Bread 'n' Butter Pickled Grapes

You're not sure what to expect; heck, neither was I, but you'll love 'em. Initially I planned to peel the grapes - well, I wouldn't have been the one to do the actual peeling, but instead a potentially sad and tortured garde manger cook - until I realized that G23 is no place for peeled grapes. No place at all.

8 cups cider vinegar

3 cups sugar

3/4 cups salt

2 Tbsp mustard seeds

1 Tbsp celery seed

2 tsp mixed peppercorns

1 tsp allspice berries

4 cloves

1 vanilla bean, scraped, pod and seeds

1 pod star anise

1 bay leaf

10 lbs seedless red grapes

- bring all ingredients to a simmer, stirring gently until mixture is clear

- remove from heat and cool at least 12 hours before use

Lobster Salad

I'm serving this with striped bass and pickled grapes over a golden gazpacho. I just came up with the dressing a few minutes ago from things I noticed we weren't using at the moment. Tomorrow's inventory day, and it feels good not to have unused food around, hence the use of orange flower water and Lyle's Golden Syrup. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Guts

2 lbs lobster meat, small to medium dice

4 shallots, sliced into thin rings

3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2" batons

4 sprigs tarragon, minced

1 Tbsp african basil flowers

2 tsp salt

Dressing

2 tsp orange flower water

2 tsp Lyle's Golden Syrup

2 tsp rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup plain whipped cream, soft peaks

- whisk first 5 ingredients

- fold in whipped cream

- gently toss with above lobster

- combine salad components and toss with dressing

Warm Cucumber Sauce

Tomorrow this will sauce a salmon fillet, smoked salmon & horseradish gnocchi and buttered pumpernickel crumbs. It would also make an interesting soup, perhaps garnished with some cold- smoked salmon roe. All of the flavors - the onion, cucumber, dill, white pepper, butter and lemon are subtle, but entirely familiar. Because you strain the soup through the dill, there are no green specks at all; you're simply left with a hint of its scent. This would be a fun guess-what's-in-it candidate.

2 large spanish onions, sliced thin

1/4 lb butter

3 Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt

6 english cucumbers, peeled and rough chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 qts water

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 bunch dill, rough chopped

- sweat the onions in the butter with the salt over low heat until softened, stirring often and being careful not to brown

- add the cucumber and toss to coat; continue to sweat 5 minutes

- add the lemon juice and cook 2 minutes

- add the water and pepper, bring to boil and simmer 15 minutes

- remove to blender and puree thoroughly

- put chopped dill in mesh chinois; strain cucumber puree through chinois, pressing on the dill with a spoon or ladle for maximum extraction

Summer Sandwich for Those Suffering from the Vegetarian Affliction

I made this sandwich yesterday for my wife, and she claimed that is was the best sandwich she'd ever had. Now, since she doesn't eat meat it can't possibly qualify as the best sandwich ever, but for herbivores I guess it's pretty nifty.

Begin with multigrain bread from the Biscuit bakery in Somerville. Toast each slice and spread with Goya Sofrito or some other tomato based sauce. If you don't make your own, I recommend Sauces 'n Love varieties, also from Somerville. Slice eggplant and dredge in Wondra flour. Saute in olive oil over medium-high heat on one side until browned. Top with grated grana or other hard cheese and flip. Saute on this side until the cheese is browned. Remove to paper towels. Stack the fried eggplant, appenzeller slices and a big honkin' pile of basil leaves on your bread. Top it with the other slice and wrap it up until lunchtime.

What to Do with All That Zucchini

I came in today determined to find a use for zucchini. My farmer accidentally shipped me the wrong size (not baby), and a lot of it, so I really had no choice. Also, I suspect that our farm share at home will be zucchini-heavy for a little while, and this will be a good way - hopefully - for E. to get the kids to eat it. These little pancakes ended up with some South Asian influences in the cumin and turmeric, and while I wasn't expecting to go in that direction, I like how it all turned out. I plan to serve them with turmeric scented creamed corn, a South Asian influenced bbq-like sauce, and hand harvested scallops wrapped in speck. I'll probably work some cilantro in there, too, but Friday's two days away, so no need to worry about that now.

Shrimp & Zucchini Pancakes

Batter

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 Tbsp olive oil or melted butter
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup fine cornmeal
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black cumin
1 scant tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp baking powder

- whisk together buttermilk, eggs and oil
- stir in remaining ingredients and set aside

The Pancake Guts

1/2 lb zucchini, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup diced cooked shrimp
4 large leaves basil, chiffonade
1 bunch scallions, bottom third only, sliced thin

- toss zucchini with garlic, oil and salt and roast in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes
- combine with remaining ingredients and fold into above pancake batter
- cook pancakes about 2 minutes per side over low to medium heat, or use your favorite pancake cooking style. Everybody has one

When Life Hands You Cucumbers...

