The smells of summer, like struggle in the earth, sit heavy as fog in the kitchen. Ripening tomatoes, squash growing softer by the hour, the pressure to feast. This morning I invented a new breakfast, savory and whole-hearted. Ideal fuel for Labor Day Weekend madness.
Poached Eggs on Savory Gruyere and Scallion Pancakes
By Me
½ yellow onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup green chiles
2 handfuls raw spinach
1 TB Penzeys Cajun spice
4 eggs
Start by sautéing the above in two tablespoons of butter. I used this Ethiopian spiced butter I made two nights ago (recipe below for niter kibbeh). Delicious! Add about two handfuls of raw spinach and cook down. Poach four eggs.
For the pancakes, I wanted them to be like savory biscuits, and I had some krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix I wanted to get rid of.
Cook the pancakes for a few minutes each side in the skillet. Serve with the eggs and tomato on top!
This would be a great pre-marathon meal. Last weekend, KP and I completed our 27th marathon—a midnight full moon race along the Extraterrestrial Highway in Rachel, NV (about two hours north of Las Vegas). It was a gorgeous course, cool and bright—the desertscape whitened by the moonlight. We bought some alien-inspired souvenirs and to make sure we weren’t over the weight limit, we used our handy-dandy portable luggage scale from Eat Smart.
It’s a handy scale for other things, like measuring the strength, in pounds, of your bulldog’s tugofwar pull.
We had such a wonderful time in Nevada. After three years break, to get back on the pavement and in the marathon scene again was glorious! Happy to finish and excited for the next race!
Always great to find more ways to use summer squash, since I detest eating it raw…
Squash and Onion Smother on Romaine
Adapted from Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard
First make the Squash and Onions caramelized reduction goodness:
¼ cup bacon fat or butter
3 large sweet onions, halved and sliced thin with the grain
6 medium yellow squash, sliced into half moons
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt
In a 12 inch cast iron pan, melt the bacon fat and add the squash, onions, salt and pepper. Let this cook down over medium heat for about 10 minutes. The squash will release a whole lot of liquid and things will begin to shrink. Once it’s reduced by about half, lower the heat slightly and start stirring every few minutes. You are looking for a little caramelization on the bottom of the pan, so it’s okay if the vegetables start to stick a bit.
Using a wooden spoon, scrape it all up and stir it in. The mix will continue to shrink and develop color and flavor over a period of about an hour.
Lower your heat after 45 minutes and take the last bit very slow. It’s done when it’s reduced to about 2-3. It will be a chestnut color, full-flavored and fragrant.
Now make the Smother:
1 cup Squash and Onions (above)
5 cloves of garlic confit (just garlic roasted in olive oil for >45 minutes)
1 TB tahini
¼ tsp cumin
¼ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt
5 turns of the pepper mill
I like to smear this on romaine leaves with a sprinkle of fresh diced dedos de moca (Brazilian pepper we have been growing in the garden this year), and parmesan cheese.
Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Clarified Butter)
1 pound unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 black cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon fenugreek (or fennel) seeds
1 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring it to an extremely low simmer. Continue to simmer over low for at least one hour or up to 90 minutes. Don’t burn the butter. This is Key. Pour everything through a fine-mesh cheesecloth. (No need to skim off the foam, everything will be removed during straining.) Pour the niter kibbeh into a jar, let it cool, and cover so that it is airtight. You can store it at room temp for several months or even longer in the fridge. I use this for a lot of different dishes now, but in particular, for the breakfast above.
Delighted to enjoy some education at the IFBC conference this weekend in New Orleans. I was honored to host the IFBC Pub Crawl with Mark of Beyond Bourbon Street. We met so many wonderful food blogger colleagues, among the best–The Great Eight and Chef Julia— and enjoyed Compere Lapin, W.I.N.O., and Catahoula, among other favorites in town.
