Archive for the ‘garden’ Category

CORN AND TOMATO SALSA REVISITED

Posted: August 28, 2016 in barbecue, beef, fleur de sel, Food, garden, grilling, horseradish, lobster, marinade, potatoes, Recipes, salt, Santorini, seafood, spuds, tomatoes, travel, wine
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At a recent summer garden dinner for 12 of our friends, I wanted to serve my corn and tomato salsa that I featured here a few weeks ago.

We “smuggled” a few treats from a recent visit to Santorini Greece: capers, caper leaves and sun-dried tomatoes. Adding them to fresh corn and tomatoes gave it that salty bite that. I usually use feta cheese in this recipe, but we served a cheese plate as an appetizer, so I left the feta out. Turns out we like it even better this way…

1 dozen fresh ears of corn, lightly sautéed in olive oil
2 dozen (or more) tiny tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon caper leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (in addition to what you saute the corn with)

Slice the kernels of corn off the ears with a sharp knife. Saute them in a little olive oil, just to remove the raw taste. Don’t over cook them!

Combine the corn with all the other ingredients and place in a bowl in the fridge.

Just before serving, let it come back to cool, not cold, and check for seasoning. The capers and caper leaves are salty, so I’m careful not to over-salt.

GARDEN TOMATO CONSOMME

Posted: August 25, 2016 in Food, garden, horseradish, Recipes, Rhode Island
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The definition of a consomme is: “a clear soup made with concentrated stock.” I might add “mind-blowing” to that sentence, especially with this recipe. The key to success– and this is crucial–is to use absolutely garden-fresh, in-season ingredients. If you try this with greenhouse or supermarket tomatoes, you’re just wasting your time.

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4 1/2 lbs. of fresh garden tomatoes (my favorite is the heirloom: Brandywine)
1 large bunch of fresh basil, leaves and stems
1 2-inch piece of fresh horseradish, peeled
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (I use Alessi)
2 oz. vodka (I use Tito’s)
sea salt and pepper

 

Remove the core of the tomatoes, but leave everything else, including seeds and skin.

Put all the tomatoes, basil, horseradish, garlic, vinegar and vodka in a blender or food processor. You might need to do this in batches if your equipment can’t handle it all.

Process until you get a kind of slush.

Line a mixing bowl with a double layer of cheesecloth and pour the tomato slush mixture into it. Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth carefully, and tie them securely so you can lift the bundle up by the knot. Hang the bundle from a hook over a clean bowl in the fridge so that it catches the liquid that drips out, and leave the whole thing in there overnight. The liquid that drips out will be clear. (You can place an optional slice of beet in the bowl to add color, but I choose not to, because I think it changes the flavor.)

Cheesecloth bundle dripping overnight in the fridge.

Cheesecloth bundle dripping overnight in the fridge.

To serve, chill bowls (or in this case: the sipping glasses) in the fridge. When ready to serve, ladle out the consomme and garnish with a tiny basil leaf. A drop of excellent quality olive oil is optional.

Synthetic cheesecloth apparatus. The real thing works better.

Synthetic cheesecloth apparatus. The real thing works better.

 

I tried using a synthetic cheesecloth for this recipe, and I found that it doesn’t filter out enough of the solids to make a clear consomme. You could use it along with real cheesecloth, just to use the stand, or just hang it all in real cheesecloth, as described in this recipe.

BABY BELL PEPPERS WITH FRESH CORN STUFFING

Posted: August 20, 2016 in cheese, corn, Food, garden, Recipes
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I came up with this crunchy tasty appetizer a few years ago, when I needed a tasty bite for one of our famous summer parties. I wanted something fresh that highlighted the veggies of the season, so when I spotted these baby bell peppers in the supermarket, I came up with this tasty, crunchy appetizer. I get requests for the recipe every year. (I  grow my own baby bell peppers, but when we’re talking about feeding a large party, it’s time to go to the supermarket! )

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Baby bell peppers
6 ears fresh corn, removed from the cob…or organic frozen corn
1/2 Vidalia onion, peeled, quartered, grilled, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
6 oz. feta cheese or Queso Fresco, crumbled
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of white pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

 

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Cut corn from ears, and saute very briefly in a little olive oil. Place in a bowl and let cool.

