Hot, Hot, Hot!! (and Raspberry Jam)

Well, it's finally starting to feel like summer. I can't step outside without feeling gross, the AC in my office isn't working properly (as usual), and I've removed the down comforter off of my bed. I'm not packing the comforter away, however, because I know that as soon as I do that, it's going to get cold. I'm feeling like it's too hot to cook anything, so nothing fun is going to happen in the kitchen this week. The plan is to grill, grill, grill, and eat whatever we can COLD. Of course, this was decided after we spent this past Sunday making jam and pickles. For 6 hours straight. No joke. In hindsight, it was a dumb idea, but after David came home with a 20lb box of cucumbers from Pepin Farm and I had the brilliant idea to go raspberry picking at Nourse Farms, we had no choice but to forge ahead and get it done.

Savory Cabbage Soup

 I can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm actually already looking forward to the fall. Perhaps it's the lousy summer weather we've had, or the fact that my crab apples have started to turn red (And this means making something very special, but you'll have to wait until September for me to share!). I make soups all fall and winter long, as they're easy to make, easy to eat, and so much better tasting, and healthier than the canned versions. For some reason, I decided that tonite was the night I'd make my first batch of soup for the fall.

Quick Tip: Kale

Did you know that you can freeze kale? Prior to ever having a reason to know this very useful tidbit, I did not, although, it makes complete sense. Ever purchase frozen spinach? Right.

Freezing kale is quick, easy, and makes your fridge look less full (which was the look I was going for when I decided to do this). I'll use this kale in the late Fall, when I'm ready to make some hearty soups, like a white bean and kale soup. And when I receive the Fall harvest of kale, I'll probably freeze lots of that to make other types of soup during the cold Winter months.

Mark Bittman, Mr. Supersmart

A friend alerted me to an article in the Dining and Wine section of the New York Times yesterday, entitled "101 Simple Salads for the Season". At first, I thought, eh, another list of salads. However, I could not have pulled together a more comprehensive, delicious-sounding, easy-to-make list of salads, even if I wasn't obligated to show up to my full-time job every day, so I'm sharing this article with everyone I can think of.

Who doesn't feel the need to make a new and interesting salad combination? We can't JUST eat greens + veggies + dressing, can we? NO! Mix the fruits with the vegetables! Make Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, cut them and use them as little croutons! (You are a genius, Mr. Bittman. Really.)

Read the article. You'll Have to sign in to the NY Times to gain access, but it's free. And worth it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?ref=dining

Sauteed Chard with Currants

As we were making dinner for guests this weekend, I realized that our "easy" dinner of grilled steaks, summer squash and a big salad with my lemony-sweet pickled beets and goat cheese was not going to be so easy. I had no more lettuce in the fridge and there was no way I was going to the grocery store to get more vegetables. I had to think fast, as the steaks and squash were already grilling (read: I had 7 minutes to prepare another side dish)

I had chard and other cooking greens in the fridge (you know, the usual... tatsoi, komatsuna, mizuna), a fresh onion and a fresh head of garlic. I also had a lemon that I'd zested the night before to make the zucchini blueberry breakfast muffins, which needed to be used. Plus, I randomly picked up some dried currants from the grocery store last week. I'd heard of pairing currants with swiss chard before, but I've never read any recipes or tried the combination, as I do not like eating re-hydrated raisins/currants/any dried fruit. I added the currants at the very end of the sauteing, in the hopes that they'd moisten, but not get plump.

What came together was sweet and tasty (and there were no fat currants!):

Zesty Zucchini Blueberry Breakfast Muffins

This week's winner of the Zucchini Bread Challenge is a tasty little combination of fruit and vegetable goodness. Not too sweet, not too much kick from the spice department, but lots of mellow flavors and quite satisfying.

David's given these the official thumb's up: "Normal blueberry muffins are usually more about the blueberries than about the muffin. The blueberry/zucchini/lemon combination is more complex; It is symphony of taste."

Meet My Garden!

This is my garden. I consider this my first official garden, but It's not the first time I've grown veggies...when David and I moved from the big, bad city (I love you NYC) to Western MA, we rented an apartment from some really nice landlords. They were so nice, in fact, that they gave us 1/2 of their garden plot in their backyard.

We were in heaven. Actually, we were in what the city-folk call the country, and after years of living in NYC, it felt pretty heavenly.

Using Up Leftovers With 2 Easy Recipes

I always end up with a few raw veggies left over at the end of the week. I also inevitably roast, grill, or steam too many for dinner, which means that at the beginning of the week, my fridge is filled with raw, fresh veggies, and by the end, it's filled with leftover cooked veggies. The cycle never seems to end! I dislike throwing out perfectly tasty and good food, even though I compost, but I'm not a big fan of "leftovers". Read on for two quick recipes using raw and cooked leftovers...

Carrot and Cabbage Slaw

We got our first cabbages from the CSA last week. Not much...just a large head and two baby cabbages. Last year, David discovered his love for making sauerkraut and sweet pickled cabbage. I discovered my love for eating the sauerkraut and sweet pickled cabbage. We needed a lot of cabbage for David to pickle, and we found that we could get HUGE heads of cabbage for really, really cheap (like, 10lbs for $2. really.) We went overboard purchasing cabbages!

What I'm saying is....I've seen a lot of cabbage in the past year. And that's fine, because I really like it. I've made soups and sautes, David's made krauts and pickled versions. During the summer, a slaw is the obvious usage for cabbage. And, since I sometimes state the obvious, I am offering up a slaw recipe in this post! I think I first had a version of this slaw while visiting my mother-in-law, Cathy. Cathy has tons of recipes memorized, makes stuff up on the fly, and mixes and matches at will. I have no idea how this recipe came to be, or if I even make it the way she does, but it doesn't matter. I like it because it's easy to put together, low in fat, fresh, crispy, and colorful. Plus, there's no mayonnaise, so it's not creamy or heavy.