I will be attending Abigale’s (above) cocktail classes at Compere Lapin, Drink and Learn, on Mondays. I have new notes on how to host awesome dinner parties (thanks Great 8!) and from Chef Julia I was inspired to get all the veggies out and start roasting again.
Also, quick shout out to Salt and Light Pastry Company, a friend of friends and supporter of Swamp Solstice. May her macaron company rise to new heights!
There is a new baby in the neighborhood, and for the new proud parents, we brought this freeze-able all-time favorite vegetarian dish. I was thrilled to cook my first eggplant grown in the back yard (small, but good. Need to improve my soil game for next season, to be continued…)
This first step is mine—not in the cookbook, but according the Joy of Cooking, likely a more definitive text—absolutely necessary. Degorge the eggplants. This is a verb meaning: salt the eggplant slices and allow to sit on a air-dry rack until they appear to be sweating. Then rinse the salt off, just before you bread and fry.
Mix together all the cheeses in small bowl and set aside. Whisk together the egg and milk. Heat the oil in a castiron skillet. Put the bread crumbs in a shallow dish. My favorite bread crumbs of all time are Pereg. The Italian Style are made for this recipe, really, but I noticed I liked the way the Golden Crisp style fried a little better. Mix and match.
So crispy and delicious. Dip the slices in the egg mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs and toss in the hot oil. Fry each side until golden brown and then place on a pan lined with papertowels. Preheat your oven to 350.
In a large 9 x 12 casserole dish, spread a layer of marinara (about two cups). Then place a layer of fried eggplant. Then top with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat these layers twice until you’ve used all your eggplant. Top with some extra cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes until bubbling and cheese has browned. You can cover with foil if the cheese browns too early.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, saute onions in olive oil with salt and pepper until golden brown. Add tomatoes and spices. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Pour mixture into a blender and puree until smooth.
Thunder is shaking the house. The summer skies are darkened with heavy clouds full of water that just started spilling over onto the rooftops. I’m watching rain pelt the roof of the bright orange house next door and feeling grateful for all in life that serves to cover and shelter us. At times I am tempted to think that the recent loss of my Grandpa Stan was like the loss of a roof top in my life, and certainly during last week’s funeral I felt inundated by waves of relentless rain, but today just the memory of the shelter his love provided projects into the sky above me like a wide cover, a clear umbrella through which I can see the rain coming down and feel no fear. I know I can stand right where I am, even in a downpour of my own sorrow, and find fondness and hope in memory. Perhaps grief is a door to the outside, through which you discover you have no need to run for shelter, whatever the weather, because it’s with you already. I’ve got Stan’s Army tattoo stamped on my heart.
Miss you Stanley. Irma Thomas is playing “I Think It’s Going to Rain” again—and I’ll always think of you in the summer rain. “Bright before me, the signs implore me, to help the needy and show them the way. Human kindness is overflowing, and I think it’s going to rain today.”
We have had a series of wonderful gatherings in the neighborhood lately. Last night we got to join friends who started a tradition 30 years ago of Scotch whiskey tasting. Once a year, everyone brings together their good scotch and with each round of tastes, toasts. I recently got a sample of Magnus Highland Park whiskey, and it held up fine against the rest.
For whiskey in the summer, try a delicious mule mixer:
MIDSUMMER MULE
2 oz. Highland Park Magnus
1 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. ginger syrup
Soda water
Shake with ice | Strain over ice and top with soda | Garnish with a lemon wheel and ginger candy
As always, we are trying to eat healthier, less meat, generally. I am not a full vegan but I find inspiration in veganism with their compassion and concern for the eco-burden of our eating habits on the planet. If you can find a way to make one vegan dinner a week, I feel it makes a difference. The Dirty Vegan is a wonderful blog and now cookbook to provide some inspiration. I loved the Yumbo (Vegan Gumbo) and coffee cake–who knew flax could be so tasty!?
