Weekend Interruptus Part II

I made minestrone on Sunday with the beautiful vegetables that Rita brought me, and a few things that I picked up at the Tompkins Square greenmarket.   Minestrone is often made with chicken broth - or, like its French relative, soupe au pistou, started with pancetta.  I make a strictly vegetarian soup.  For this one I used a red Tropea onion.  The torpedo shaped onion has its origins in the Calabria region of southern Italy.   It's sweet and slightly pungent flavor gives depth to the soup.

MINESTRONE WITH ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES AND PESTO
I like to eat this minestrone at room temperature - but there's no reason why you can't serve it hot.

Serves 8.   
I eat about half of it after it's freshly made and freeze the other half for future meals.

1 Tropea - or medium red onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 small hot pepper, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh borlotti beans ( about 1 pound in their shells)
6 cups water
1/2 pound new potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 pound broad beans cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups shredded savoy cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups summer squash or zucchini or both cut into 1/2-inch rounds

Garnish with: cherry tomatoes covered with olive oil and salt and roasted at 350 degrees F. until they're deep gold, about 45 minutes, a dollop of pesto (recipe on previous blog) per serving, and a healthy sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

1.    In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan saute the onion, garlic and hot pepper in the olive oil until the onion is transparent, about 10 minutes.   Add the borlotti beans and water.  Lower the heat and simmer for  15 minutes and add the potatoes, broad beans, cabbage and salt.   Cook for 15 minutes and the zucchini.  Cook until the beans are tender - another 1/2 hour or so.   In the meantime the potatoes should be soft enough to push up against the side of the saucepan and mash with  dinner fork.  The soup will thicken a bit.   You may want to add more water as needed.
2.   Serve while still warm or at room temperature with the suggested garnishes.

 Labor Day 2011 was celebrated with cookout on my terrace with food made for friends by me and my friend, Roy.
We started with a lovely eggplant relish very reminiscent of  the Sicilian sweet &amp sour caponata  made by Roy which he served on goat cheese smeared crostini and garnished with tender aruglua leaves.  Unfortunately I won't be able to give you  any of Roy's unpublished recipes.  We'll all have to wait for a future book from  Roy Finamore.  Go to his site Tasty Central  to sample some of his other recipes.
The guacamole served with radishes and corn chips was from me.   It's probably anathema to guacamole purists because I make it in a food processor and add a bit of garlic.  The important thing is that my lime juice and cilantro redolent dip tastes very good.

Roy grilled burgers and dogs.  We ate the dogs in grilled buns with outstanding chili made by Roy and cole slaw made by me piled on top.  The cole slaw is more or less the recipe that my late mother made for every occasion from birthday parties to, well, to Labor Day cookouts.

HILDA SIMON'S COLE SLAW

1 head cabbage thinly sliced on a mandolin
2 carrots, peeled and shredded

Dressing:  Add  3/4 cup good quality commercial mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons grated onion (I used red), 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt (or more as desired), and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper to a small bowl and whisk together until completely smooth.  Pour over the cabbage and carrots and combine.
Try to make the cole slaw in the morning if you're serving it in the evening.  It gets better as it marinates.

Roy made potato salad.  It was a riff on one of the salads from his book "One Potato Two Potato" (Houghton Mifflin, 2001).  Full of chopped hard cooked eggs, sweet pickles and celery.
He also made the most incredible baked beans in the universe.  I'm tapping my foot waiting  for that recipe.
I made the summer cake ( see blog, August 17th) that I love so much with Italian plums.
Roy made butter pecan ice cream, and raspberry buttermilk sherbet from his James Beard award winning book, "Tasty" (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)

RASPBERRY BUTTERMILK SHERBET
Makes about 1 quart
Roy says, "When I was growing up, a Good Humor truck drove through our neighbor hood, ringing a bell every summer afternoon.   Ice cream truck music drives me nuts now, but it certainly didn't them.  My favorite was raspberry sherbet on a stick.  Here's my tribute."
4 (6-ounce) baskets raspberries
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/4 cups simple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt

Whir the raspberries in a food processor until you have a loose slush.   Pass the slush through a strainer set over a bowl, working with  wooden spoon or rubber scraper to get all the pulp.  Discard the seeds.
Whisk the buttermilk, simple syrup, lemon juice and salt into the pulp.  Chill for an hour or so.
Follow the instructions that came with your ice cream maker to freeze the sherbet.  Scrape it into a plastic container and pop it into the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   It was a wonderful weekend.   I'll go upstate another time.  However, I couldn't have had the experiences that I enjoyed had Irene's intrusion not permitted them. 

