A Summer Classic- Gazpacho

It's funny- all winter I dream about summer vegetables- and those dreams always include beautiful tomatoes and corn on the cob.  What I tend to forget is that tomatoes and corn don't really peak in their season until August.  The past couple of weeks though, beautiful tomatoes and perfect corn has been available throughout Farmers Markets- and I have been scooping them up!  When faced with what to make for a picnic I was attending over the Labor Day weekend, I looked to my fruit bowl and saw gorgeous, ripe tomatoes.  I checked the rest of my kitchen and sure enough- fresh ears of corn sat waiting to be shucked.  Gazpacho would be made.

I love Gazpacho in general, because it's delicious, but I love it even more for a picnic.  Gazpacho is a classic Spanish soup- created by combining tomatoes, stale bread and other seasonal vegetables, into a chilled, raw soup.  When allowed to sit for a bit, the flavors of the vegetables and spices mingle together, and the result is a super flavorful, hearty soup.

2 fresh tomatoes, medium to large size, cut into chunks
2 slices stale white bread, cut into chunks
1/3 cup onion (red or yellow) diced
1 cup + fresh parsley
1 jalapeno, cut into circles
Kernels only 1 ear of cooked corn
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup crumbled feta
Olive Oil
salt
pepper

In a food processor (blender would also work) combine the tomatoes, bread, onion, parsley and jalapeno.  Drizzle the olive oil into the top until the soup reaches the correct consistency- for me- this is a thick soup so maybe 1/4 of a cup to a 1/3 of a cup.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Transfer the soup from the blending/processing apparatus into a bowl. Add the corn, cucumber and feta. 

Let the soup chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours- over night.  Serve with additional feta and chopped parsley garnish. 
   

Walnut, Strawberry and Nectarine Bread

Every year I fill out these wellness tests for my health insurance, and every year I receive the same feedback- eat more fruit!  Somehow this always proves challenging to me-but this year I decided to take it to heart and have been packing myself a fruit salad to eat when I get to work in the morning.  Berries, melon, pineapple, nectarines- whatever looks fresh and tasty I purchase and then cut up and dole out portions of each morning.  Honestly- chowing down on my fruit salad while I sort through the over night emails at my desk is one of the highlights of my morning now.  However, invariably, at the end of the week I have some leftover fruit- and I am left with ways to use it up. 

This past sunday, I opened my fridge to find something for breakfast and I found an almost empty carton of strawberries staring back at me.  They were bruised, a little soft for my palatte, and itching to be incorporated into something that did not require them to be at their peak.  So decision made- I would be making something with strawberries- but what?  Not enough of them for Strawberry Ice Cream, they weren't nice enough for Strawberry Shortcake.  I pulled out my trusty King Arthur Flour cook book and started scouring it for strawberry recipes. And then I found it- Walnut Strawberry Bread in their quick breads section.  I read the recipe, and realized that I had every ingredient I needed-score!

Off to the kitchen I went, and just about an hour later I had piping hot loaf of Walnut Strawberry Bread.  Well...kinda.

Once I mashed the strawberries I realised that I just didn't have enough of them.  The recipe mentioned combining the strawberries with rhubarb, but I definitely didn't have any rhubarb.  However, what I did have was some almost over ripe nectarines.  They would do.  I peeled and mashed two of those- and hit my measurement for mashed fruit.  I also realized (very late in the process) that I was out of vegetable oil- I subbed in the same amount of melted butter- successful substitution- game on!

Walnut-Strawberry and Nectarine Quick Bread (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon zest OR 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
2 eggs

1 cup (10 ounces) mashed strawberries*

1/2 cup peeled and mashed nectarines

1/2 cup (3 7/8 ounces) vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (or spray with non-stick vegetable oil spray) a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the walnuts, flour, sugar, soda, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon, eggs, strawberries and vegetable oil. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, whisking until well-blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a rack to cool completely, 1 hour or longer. For best flavor and easiest slicing, wrap the bread while still slightly warm and let it sit overnight.

This was the easiest, most delicious bread!  The fruit was sweet and flavorful throughout, and the lemon zest really made the flavors pop with every bite.  Nutmeg can often over power, but here it just created a real dept of flavor and made this bread seem much more complex than it really was.  I will definitely be making this bread again- and I might start trying new fruits in it as well! 

Beer Corn Soup-the way it should be!

Oh corn -what has happened to you?  I read so many menus, all celebrating your season with delightful renditions of corn soup-but so many, so very many, are pairing you with wine.  I myself made corn soup that I dressed up with Marscapone cheese just for the fun of it.  I look back now and wonder why?  Why are we all pushing corn into the "refined" world of wine and Marscapone?  Corn is food to be eaten outside, at a barbecue, with your hands.  It is made for melting butter on top of and accenting with pepper and salt and ripping its sweet flesh off the cob with your teeth.  It isn't a refined food.  Corn is delicious, it is versatile, but refined it is not. 