Peel and quarter the Vidalia onion, and throw it on a hot grill with a little olive oil to get some nice grill marks on it, leaving the onion still crispy, not soft. If indoors, throw the quartered onion in a hot pan with a little olive oil, and cook until you get some brown marks on it. Remove, let cool, then place in a food processor and pulse until the onion is chopped into small bits, just smaller than the corn kernels. Add onions to corn.

In a separate small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and Frank’s Red Hot. Pour in the crumbled cheese and mix well. Pour this into the corn and onion bowl and mix well.

Add the lime juice, white pepper and parsley to the bowl and mix well again.

Cut the baby bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds and membrane. Stuff the peppers with the corn mixture and garnish with cilantro or parsley.

 

If you’r preparing this ahead of time, refrigerate the stuffed peppers until you’re ready to eat, but allow some time for them to warm up to a cool, not cold temperature.

 

FRESH CORN AND TOMATO SALSA

Posted: August 10, 2016 in cheese, corn, fleur de sel, Food, garden, Uncategorized
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Corn and tomatoes…they’re in season and you just can’t beat the combination! This is a very simple salsa that takes advantage of their natural sweetness.

salsa

 

1 dozen fresh ears of corn or lb. frozen organic corn
2 large ripe organic tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
6 oz. mild crumbled cheese, like feta, cotija, or queso fresco
1 teaspoon Fleur de Sel or sea salt
pinch of black pepper
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 

If you’re using fresh corn, remove the kernels from the ears by running a knife down the sides, slicing through the kernels. I stand my ear of corn up on the center hole of a bundt pan, letting the kernels fall into the bowl below. Pan sauté the corn for just a few minutes in a little olive oil, but leave it crisp! If you can roast the ears of corn over some coals, even better. Let it cool.

Mix the corn with all the other ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

EASIEST PICKLES EVER

Posted: July 26, 2016 in brining, Food, garden, pickling, Recipes, salt
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My friend, Cindy, has cucumber overload in the home garden right now. Thanks to her for requesting a re-post of this recipe.

I don’t have the patience to boil Mason jars and lids and all that crap. But I love me my pickles, especially when I’ve got a cucumber surplus in the garden. These won’t last beyond the season, but if you want fresh pickles in a hurry, this is a great method to use.

No water is needed! The salt extracts just enough moisture, like when curing meat, to make it work.

pickles

 

 

6 fresh cucumbers
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (I like Fleur de Sel)
handful of fresh dill
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

 

Get a large plastic Ziploc bag.  Add the salt, dill and garlic and gently mix everything in the bag.

Cut the ends off the cucumbers and then slice them lengthwise, in half or in quarters. Add them to the bag and gently mix again.

Squeeze to remove air from the bag, close it tightly and place it in the fridge overnight. The pickles will be ready to eat the next day, but they’re even better after 48 hours.

 

 

 

 

KOHL-SLAW

Posted: July 10, 2016 in Food, garden, Recipes
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Kohlrabi is probably one of the most misunderstood vegetables around. Most people don’t know what to do with them. Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family and can be eaten raw as well as cooked.

For me, the real joy of kohlrabi is biting into a crunchy, sweet, freshly picked and peeled bulb right out of the garden. Unfortunately, much of the kohlrabi you find in a supermarket (or even a farm stand) is grown larger than a tennis ball, making it tough, woody and dry. And they usually remove all the leaves, which are delicious.

The kohlrabi harvest has just begun in my home garden, and I make a slaw with the leaves and the bulb. I use my Awesomesauce recipe as the dressing.

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s into the bowl.
2 kohlrabi bulbs with leaves, de-stemmed
1 carrot, peeled
For the Awesomesauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper

Combine the Awesomesauce ingredients in a bowl and keep it in the fridge.

Wash the veggies thoroughly before using. Pull the leaves off the kohlrabi bulb, and remove the stems. Grab a bunch of leaves at a time, roll them up tightly, and slice as thinly as you can into thin ribbons. Place in a bowl. Do this with all the leaves.

