May 18, 2012: Katie’s Salad

Last weekend, I got a very nice visit from Teja and Katie. We had a very relaxing lunch and then Katie swam at the lake while Teja and I chatted on shore. Even ‘tho it was Mother’s Day weekend, and the weather was perfect, we had the whole lake to ourselves! Teja was kind enough to bring a bag of foodstuffs, computer stuff and Katie brought me an crocheted pot holder she had made by hand and also an apron with an image she had drawn on the front. Having not seen them both since Teja’s birthday, last month, I wanted to make them lunch for them. I made:

• Baked Flounder in Lemon & Butter
• “As Good as it Gets” Noodle Salad
• Asparagus & Carrot Salad with Walnut Dressing
• Strawberries in Kefir and Ground Coriander

Katie, at nine-years old, is notoriously particular eater, and as such it is a challenge to get dishes just right for her. She ate everything but she absolutely loved the Asparagus and Carrot Salad with Walnut Dressing, so I thought I would dedicate it to her!

Katie’s Salad:

Wash, skin, and matchstick two carrots and put aside. Wash and then chop off the woody ends of a bunch of asparagus, and boil in 2 Qts. H2O for no more than 2 minutes. The final minute, throw in carrots. Strain and immediately immerse in cold H2O, with several changes of cold H2O until veggies are cool. Strain again and refrigerate (I served this dish cold, but it would make a very fine dish warm as well, just make the dressing beforehand, if serving warm.)

Walnut Dressing:

Toast 1/2C. walnuts. When cool add walnuts to a food processor along with 2 Tsp. each of white miso and shoyu and 2 Tblsps. each of mirin, olive oil, and rice vinegar. Blend until smooth-ish.

Top asparagus and carrots with dressing, two scallions sliced 1/4″ and thinly sliced mild red pepper.

May 16, 2012: Truant

While I am pleased as punch to have an acceptable access to the entertainment technology that the 21st C. offers, I can’t help but think of how drastically different my life would have been if I had all the stuff we have today: internet, DVDs, UTube, video games, IPods, etc., in my youth. Sure, we had TV, but then it was only three channels, no remote, and I’d like to see you jockey for your favorite show competing with nine other family members on a single set! My parents were pretty cool. If we did our work during the week we were allowed Friday nights to watch our shows. Our family dubbed Friday as “Popcorn/Soda Night” because those snacks went along with our entertainment. I think this was pretty good parenting: we worked hard for our weekly reward, and thoroughly enjoyed the treat. Still, we are talking a couple of hours of TV during the whole week!

Filling the Void

So, without all the trimmings of the 21st C. how did kids from the 60′s entertain themselves? Well, for one thing…we got outside more than most kids these days seem to. The 60′s parenting norm was to chuck a child outside after school until dinner and then after, the kids hit  the books until bedtime. Sure, this tactic worked pretty well for the parent: they got a few hours to themselves preparing dinner and enjoying the obligatory pre-dinner cocktail so prevalent in the 60′s, but it also got the kids tons of exercise and forced us to socialize via outdoor games. In short, without distractions of the spoon-fed, electronic ilk, we were forced to use our imaginations, intelligence, and our bodies to make up for the entertainment shortfalls.

A Partner in Crime

My childhood friend was Johnny B. He was actually my closest child neighbor, living only two doors down. Slightly older than I was, we were friends since I (literally) could first remember. I once saw a super-8 that  Johnny’s parents took of him as a toddler and I, in baby carriage, meeting for the first time. Johnny was different from me in almost every way: physically, he was thick and bullish to my lithe smallness. Socially, he was extroverted and chaotic as a foil to my quiet thoughtfulness. What brought us together was our imaginations, art, and our habit for getting into trouble! And here…people who know me now, will think to themselves “When did Steve ever get into trouble?!!!” Well, folks, I got most of my trouble out-of-the-way very young, the worst being my altar-boy/cub-scout days. Much of this trouble was in Johnny B.’s company. I don’t want to lead you to believe that Johnny was the instigator in these events (it was about 50/50) or that we were “bad” in any real (criminal or evil) sense, it was just that the ideas that we came up with (at least to our minds) were just too good to not make a reality. This draw towards trouble gave us many adventures, including, but not limited to: firearms; first love; physical dares; courting; drinking; cruising; sports; pranks; pyrotechnics; camping; really strange home movies; injuries; hunting; brawls; sex, drugs, and rock and roll…and Mary Ann Semonelli’s missing bra.