Labor Day 2011, or, Weekend Interruptus, part I

Oh, the best laid plans are often interrupted by a hurricane.  Not to mention people's homes and lives - so, I almost feel silly talking about my weekend away that was cancelled because I couldn't get to my destination because so many of  the roads that led there were wiped away due to massive flooding following Irene's destructive path.  
Beautiful NYC weather and green market bins overflowing with hastily harvested- so many of the farmers who supply the city's markets are located in the swath of Irene's harmful route - made staying put a no brainer.

Even before Irene entered City limits I harvested my own crop of basil and made copious amounts of pesto.  Some of it stayed in my refrigerator and was consumed just about everyday either neat on spaghetti,  tossed with new potatoes and green and yellow beans, as a topping for fresh tomato and feta cheese pizza - or as a newly created pasta sauce combined with fresh borlotti beans, zucchini and tiny, golden tomatoes.   The remaining pesto is safely stored in half pint containers, in my freezer, to be pulled out and thawed in the wintertime when I need a reminder of warm weather.

PASTA WITH BORTLOTTI, ZUCCHINI & TOMATOES AL PESTO

Serves 3 - 4

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium zucchini cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small hot pepper minced
1 cup fresh borlotti beans (about 1 pound in their shells)
1 cup tiny cherry tomatoes (or larger ones cut in half)
1/2 teaspoon  salt
3/4 cup water - or more as needed
2 cups pasta such as shells, penne or fusilli - about  1/2 pound
2 tablespoons pesto (see recipe below)
Parmesan cheese for serving

1.   Add the garlic and olive oil to a large saucepan and saute until garlic is pale gold.   Add the zucchini, hot pepper, borlotti, cherry tomatoes, salt and 1/4 cup water.    Stir the ingredients to thoroughly combine.   Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender - about an hour.  You will need to add more water every 15 or 20 minutes.  Do it in 1/4 cup increments.  I used 3/4 cup water - you may need more - or less, depending on what you consider a tender bean.   The mixture should be ever so slightly soupy - not dry - at the end.
2.   About 15 minutes before the sauce is cooked bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
3.   Use a wire mesh strainer to remove the pasta from the pot and add it to the saucepan.  Add the pesto and stir the thoroughly coat the pasta.  Serve immediately with grated Parmesan cheese.

I didn't include a photo of the finished pasta - because while it's incredibly delicious - and nutritious - it's not very photogenic.

PESTO
2 cups fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1.   Put the basil, pine nuts, walnut pieces, garlic, Parmesan, and salt into a food processor and puree.   With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil (you may not need the full amount) and process until the mixture resembles mayonnaise.  the pesto can made ahead and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for 6 - 8 months; be sure to seal the top of the pesto with a thin film of olive oil before covering.

So, instead of going upstate - ostensibly to take care of Frankie while Rita and David went to an event in another state - they took a long route (to avoid washed out roads) and brought Frankie to NYC to stay with me and Allegra before they continued on their journey.   Rita brought me a selection of things from her garden.  Wow - it's like she replaced the ingredients I just cooked into a pasta sauce.  Stay tuned for my next meal made with borlotti beans, summer squash, and tomatoes.

As soon as Frankie and Allegra were comfortably resting I took off for my favorite day vacation - a trip out to Rockaway Beach - for the beach and sun - for sure - but really for that fried fish sandwich at Motorboat and the Big Banana.  This vendor of all things divine including - yes, a frozen banana covered in chocolate, nuts and chopped pretzels - is located at beach 96th street which is the 98th street/Playland stop on the Rockaway shuttle.  I've have this fried fish sandwich all summer - it never, ever disappointed.  The one that I ate the other day (photo) may have been the best ever.   This sandwich is undeniably the BEST SANDWICH in all of New York City.  The concession stands will be open for about another month.  Check out their hours at Rockaway Beach Club.   As for the beach - it was a very high tide and there was little to no beach - I didn't mind I just down on a bench on the boardwalk, enjoyed the sun and salty breezes.

