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Archive for October, 2011

Oysters

Posted in Recipes, Stephen Kolyer, tagged , , , on October 27, 2011 | 2 Comments »

 

You either love ‘em or hate ‘em – I’ve found there is no in-between.  We happen to be a family that loves them.  Steve and I have just returned from our annual fall visit to Provincetown where oysters are on the menu every day.  Always on the half shell – never fancied up.  No mignonette, no lemon, no dippin’ or drizzlin’ at all – we just slurp them right from the shell.  This year they were particularly salty/sweet and very plump.  I don’t offer a recipe ‘cause, for us, only nature can provide the perfect dish – just some photos so you can enjoy our feasts just a bit.  And, along with the oysters, Steve shares a snap of Lynn’s (our vacationing buddy) found beach treasures.  The little starfish seemed to be everywhere on the beach – some struggling to make it back to the water and some for whom it was too late to make the dash.

 

 

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Linguine with Clams

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on October 25, 2011 | 2 Comments »

 

On our annual trip out on the Cape, we have fish or shellfish every day.  All of the seafood is so pristine that I usually serve it raw or just simply cooked – why spoil something so delicious in its own right with sauces and such?  The only exception is when I do something with pasta.  One of our favorite pasta dishes is linguine with clams for which I don’t really have a tried and true recipe – after all, I’m not an Italian grandma!  For our clam night this year, I incorporated some very sweet little yellow cherry tomatoes that we had picked up from a local farm along with a charming bouquet of nasturiums that the farmer’s dear little daughter had picked, tied with ribbon, and sold for ice cream money.  The end result was absolutely delicioso.  Here’s what I did – there is no real measurement – just guage how much broth you want with the amount of clams and pasta you are going to be serving.

While you are cooking the clams, cook the linguine to al dente according to package directions.  For the clams, put a nice layer of olive oil in the pot.  Add a good measure of chopped garlic – I use about 8 cloves (you never can be sure about those vampires lurking around) – then when the garlic is smelling up the oil, add a cup of white wine and then let it bubble for a few minutes to allow the winey flavor to mellow.  Then, add a bottle of clam juice, a cup of chicken stock, and a cup or so of fresh chopped clams.  Let it cook for a couple of minutes,  or until very hot.   Taste and season with pepper and, if needed, salt.  Add your clams, cover, and cook until all of the clams pop open.  If, like me, you have some sweet cherry tomatoes, add them along with the clams.

When all of the clams have opened, stir in some chopped parsley.  Drain the pasta well and toss it with a touch of extra virgin olive oil.  Transfer it to a large platter with sides (so the broth doesn’t run off).  Pour the clams and broth over the pasta.  And, the crowning glory,  julienne the nasturium flowers and leaves and sprinkle them over the clams.  You can’t believe what a wondrous marriage of flavors come together with the sweet clams, winey broth, and spicy nasturiums.

 

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Pork with Garlic Scapes

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on October 20, 2011 | 6 Comments »

 

We’re big fans of pork, but commercially available pork – that is pork found om  supermarkets and most butchershops – is so lean that its flavor is almost nonexistant and it can be very tough when grilled or roasted.  So, we brine it before we cook it – whether on the grill, in braises, or in the oven – to add a subtle hint of herby saltiness and to tenderize.  I generally do about ½ cup each of salt and sugar along with whatever herbs compliment the finished dish – or if I am just roasting or grilling, whatever herbs I have on hand in addition to a bay leaf or two.  Here are some photos of a bone-in pork roast that you see being brined and then ready to be roasted coated with olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper, herbs tucked in between the bones, and wrapped in the last garlic scapes of the season.  By the time the roast was ready the scapes had disintegrated but left a definite sweet garlic flavor to the meat.

(If you aren’t familiar with garlic scapes they are simply “flower stalks” of hardneck garlic plants.  Scapes are generally cut off of the growing plant early in the season as they pull energy from the developing bulb.   Until recently, the scapes went into the garbage heap or the compost, even though they are delicious and quite edible.  Both farmer and consumer awareness has brought them to the market – although usually only to farmers markets or roadside stands).