Skipping School for a Really Lame Meal

…oh…and lest I forget…a single count of truancy! I think it was Johnny’s idea to skip school, but rebels without a clue that we were, we had no plan what exactly to do with our free day. Earlier that week, one of my sister’s had done a decent job making Shrimp Newberg, so to my mind, this seemed like and interesting and somewhat exotic way to spend the day. I remember Johnny shrugging and I suspect now that he wished that he had spent a little more time on thinking the whole event through, but he finally acquiesced. Needless to say, my sister was a few years ahead of me, culinary-wise, and while I think I could do a bang-up Shrimp Newberg these days, back then it was waaaay out of my league. Oddly enough though, this dismal failure put me onto an early track to improving my culinary skills. I started paying closer attention to my sister’s culinary successes and how they attained them.

The Hunger of the High-School Heart

So, to my childhood friend: thank you for all the fun, adventures, imaginings, as well as the bumps and bruises to our bodies and hearts…and for all that time spent cruising. Here is a word that has forever left American social life…cruising. In those days before IChats and Facebook, socializing was done  out in the open, but perhaps with the same embarrassment and sad desperation that haunts today’s teenagers. Cruising, in the 60′s was driving a car up and down the fast food strip of the local town. It sometimes led to races, often fights, and rarely…that teenage Holy Grail…the glimpse of that perfect babe, cruising just like you…to be met at the next party!

No one has quite captured the unique American social activity of cruising like David Wilcox, in his song “Saturday They’ll All Be Back Again“

Johnny’s out cruising down the fast food strip

He rides his high-wheeler Ford

Down here every evening since the school let out

An ordinary man would be bored

Johnny’s got the hunger of the high school heart

And a tank full of minimum wage

So it’s six lights down, six lights back

Pacing like a lion in a cage…

March 30, 2012: Vegetarian Rueben Sandwich

My dad had this great quality that would have made him ideal to just about 99/100th of the male population: with eight kids on his hands and a time-consuming occupation, he still made the time to take me to all those sporting events that he enjoyed watching. Trouble is…I hate to watch sports. Love to play them, hate, absolutely hate to watch them. To me, it’s like fingernails on chalkboard.

I did love my father’s company, and even then, I was honored that he wanted to spend time with me, but every sporting event we went to, I found to be a struggle with extreme boredom. Dad was pretty perceptive, so he eventually figured out that I was going through the motions, and stopped asking. And then he did a clever thing: he searched for another commonality, which was food, and we could continue quality time with him introducing foods that he liked, to me. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized what eclectic tastes dad actually had. I never was completely sold on the pig feet and raw oysters, but those aside, he was pretty informed and experienced when it came to food. One place he used to take me was this German restaurant that served the best sandwiches in the world! I was still a meat eater then, so I was able to try their whole menu. One of my last memories of hanging out with my dad was having this sandwich and a beer together at that restaurant.

A Reuben Sandwich is the king of all sandwiches. Bar none. “Beef on a weck” (rare roast beef on a kummelwick roll  [a Kaiser roll topped with salt and caraway seeds] with horseradish sauce…another sandwich dad introduced me to) is a close second, but Reubens are the best. Trouble is, I haven’t eaten meat in a long time, so I wanted to make a veggie version that came close.

So, a couple of variations you may apply to my Reuben recipe:

• If you want a classic Reuben, substitute corned beef for my veggie faux-meat sausage.
• I had pumpernickel bread, but marbled rye works well too and is probably more traditional.
• For a time-saving option, use a store-bought Russian Dressing.
• For a more healthy version, simply toast bread in a toaster and skip the pan toasting with butter.