SUSANSIMONSAYS: Part II of the weekend's adventure will be posted shortly after Labor Day so I can include the festivities of the day.

Up on the Hudson River - a Tale of Two Cities

Last week Allegra and I got into the car, picked up two tender, milky, freshly made mozzarellas from Russo's on east 11th street, and drove north for a couple of hours.  Our first stop was Hudson, NY, about 110 miles north of the City, on the east-side of the Hudson River. We stopped for a visit with friends, Tony & Maggie, both artists, who live in a huge Greek Revival home on one of Hudson's leafy streets just south of the little city's main thoroughfare, Warren Street. 

I arrived just in time for lunch.  How fortuitous! (Really, I was all set to check out Hudson's tortilla shack)  One of the mozzarellas was immediately sliced and paired with sliced, freshly picked (from their garden) still-warm-from-the-sun tomatoes, and whole basil leaves  to make one of the meal's offerings.   A sour dough baguette from downtown Hudson's Loaf Bakery was what was needed to sop up that delicious mixture of olive oil and tomato juice that comes with a serving of the red, green and white Insalata Caprese (and for this one, a bit of yellow).  Remember this salad gets dressed simply with olive oil and salt.  That's it.
After lunch, Allegra and I took off for a walking tour of the downtown, commericial area of  Hudson with a first stop at Lick, on Warren Street, for ice cream.   I love Lick's ice cream.  I had a coffee, cookie, caramel cone and Allegra had a Betsey's BowWow - which is vanilla ice cream garnished with two homemade dog biscuits.  We were in heaven and ready to walk off our indulgence.  
We enjoyed our walk and had to stop at Swallow Espresso and Coffee Shop on Warren Street, not just for the coffee, but also because it shares a space with Loaf and I wanted to buy a baguette.  We met our friend, Cynthia at Swallow - sat outside and admired the afternoon parade of dogs and their humans.

I was most impressed with a a couple of men, separately, and their poodles.

After a leisurely, window-shopping walk down Warren  Street with Cynthia, Allegra & I went back to our car parked in front of Tony & Maggie's place, said our "Goodbyes" and headed back south a bit to the Rhinecliff  Bridge where we crossed the magnificant Hudson River, to the west-side, and went to visit our friends Mark and James - who call their side of the river, the "Left Bank" - and their dog, Cicero in Kingston - the former captial city of New York.   

They live in a unique mid-century home which they have named Ringtop Ranch.  The neighborhood kids refer to it as the "Jetson's house".   I would say it's more elegant than comical.   The seemingly stark design belies what is a comfortable and almost cozy interior.

Because our hosts arrived from NYC a bit on the late side we didn't cook at home but instead went to a wonderful bistro in Uptown Kingston (as opposed to a whole other area of town down by the river - and a section in between both) called Boitson's.    Boitson's is just the kind of place that you want near where you live.   Inviting and easy, with a food and cocktail menu that has something for everyone - but is big on comfort food.  Like the fried oysters, fried chicken, burgers, mac and cheese that somehow found their way to our table along with cocktails named for various New York City boroughs (owner Maria Philippis managed the legendary Blue Ribbon restaurant before opening her upstate eatery) and upstate locations.  I was happy with a cocktail called The Brooklyn made with bourbon, triple sec, sweet vermouth and fresh lime.  Let's just say I was happy.   Slightly buzzed with good friends and good food - is there anything better?

Saturday morning was all about the Kingston farmer's market.   The various stalls were brimming with the gems of  mid-August, tomatoes, corn, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, herbs, peaches, plums, watermelon and so on.  We bought some of most things to make an unforgettable dinner.