A New (Old) Cookbook

I went out antiquing today with a friend and I purchased a little cookbook entitled: How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, published in 1945, and written by Bu Wei Yan Chao. I was sold when I saw the inscription, which reads:

"To Agnes Hocking, who told me to write this book".

Upon taking this little gem home, I discovered that the author of this cookbook was a Chinese woman who graduated with a degree in medicine from Tokyo Woman's Medical College. She is apparently credited with having coined the term "stir-fry". Who knew?

Lemony-Sweet Pickled Beets

Within the past week, I've accomplished two things I've never done before: I've pickled and canned beets and I've eaten pickled, canned beets!

I think beets are fabulous-looking freshly plucked from the soil, but I love them even more when I cut into a freshly boiled one...most recently, I sliced into dark pink-red beets. The rings in the flesh made me think about when I was in elementary school science class and we learned how to determine the age of a tree.

I also get a kick out of peeling beets that have been boiled because they're slick and slimy, and THAT makes me think about having a Halloween party and putting things like peeled grapes and cold spaghetti into paper bags and having guests stick their hands in and guess what they're touching ("eyeballs?! eeew, gross!")

Anway, I digress...back to my two firsts...

Chocolate Cardamom Zucchini Bread

David has test-tasted zucchini bread #1 and given it a two thumb's up! Here's his official critique (and if you care, I liked it, too):

"Nice flavor. Still has a zucchini bread-feel. Cardamom and chocolate kicks up the richness you'd expect from a zucchini bread, while still maintaining the texture that you get in a traditional loaf. A good dessert bread, and looking forward to trying it toasted."-David

The Zucchini Bread Challenge

When David realized that summer squash/zucchini season was upon us, his face lit up. I knew exactly what he wanted before he even opened his mouth, and I was already rolling my eyes...While he was thinking "Zucchini Bread!!", I was thinking "Oh, great. I get to make zucchini bread. Yay." I've tried many slices of zucchini bread and I always silently wonder why someone's ruining a completely tasty zucchini by adding it to a quick bread. I know it's for making the bread nice and moist, but plain zucchini bread is just kind of boring to me. It always just tastes like cinnamon. Why add the zucchini, and not applesauce or something? Why not just make a cinnamon bread? I just don't get it.

David is really excited for me to make some zucchini bread, so I've decided to give myself a little challenge. Within the next three weeks, I will make three loaves of zucchini bread, but they will NOT be plain old loaves with shredded zucchini. It will have zucchini, but there will be a twist.
I may fail miserably and end up making David a normal old zucchini loaf, but perhaps I will discover something that I will actually enjoy making and eating...

...Stay tuned for zucchini bread #1...

How to Care for Your Wok

A reader made a comment about my wok looking like it came straight from China, which I take as a compliment. So, thanks! It got me thinking about caring for woks, and how they are similar to fine wine, leather and some really great pieces of furniture (and Harrison Ford, usually)...they only get better with age. You should NEVER, EVER, EVER scrub your wok after you use it. No soap. No harsh scrubby brush. Just hot water and gentle removal of any food. And, as I learned from my Mom this weekend, dry your wok by placing it back on the stove and turning the burner up high, so the water evaporates and the wok dries quickly. That way, there is no opportunity for rust stains. Thanks,Mom. You're so smart.

Note: I've also read that you should oil your wok after rinsing and drying, but I've never done that. My wok's been stir-frying for over 10 years now, and still going strong!

Veggie Fried Rice

When I need a quick, comforting dish, I make this vegetable fried rice. It's great with grilled chicken, shrimp, or with the ribs and dry-fried garlic scapes that we ate this weekend. You can omit the eggs if you'd prefer it be strictly grains and vegetables.

Recipe: Veggie Fried Rice

by Nicole
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Feel free to add different vegetables, such as chopped broccoli, scallions, or shelled peas.

You'll need:

• a wok
• 2 cups cooked rice (If you can, make the rice a day ahead. You should use a long grain brown or white rice.)
• sesame oil
• 1/2 chopped medium onion2 chopped carrots
• 1-2 cups roughly chopped snap peas2 eggs
• add soy sauce or tamari to your liking.

Heat a drizzle of sesame oil in wok, spreading to coat bottom. Whisk two eggs and add to hot wok. Cook on one side until egg is set, and then flip to other side. Remove cooked egg from wok, fold and thinly slice and chop. Set aside.

Reheat wok with another drizzle of oil. Add onion and carrots and brown, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Add snap peas and continue stir-frying, about 1 minute, until peas are a bright green. Add rice, constantly tossing and stirring, so that it does not stick. Add soy sauce to taste while tossing. Rice should not be clumping together, but should not be dry, either.

Dry-Fried Garlic Scapes

My parents visited this weekend and we skipped the traditional 4th of July bbq fare. Instead, we served bbq pork spare ribs with an Asian-inspired sauce (whipped up on the fly by Chef D), vegetable fried rice, and a garlic scape dish that I have been dying to test-drive...

More Stuff in Jars

I suppose this week's theme is "Things You Store in Jars", and you either love this or hate this. For those who are hating, here's a little secret...this recipe is easy, as there is no processing time. Follow the preparation instructions and let them marinate in the fridge.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that we used our kohlrabi to make pickles. Click here to read that post. Oh. My. God. Seriously, they are really tasty. Tart, gingery, crispy, sweet and salty. With a little spice. Without knowing it, I ate 1/2 the jar during my taste-test.