FAREWELL TO SUMMER

IT'S ALWAYS AT THE END of summer that everything looks and tastes so good. Consider the tomato. They're in full bloom right now and red as blood and sweet and dripping with juice, as are peaches and apricots, even grapes. Cherries too but they're almost finished for the season. 

CUCUMBER AND BEET BORSCHT

I'm writing today, however, about cold food and hot. Light yet creamy, hearty but not too filling. I should really have titled this entry Pickled, but we'll leave it at that. 

I had a cucumber in the house and some shellfish stock and decided to make cold cucumber soup. I made it with my own home made yogurt, fresh dill and cayenne pepper but somehow it just didn't have the oomph I was trying to attain. After thinking about it for a moment and then exploring the contents of the fridge, I found a couple of jars of leftover pickled beet juice with what remained of the pickled onions - the beets were long gone - in the juice. I added this to the soup and it came out pink and tasted like a very cold, very subtle borscht. It was delicious! I've written about cold soups before (see entry dated July 14, 2013) so you can refer to the recipes there. All you need to do to the finished cucumber soup is add the pickled beet juice to make it pink. You'd be surprised at how this little addition changes the overall flavor of the soup, while still being able to taste every ingredient on its own.

On a completely different note, I bought a loin of pork and decided that I wanted sauerkraut and kartoffel. It was rather simple and I decided to do to sauerkraut what I did to the cucumber soup!

ROAST LOIN OF PORT WITH SAUERKRAUT,
ROASTED POTATOES AND BEET HORSERADISH

This should be enough to serve 6 as a main course.

Preheat the oven to 375º

1 4-5 pound loin of pork

Seasoned with an oil rub comprised of:

1 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. harissa paste

8-10 anise seeds

6 or 7 fennel seeds

1 tbs. dried tarragon (powdered)

1 tsp. kosher salt

8-10 turns of the grinder with black peppercorns

Mix into a paste and rub all over the top of the pork loin. Place the pork into a ceramic or earthenware dish and surround it with the following:

French Sauerkraut cured in champagne and lardon drizzled with pickled beet juice.

Baby red spring potatoes cut into quarters which have been salted and peppered tossed with a bit of olive oil and rosemary.

Pour about 1/2 cup of Champagne or Prosecco over the sauerkraut.

Place the dish into the oven and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes. Juices at the bottom of the pan should have reduced at least by half. 

Cut the pork into slices. Place sauerkraut onto a plate, arrange the pork slices over the sauerkraut along with the potatoes. Serve with a hefty dollop of beet horseradish. 

Bon appetit!

FIRE ISLAND DAYS

... sorry no food 

ON THE FERRY

THE LONE RANGER

FIRE ISLAND DAWN

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

I TOOK THE CARCASS of my roast chicken and made a very rich stock. In fact, it was a very dark stock indeed!

The carcass of one roast chicken.

Place in a pot and cover with water (about 8-10 cups). Bring to the boil, reduce heat, skim off the scum and let cook, covered for 15 minutes. Add:

1 leek (cut in half, thoroughly cleaned of all sand)

1 unpeeled onion

1 large carrot

2 stalks celery

Bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, bay leaf and a few black peppercorns

I cheat and add 1-1/2 cubes of Knorr Chicken Broth thus removing the salt step (at least for now)

Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer undisturbed  with the top somewhat askew for 45 minutes to an hour.  The stock should be pretty clear and transparent except for anything floating on the surface. Remove cover and simmer for another 15-20 minutes and remove from heat. Allow the stock to come to room temperature, put it in the fridge and chill over night. Skim any pieces of congealed fat from the surface, remove vegetables and pour the stock through a fine sieve or china cap strainer lined in cheesecloth or paper towels (moistened under cold water).

Put in a clean pot and clarify the stock with: 

3 egg whites

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 leek (green part only), chopped

1 onion coarsely chopped

Parsley

Tarragon 

Ground pepper

Mix all the ingredients and stir into the stock and turn the heat on high. Stir constantly until the stock comes to the boil. The stirring prevents the egg whites from sticking to the bottom as the mixture heats up. When the stock comes to a boil all of the ingredients should have risen to the surface in a thick layer of vegetables and grayish-white matter. You will see that the broth is starting to become extremely clear and all the solids have separated from the stock and massed at the top. As soon as it starts to the boil, STOP stirring. Lower the heat to a moderate simmer. You will see bubbles, almost like little geysers pushing through the surface. Let the stock simmer untouched for about 45 minutes. Turn the stove off, remove from heat and let sit for about 20 minutes. Again, strain through a sieve or china cap strainer exactly as you did the first time and you will have a very clear and very flavorful consommé.