My non-meat substitute is Lightlife “Smart Sausage.” Traditionalists will cringe that this is an “Italian-style Sausage” but you need a spicier meat substitute to match the flavor of corned beef. Slice one “sausage” into quarters and fry in a thin layer of corn oil over medium heat, turning often. Remove to a paper towel. In the same oil, fry about 1/2C. sauerkraut. [For extra flavor, I cure my sauerkraut with a few juniper berries a few days ahead of time. Don't include the berries in the sandwich.] Remove sauerkraut and fry 1/2C. shredded red cabbage. You may have to add a little bit more oil here. Resist the urge to combine and fry the sauerkraut and cabbage together. The red cabbage will turn the sauerkraut a pink color.

Russian Dressing:

• 1C. Mayonnaise                       •1/4C. Chili Sauce
• 2 Tblsp. Relish                         •1 Tblsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 Tsp. Hot Pepper Sauce   •1/4 Tsp. Worcester Sauce
• Few grains salt                        •1 Tsp. Mirin
• 1/4 Tsp. Each Ground Pepper, Chili Powder, and Paprika

Assemble Reuben: Cut pumpernickel bread to about 1/2″. On one slice of bread layer two pieces of Swiss cheese, then sausage, then sauerkraut, cabbage and top with Russian Dressing. Top with other slice of bread and butter lightly. Place this side in pan over medium heat. Lightly butter top slice of bread. Turn over when bottom in browned. Cut at a diagonal and serve with a large dill pickle, maybe some cole slaw and a good beer.

Thanks for everything, Dad…most especially for your understanding and wisdom. Your influences have made a big difference in my life (and go far beyond a simple sandwich recipe.) I’d like to think you would’ve loved my version of our favorite sandwich.

February 16, 2012: The War of the Roses

I have been a Titanic buff since I first saw “A Night to Remember” back when I was a kid. With that film, I fell in love with the Edwardian Era, probably reinforced by going through my Grandmother’s photos of when she was young. The elegance of dress and hairstyles, the manners, the innocence (if you will…it was before both world wars) and especially the food stuck a nerve that reverberates throughout my life. My friend Lisa tells me that her young (5 y.o.) son, Harry has suddenly turned into a Titanic buff, so now I know I’m in good company! Being a chef, when I learned that there was a book on menus from the Great Liner existed, I just HAD to get it! I was not disappointed. Rick Archbold and Dana McCauley’s book “Last Dinner on the Titanic” is not only my most favorite cookbook, it is one of my favorite reads of all time! It is rich with not only carefully reconstructed dishes from the last night of the Titanic, but it is also full of history of people and events of the cruise. It has photos from the era, good art and illustrations. It also has recommendations for how to do a Titanic-themed dinner: how to place the table, what music to play, suggestions of dress, mood, conversation and more! I’ve done about six meals using this book as a guide and I hope to have many more to come!

Oh. Every once in a while talking about Titanic Dinners, I get a reaction from someone as if I was somehow celebrating the death of the 1523 souls lost the early morning of April 15, 1912. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is with the utmost respect that I put on these meals. It is the celebration of the life of these people that is the focus of the meal…and boy, did they know how to live!

The Dinner Itself

Want to see a Titanic Dinner? Just drift over to the margin on the right and click on “A Titanic Theme Dinner.” Thanks to my friend Teja, we have clips from a dinner we did a couple of years ago for a group of friends. The dishes are mainly Escoffier, which seems to be French code for “the best food imaginable!” The dishes are quite fancy, requiring much preparation, but if you love to cook (and eat) you will love every minute. You will need help, ‘tho. Not only with prepping, cooking and execution but also with the serving and most important….the planning. My friends Carolyn, Barb and Susan were the “planners” for this meal. Serving for these meals is traditionally “à la Russe” which means that every dish is served separately (usually by servers.) Also, if you are doing First Class Menu (there are also Second Class and Steerage menus) you have a choice between menus from the First Class Dining Salon and the “À La Carte” restaurant and each of those have options at each course! I usually go over options with the people who are planning and the best answer usually is a “mix and match” between the two restaurants. Dressing up is fun, but you have to feel out your group and see what they think. My opinion: this level of food quality deserves for people to dress up! Find what is right for your group, and feel free to mix it up. The Edwardians won’t mind! Planning and execution of the meal is a bit like a wedding: give yourself a load of time, plan well, do everything you can, and on the day…let go and have fun!