This time last year we went to SatchmoFest in the French Quarter, and practically swam home. To mark the anniversary of last year’s unexpected flood in New Orleans, we decided to repeat everything exactly as we did last year, tempting the fates to hit us again. When the downpour started during Ellis Marsalis’s set on Friday night, we looked at our guests visiting from out of town and said, “Here we go.” But twas nothing more than a puddle. And we were able to bike home and enjoy White Linen art and make a couple of tasty dishes to enjoy as porchfront breakfasts. Exposure therapy, in this case, was a success.
Last night we enjoyed a poolside Peach Hazelnut Crumble (I’d never be able to recreate the recipe, so I won’t try, but I’ll say there was a lot of cinnamon and hazelnut and sugar and butter amid peaches doused with lemon juice, baked at 375 for 45 minutes..) I was inspired to create an adventure by the arrival of my favorite sort of surprise–spices–from Spice Island!
Our company visiting this week is from Seattle which reminded me that I never did post this fabulous salmon dish I made two years ago, and which I’m now thawing another salmon for a second go.
Soy-Glazed Ginger Salmon on Spinach and Udon
Adapted from Food and Wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sake
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
Dash of cardamom and ginger powder from Spice Island
1 tablespoon sugar
Four 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets, with skin
1/2 pound fresh udon noodles
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spinach, stems discarded
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, sake, lime juice, ginger and sugar and bring to a boil; stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour the marinade into a glass baking dish; let cool completely. Add the salmon, turn to coat and marinate for 1 to 4 hours, turning occasionally.
Preheat the broiler. Broil the salmon, skin side down, 5 inches from the heat until golden, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets and broil for 4 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and the fish is not quite cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
In a medium saucepan of boiling water, cook the udon until heated through, 1 minute. Drain the noodles and transfer to soup bowls.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the spinach by handfuls and cook over high heat, tossing, until wilted. Mound the spinach on the udon and top with the salmon. Spoon the cooking juices in the baking dish over the fish, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.
During festival season, it is great to have snacks at the ready. I found these munchables by Rind pretty unusual. They are an acquired taste, definitely easy to incorporate in any GORP sort of trail mix you enjoy. What makes them unique is they have their skins still attached. Wild flavors and some folks I’ve shared them with really really love them. Worth a try!
Maybe the secret of life is learning to find home everywhere. We visited one such home, Rochester, MN, this weekend and I was in tears to find that hot dish is still one of my primary love languages. So wonderful to reunite with members of our ever-extending family. And we stayed a night on a tug boat bed and breakfast in Saint Paul!
It was festival season in MN, where they famously serve almost everything fried and on a stick. Here is my vegetarian homage to memories from Midwest county fair season. This is a take on a Coney Island famous hot dog—a famously fatty, uber unhealthy dog, deep-fried and wrapped in bacon—now gone vegetarian. And still super delicious. Even Izzy can’t tell they are made of vegetables, not meat!
Vegetarian Humm Dogs
Adapted from Food and Wine
RELISH
1 cup onion, chopped
2 TB olive oil
½ tsp salt
1 jalapeno, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Sprinkle of fresh dill
TRUFFLE MAYONNAISE
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup avocado oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh black truffle or 1 1/2 teaspoons white truffle oil
Make the relish in a small saucepan, saute onion in olive oil for 8 minutes, until caramelizing. Then add salt, jalapeno and garlic and blend flavors for 1-2 more minutes.
Simultaneously sear the hot dogs, also in the skillet, until browned on a couple sides. Seriously. I LOVE THESE.
Make the mayonnaise: in a mini food processor, puree the egg yolk with the lemon juice, mustard and salt until smooth. With the machine on, very gradually add the oil until emulsified and the mayonnaise is thick. Scrape into a small bowl and stir in the truffle.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Arrange the buns cut side up on a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread the inside of each bun with some of the truffle mayonnaise and fill with a hot dog and a slice of Gruyère.
Bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Top with some of the relish and garnish with celery leaves. Serve right away.
These go well with a side of Proper Crisps, all the way from New Zealand!
So much gratitude for the potlucks and meals together from last weekend in Rochester. We will be back!