At this point you can chill it in an air tight plastic container and keep it in the refrigerator for about a week before you will have to use it or freeze it for any future use that calls for clarified stock.

3 lbs. extremely ripe Italian plum tomatoes or tomatoes off the vine

Hull the tomatoes and place in boiling hot water for 15 seconds, remove and rinse under cold water and remove the skins.

Slice them in half, and remove all of the seeds and the main membrane if necessary. Discard the seeds and chop the tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Salt and pepper the tomatoes and let sit for about an hour.  

Heat the consommé and pour the tomatoes into the stock, or, if you are in a hurry, add one small container of good Italian  tomato paste. Correct the seasoning and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for 2 hours with the lid slightly ajar. It will reduce by about 1/3. Add 1 cup milk, 4 tb. heavy cream, 4 tb. half and half and 3 tb. butter. Incorporate all of the dairy into the soup, add about 1 tb. freshly chopped tarragon and simmer for about an hour. Serve immediately or chill and serve cold. If serving cold, you will have to oversalt as cold food generally needs more salt.

A variation of this is making the tomato soup without any dairy at all and then adding a chiffonade of basil and replacing the butter with 1/4 cup of olive oil and cooking the tomato soup with shredded pieces of stale bread with the crusts removed. Simmer for an hour and serve immediately.

ROAST CHICKEN

I LOVE CHICKEN. I almost never eat it in restaurants but I do remember having the best organic roast chicken I ever ate at Craigie's on Main in Cambridge one night. And there are some days which I think about roasting a chicken all day long. I suppose it's better than craving chocolate or sugar or a quart of home made ice cream (which I never keep in the house anymore!). 

Back to Roast Chicken. Like Julia Child, I massage mine. I also work my way under the skin to make a pocket and insert a pat of butter with a sage or basil leaf to make it look pretty and to flavor it a bit. I salt the cavity and insert the carcass of a whole lemon cut in two and juiced. I salt and pepper the bird, brush it generously with olive oil and put it on a rack on top of a roasting pan which has been brushed with oil where the slices of a large onion lay in a neat row. If there are giblets in the chicken (sometimes yes, sometimes no), place those as well around the onions. Put the chicken on the middle rack of a preheated 425º oven and cook for 30-35 minutes and turn over to roast the bottom. Drizzle half the lemon juice over the skin. After about 30 minutes, the skin should be golden all around. Turn the chicken around again, drizzle the rest of the lemon juice over the top and let roast 10 more minutes if you think it needs to brown anymore. The juices should run yellow when pricked with a fork. Remove from oven, let rest covered with an aluminum foil tent for 10-15 minutes before carving. 

I love eating chicken with peas and carrots.

1 very large carrot (about 2 inches in diameter and 7-9 inches long.

2 tb. stick of butter

2 tb. EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste

Dash of sugar

Lemon Juice

Chicken broth

Peel the carrot and cut the carrot lengthwise in quarters. Turn them vertically so they are standing up and cut in half. Cut each section in strips and then cut the strips in half and halve them again so you have a thick julienne slice. Do this with all of the cut carrots. Heat the pan with the butter and oil. Add the carrots, salt and pepper, a dash of nutmeg and a pinch of sugar. Cook until the carrots are evenly coated with the oil. Drizzle some lemon juice on the carrots and cook over moderately high heat for about 15 minutes. Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of chicken stock to the pan and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Test for donenss. If they aren't cooked through, continue to cook adding a little more stock. When the carrots are done, add about 1/2 cup frozen peas to the carrots and cook for a minute or two. Take off the heat and serve immediately with the roast chicken.

