red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced on a mandolin
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 heaping tablespoon coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1.   Add all the ingredients to the bowl in the above order - lime first and the olive oil last.  Thoroughly mix together.  I used my hands in order to evenly distribute all the components.   Let sit for at least an hour before serving.

SUSANSIMONSAYS: I went out to the borough of Queens again a few days ago.  This time it was to visit the wonderful Greek supermarket, Titan.   If you go - you must carefully peruse every aisle and pay special attention to the enormous selection of a Greek favorite, spoon fruits.  Jars of all sizes and shapes are filled with figs, cherries, sliced oranges and so on preserved in syrup.  Don't miss the handmade orzo; jars of taramasalata; bags of rusks; cans and bottles of olive oil; dried herbs; honey; preserved-in-brine grapes leaves - just for starters.  In the back of the market find a case of what seems to be the Himalayan mountain range, but it's really a selection of various kinds of feta cheese.  Near the cheese cases find barrels filled with kind of olive imaginable.    In the front of the market there's a bakery.  I can't resist baklava - and I didn't.  However, I discovered a new Greek sweet whose name eludes me.  It's a soft, soaked-in-syrup pastry filled with sesame paste - a kind of halvah.  The impression that I got with my first bite was "this is the best peanut butter cookie I've ever eaten".   It's beyond peanut butter cookie - soft and sweet, smooth with a slight sesame seed crunch. Heaven.

New Look, Quick Recipe, Delicious Restaurant

I've modified the blog's look a bit.  You might say that I dressed it in Spring clothes.   I had a feeling that it may  have been too dark.   So, out came the pastel hues - lighter colored banner, and a lighter background.  The type is darker too.  Is it easier to read?  Hmmm...

Springtime in the market means lots of things, not the least of which is the arrival of mountains of sole fillets.  So many that they were on sale at my local Whole Foods market for what appeared to be the very reasonable price of $6.99 a pound.   I love crispy-crusted fish whether deep-fried or sauteed 'til it crackles.  I don't love the mess that style of cooking creates on my stove top and the thin film of oil that generally settles around my kitchen.  To satisfy my craving, and need for neatness I developed a perfectly crispy, highly-flavored oven fried fillet of sole - or flounder.  You might think that sole and flounder are the same fish - easy assumption as their fillets are similar looking - but , no - they aren't even the the same species.  Both are flat fish - and sole is the more prestigious of the two ( I'm as pleased by one as the other) and is oval-shaped while flounder is a rounder, and thicker fish. 
The recipe includes some of my favorite ingredients.

Garlicky,Spicy Oven-Fried Fillets of Sole or Flounder

Serves 2 - 4, or one with plenty of leftovers for fish sandwiches with Romaine lettuce leaves and tartar on toasted any kind of bread.

1 pound sole or flounder fillets
1/2 lemon, juice only
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small hot pepper, minced or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
parchment paper

1.   Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.   Line a sheet pan with sides with parchment paper.  Place the fillets on the paper and sprinkle lemon juice over them.

2.   In a small skillet over medium heat melt the butter in the olive oil.  Add the garlic and hot pepper.  When the garlic just begins to turn gold, 60 - 90 seconds, lower the heat, add the breadcrumbs and salt.  Toss together to combine.   Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.

3.   Cover the fish fillets with he breadcrumb mixture.   Bake for 5 - for the sole - 6 or 7 minutes for the flounder.   Serve immediately.

My favorite way to eat the fish is on top of a tossed - simply with extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar - salad.  A forkful of vinegary-sweet, pungent oily leaves with a piece of  crunchy, crumbly, garlicky fish is a huge pleasure.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

  Serendipity defined the discovery of Kebab Cafe! at 25-12 Steinway Street (718-728-9858 - no website) in Queens, New York.  I mean, duh!!!   Are my friend Roy, and I the last food-centric people on the NYC planet to find our way to Ali El Sayed's charming hole in the wall?  First of all who goes to an Arabic neighborhood on a Friday afternoon and expects to find an exceptional meal.  We did, and we did.    I had read about Mombar, an Egyptian restaurant a few doors away on Steinway Street, owned by who I now know is Ali's brother, Moustapha - but is only open  for dinner.  Moustapha happened to be near the open door of his restaurant as we walked by so I asked him - boldly - if he might like to make lunch for us.  "Sorry", he said, "I don't open 'til 5".   "Where should we eat ?", I wondered, out loud.  "Everything seems to be closed".  "Go down the street, just in front of the bus stop", he directed.  "Is it good?"   "It's my brother's place."   So, we walked into the Kebab Cafe! (yes, exclamation point). After we sat, a young man asked us what we'd like to drink and gave us a verbal list of their offerings.  We chose hibiscus tea.  He took our order and told us to wait a minute for Ali who was somewhere nearby having a coffee.    Ali arrived, changed into his chef's whites and also gave us a verbal list of food choices.  We choose, at Ali's suggestion, the cafe's signature mezze (appetizers) plate.   Now, here's where patience is truly a virtue.   The hibiscus tea arrived about 30 minutes after we ordered it. Worth every sip. Ruby red, floral fragrant served in a glass with thin apple slices floating on top, it stung our mouths with its sweet and tangy taste.   The mezze came to our table about 30 minutes after the tea.  It too was worth the wait.   We were each given a small plate that was sprinkled with ground sumac (the berry of a flowering plant) and za'atar (ground mixture of Middle Eastern herbs and spices).  Then Ali brought a large plate with his mezze, "This is hummus, this is eggplant and zucchini vinaigrette, this is smoked eggplant also called baba ganoush, this is fouls (Egyptian fava beans), these are falafel made with fouls - and try this now with your fingers, it's fried bok choy leaves.  Here's a dish of seven peppers sauce".  We served ourselves from the large plate to our smaller spice-strewn plates and we ate, we dipped, we schmeared pita bread, apple and cucumber slices - we smiled, we oohed, we aahed.  I choked a bit - too much seven pepper sauce.  We were happy.  Good thing too.  We had to wait another 30 minutes for our main course, quail with pomegranate sauce. Oy!  Such splendor, you can't imagine.  The perfectly cooked, basically before our eyes as we ate mezze, and waited, dark and rich quail was roasted with layers of spices - some recognizable - some mysterious, then covered with an olive oil- pomegranate molasses sauce and showered with the ubiquitous ground sumac to serve. The quail sat on a bed of roasted eggplant, zucchini, onions and potatoes, with a few fresh basil leaves tucked in between - all drenched in that same sweet and sour sauce.  Ali cooked this food with a kind of casual, towel, flipped-over-your-shoulder elegance, that somewhat obscured the true mastery of  his craft.  You know, something like the way Fred Astaire danced.

I recited a list of ingredients to Ali that I thought might have gone into the making of the quail.  He just smiled and said, "Oh, I think I'll try your recipe".  

After lunch we took a walk back up Steinway Street to number 25-78, Laziza Bakery.  It was difficult to choose from the bakery's offerings but we managed to treat ourselves to their celebrated kunefa - a special Egyptian (but made all over the Middle East and Turkey) dessert made in its own special flat pan, covered with rose-water flavored syrup and garnished with chopped pistachios) and an assortment of their baklava  The bite-sized (better to sample a variety) baklava are unique in the world of honey-soaked, walnut-filled, phyllo-wrapped pastries.