In the sauna that now is downtown New Orleans, our hottest weekend thus far of 2018, Tales of the Cocktail has a tall task of bringing an elegant chill.
Disaronno and The Tia Maria Coffee Project -both Italian liqueurs- hosted a two day party with classes on how to make coffee liqueur cocktails, like the Espresso Martini, the Flat White Russian and the Tia Mint Americano. KP became a skilled barista mixologist.
Yes, that is caramel popcorn atop a coffee frappe. Fancy fancy. I suggest, for the home mixologist, something simple and refreshing, like the Americano.
Tia Mint Americano
25 mL Tia Maria (a liqueur which is Jamaican rum, Madagascar vanilla and coffee)
Double shot espresso
10 mL simple syrup
30 mL sparkling water
Fresh Mint Leaves
Sucre in the French Quarter hosted the classes and served killer black cherry macaroons and eclairs bedazzled with edible gold sparkle.
I have been working to perfect the choux paste recipe for puff pastry for the last few years and have been down-hearted in multiple failed attempts. There are so many turns at which a baker can go wrong with puff pastry. I was delighted this weekend, inspired by France’s World Cup win, to go for my own trophy-worthy batch. Voila. There were tears at the first finished product.
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
For the Chocolate Glaze:
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
Edible gold powder, for sprinkling the finished product, if desired
DIRECTIONS:
Might as well start with the Pastry Cream: Heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 20 seconds. When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Pâte à Choux (this is the hard part)
Beat the eggs and egg white in a measuring cup or small bowl; you should have 1/2 cup (discard the excess). Set aside.
Bring the butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When the mixture reaches a full boil (the butter should be fully melted), immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until combined and the mixture clears the sides of the pan. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using a smearing motion, until the mixture is slightly shiny, looks like wet sand, and tiny beads of fat appear on the bottom of the saucepan, about 3 minutes (the paste should register 175 to 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
(THIS PART IS KEY) Immediately transfer the mixture to a food processor and process with the feed tube open for 10 seconds to cool slightly. With the machine running, gradually add the eggs in a steady stream. When all the eggs have been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds until a smooth, thick, sticky paste forms. (If not using immediately in one of the following recipes, transfer the paste to a medium bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray directly on the surface, and store at room temperature for up to 2 hours.)
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set the pan aside.
Fold down the top 3 or 4 inches of a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip to form a cuff. Hold the bag open with one hand in the cuff and fill the bag with the paste. Unfold the cuff, lay the bag on the work surface, and, using your hands or a bench scraper, push the paste toward the tip of the pastry bag.
For Eclairs: Twist the top of the bag and pipe the paste into eight 5 by 1-inch strips, spaced about 1 inch apart. Use the back of a teaspoon dipped in a bowl of cold water to even out the shape and smooth the surface of the piped strips.
Bake 15 minutes (do not open the oven door!!! IF YOU DO, THEY WILL COLLAPSE!), then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown and fairly firm (the puffs and éclairs should not be soft and squishy), 10-11 minutes longer. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. With a paring knife, cut a 3/4-inch slit into the side of each puff and on the top of each éclair to release steam; return the puffs to the oven, turn off the oven, and prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Dry the puffs and éclairs in the turned-off oven until the centers are just moist (not wet) and the puffs and éclairs are crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer the puffs and/or éclairs to a wire rack to cool completely. (The cooled puffs and éclairs can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours or frozen in a zipper-lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. Before serving, crisp room-temperature puffs in a 300-degree oven 5 to 8 minutes; crisp frozen puffs/éclairs 8 to 10 minutes.)
When ready to serve, there are many techniques you can learn in Eclairs by Christophe Adam.
I chose to dip the eclairs in the chocolate glaze, which you make by just putting the half and half and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and heat until chocolate melts a bit. Then you whisk in the powdered sugar and dip the eclairs while still warm.