SUMMER SALADS

WHEN THE HEAT IS HORRENDOUS, cooking without heat is paramount. Of course, I'm almost embarrassed to be speaking of the easiest thing on earth to make: salads. But, besides ice cream, it's the best thing to eat on an extremely hot summer's day because one usually loses one's appetite in extremely hot weather. I recently wrote about a pasta salad with shrimp but today it's all about lettuce, tomato, avocado, et. al.; and definitely all about not touching anything even remotely resembling a stove or oven!

Here is the simplest of salads: Sliced Tomato and Avocado with a drizzle of olive oil and avocado, salt and pepper. Rabbit food never tasted so good!

Of course, you could always embellish this with any variety of additions: tuna salad (as seen below), egg salad, other raw vegetables like red onion, nuts, roasted vegetables, etc.

Tuna Salad with Tomato and Avocado

TUNA SALAD

6 oz. tuna (for fresh tuna in oil see blog entry dated January 14, 2014)

1 medium red onion finely chopped

2 stalks celery finely chopped

1 clove minced garlic

2 tbs. mayonnaise

2 tbs. dry mustard

2 pinches cayenne pepper

several turns of a black pepper grinder

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with a pastry blender. Salt and pepper to taste and chill.

Icebery Lettuce with Roasted Vegetables

Iceberg Lettuce is 95% water and has very little nutritional value. It is, however, as a wedge salad, incredibly delicious, and, considering that it is all water, very filling. I've made it with thinly sliced red onions or shallots (yum!), tomatoes and avocado and then topped with Roquefort Cheese, lardons, and sour cream dressing, or French dressing or a simple vinaigrette. I've also made it as pictured above with roasted cauliflower and roasted tomatoes with nuts - pine nuts are terrific, but very dear! Below are a couple of dressings I make from scratch.

My Mom's Italian Dressing:

EVOO and red wine vinegar in equal portions

3 tsp. fresh or dried oregano

Salt and pepper

Pinch of Sugar

Mix thoroughly for the wedge or free pour on top of a mixed salad.

Sour Cream Dressing:

1 small container Sour Cream

1/4 cup EVOO and White Balsamic Vinegar (combined)

Salt and pepper

Pinch of sugar

For Bleu Cheese Dressing add 6 oz. crumble roqeufort or any good quality blue cheese to the sour cream dressing.

Lemon Ranch Dressing

Make Mayonnaise with tarragon and lemon

3 eggs

Juice of one lemon

1/2 cup EVOO

In a blender which has been warmed throughout with hot water, blend the eggs and the lemon. Add 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon. In the insert hole on the cover of the blender, add the olive oil in a drizzle while the blender is running.  It will gradually thicken into a mayonnaise.

To this add several dashes of Tabasco and Worcestershire Sauce, paprika and cayenne pepper, and a small pinch of sugar and blend very well. 

Add 1 small container of sour cream and 3 tbs. heavy cream, 1 large minced shallot and blend until thick and smooth. Chill. Mix in chopped bacon bits or lardons and chives and serve on a salad or as a dip.

FEGATO ALLA VENEZIANO

I'VE WRITTEN about liver before way back in 2013 but have recently been making it again and again because I love it. Mind you, it's not exactly the healthiest food in the chain but it is delicious and every once in a while, it really hits the spot. That is, if you are a liver person. 

FEGATO ALLA VENEZIANA WITH  POTATOES

There are two schools of thought here: to dredge in flour or not. The Harry's Bar Cookbook does not dredge their Fegato in flour. Other cookbooks do. It's all a matter of taste, really. The one drawback with the flour is that you must wipe the pan clean of all burnt floury residue after frying the liver to proceed with the recipe. This in itself isn't such a big deal but it is an extra step which takes a little bit of time and doesn't agree with the idea of being able to retain all of the flavors already accumulated in the pan. It's a personal choice. I have included the dredging step herein but feel free to omit it; especially if you're a gluten-free person.

FEGATO ALLA VENEZIANA

3 or 4 very large onions sliced very thin

3 tbs. olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

Nutmeg

1-2 lb. Calves Liver (cut into 1/2 inch slices*, 1/4 inch thick and dredged in flour - approximately 1 lb. for 3 servings, 2 lb. for 6 servings)

3 tbs. unsalted butter

1 bunch flat Italian parsley chopped extra fine

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sweat the onions in a covered pan for about 15 minutes to soften and render their juices and continue to sauté the onions uncovered over a low flame for about 45 minutes. Stir often You want them to become extremely soft and acquire an amber color. Salt and pepper to taste. When finished sautéing the onions, add half the wine and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the pan and keep warm. 