I was craving some corn soup, and, as I considered how I would make it, this revelation occurred to me, and I decided to bring corn soup back home again.  Beer.  What could be more BBQ than beer?  This hoppy, bitter liquid just calls out for campfires, hot dogs and friends. 

Of course, the real question was, what beer to use.  I stood in staring at the selection and finally decided on what was touted as Beer of the Year, Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etra.  It was described as a "deep mahogany ale, brewed with Belgian beer sugars, green raisins and a sense of purpose".  Sounded to me like it would complement corn well. 

Back in my kitchen I began the soup by cutting the kernels off of two ears of corn, and then cutting down the cobs into pieces that would fit in a small sauce pan, covered them with water and set them a-boiling.  In a large skillet pan I melted a tablespoon of butter over low heat and then added 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, and a tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper.  When the garlic had softened, I added the corn kernels, and a teaspoon more of butter.  At this stage, I wanted to keep a fair amount of liquid in the pan and over a low enough heat where the corn kernels would cook, but not fry or crisp.  Once the butter had melted, I added 2 tablespoons or so of the beer, and raised the heat to a low medium.  I covered it, and let it saute.  A few minutes later, I gave the corn a good stir, and added more beer, and then covered again.  I repeated this until about half the beer had been used, and then kept it covered and over the heat until the alcohol had burned off.

I transferred the mix to my Cuisinart, and blended the mix into a paste.  Then I thinned it with the corn stock that had been simmering on the stove.  Once we reached a good consistency, if a little thick, I transferred the puree int my chinoise and pressed the wonderful corn juice through its mesh.  Finally I was left with just the remaining corn meal, which I would later form into patties with a little extra parsley and sear on the stove top for corn cakes.  I placed the soup itself over the heat of the stove again, and simmered until any remaining beer alcohol had simmered out.  

The soup itself screamed summer to me. Sweet corn, deep flavored beer, lots of salt, butter and pepper...Every spoonful (despite the slightly unappetizing color) was like corn on the cob in liquid format.

Oh corn- you were always meant for beer weren't you? 

S'Mores Marshmallows

I adore when I can pay back debts in food.  Obviously, this doesn't work all the time, but a friend who has been doing me a pretty humongous favor the past few months has agreed to payment via baked goods- a God send that guy is!  So last night, finding myself with unexpected downtime, I decided to try my hand S'mores Marshmallows. 

We all remember S'mores from when we were kids- a sweet and puffy marshmallow toasted up over a roaring campfire sandwiched between two graham crackers with chocolate in between, melting from the heat of the marshmallow.  The result was always a sticky mess, but completely and utterly delicious.  I won't lie- I could NEVER stop at just one. 

S'Mores Marshmallows combine all of the same aspects of that great childhood treat- marshmallow, melted chocolate and graham crackers.  They are simple to make, and definitely satisfy that "S'More craving".

25 Marshmallows (large size)

6-7 squares of Semi Sweet baking chocolate

1/2 package of Graham Crackers, crumbled into small pieces

Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler, or in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water.  While the chocolate melts, crumble the Graham Crackers.  I laid these out in a thick layer on a sheet of wax paper.  Once the chocolate has melted, give it a quick stir to ensure all the lumps are out, and then dip a marshmallow into the chocolate- covering as much of the surface as possible with the chocolate.  Once the marshmallow is sufficiently covered, roll it in the Graham Cracker crumbs.  Set aside to cool.  Continue these steps until all of your marshmallows are completed. Enjoy.

Now there was one major component of these tasty treats missing- the campfire.  The burned sugar was gone, no blistered smoky spots present.  To me, a lover of burned marshmallows, this point was a little sad.  I think that the next time I make these however Ill leave one end of the marshmallow uncovered, and use my blow torch to caramelize it.  

Either way- these are a great treat for these summer months, when a campfire is just not possible! 

Royal Rose Radicchio, Strawberry and Walnut Salad

Before we begin-I must apologize for the lack of new photos in this post- I ate the finished product before I remembered to snap some images.

As I briefly stated in my last post where I threw some incredible radicchio into a bowl with blue cheese, bacon and an amazing Balsamic vinegar, I have been the recipient of quite a few lovely heads of Royal Rose Radicchio.  I am now deep in the throws of finding delicious ways of using this bitter leaf vegetable. 

After making my delicious lunch salad on Sunday, I knew I wanted to make another salad for dinner, and since I had bacon and blue cheese leftover- I wanted to use them up as well.  The rest of my fridge contents contributed fresh strawberries, walnuts and the end of my jar of apricot jam that I purchased to make my I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Toast Ambassador recipe.  

Now, to some this sounds like a whole lot of ingredients that don't in, any way, go together.  However to me, this sounded like a perfect combination.  Bitter radicchio, sweet strawberries, tangy blue cheese, smoky bacon, and that wonderful nuttiness and crunch of the walnuts, all held together with apricot jam?  I was in.