For the cream filling, some people simply cut the eclair in half like a hotdog bun and fill in the middle with cream where the dog would be. I like my eclair to be fully intact, no laparotomy scar, rather, more of laparoscopy approach. For this technique, which I learned in Adam’s book, using a piping nozzle a little bigger than the one you will use to fill, “drill” a couple discrete holes in the bottom of each eclair and fill with a piping bag loaded with your cream. Sneaky sneaky.
This is the most French outfit I own. Very grateful to have learned the art of the eclair, a failure that has been flagging my conscience for years. I feel like I am ready for the Great British Baking Show.
Viva la France! Thrilled to watch France win the World Cup today. Put me in the mood to eat well, like the French. Perhaps, like me, you have heaps of sumptuous vegetables and fruits who fantasize about jumping into your cloth-lined basket for a bicycle ride to the Jardin due Luxembourg or the Parc Monceau. Or Jackson Square, New Orleans, in a pinch. Just in time for Bastille Day, I perused Shaheen Peerbhai and Jennie Levitt’s Paris Picnic Club and was inspired.
Roasted Spiced Eggplant with Moorish Tomato Sauce
Adapted from the Paris Picnic Club
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup olive oil
4 medium eggplants
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups Moorish Tomato Sauce
4 ounces burrata cheese, crumbled
Fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400. Mix the olive oil and garlic together. Slice eggplants lengthwise, in half. Score the flesh with diagonal crisscrosses (not cutting through the skin) and gently splay open the eggplant to rub the garlic oil into the crevices. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange thyme sprigs on a baking sheet covered in parchment. Place eggplants cut side down on the thyme sprigs and roast for 40 minutes.
Flip over the eggplant slices and top with equal amounts of the Moorish Tomato sauce, and roast for 10-15 more minutes. Remove the eggplants and top with burrata and cilantro.
Moorish Tomato Sauce with Cumin, Orange Zest, and Cinnamon
3 pounds fresh ripe tomato
1 orange, zest and juice
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ cup olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh red jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
3 TB tomato paste
1 TB honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and black pepper
Prepare the tomatoes by cutting them in half and grating them on a coarse grater until you reach the skin. Reserve the pulp. Peel a strip off the orange, no pith, all zest. Juice the orange.
Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds 3-5 minutes until toasted. Crush in a mortar with pestle while still warm. Then heat the pan again and add the olive oil, thyme and rosemary sprigs for a minute. Add the onions, garlic, chili pepper, red bell pepper, tomato paste, and ground cumin. Cook for ten minutes, until onions begin to brown. Add the orange juice to deglaze the pan, cook down the juice until it is reduced by half, then add the tomato pulp, honey, orange zest, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes.
KP and I really did go on a picnic, not in Paris, but in Bay St. Louis. The above meal sort of combusts in transport. But these Jarlsberg Cheese Folio wraps did not.
Basically you are eating a quesadilla except the cheese is the tortilla. You could also easily use these for melting on top of soups or for actual quesadillas. But if you are gluten free- great option for wrap-substitutes. We brought these to Frida Fest. That’s right. A beach town in the state of Mississippi likes to celebrate the life and work of Frida Kahlo every July. I’m so into that.
I read another gastronomic memoir Eating With Peter by Susan Buckley, an homage to her late husband Peter Buckley who was friend to Ernest Hemingway. In it are recipes from their travels together, and the chapter on France at Pavillon de L’Ermitage, where they dined under chestnut trees looking at the Alps and Lake Annecy is my favorite. I love this pie crust recipe, and with it, made a blueberry pie in the honor of the fox who died at the New Orleans Zoo this weekend when the jaguar escaped. Yeah, that happened.
Tucci’s Pie Crust
Adapted from Eating with Peter
2 5/8 (300 g) butter, cold, sliced
50 grams sugar
1 egg, beaten
500 grams flour
Salt to taste
Ice water (as needed)
Mix butter, sugar and beaten egg. Cut this mixture into flour. Add a pinch of salt. Add water if needed. Form into three flat circles, like thick pancakes, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before using. This recipe will make three crusts. You can freeze the extra for about a month, if needed.