 

 

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Mixed Fruit

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on October 10, 2011 | 2 Comments »

 

When fruit or vegetables look particularly lush and inviting, I often buy way too much.  That was the case the other day when the pears were luring me with juicy sweetness and the plums seemed ready to burst their seams.  We ate our share – as a snack and for dessert – with some lovely cheese I had picked up at Murray’s Cheese “www.murrayscheese.com” but then what to do with the remainder……..

I had some poaching liquid in the fridge so I peeled and sliced the few we had left and put the pieces in a nonstick, oven-proof frying pan along with about ½-inch of the poaching liquid, some butter, and bit of ground cardomom.  Placed the pan in a 375ºF oven and let the fruit roast until just a wee bit brown around the edges.  Made a terrific warm dessert with a bit of Greek yogurt melting into it.  If you don’t have any poaching liquid on hand, just add some fruit juice and lemon or some wine (red or white will do), whatever spices you like, and, of course, some butter.

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Lisa Yockelson’s Baking Style

Posted in Books, Recipes, Stephen Kolyer, tagged , , , , , , on October 5, 2011 | 2 Comments »

I have to be completely up-front – Lisa Yockelson (follow her blog  http://www.bakingstylediary.com) is a client of my son, a literary agent (Unfortunately for coffee klatch bragging rights, I don’t have a son that is a doctor or a lawyer but I’m perfectly happy with what I’ve got!) BUT I would sing her praises no matter.  Just received a copy of her latest baking tome, Baking Style, Art, Craft, Recipes and since I know that Lisa’s recipes always work, I decided to put the new book to the test.  Uncle Nick at Zingone’s (see post, April 20, 2009) had given me a bag of bananas too ripe too sell, so I quickly thumbed through the pages and found “a gentle banana cake.”  And here it is – perfection!  Lisa suggested a cream cheese frosting, but I was hankering for some chocolate so did that instead.  Either way it is an ethereal cake – I won’t give you the recipe, you’ll just have to buy the book.

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Boston Brown Bread

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 3, 2011 | 6 Comments »

 

I’ve decided that I want to do a lot of cooking for gift giving this coming holiday season so I have begun looking through some of my old cookbooks for “new” old ideas.  In my original Gift Giver’s Cookbook (written with my dear friend Jane Green and published in 1970) I found one of my mom’s most favorite breads for gift giving – Boston brown bread – or, at least her version of it.  I made it for years but then, like many favorite dishes, it fell off my radar and had been forgotten.  One of the reasons might have been my mom’s requirement that it be baked in gold-lined No. 303 cans.  I rarely use commercially canned products so no longer had any cans in which to bake it.  But I went on a scavenger hunt and came up with cans I thought would do but being of a cautious nature (well, sometimes) I also had some small loaf pans on hand when I made my first return batch.  The photo should give you a good idea of my failure to find the right cans – but, since for some reason the bread tastes better baked in the can, I’m going to keep trying to find the correct No. 303 can.  In the meantime, the loaves tasted pretty good, too.  This recipe should be enough to make 6 No. 303 cans or about 5 small loaf pans.

 

8 ounces dark raisins

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

4 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

 

Place the raisins in a heat-proof bowl and cover with 2 cups of boiling water.  Stir in the baking soda and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Combine the sugar, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle.  Beat on low to lighten.  Raise the speed to medium and beat until blended.

With the motor running, add the eggs, one at time, and beat to blend.  When well-blended, add the flour and salt and beat until well-incorporated.  Then, add the raisins along with their soaking water and beat to blend.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir in the nuts.

Carefully scoop the mixture into the cans, filling each one about half full.  (If you are using loaf pans, either coat them with Baker’s Joy or butter and flour them).

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the breads begin to pull away from the sides of the cans.

Remove from the oven and place on wire racks for 10 minutes before removing the breads from the cans by running a small, sharp knife around the interior of the cans and then popping the breads out.

Serve warm or at room temperature with butter or cream cheese or alongside Boston Baked Beans.

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