Somehow 4 minutes of sunshine in June means nothing but cucumbers from our farm share, so we have a bunch. Determined as I was to enlighten my children, I was equally determined not to spend any additional money, as it will continue to be tight until you buy our 2004 KIA Sorento collecting dust in our garage. So this recipe is what I could do with what I had laying around, plus cucumbers. It is obviously quite like tzatziki, but not exactly, so we'll call it Tzatzikish.



Tzatzikish (Tonight with smoked pork chops from Karl's)

about 2 lbs pickling cucumbers, medium dice (5 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup 2% Greek style yogurt
1 1/4 cups crumbled feta
4 jalapenos, fillets only, deribbed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp sliced chives
1 Tbsp mint chiffonade
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

- in food processor, thoroughly mince cucumber
- remove and press out as much liquid as possible from minced cucumber (in a chinois or cheesecloth)
- fold garlic and yogurt into cucumber
- also in food processor (don't bother rinsing the bowl), puree feta, jalapeno fillets and lemon juice
- fold feta mixture into cucumber mixture
- add remaining ingredients and mix well. Allow flavors to develop for at least an hour before serving

Today's Cooking School

In an attempt to stave off my kids' boredom today, we're going to take a stab at cooking lessons (I somehow broke a Lego dart gun this morning rendering our battles decidedly one-sided). I realize that I can't possibly compare to Mario or Sonic or Spongebob, but maybe I can beat room cleaning or folding laundry. Recipes will follow.

Artichoke Tapenade Fried Sandwich Filling

2 lbs artichoke bottoms, braised with aromatics
1 qt pitted meski (or other green) olives
1/2 cup oregano leaves
5 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp capers
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 lb mascarpone

- combine all but mascarpone in food processor and pulse to mince
- remove and fold mascarpone into tapenade mixture; chill before use

Ammendment to the Ammendment

Okay, okay I've sorted some of this out. Don't bother baking the crab rings at all. Just chill the mixture and pack into rings to serve if you want it to look all fancy. But what about the streusel, you ask. Good point, but you weren't thinking. You can simply bake the streusel by itself in a single layer on a sheet pan, then spoon it on ex post facto.

Also, I scrapped the flatbread idea and revisited the sandwich: simple white bread spread with an artichoke tapenade, topped with another slice of white bread, quartered, then breaded and deep fried. And the sauce is an emulsion of blanched spinach, poached eggs, dijon mustard, garlic and grapeseed oil. So you see, this whole endeavor here, this labor of love, is really just a take on the old school crab, spinach and artichoke dip available at fern bars everywhere. Does anyone even say "fern bars" anymore?

Ammendment to the Post Below

After several minutes of experimentation and deep soul searching, I have changed my mind. I would recommend that you bake the crab thingies with the streusel on top, then chill and serve them cold. Also, I now plan to serve them with crispy flatbread spread with a relish? of grilled artichoke, Moroccan green olive, braised fennel, lemon and a touch of capers. That recipe will follow, which, in this world, means it will appear somewhere above the original.

Warm Crab Salad with Old Bay Streusel

Crab

2 lb maine crabmeat

2 bunches scallions, white and light green only, sliced thin

4 inches celery, sliced thin

½ tsp lemon zest

½ tsp salt

Old Bay Streusel

1/3 cup flour

3 Tbsp cornmeal

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning

3 Tbsp partially softened butter

- combine dry ingredients and cut in butter to form crumbs

Cream Sauce and Assembly

2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp flour

½ tsp dry mustard

½ tsp Old Bay seasoning

¼ tsp cayenne

¼ cup white wine

15 drops worcestershire

2 cups milk

½ lb cream cheese

salt and white pepper to taste

- lightly brown the garlic in the butter, then add flour and dry spices

- whisk constantly 1 minute, then add wine and worcestershire

- whisk until thickened, then add milk, ½ cup at a time, whisking between each addition until thickened

- stir in cream cheese until melted, then season to taste

- strain, fold into above crabmeat mixture and fill 16 2 inch by 2 inch rings

- refrigerate until chilled and top each with 1/8 of above streusel mixture

- bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; serve with artichoke sandwiches (recipe to follow)

Basil Oil

Since the speck-cucumber relish called for basil oil, here is a recipe:

1# basil, leaves only

1 tsp salt

3 cups grapeseed oil

- blanch basil for no more than 5 seconds and remove to ice water; handle basil as little as possible

- puree with salt in blender, beginning with as little oil as necessary to puree

- gradually incorporate remaining oil

- strain through cloth, allow sediment to settle and decant

Speck & Cucumber Relish

Speck is smoked prosciutto, and ours - from La Quercia in Iowa - is delicious. It has a gentle apple wood smoke to it, while Italian hams can sometimes seem a bit scorched. Currently we serve this relish with scallops wrapped in thin slices of speck, the ambrosia melon sauce from yesterday's post, and sea beans (glasswort, samphire, pousse-pieds) tossed with a bit o' lemon.