In the pie, I used Let’s Go Organic Arrowroot starch instead of corn starch or potato starch. Buckley’s recipe uses flour, but that’s not my favorite texture for a blueberry pie.
Through the heat, we soldier on. My lovely neighbor with a British accent reminded me of this virtue, after her beloved soccer club lost that heartbreaker against Croatia, with these charming and sober coasters,:
Happy summer time, y’all sweat enough yet? Might as well grill and have ice cream for dessert.
Herbed Cheese Spread
Adapted from Food and Wine
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¾ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 dried chiles de arbol
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
16 oz labne (it’s a yogurty thing, kinda like soft cheese)
2 TB olive oil
2 TB chopped chives
1 TB fresh oregano
1 tsp fresh tarragon leaves
Ground black pepper
Combine garlic, salt, and, if using, chile in bowl of a food processor, and pulse until coarsely ground, about 5 times. Add cream cheese, mascarpone, goat cheese, and olive oil, and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Add chives, marjoram, tarragon, and a few grinds of black pepper, and process until combined.
Grilled Flatbread
Adapted from Food and Wine
Starter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/8 ounces)
Pinch of instant or quick-rising yeast (you can also use a ¼ sourdough starter if you have it)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
Dough
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant or quick-rising yeast (or 1 cup sourdough starter)
1 3/4 cups warm water
All-purpose flour
rice flour, or semolina flour, for dusting
Combine flour and yeast (or your sourdough starter) in a medium bowl with your fingers. Make a well in center, and add water. Blend until smooth. Cover and let stand at room temperature until mixture is slightly bubbly and slightly risen, 12 to 18 hours.
Combine flour, salt, and yeast in bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer with your fingers. Make a well in center; add Flatbread Starter and warm water. You can use a dough hook or you can just knead and mix by hand.
Using a bowl scraper or spatula, turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Gently press dough out until slightly flattened. Starting with the side closest to you, fold dough over about two-thirds of the way to the opposite side, pressing gently. Then fold the side furthest away from you over about two-thirds of the way to the side closest to you, pressing gently. Rotate dough piece 90º, and repeat folding procedure with the 2 unfolded sides. Turn dough seam side down, and shape into a smooth ball.
Return dough to a bowl, smooth side up, cover, and let stand 15 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface, and repeat Step 3. (The dough should now be elastic and smooth.) Return to bowl, smooth side up; cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Make the Flatbreads
Divide Flatbread Dough into 8 equal pieces, about 6 1/8 oz. each. Shape each piece into a ball. Cover with a clean dish towel, and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat a grill to high (450°F to 500°F). Using tongs, carefully wipe grill grates with a lightly oiled paper towel. Using a grill brush, scrape grates clean, then wipe with an oiled paper towel once more.
Using your fingertips, press each dough ball into a rectangular shape; stretch each piece into a 6-inch circle. Arrange dough circles on a cutting board or a baking sheet sprinkled with flour. Cover with a clean tea towel, and let stand 20 minutes. (This final proofing builds more air into the dough, creating its chewier, fluffier texture.)
Shape each dough circle into a 10- x 8-inch rectangle. Transfer dough rectangles, in batches, to oiled grill grate, and grill, covered, until lightly charred on bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. (Wipe grill grate with oiled paper towels as needed between batches.) Flip dough rectangles, and grill until bottoms are well marked, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill.
These were delicious topped with the herbed cheese sauce (above) and grilled tomatoes (just slice a tomato into ½ cm thick rounds, lay out on parchment paper, drizzle with oil and fresh thyme and salt, and put to roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Little grilled pizzas.
Then, enjoy an ice cream cone or two for dessert! Let’s Do Gluten Free sent me some of their cones as a summer treat, and they were delicious. Bulldog approved. Now all we need is lieutenant Dan.
Cuban food in the summer, served under the shade of banana tree leaves, with the scent of magnolias. If Clue was a cookbook, that’s how each recipe would begin.