The War of the Roses

My family heard about this dinner for my friends and decided they would like one as well! We were able to couple this with a Titanic Exhibition that was going on that week in Rochester, NY. My lovely family was all game and made it one of the best Titanic Dinners ever! I served:

• Lobster Thermidor in a bed of Duchess Potatoes
• Calvados-Glazed Roast Duckling
• Home-made Applesauce
• Quenelle of Carrot
• Minted Green Pea Timbales
• Flowerets of French Cucumber
• Punch Romaine
• Asparagus Salad with Champagne-Saffron Vinaigrette
• Oranges en Surprise (a kind of Baked Alaska of orange sherbet served in an orange skin, topped with almond meringue and baked…yum!)

A little bit about my family: my sisters (all five) are bright, beautiful, talented, and scamps all! Most of them are accomplished chefs, so I had my work cut out for me! Sisters Joanne and Kathy each came dressed as “Rose” from the movie. Each applied their own style of dress and both were stunning, but “Who was the better Rose?” became the topic of conversation, which the family duly dubbed “The War of the Roses!”

Oh…and wise was the man who didn’t enlist in THAT war!!!

Minted Green Pea Timbales...just plain screwy or chromosomes skipping around?

I was doing pretty well with the meal preparations, but cramming too much Punch Romaine into the blender, I managed to spray it all over Joanne’s bar!!! [I cleaned it up and confessed my error. Joanne (always the gracious host) told me it was no problem and she later cleaned up the mess the right way!] So, a little on edge, I deliver the Punch to the table to find everyone a tad too quiet, with subtle smirks (always a bad sign!) Knowing, from experience, that it is pointless to drag these things out I say “OK. What’s UP?!” It is then I notice that there is a huge pile of the Minted Green Pea Timbales on my nephew’s plate! Knowing this tactic from years of abuse (oh, yes my beloved sisters…we will present THOSE stories someday!!!) I ask, “What the HELL is wrong with the timbales?” To which they reply, “We all hate it.” “OMIGOD”, I think, “I did something wrong!” So, I taste one and it was exactly correct!!!

Edwardians Like Mush

OK granted. Minted Green Pea Timbales are a tad on the odd side. Edwardians, true-blue meat-and-potatoes people, tended to over-process their vegetables. The timbales are a mixture of blanched and cooled green peas, mixed with fresh mint, salt and pepper, a tiny bit of sugar, cream, and a bit of egg white. This is put through a food processor, then into cupcake molds and they are all baked/steamed. You finish with a dab of sour cream and a fresh mint leaf. I made the timbales for the Titanic Dinner for my friends and everyone loved it! I mean, I had parents asking for the recipe after, saying they had finally found a dish they thought their kids would eat! Now, most people say kind things after a meal. Me…I would’ve complimented the éclairs and home-made ice cream, for that meal. So, what I’m saying is that with all the great food at the dinner for my friends, the unsolicited vote of “best dish” that night was the timbales!

“Odd Man Out” or The Skipped Chromosome

So…cooking is nothing without knowledge, so I ask my family “OK, EVERYONE hated the timbales?” Turns out, opinions varied. Some of my brothers in law hate veggies so much, that given the choice between asparagus and a Red Sox win, they would hem and haw. Some liked the timbales. Some deferred comment. Really, it was my sisters who really didn’t like the timbales! “Wow. I thought. At least one of us fell far from the tree, and I guess that someone is ME!” Some tastes are a very particular thing: I myself cannot stand the taste of cilantro. I choose to not eat certain foods, but I like most food. For years I thought my one food hatred to be just one of those odd anomalies. Then I found a group of cilantro-haters on-line. To them, cilantro tastes like soap! “YES!” I thought, “That’s EXACTLY right!” The group explained that there is a fairly rare gene combination that makes cilantro taste like a subtle poison to some people.