1 1/2 cups brunoise of speck, deep-fried.
1 cup brunoise of cucumber
1 tsp lime zest
10 basil leaves, 1/2" chiffonade
2 pinches salt
1 Tbsp basil oil

- combine all and set aside at least 1 hour before using

For a Soft Shell Crab Appetizer: Stonefruit Salad & Red Curry Aioli

Stonefruit Salad

6 mariposa plums, pitted
5 flavortop nectarines
15 leaves mint, chiffonade
1/2 tsp salt

2 oz sake
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp szechuan peppercorns
1 point of pod star anise

- slice plums into 12 wedges each
- peel nectarines and reserve peelings for later use aside; cut flesh into medium dice
- toss with mint and salt; set aside

- combine sake, sugar, peppercorns and star anise in small saucepan over medium heat
- reduce to 1 oz and allow to cool
- strain and toss fruits with this mixture


Red Curry Aioli

2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp red curry paste
1 Tbsp butter
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
reserved peelings from nectarines (above)

8 eggs, poached
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
3 cups grapeseed oil

- combine sugar, curry paste and butter in small saucepan over medium heat
- stir 1 minute and add coconut milk and peelings
- lower heat to low and cook 15 minutes; set aside
- meanwhile combine eggs, vinegar and salt in blender - puree
- with motor running drizzle in reserved coconut milk mixture
- still with motor runningm drizzle in grapeseed oil
- cool before use

Ambrosia Melon Sauce

9 lbs ambrosia melon or other true cantaloupe (such as charentais melon)
1/4 lb butter
6 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 bottle (750ml) prosecco
1 cup buttermilk
additional butter as needed

- peel, seed and rough-chop melon
- sweat melon in butter with sugar and salt over low to medium heat 10 minutes, stirring often
- add prosecco and turn heat to high
- cook until melon falls apart when prodded - about 15 minutes
- puree in blender with buttermilk
- to order, warm 1.5 ounces melon puree and mount with 2 Tbsp butter.

Steak Tips - a Few Hints for Choosing and Cooking that Yummy Brandt Beef

Choosing a great cut on the cheap:

if you are a fan of filet mignon or beef tenderloin, you might enjoy the teres major, or shoulder tender. It is similar in both flavor and texture and is a good choice if you plan on serving rich sauce such as bearnaise or bordelaise.

If you like the richness and depth of a rib steak, consider the flatiron. It is one of the most tender and flavorful cuts of beef available and has an almost gamey quality.

A personal favorite of mine is the skirt steak, juicy and bursting with flavor.

Another winner is the sirloin cap, or coulotte. A whole coulotte makes a great roast for four, and cut into steaks, it’s tender and delicious.

Important tips:

always season liberally with salt before cooking. This draws more proteins to the surface. That’s where the great steak flavor comes from – the caramelization of the surface proteins. Okay, food snobs, it's not technically caramelization as protein isn't sugar. It's the Maillard Reaction which is the brown resulting from the marriage of amino acids, sugar and heat. It's a plural marriage.

Also, to this end, get a good brown crust on the outside of the steak, either in a heavy skillet or on the hottest part of the grill. Contrary to popular myth, this does nothing to “seal in the juices” but its reward is the flavor.

after achieving the nice crust, finish the steak in the oven at around 275 degrees, or on a cooler part of the grill, covered.

steaks plump when you cook them up until they reach an internal temperature of 130 degrees, after which they deflate. Pull your steaks when they have achieved maximum plumpness and allow them to rest a few minutes.

my favorite internal temperature temperature is 128 degrees for beef and lamb, 132 for veal and 135 for pork . Do not trust thermometers that determine that rare is 140 degrees; it is not. Rare is between 110 and 120.

Do not assume that rare is cold. Adjust your tap water to between 110 and 120 degrees. Feel the water. Is it cold? No.

Flavors:

I like to make a mix of chunky sea salt, sweet smoked paprika and black pepper to season my steaks. The paprika mimics a wood fire, inside or out.

for the simplest sauce, gently warm a tablespoon of butter and whisk in a few drops of worcesterchire sauce. Liberally brush your steak.

One I make all the time is chimichurri – see recipe.