I made this delicious Seafood Creole recipe from Lisa Gershman’s Cuban Flavor last night and realized that it can easily serve ten people. Luckily, I just so happen to live near ten people. Who doesn’t want to be surprised by dinner? This Cuban cookbook had an important reminder for my soul, in the words of Graham Greene, who is quoted frequently through the text, in which, Gershman strives to show again and again how Cuban culture curates cuisine. And culture starts in a neighborhood—the ten or so people next door or around the block who help to make your porch feel like home.
“They can print statistics and count the populations in hundreds of thousands, but to each man a city consists of no more than a few streets, a few houses, a few people. Remove those few and a city exists no longer except as a pain in the memory, like the pain of an amputated leg no longer there.”
Arroz Moro
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Salt
1 cup black beans, dried, picked over and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 peppers, green, large, halved, stemmed and seeded
1 onion, large, halved in the middle, peeled
1 garlic head, 5 cloves minced, rest of head halved in the middle with skin left on
2 bay leaves
1½ cups rice, white, long-grain
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices bacon
4 teaspoons cumin, ground
1 tablespoon oregano, fresh, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 scallions, sliced thin
Dissolve 1½ tablespoon salt in 2 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
In a dutch oven, stir together drained beans, broth, water, 1 green pepper half, 1 onion half (with root end), halved garlic head, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until beans are just soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard the green pepper, onion, garlic and bay leaves. Drain beans in colander set over a large bowl, reserving 2½ cup beans cooking liquid (add additional water to make up 2½ cups if needed). Do not wash out the dutch oven.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350F. Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Shake strainer to remove the excess water, set aside. Cut remaining green pepper and onion into 2 inch pieces and process in food processor until broken into rough ¼ inch pieces. Set aside.
In the empty dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil and bacon over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and rendered, about 15 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, chopped green peppers and onion, cumin, and oregano. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 10-15 minutes longer. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat.
Stir in beans, reserved bean cooking liquid, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender about 30 minutes. Fluff with fork and let rest, uncovered 5 minutes. Garnish with scallions.
Among inventions handy for the bicycle commuter, I give you: The Space Shaker. It’s a water bottle that crinkles up like a slinky! You just put your protein powder in, while it’s shrunk, throw it in your bag, then add water and expand the bottle to fill with water. I tried one of their single use Space Shaker Go products, and it was a hoot! The LUX models are sturdier and washable, and more snazzy looking. If you are sick of lugging a bludgeon Yeti of a waterbottle to and from work on your bike, try this out. If I was on Shark Tank, I’d invest.
The Fourth of July dazzled. We barbequed, the pool came to us in the heat (30 minute thundershower, thank heavens for pop up tents), and the chickens entertained a gaggle of toddlers. Everyone, chickens included, were well-fed.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, leek and bell pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Place the fish on top of the vegetables and add the cream, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the cod), until the fish is just cooked. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes, then flake the fish into large pieces with a fork.
Put 2 cups of the fine panko in a large bowl. Add the cod mixture, including the cooking liquid, the dill, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest, eggs, lobster, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and mix gently.
Using a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop as a measure, shape the mixture into 3-inch fish cakes. You will have at least 14. Place the remaining 2 cups of coarse panko on a plate and coat the cakes all over, patting the coating to adhere. Wipe the saute pan clean with a paper towel and heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of grape seed oil in the pan over medium heat. Place 5 cakes in the pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned on both sides. Transfer the cakes to a sheet pan and keep them warm in the oven for up to 15 minutes. Repeat, adding more butter and oil, until the entire mixture is cooked. Serve hot with the remoulade sauce.
Remoulade Sauce: Place the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl and blend until smooth.
This was just so delicious. Shucking the lobster was tricky, but the buttery flavor of that meat, so worth it. Then, there was this cake, baked in a skillet upside-down. Some people thought I had put rum in the cake. Nope, just very very tangy and moist.