So, beloved sisters. We have to agree to disagree. I promise: no more green pea timbales. You: no cilantro for me. Personally, I’m glad I fell on that side of the tree. Mmmm…where’s the sour cream?

December 22, 2011: Christmas Bark

This is a treat I used to make my students at Christmas. I used to put pieces of Christmas Bark in small plastic bags with a Christmas quote of some sort attached to the tie sealing the bag. Then I put the whole bag into a Christmas coffee mug. I used to enjoy this making Christmas Bark and I do miss the tradition. It’s pretty easy to make and has generated a lot of fans over the years.

Christmas Bark:  Toast @ 325°F 1C. whole Pecans and 2C. whole Walnuts on a cookie sheet covered in parchment for about 20 minutes, turning often. Cool and coarsely chop. Also chop 1C. Craisings (or you could substitute Dried Cherries.) On a double-boiler, over medium heat, melt 7C. semi-sweet chocolate chips. When chocolate is melted, add nuts and craisins and stir until both are coated with chocolate. On a 10″ X 15″cookie sheet, covered with parchment, pour the chocolate mixture and use spoon to level. Cool at room temperature and then further cool in fridge. Chocolate will harden in about 30 minutes. Break, by hands (covered with rubber gloves to keep both you and the chocolate clean, but also to insulate the chocolate from your hands’ warmth) into chunks and bag. Use the tines of a fork to break the tougher pieces. Keep all pieces that you are not working on breaking, in the fridge, as your hands will start to melt the chocolate if it is at room temperature.

Simple. Tasty. Quickly made. An original Christmas treat!

October 22, 2011: Shredded Daikon

My friend Pamela gave a slew of fresh veggies last week, from her CSA. All have been very delicious, but the most interesting was four daikon radish. Daikon is a larger (generally about 6″-1′ long by about 2-3″ circumference) white variety of the radish family, originally from Japan. It is not nearly as hot as the American red variety of radish, but is mild, juicy, and with just a tiny bit of hot and sweetness combined. Daikon is full of vitamin C, and is good for digestion. It is delicious as an accompaniment to just about any Japanese meal or as a healthy snack.

If daikon comes with leaves, cut them  off (you can blanch these and fry in a little sesame oil, for a great veggie side dish.) Skin daikon root and save skin for stock. Shred daikon and drain juices in colander, but don’t let daikon dry out. After sampling, I wanted a bit more heat, so I added 1Tblsp. of my pepper mixture from last week “October 20, 2011: Prepping Peppers” to about the 5C. of shredded daikon. Add a sprinkling of sal de mer, mix, put daikon in a jar and cover with rice vinegar.

The result is an interesting and delicious mix of hot, sweet, sour, and with a tiny bit of salt in a perfect balance. Tantalizing and complex to the tastebuds, healthy for the body.

September 08, 2011: A Summer Harvest

Green Tomato Relish

This last weekend, I had the chance of doubling up on social occasions as Teja and Barb were christening the patio we built together with a party, the same day as my former student, Isaac, was moving not too far away from Teja’s. I started at Isaac’s and got to meet his friend Kelly, and her friend Andrea, who was helping them to move also. Isaac and Kelly had a nice garden in the back and they cleverly transplanted all they could, into buckets they could take with them.

For years, I had a really good vegetable garden, but the squirrels that live in my oaks ate everything they liked and dug up all the rest. I was loath to kill the squirrels and so, switched to flowers, which they leave alone. These days, I have no money for even the flowers, so the garden had gone to seed and weeds. I do miss the fresh-grown veggies very much.

As if a good days work and the congenial company weren’t enough compensation, Isaac had harvested what they couldn’t take from the garden, and gave me a full bag of delicious fresh foodstuffs. He included herbs, squashes, beets, heritage carrots, peppers, and green tomatoes that I turned into relish. Isaac and Kelly’s tomatoes yielded about 4 cups.

