JUNE

June came in with a fireworks finale as the Rhody bushes and then the Peony bushes exploded in color. For such a short time our yard and tables were vibrant with color, now at the end of the month the best we can do is pick a bit of green Andromedia for our the table while the more sedate day lilies and foxglove add some color to our woods. The spring show is over mid-June.

June flew by and the Asparagus was finished around the 20th leaving Ed (perhaps because he traveled during much of the season) and me still wanting more.  Strawberry picking beat the usual "Father's Day start" by several days and I still easily picked several quarts today. Haiku/hakueri turnips and radishes appeared early month and scallions, snap peas and shell peas appeared just after the asparagus disappeared. Zuchini and other summer squashes have just started.



In addition to April and May offerings which continued into June, this month we have been especially enjoying:

Strawberry Shortcake and Strawberry Short (Pan)cakes

Haiku Turnip Saute

New England Peas

Hummus with snap peas and radishes




So far we have just grilled the zucchini and scallions but will no doubt have Fried Zucchini soon.

On a few of the hot nights we have had this month I have served cold chicken on bok choy and scallions with Spicy Szechwan Peanut Sauce.

As we end the month, a more subdued centerpiece - prunings from our Pieris Andromeda - graces our table.



After a day of picking strawberries in the hot sun, you may need to visit Make Strawberry Stains Vanish.

Reviewed 9/19/2017

Strawberry Short (Pan)cakes

1996

One of the few times a year I buy whipping cream is strawberry season.  In addition to Strawberry Shortcake I use it to make one of Christopher's favorite breakfasts - pancakes with strawberries, maple syrup and whipped cream. Since I most often make pancakes on the boat I use a mix, Arrowhead Mills Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix*.  While this mix is good using just vegetable oil and water, if I have skim milk available, I use the milk instead of water. When making this on board a whipped cream maker is especially useful.

Alternate pancakes with sliced, slightly mashed strawberries and top with whipped cream and maple syrup.  This is also good with frozen sliced, mashed strawberries.

December 2013: Leftover strawberries and cream again beg for pancakes and maple syrup....

Strawberry stains on that crisp blue shirt? See Make Strawberry Stains Vanish.

* May 2017: For pancakes from scratch see Alex's Almond Pancakes.





Reviewed 5/12/17

Spinach Salad with Rhubarb Vinaigerette

The idea for this recipe came from a recipe for "Spinach and Fennel Salad with Radishes, Turnips and Rhubarb Vinaigrette" I found in a newsletter on the AKA Bistro (now closed) website.  I liked the idea but like a lot of "restaurant recipes" it had too many ingredients and too many processes/steps (for example the radishes and turnips are pickled with spices). I simplified the ingredients using part of a beautiful bunch of multi-colored radishes I found at the farm stand this morning and the seasonal touch of sliced strawberries picked yesterday to compliment the rhubarb. BUT I thought the salad was just OK and Christopher, who likes Strawberry Rhubarb (with minimal sugar added) but prefers balsamic Tuscan style dressings, did not like it at all;  too sweet.  I decided not to post it but Christopher said that would be a mistake: "When someone searches 'rhubarb dressing' they should benefit from your experience."  Indeed, I think adding the strawberries was a mistake and the addition of the fennel and pickled radishes and turnips (though I would be inclined to just bring to a boil 1/2 c of tarragon vinegar and 2 T sugar, pour this mixture over the sliced radishes and turnips and marinate for 2 hours) would have cut the sweetness considerably.  This might also work well with slightly more bitter greens. Stay tuned.

MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE:

In a small sauce pan combine:

1/4 # rhubarb
1 T raw sugar
1/4 c tarragon or wine vinegar

Simmer until the rhubarb reaches an apple sauce consistency. Cool the mixture slightly then push through a fine mesh strainer; some residue will remain.


Wisk in:

3/8 c olive oil
1/4 t Dijon style mustard
Salt to taste

ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:

Mix the greens and vegetables (see notes above) and lightly dress.

Reviewed 6/18/2017

Solmorejo

While I was working on the Celery Sorbet recipe, I returned to the Naia Restaurante Bistro (where I first had celery sorbet) website and discovered from the posted menu that the restaurant is now serving, Solmorejo (instead of Andulusian Gazpacho) with celery and lemon sorbet.  Not knowing what Solmorejo is, I naturally did a search. 


While the "authentic" Solmorejo appears to have a high olive oil content, I made an "everyday" (very easy to make, healthy ingredients) version that Ed declared absolutely delicious.  Since tomato season is a few months off, I used canned tomatoes; stay tuned for a fresh tomato update.

Put in cold water to soak:

3 1/2 ounces stale white bread, crust trimmed off (weight is for trimmed bread)

Put in food processor*:

28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted) + 2T water to rinse can

1-2 cloves garlic, to taste, finely minced

1 T olive oil (for more "authentic" add more)

1 T vinegar (I used tarragon, for more "authentic" use sherry vinegar, add more)

Salt and pepper to taste

Wring out as much water as possible from the bread and add to the tomato mix.

Process until mixture is very smooth. 

Served topped with Celery Sorbet and a sprig of cilantro.

July 2012: I had just put some No-Knead Bread in the oven and wanted something yummy to go with it.  I had the makings for Solmorejo but not Celery Sorbet.  I took the cucumber, scallions and microgreens on hand, chopped the cuke and thinly sliced the scallions - a perfect garnish.






* April 2013: Just made some Beet Soup with Cumin with an immersion blender (see Cool Tools 3). Wow! The prep time is shorter and the clean-up much easier. Going forward I will be using the immersion blender instead of the food processor for all pureed soups.