But first we had lunch.  Another version of the marriage-made-in-heaven combo of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.  With a sour dough baguette from Loaf , the 2nd Russo's mozzarella, tomatoes from the farmer's market and basil from Ringtop Ranch's herb garden I made toasted sandwiches.   We ate outside on the Ranch's upper patio and plotted our afternoon in the kitchen. 

James made watermelon juice - blended  chunks of melon - that's it.  We thought that we could serve it with gin or vodka - or neat, on the rocks - which turned out to be the most popular drink of the evening. Watermelon juice is not only delicious - more delicious than it deserves to be because is so downright beneficial to your body: filled with powerful antioxidants, packed with vitamin A rich in electrolytes (it will rehydrate your thristy self in seconds), and because of the big presence of vitamin C, carotene - it's a gorgeous color.

I made chimichurri - a fresh herb sauce - full recipe on blog dated 12-4-10- to serve with grilled chicken breasts and rib-eye steak.  I added a bit of chopped red onion to the original recipe.

James roasted, simply with olive oil and a bit of salt,  separately, sun gold and chocolate cherry tomatoes, and fresh corn kernels - which were later tossed together with a chiffonade of fresh basil and served as a first course with squid ink spaghetti.  All those bits of caramel created when the tomatoes were roasted added a certain sumptuousness to the pasta that is indescribable.

James grilled sliced eggplant.  I made an ersatz tonnato sauce to serve with it.    Puree a can of good quality, packed in olive oil, tuna with lemon juice and a handful of capers.   Loosen the puree to a spreadable consistency with a nice portion of good quality commercial mayonnaise.    Evenly place the grilled eggplant on a serving platter - cover the top with tonnato sauce.  Garnish with capers.

James set the table with to-die-for, vintage Gucci water glasses.

 Mark fullfilled a longtime ambition and made peach jam.

I made my favorite cake of the summer - one that  I've topped with with peaches, peaches and cherries, peaches and crumbled amaretti cookies - and for Ringtop Ranch - topped with blueberries, Italian plums and slivered almonds.

SUMMER CAKE

Cynthia, of the previously mentioned walk around Hudson, gave me this recipe at the end of last summer.  I started to make it at the beginning of this summer and won't stop 'til the last piece of summer fruit disappears.

1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add almond extract.  (I use a hand held mixer to do this)
Sift together:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Fold into butter/egg mixture.  Do not overmix, batter will toughen.
Spoon dough into buttered and lined 8-9-inch springform pan (I always use a non-stick cake pan).  Add 1 1/2 cups (I use at least 2 cups) apricots, peaches, plums, bluberries, or cherries, etc. just layered on top of the batter.  The fruit will sink while baking.   Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar - and/or a handful of slivered almonds.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes to an hour - until a toothpick inserted in center comes clean.
Serve warm or cool - plain or with creme fraiche, or....

James roasted some fingerling potatoes with a hint of fresh rosemary.  Then we were set for dinner.    We rinsed ourselves off and changed into clean clothes and went for a cocktail at the home of one of our dinner guests.  Now, this is a well-known house down by the river, perched high on a hill.  Built in 1873 by the brick merchant, John A. Cordts - this Second Empire house with its columned front porch from which there are sweeping views of the Hudson River is owned by an artist who outfitted it in a dazzling way.  After a drink and conversation we ( the 3 of us, the artist and his 2 guests) headed back to Ringtop Ranch - en masse - to enjoy, I mean really enjoy a wonderful dinner, and each others' company.

Bye, bye James & Cicero (and Mark already returned to the City).   Allegra & I had a great time.  See you soon. oxox

SUSANSIMONSAYS:  

Another thing to do with all the fresh tomatoes and basil that are overpopulating farmstand bins - right now.

My go-to pizza dough is made :

Combine a 1 1/4-ounce packet of dry yeast with 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1 cup warm water.  Let stand until foamy, about 15 minutes.  Combine 3 cups all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl.  add 1/3 cup olive oil to the yeast mixture, then add to the flour.  Mix well.  Turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead until soft and elastic, 3 - 4 minutes.

Swish a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large bowl and place the dough in it.  Turn the dough so it's thoroughly coated in oil.  Cover and place in a warm draft-free environment to rise.  It should double in size in 45 minutes to an hour.  Punch down.  Cut into 4 pieces and retrun to the bowl.  Recover.