Green Tomato Relish:

• 4C. Green Tomatoes (diced)           •  4C. Green Cabbage (thinly sliced)
• 1 Onion+3 Cloves Garlic (diced)    •  2C. Mixed Peppers (diced)
• 2 C. Veggie Broth                              •   2C. Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tblsp. each of Brown Sugar and Crushed Hot Peppers
• 1/2 Teasp. of seeds of each: Fennel, Dill, Celery, Dill, Cumin,
• 1/2 Teasp. of Sal de Mer & Peppercorns + 2″ Cinnamon Stick (all spices tied up in cheesecloth and tied w/twine)

Over medium heat in large pan, fry onion and garlic in about 4 Tblsp. vegetable oil until soft, with crushed hot peppers. Add tomatoes and cabbage. Continue cooking. Add diced peppers shortly after and cook. Add stock and vinegar, and bag of spices. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Cool relish with spice bag, then remove. Seal relish in sterile container and chill.

After moving Isaac and Kelly, it was on to Teja and Barb’s for a cookout. Dan, once again brought his fine sous-vide chuck steak done to a tender, pink perfection, which I cubed and made kabobs with, then grilled. See my August 21, 2010: Welcoming Party for the Girls article for more details on this dish. It was a splendid night of superb company in front of the warm fire on the new patio.  My friends have been exceptionally supportive through my recent hard times with my struggle to find work. When I consider how much they have given me: the advice, emotional (and sometimes economic) support, and just knowing they are out there somewhere in the world, has made all the difference. I think of Isaac, of Teja, of Barb, of Dan, of Deena, Carolyn, Lisa last week, Yoshio the week before: kind and generous friends, all.

When I was a gardener, it often occurred to me that there was an analogy between the garden and the affairs of the human heart: you plant with promise and hope that all those tiny seeds will survive to full term. They don’t. Animals take some. Winds, heat, disease…even water, which the plants need so much, take others. Even if all seeds start to grow, there is that awful culling which a gardener has to perform, so that some of the plants survive. (That was the only part I hated about gardening. I always wanted ALL the seeds to grow!) Like relationships, gardening can be a tough, time-consuming, and often a dirty, nasty business. You do it with the devotion it deserves, because both gardens and relationships are worth it and that for the simple fact that this kind of devotion is love personified.

I stand at the edge of my present garden and the physical reality is a fallow mess, with nothing to harvest but weeds. However, when I think of the pleasant company and good will of my friends…I realize that I already have my summer harvest (both physical and emotional) and I could not ask for a more bountiful one. So, I face the reality. I close my eyes, and dream…of a more perfect garden.

August 30, 2011: Speaking at Geese

Lisa's Salad

Yesterday, I had a very enjoyable visit from my good friend Lisa, and her 5 year old son, Harry. Lisa remembered the fantastic candy shop a few miles from my house and she wanted to show it to Harry.

There is a pretty gazebo along the river, near the shop that I wanted to show Lisa. As we pulled into a parking space close to it and before we could exit the car, we were swarmed by a gaggle of geese and a flock of ducks. You could tell these guys were spoiled rotten by visitors and you could almost see them asking “Bread? Bread?” with their squawking, as they streamed towards the car.  With only candy on our mind we had forgotten sufficient bribes for a swarm of hungry aquatic fowl. As I’ve had some experiences with the irritable nature of geese on my runs, I thought I had a good solution: I picked up a phragmite from a field and started brushing it slowly in front of us as we went along. This worked well as the flock calmly scooted ahead of us so that we could reach the gazebo. The view from the gazebo revealed even more geese, ducks and the odd seagull between the gazebo and the river. Never ones to waste a captive audience, we proceeded to present a lecture of utter nonsense:

‘The time has come, to talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax –
Of cabbages — and kings –”

Although the heckling was at a minimum, I got the distinct sense that the audience thought they could skip the circus and go right for the bread.