Reviewed 7/9/2017

Celery Sorbet

with Salmorejo

with Gazpacho

When Ed and I were in Madrid last fall we had an awesome dinner at Naia Restaurante Bistro . One of the highlights  was Andulsian Gazpacho with Celery Sorbet.  Since  then I have looked at several sorbet recipes but not found one that really clicked.  Then a few weeks ago an article by Mark Bittman appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine:  Yes, This is made of Celery, and yes, it included a recipe for celery sorbet. However, Bittman uses a ratio of 1 1/2 cups of sugar to 1 1/2 pounds of celery.  I use a lot of sugar in Cranberry Ice, but I only serve this on Thanksgiving.  I wanted a sorbet to enjoy weekly during the summer.

So I turned to On Food and Cooking for guidance; Harold McGee writes:

"The more syrup and plant debris there are, the more the solid crystals are lubricated, the more easily they slide past each other when we press with the spoon or tongue, and the softer the ice's texture. Most ices are made with about double the sugar of ice cream (whose substantial fat and protein content helps soften the texture...), between 25 and 35% by weight.  Sweet fruits require less added sugar to reach this proportion, and purees rich in pectins and other plant debris (pineapple, raspberry) require less total sugar for softening."*

At 10 1/2 ounces of sugar to 24 ounces of celery, or 30% sugar by weight Bittman is right in the middle of this range. But Bittman also strains the celery (plant debris).  

So what if I did not strain the "debris"?

In a small saucepan, combine and boil until the sugar has dissolved:

2 T sugar
2 T water

Separate stocks, trim and pull the strings off:

1 # celery (net weight after strings are removed), cut into 3/4" pieces

Place in a food processor, add the sugar water mixture and:

Cilantro,  ~3-4 sprigs, leaves only
2 T lime juice

Puree until mixture is smooth.

Since I have a small (Donvier) ice cream maker, I put the mixture in the aluminum cylinder which had been in the freezer overnight and cranked intermittently for about 15 minutes.  The end result was not smooth but scooped very well, looked great on the Gazpacho (photo top left) and had the interesting celery taste I remembered from Naia.

The techniques used with Cranberry Ice would also work: put in a container and freeze, stirring once or twice as mixture begins to set in order to mix pulp and juice as evenly as possible. The downside of this recipe (due I'm sure to the low sugar content) is that it freezes very hard.  Because of this, it is necessary to remove the sorbet from the freezer well before serving, time dependent on how cold the freezer is, or to partially thaw it in a microwave oven.  As the sorbet softens, mix and scoop then garnish the Salmorejo/Gazpacho.

NOTE: In the photos at top of post, sorbet on the Gazpacho was scooped straight out of the ice cream maker - the sorbet on the Solmorejo was thawed and then scooped. 

* See page 289 for full explanation.

Reviewed 6/20/2017

MAY

If April teased us, May is beginning to really deliver; first with  Asparagus and Fiddleheads, then today with  rhubarb, baby lettuces and baby bok choy.  Almost everything burst into bloom at once! The Viburnum tree that Alexandra and Christopher gave me for Mother's Day many years ago bloomed again this year on cue, and I celebrated being a mother by enjoying calls from Alexandra and Christopher, the tree in full bloom and a bunch of blossoms picked from spots I really should have pruned in the winter.

The last of the daffodills mix with the first of apple blossoms on our table.  We forego eating the fiddleheads but watch their leafy fronds unfold in the woods around our house.

 

This is flowering-tree/bush month: first our Apple and Viburnum trees, now our lilacs.  In addition to the vinca, the lillies of the valley fill the edges of the woods and venture out into the greening grass; the lilies also find their way onto our dining table along with honeysuckle and lilacs... all, as the Viburnum, so fragrant!

We eat asparagus almost every night and sometimes for lunch, continue to enjoy the "April" veggies: spinach and parsnips, and revisit some old recipes as the baby lettuces, baby bok choy and rhubarb appear at the farm stand:

Sesame Ginger Grilled Scallops with Sauteed Bok Choy

Lo Mein - heavy on the bok choy

Asparagus

Rhubarb Ginger Sauce

And use the last of the frozen strawberries in our freezer to make:

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie



NEW 2012:
Ramps - Spring Greens - Pea Tendrils

Ginger Lime Mahi-mahi with Pea Tendrils

May 2015 --- Simple Arrangements

Reviewed 9/19/2017

Chili Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Pears and Maple Walnuts

A variation of Chili Rellenos, this recipe evolved from Crisp Pita Bread with Blue Cheese, Pears and Maple Walnuts. In this case though I used goat cheese instead of blue cheese. The first time I tried this combination, the chili was especially hot and the goat cheese was a good foil to the hot chili - much like having a glass of milk with a hot enchilada.

Roast (See Roasted Chili) or thaw previously roasted and frozen

4-6 (depending on size) green chilies  (I usually use fresh/previously frozen Hatch Anaheim chilies)

Stuff each chili with:

Goat cheese

Pear (~1-2 slices), chopped in small pieces

Maple Walnuts

Whip until stiff:

3 egg whites

Fold in:

1-2  yolks

Dip each chili in:

Flour

Then dip in the egg batter and place immediately in a frying pan with hot

olive oil, enough to coat the entire bottom of the pan.

Cook until bottom is browned and then flip and cook until the other side is browned and all of the egg mixture is cooked.

Good served with fresh pear slices and  micro greens/greens topped with a few Maple Walnuts.

Reviewed 7/11/2017