Blueberry Upside Down Cake
Adapted from Food and Wine
3/4 cup unsalted butter (6 ounces), cubed, at room temperature, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 cups blueberries
4 teaspoons lemon zest, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 3/4 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium. Stir in lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until mixture is bubbly and sugar is mostly dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Toss berries and 2 teaspoons lemon zest with another splash of fresh lemon juice in a medium bowl until combined. Arrange berries evenly over sugar mixture in skillet. (If using halved large blackberries, place cut sides up.) Set aside.
Place remaining 1/2 cup butter and remaining 1 cup sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon zest.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add flour mixture one-third at a time to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low speed until just combined after each addition. Spoon batter over berry mixture in skillet, and spread gently over berries.
Place skillet on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until cake is lightly browned and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool 30 minutes.
Run a butter knife around edge of cake; place skillet over low to just warm bottom, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; carefully invert cake onto a large plate. Serve cake lightly dusted with powdered sugar and, if desired, with whipped cream on the side.
Last, but not least, the most delicious corn I’ve ever made, paired with steak and chimichurri. Just scrumptious.
Corn Chaat with Tomato Tamarind Chutney
Adapted from Food and Wine
CHUTNEY
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 dried red chiles (such as chiles de árbol)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked
2 whole clove
6 plum tomatoes (1 1/4 pounds), cored and chopped
1/2 cup packed jaggery or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
CORN CHAAT:
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons plus
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), divided
Make the chutney: Heat grapeseed oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add ginger, chiles, peppercorns, and cloves; cook, stirring often, until ginger is soft and spices are toasted, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, tamarind paste, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Let mixture cool slightly, and transfer to a blender. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl; cover and refrigerate until cold.
Make the corn chaat: Preheat a grill to high (450°F to 550°F). Whisk together yogurt, cumin, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
Brush corn with grapeseed oil. Place corn on grates, and grill, uncovered, turning often, until kernels are charred, 10 to 12 minutes. When corn is cool enough to handle, cut kernels from corn into a large bowl; discard cobs. (If using thawed frozen corn, heat a cast-iron skillet over high until smoking. Add corn in an even layer, and cook, without moving, until kernels are charred and begin to release from skillet, about 4 minutes.) Add coconut oil, remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to bowl; stir to combine. Add cilantro, mint, scallions, serrano chile, and 1/2 cup Corn nuts; toss to combine.
Divide corn mixture evenly among 4 serving bowls; top with chutney and yogurt mixture. Stir together curry powder and remaining 1/4 cup toasted corn snacks, and sprinkle over corn mixture
1 cup loosely packed fresh marjoram or oregano leaves, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 large garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon colatura (Italian fish sauce) or Asian fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
5 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 (4-pound) tri-tip steak
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Stir together parsley, marjoram, oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper, colatura, hot paprika, sweet paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt until combined. Set chimichurri aside. (Chimichurri may be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
Open bottom and top vents of a charcoal grill completely. Light 2 charcoal chimney starters filled with briquettes (about 8 1/2 cups of briquettes per chimney). When briquettes are covered with gray ash, pour in an even layer on bottom grate of grill. (Internal temperature should be about 375°F to 400°F.)
Place steak on a rimmed baking sheet, and season with black pepper and remaining 4 teaspoons salt. Place steak on oiled grate, fatty side down, and grill, uncovered, until charred and browned, about 15 minutes. Flip and grill, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of steak registers 135°F for medium-rare, about 13 minutes, or to desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from grill, and transfer to a cutting board; let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
While steak rests, cook onions. Carefully remove cooking grate from grill and set aside. Push coals to one side of grill, and arrange onions in a single layer in cleared space; scatter coals over onions. Cook until onions are charred and insides are crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer onions to a metal baking dish, and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Brush away ashes with a paper towel.
I’m so grateful to have an extended family here in New Orleans who enjoys meal after meal with us, the best taste testers and the best of friends. Love to Midcity Dinner Club!