Then it was on to the candy shop. Now, you’ve all seen candy shops, but not like this one. This place is as if  Willy Wonka and the owners of Honeydukes from Harry Potter got together and designed a shop after an all-night Redbull bender! These guys have everything! I mean: EV-ER-Y THING! All the classics I remember: Pixie-stix, Mary Janes, Wax Lips, Root Beer Barrels, as well my particular (and admittedly odd) fave: the orange sponge-candy peanut. For some reason, I seem to be the only person in the world who likes these things. They also had all the new candies, fudge choices galore, custom bon-bons…the works! As a test, I asked the owner if she had horehound. Now, if you’ve never heard of horehound, don’t fret, most people haven’t heard of it, let alone actually tasted it…and you probably wouldn’t like it anyways. It’s one of those “old” candies that was big in my granddads’ day, and you don’t find much anymore. It’s tastes as if you had crystalized Dr. Pepper into hard candy.  Well, they had horehound! The oddest things were the novelties: giant gummy rats for Halloween and gumballs so big I wondered how it was possible that anyone could eat them! To add a touch of weirdness to the whole experience, their power was still out from Irene, but they gave a lantern to little Harry so he could pick out his M&Ms from every color of the rainbow!

We also tried the colonial shop next door but after two minutes Harry announced that it was “BOOORRRING,” so it was on to soccer on the green down at the mill. Harry, that little rascal (once he got the idea to kick it where I was NOT) scored on me twice while his mom rested on the rock by the cool stream coming from the mill. At lunch, I found out what a little charmer Harry actually is. In no time, he had totally won over our pretty, sloe-eyed waitress with his flirting, and she flirted back as they played Harry’s game of “spy.” I experienced just the slightest twinge of jealousy at Harry’s natural skill and ease, as it brought to mind one of Dickens’ quotes from a “Christmas Carol:”

           “I should have liked, I do confess, to have had the lightest license of a child, and yet to have been man enough to know its value. …”

Lisa was then kind enough to take me shopping to fill up my rapidly depleting larder stores. She had also brought with her a huge supply of Asian foodstuffs. It was then on to the beach, and it was here I had found my Achilles heel: floaties. Yes, floaties are my Kryptonite. With all my running, sprinting and kayaking Lisa could blow up a 2′ floaty four times faster than I (and honestly, I eventually had to give up!) But, while Harry splashed and made sand castles, I could find the home for the friendly stray sheepdog that suddenly appeared on the beach, trailing its tow line.

After the beach, I made a salad from the stuff Lisa brought while Lisa and Harry played “Chutes & Ladders” and “Pigmania.” I asked Lisa what she had in mind for a dressing for the salad and she described one that was very similar to something I have made before, so I will just refer you to the dressing from my article  July 16, 2011: Spinach-Noodle Salad For the salad we had Romaine and Arugula salad as a base, topped with sliced pepper, avocado, fried tofu, and fresh tomatoes from Harry’s garden. Lisa brought a topping I’ve never seen before, called wakame chazuke which is a mixture of small pieces of wakame (a Japanese dried seaweed) and miniature riceballs. With this, the dressing, and also topped with toasted sesame, it really made for a unique and tasty salad.

Harry, the finicky eater that he is, would try none of the salad, of course, but as he was leaving I got him to try one of the orange sponge-candy peanuts and he loved it! Ahhh! Maybe candy peanuts will not go the way of horehound, after all!

May 31. 2011: Carrot a l’Etuvee

Last week, I was home to attend the wedding of my nephew, Jonathan and his new bride, Nikki. I was invited to cook for my family (a rare treat) as a follow-up to the wedding, at my sister, Mary Lou’s house. I made:

• Bruschetta with goat cheese-shallot topping
• Pumpkin Vichyssoise
• Beef Tenderloin with Cajun Spice/Dijon Mustard/Horseradish Crust
• Duchess Potatoes
• French-Style Asparagus (see May 10, 2011 entry)
• Carottes à l’Etuvée (steamed carrots w/no water)
• Boston Lettuce/Belgian Endive Salad w/ Pear, Toasted Walnuts, Macadamia Nut Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
• Pumpkin Cheesecake

This was a very challenging meal considering all the dishes and the time spent for traveling and for the wedding itself. Mary Lou set a beautiful table with her fine china, silver and Waterford crystal. Nikki donated one of her bouquets from the wedding, for the centerpiece for the table.