Now, after the dough has risen a second time you can make 4 10-inch pizzas - or one and freeze the remaining pieces, individually for future use.  It's so nice to know that you them - they're perfect for a last minute meal or for a cocktail snack.     The featured pizza is topped with fresh, heirloom tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, and frehly made pesto - which is added AFTER the pizza comes out of the oven.   The pizza is baked at 500 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes - until the cheese is sizzling and the crust is golden.

Nantucket, Again

It seems that during the past two weeks the only thing that allowed me to navigate through the  horrendously hot dome that covered most of the country, and egregiously, New York City, was the thought that I'd be on Nantucket Island very soon.   After a rather comfortable drive up to Hyannis (I kept the windows open the whole way - never turned on the A/C)  here I am once again.

The BEACH, which had been my mind's headline was my first destination after a misty night's sleep.

Island friend, Anna Bender of The Weaving Room,  made BLTs on some sort of seeded Finnish bread that she found at one of the local shops.  Mind you the BLT has its season right now when local tomatoes, ripened straight through on the the vine, are the stars of the vegetable show.  It's their tart-sweet flavor and slurpiness that give the sandwich its character. And, to tell you the truth, I think that the BLT is the sandwich to eat on the beach.  Something about a salty sandwich consumed in the salt air!
I picked up a bag of the Nantucket Bake Shop's unique shortbread cookies for dessert and fortification after a few rolls in the surf. They're very thin, buttery and crunch like a pieces of toffee.

We were joined at the beach by our good friend, New Orleanean-Nantucketer, photographer ne plus ultra, David Halliday - who made quite a photograph himself carry vibrant purple and shocking pink umbrellas - which we never used because it was far too windy.

I love the way cinnabar orange rose hips look nestled next to still-blooming dusky pink rugosa roses.  The entrance to the beach is blanketed with rose bushes.

Back home to sister Laura, and brother-in-law Jim's great place out on the island's east end.  Laura dug up some Paonazza d'Egitto beets which I took into the kitchen - while she continued to tend to her endlessly blooming garden.  I proceeded to cook the beets according to a recipe that Laura says I gave her.  I didn't remember - but now I will - 'cause it's that good.

LAURA & SUSAN'S BEETS

1.  Cut ends off as many beets as you like, peel, rinse and shred on a box grater
2.  Coarsely chop a clove or two of garlic.  Saute in olive oil until pale gold.   Add the beets, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until beets are tender - about 40 minutes.  Or cook to the consistency that you prefer.
3.   Finish with salt to taste and a splash of vinegar.
4.   Serve topped with sour cream and chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, basil, chervel, etc.


Laura planted a row of assorted lettuce with seeds she ordered from a place called Wild Garden Seed.  The pictured row is a sampler of the unusual and delicious leaves.  The tall, Christmas tree-like head is called strella. 

Book signing - "Italy Dish by Dish", and "Shopping in Marrakech" at Mitchell's Book Corner.
Thank you Annye's Whole Foods for providing delicious snacks and fine wine.

Remember the photo from an early June entry where I pointed out the cut in the sand between Sesachacha Pond and the ocean.   Well, here it is up close.  Spent a refreshing afternoon swimming in the pond.

I had a nice visit with my friends, Thom and Bart and had a personal tour of their luscious, fairy tale-like garden.  Visiting the enormous oeuvre is a voyage to another world!

Back to the ocean.  Gentle, sweet waves.  I spent lots of time in water without worrying whether I would make it out without being thrown against the sand.  Just had to worry whether the adolescent seagull would steal our snacks.

A trip out to the island's own soccer field to watch the summertime men's league play.   Wow, the island sure has evolved since I began coming here decades ago.  What a treat.

Another local treat were the oysters that I was served for dinner at my friends' home.  The Benders, Anna & Steve had just harvested the sweet, briny mollusks.    Anna opened them and served them on ice cubes - that a a faint spritz of lemon.  Basta.

SUSANSIMONSAYS: see you soon Nantucket.