Add more oil to the pan and sauté the liver over moderately high heat. Salt and pepper to taste and add a few dashes of nutmeg. You want the liver to take on a crispy crust while the pieces cook. When the liver is done (about 3-4 minutes), remove from the pan and add the pieces to the plate with the onions. Deglaze the pan with the rest of the wine, add the butter and half the parsley. Swirl around the pan until the butter is completely melted and incorporated with the parsley and then pour the contents of the plate with the liver and onions back into the pan and mix well.

Serve immediately with the whitest polenta you can find or mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes (dressed with butter and the other half of the chopped parsley) or even gnocchi or a wide buttered noodle such as pappardelle. The last time I made this, I served it with a salad of wax beans, cucumber and shallots with little bits of pickled red pepperoncini and garlic. Delicious!

FEGATO ALLA VENEZIANA WITH POLENTA

*Holding the liver flat with one hand, carefully cut the liver lengthwise into long strips and then cut them in half.

PASTINA WITH SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES

THIS DISH can be served hot or cold and it is perfect for a large buffet or party because it can be made ahead and left to sit for a bit before serving. The tomato and zucchini combination here is only one way to make this very versatile dish. You can make it with more seafood, or add anchovies and pine nuts with olives, for instance; even raisins and a pinch of cinnamon and cocoa powder with a splash of vinegar, which is very Sicilian! Any combination works, but the garlic is a must!

Serves 4

2 lbs. Shrimp

1 lb. dry pastina (ditalini, farfalline, shells, orzo, etc.)

8 cloves garlic (peeled and sliced paper thin

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 bunch scallions

4 zuccini (two yellow, two green), sliced lengthwise and grilled (recipe to follow)

8 roasted tomato slices (optional) (recipe also to follow)

EVOO as needed

Devein the shrimp and leave them in their shells (optional) (let them rest in a bowl of cold water while preparing the rest of the dish)

Boil a pot of water to a boil. Add  a small handful of Kosher salt and cook the pasta. While the water is heating and past is cooking, pour enough Olive Oil to cover the bottom of a large frying pan (cast iron is ideal here). Sauté the garlic until it is golden, add the red pepper flakes if using, add the Shrimp and add a generous amount of salt if cooking with the shells, less if not. Cook until they are all an even coral color. Chop the grilled zuccini into wide chunks and add to the shrimp along with the scallions. Turn off the heat.

When the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander or sieve and add the to the shrimp. Mix thoroughly until the pasta is coated with the oil from the pan. You may need to add a little more but probably not.

GRILLED ZUCCHINI

2 whole yellow zucchini

2 whole green zucchini

EVOO

Salt and pepper

Rosemary

Lemon juice

Prepare a small bowl with salt, pepper and about 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Slice all of the zucchini lengthwise and brush the oil mixture all over one side of the zucchini. Place slices on a VERY hot grill. (If you are using a grill pan on the stove, turn on the overhead fan because you will eventually have to deal with smoke.) Brush the tops with more oil and turn when ready. You will do this process one more time with the slices but changing directions to get a nice criss cross pattern on the slices. Proceed as before with all the slices and place on a plate. Drizzle with fresh rosemary and lemon juice and serve immediately or at room temperature. 

ROASTED TOMATOES

3 lbs. Italian Plum Tomatoes
Salt and pepper
EVOO
Fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 425º.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush it with Olive Oil and sprinkle Kosher Salt on top of the oil. Sprinkle some thyme leaves on top of the salt.

Hull the tomatoes and slice lengthwise in thin slices. Place the tomatoes on the parchment in neat rows. You may run out of room so be prepared to use two baking sheets if necessary.

Salt and pepper the tomatoes, brush with the rest of the oil and sprinkle the remaining thyme leaves or sprigs on top. 

Place in the middle of the oven and roast for at least 45 minutes. They are done when the edges are wrinkled and brown and sizzling on the paper.

Remove from oven, allow them to cool and place them in an airtight storage container. They will keep refrigerated for about a week.