One of my “sure things” for this meal was the Carottes à l’Etuvée recipe. “Etuvée” is French for “steamed.” Fair warning, here: You may never make carrots any other way (I sure haven’t.) This recipe creates a fresh carrot, steamed in its own water and that results in a brighter color, firmer texture, and a more flavorful taste. It has a by-product as being one of the easiest dishes I’ve ever made!

Have your chosen quantity of carrots (washed, skinned, ends removed, and cut at 45°angle.) Here, it is important to get the mass of each piece the same, in order to get each piece to cook evenly. You don’t need to add any water! The carrots cook in their own juices. Add a pat of butter, a sprinkling of ground pepper and sal de mer, herbs de Provence, a bay leaf and a tiny bit of ground nutmeg to the pot. Cover and heat at medium-high until the carrots start to sizzle. Reduce heat to low, shaking the pot every once in a while (about 20 minutes) until the biggest piece is able to be pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.

That’s all for the best carrots you will ever have!

06.02.11 Update:

The diners, minus hosts & chef (photo: S. Swasey)

Just got the pics from the host, my brother-in-law Steve (thanks!) Steve absolutely hates veggies! He told me that he would not try the asparagus dish so I (unconsciously) served him twice the carrot dish! Steve was (silently) less than pleased at my doing so, but after tasting, he finished them all!

May 30, 2011: Greek Pasta Salad

This weekend, we had a “bring a dish” at Teja’s and Barb’s to celebrate Ellen’s birthday and the release of Teja’s new IPhone app. for RaceOff (http://www.entertainingdiversity.com/gamesapps.html) A very fine day playing “Candyland” and “Dogopoly” with little Katie, chatting, watching Pam surfing in her element, and eating great food: Caroyln made a delicious cornbread that went very well with Pam’s wonderful veggie chili. Ellen brought her own cake (hey! isn’t here a rule against that?!!!) a very subtle and perfect chocolate cake somewhere between a brownie and a cake. I brought a Greek Pasta Salad, a very good, cold dish for the upcoming summer months. This is one of those recipes, I created in one of those cooking fugue states, where things “just seemed right” so, as I really enjoyed it, I want to write it down before it totally escapes my memory.

Greek Pasta Salad:

• 1 Box (16oz.) Penne Pasta
• 1 Bunch Spring Onions (washed, green parts removed, sliced thin 1/4″)
• About 2 C. Grape Tomatoes (washed, sliced in half)
• 3 Stalks Celery (washed, sliced thin 1/4″; you could sub green peppers)
• 1 Cucumber (washed, skinned, deseeded, sliced thin 1/4″)
• About 1/2C. Dried Sun-dried Tomatoes (sliced thin)
• I Can Black Medium Olives (drained)
• 3 Raw Carrots (washed, skinned, matchsticked)
• 1/2 C. Craisins
• 1 Block Feta Cheese (sliced into little cubes)
• 1/2 Bunch Fresh Dill (washed, dried, chopped)
• Equal Amount of Olive Oil+Lemon Juice (to taste)
• 1/2Tsp. Each: ground Pepper; ground Sal de Mer; Fresh Dill, Basil, Oregano

This is  cold dish, so you want to make it ahead of time to give it plenty of time to cool and let the flavors combine. Cook the pasta basically according to the directions, but shave two minutes off the total time;  immerse in cold water; and drain. When pasta is cool, add veggies, feta, spices, oil and lemon juice. Cool. This dish is good as leftovers. The only thing I would add is a toasted nut: slivered almond, walnuts, or pine nuts (very appropriate for a Greek dish) but I would add them just before serving, as they could get soft, left in the oil.

Delicious with a Demestica or Retsina wine. Perfect for a picnic or that summer dish at the beach. Fresh. Simple. Light. Tasty.