Peel the thick skin off the kohlrabi bulb and slice it as thinly as you can. Then take the slices and cut thin sticks out of them. Toss into the bowl.

I like to peel the carrot with a veggie peeler, then finely chop the slices. Toss into the bowl.

Add Awesomesauce to taste and toss well.

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Cover and refrigerate, letting the flavors blend for a couple of hours before serving.

SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH QUINOA

Posted: May 25, 2016 in Cucumbers, Food, garden, Recipes, seafood, shrimp, superfoods
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Sure, most people will be grilling this weekend. But this is a great dish for those that want to pass on the beef. This is a delicious salad that you can serve warm or cool. You can make this the day before. Wrap it in plastic, and keep it in the fridge. Then, when your guests arrive, let it warm to room temperature. Taste for seasoning before serving. If you’re not a fan of quinoa, brown basmati rice works well, too.

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1 1/3 cup dry quinoa (or 1 cup basmati rice)
Chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon
2 pounds wild-caught American shrimp, peeled and de-veined (16 to 18 count)
1 cup of asparagus stalks, cut into 1″ lengths
1/2 cup minced scallions, green part only
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and medium-diced
1/4 cup red onion, small diced
1/2 cup seeded and chopped tomatoes
3/4 pound good feta cheese, crumbled
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

 

Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions, using chicken stock instead of water. Once it’s cooked, place it in a large bowl.

Place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don’t overcook!

Add the shrimp to the quinoa, then add the lemon juice, scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

 

 

THE GARDEN: WEEK 10

Posted: May 15, 2016 in asparagus, Food, garden, Rhode Island, Southern New England
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With a week of rain followed by a week of sunshine, the garden has really taken off. Nights are still too cool (in the 40’s) for tomatoes to go out, so they’re hanging out in my greenhouse until they’re ready to be transplanted.

Happy bees buzzing around the blossoms of my old and still productive apple tree.

Happy bees buzzing around the blossoms of my old and still productive apple tree.

 

Strawberries and asparagus share the same bed. A good combination: by the time the asparagus harvest is over, the strawberries fill in the bed. And by the time the strawberries are all picked, the asparagus stalks shoot upward to produce the ferns that will recharge the plants for next year's crop.

Strawberries and asparagus share the same bed. A good combination: by the time the asparagus harvest is over, the strawberries fill in the bed. And by the time the strawberries are all picked, the asparagus stalks shoot upward to produce the ferns that will recharge the plants for next year’s crop.

 

...And a check on the first bed I sowed this season: peas on the left, happy arugula, Asian greens, spinach and more on the right.

…And a check on the first bed I sowed this season: peas on the left, happy arugula, Asian greens, lettuce, spinach and more on the right.

Here’s the bed from 3 weeks ago…and the start of the season…

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Fresh salads from the garden have already included: lettuce, Asian greens, scallions, arugula, spinach, asparagus, pea tendrils, fresh oregano, and kale.

THE GARDEN: WEEK 7

Posted: April 24, 2016 in Food, garden, Rhode Island, Southern New England
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I sowed some early spring seeds around March 7th in one of my raised beds. Here’s what it looked like on Day 1…

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Three weeks later, germination began, albeit slowly. But you can see the happy little green seedlings popping up. On the left: peas. On the right: radishes, Asian greens, spinach, kale, arugula and others.

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Now, it’s week #7, and you can see significant growth…

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The peas (on the left) are about 6″ tall. Spinach (bottom right) making an appearance, too.

Another photo in a few weeks!

THE GARDEN: WEEK 3

Posted: March 28, 2016 in Food, garden, Rhode Island, Southern New England
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I sowed some early spring seeds about 3 weeks ago in one of my raised beds. Here’s what it looked like on Day 1…

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Now…3 weeks later, germination has begun, albeit slowly. But you can see the happy little green seedlings popping up. On the left: peas. On the right: radishes, Asian greens, spinach, kale, arugula and others.

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Another photo in a few weeks!

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