I chopped half a head of radicchio, and sliced 7-8 strawberries into a bowl.  I fried up 4 slices of thick cut bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  I chopped about 1/4 cup of walnuts.  I tossed all of this together.  Then in a small bowl I combined 1/4 of a cup of apricot jam with a tablespoon and a half of champagne vinegar, two teaspoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and a healthy sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.  Just before serving, I added the dressing to the salad bowl and stirred until all elements of the salad were well combined.

Honestly- I was a little worried about how this salad would turn out.  There were a lot of elements in it which didn't necessarily spell out "classic pairing".  However, the end result was truly delicious.  The radicchio was bitter as ever, full of all of those wonderful nutrients, but was perfectly offset by the sweet and slightly spicy dressing and the wonderful naturally sweet strawberries.  The bacon and the nuts provided some great textural contrast.  I have since eaten this salad a few times, and have shared it with friends who echoed my sentiments- it was a weird mix of ingredients, but really worked when pulled all together.  

This is a perfect summer salad- I'll definitely be recreating in the weeks ahead!  

Caprese Salad, and the secret to finding the perfect tomato

There are few things that I find so perfect as a Caprese Salad. Fresh tomatoes, ribbons of fragrant basil, the all too familiar pungent flavor of garlic, all topped with luxurious, fruity olive oil and fresh cracked pepper...it is the perfect combination of flavors. Of course it can always be kicked up a notch with creamy mozzarella cheese layered in between the layers. It is one of my favorite things to chow down on in summer months, bringing me back to summers in my mothers garden where the tomatoes would ripen under the hot summer sun. Since the temperatures soared into the 90's this weekend, I was brought right back to those times, and I craved a good Caprese salad.

Unfortunately, local tomatoes won't be available for some time, but some places are getting in some pretty great tomatoes despite our regional handicap. Of course it isn't easy to pick out a good one, tomatoes might look bright red and pretty from the outside, but I'm sure we've all felt that disappointment of cutting into it to find it's insides pink and mealy rather than red and juicy. Want to know my secret to finding the perfect tomato? The smell. If, when you lift a tomato to your nose, you don't smell much, you can bank on it being just a so so tomato. However if, when you breath in the tomato, if you smell dirt, earth, and the skin still seems to have the warmth of the sun in it, then you know that you have found a good tomato. I know that sounds like poetic bull, but I promise you it works.

A caprese salad is a simple treasure to make. A beautiful tomato, sliced with care, into about 1/4 inch slices. 4-5 large basil leaves, rolled lengthwise, and sliced into ribbons. A clove (or two) of garlic finely chopped.  Display your tomatoes, generously sprinkle the basil over the fruit, and likewise with the garlic.  Drizzle olive oil over the top, crack your black pepper, and if you desire some salt, as the final garnish, and enjoy with a hunk of crusty Italian bread. 

Summer perfection on a plate.

Fish Tacos

As summer begins, I start to crave lighter and lighter foods to satisfy my hunger, probably my body's way of saying- "Um excuse me- you need to wear a bathing suit soon", and of course that says nothing about the two huge Italian meals I ate last weekend. However, last night I had a post gym craving of a light, tasty meal to accompany my Celtics watching, and decided on Fish Tacos- that, when not fried, are incredibly healthy. I decided to make them even healthier by adding some non conventional ingredients.

I picked up some Tilapia fillets at the grocery store, as well as some fresh baby spinach, an avocado, and some whole wheat tortillas. Unfortunately they were out of the small "taco" tortillas so I ended up with the huge "burrito" tortillas, but I figured that they would suffice. I also cut out a few corners and picked up a pre cut mix for coleslaw figuring I could doctor it up at home a bit. Sadly, they were also out of cilantro.

Back at home, I opened my package of Tilapia, and generously doused it with lemon juice. Then I chopped up a small amount of a shallot, and added that to about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in the bottom of a fry pan with a little kosher salt. Once that had heated through I spooned a full teaspoon of my ginger spread into the pan as well and allowed it to melt down. Once it had, I added the Tilapia fillets and allowed them to absorb those flavors while cooking.

I then turned my attention to my "slaw". In a small bowl I used just a small tablespoon of mayo, and added a generous helping of hot sauce to it. I was really wishing I had the cilantro at this point, however healthy handfuls of the pre-chopped veggies made for a nice and crispy slaw with not too much mayo, and a nice background of heat.

Once the fish had finished cooking, approximately 3-4 minutes each side, I began my taco assembly. I took one large tortilla, that I had heated in the oven wrapped in damp paper towels and tinfoil, and layed it flat on my plate. Then I put on a generous portion of the fresh spinach, then the fish, a few spoonfuls of salsa, a few slices of fresh avocado and then the slaw on top. I rolled it up, and though I haven't perfected my "burrito" style rolling, it was a pretty taco! The flavors of the fish, from the light lemon flavor to the popping ginger, the heat of the coleslaw and the salsa, and the differences between hot and cold were wonderful combinations. It was filling, and felt incredibly light and healthy- esp with the addition of lots of spinach.

I think I have found another perfect summer meal for myself :-)