If you were an herb...

I found this email from my darling friend Ally some time back:

"So here is a fun, silly question for you:

If you were an herb, what would you be?

Really think about it, and let me know!"

xoxo,
Als


I was so enthralled with personifying the herbs, I had come up with two. I suppose my Yin and Yang herbs. BASIL and BAY LEAF (LAURIER)


Basil:

• At her very best in the summer
• Charming with a cocktail
• Prone to Bruise easily
• Comfortable in European and Asian environs
• Intoxicating fragrant when steeped in cream (more the basil than myself)
• Sometimes cute and dainty
• Loves sweet and savory applications
• Hates extreme cold

Bay Leaf:

by bay leaf I mean the FRESH intoxicatingly sweet and camphor variety:

• Can stand up to strong personalities/flavors
• Does well with Asian and European applications
• Is easily pickled
• Fancies cream
• Likes to marinate on things
• is pretty hardy




And You, if you were an herb what would you be?

Fluke Ceviche

Fluke Ceviche
Serves 4 as an amuse geule, 2 as a first course

1 lb. fluke or red snapper fillets, skin and bloodline removed
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. finely diced red onion
2 oz. tomatillo, about 3 small, finely diced
1 small pasilla or jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
2 mild pickled mild peppedews, seeded and finely diced
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 scallion, thinly sliced for garnish

1. Dice the fluke into 1/2 inch cubes (1/4 inch) for a more dainty presentation.

2. In a medium bowl combine the fluke, red onion, pasilla pepper, peppedews and
tomatilloes with the lime juice, olive oil and salt.

3. Garnish with scallions before serving.

Golden Gazpacho and Salmorejo

Gazpacho brings me back to my summer after college in Alicante, España. Beach picnics were comprised of the characteristic thermos of gazpacho, a slice of tortilla and a glass of tinto de verano.

Beach bars, their floors awash in white paper napkins, were the tunnels where wet bikini bottoms and cigarettes gave pause to the afternoon sun. It still is a flash in my mind, a kaleidoscope of people watchers engaging the stout man with love in his eyes, while pointing to the boquerones with one finger and tossing a napkin over their shoulder with the other.

Golden Tomato Gazpacho
Perhaps more a Salmorejo (Andalucian tomato and bread soup) than Gazpacho…

It’s traditional in principal; tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Though the technique has been modified to embrace the dichotomous nature of the onion, raw and cooked. Depending on the variety of tomatoes used, you may need to add the juice obtained from the cores and seeds back into the gazpacho. Otherwise, go ahead a make yourself that bloody marry with the extra juice!

If you have the time to toast the bread as the recipe indicates do so, it imparts a fuller flavor. Toasting the pimenton in the sautéed onions also heightened the spices aromatic flavor.

Three different accoutrements are listed below, though it is plenty fine with just some avocado and maldon salt.


3 lb. golden and red Brandywine tomatoes
1C. thinly sliced sweet onion, about 1/2 of a medium onion
1Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 oz. country bread (pain levain) cubed without crusts
1 garlic clove
1/4 C. sherry vinegar
1 1/2 tsp orange zest, from 1 orange
2 tsp. Spanish sweet paprika (pimenton)
1/4 C. plus 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
freshly ground pepper

1. Core and seed all the tomatoes in a large bowl, reserving the seeds, liquid and cores in a separate bowl. Place a small sieve over a liquid measure and squeeze out as much juice from the cores and seeds, (it will yield about 1/2 cup of tomato liquid) reserve. In a small bowl toss half the onion with 1/4 tsp salt, set aside.
2. In a medium sauté pan heat 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium high heat, when hot, add the bread cubes and toast until golden, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Season with 1/2 tsp salt, set aside, reserving the pan.
3. Sauté the remaining onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until they are soft and loose their raw taste, about 5 minutes. Just before removing them from the pan season with 1/2 tsp. salt and Spanish pimenton.
4. In a mortar and pestle work the garlic, toast and 1 Tbsp. of oil into a paste.
5. Place 3/4 of the tomatoes in a food processor or blender with the garlic paste, sautéed and raw onion (drained of liquid), sherry vinegar, orange zest and remaining oil and salt. If the gazpacho is too thick add the remaining tomato water from the pressed cores.
(Alternatively, you can reserve it for a mean bloody mary.)
6. Dice the remaining tomatoes and fold into the gazpacho.
7. Adjust salt, pepper and additional olive oil to taste.


Cilantro Pesto
1 cup packed cilantro leave
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. slivered almonds, lightly toasted in a pan
3/4 tsp. maldon salt


1. In a mortar and pestle, crush the almonds, salt and oil to a paste. Add the cilantro to the nut-paste in increments and work to a smooth puree.

Aleppo Oil
3/4 C. Grapeseed oil
1/4 C. Aleppo pepper flakes
3, 3” pieces of orange zest

1. In a small saucepan bring the grapeseed oil, Aleppo pepper and orange zest to simmer. Remove from heat, let stand until cool and store in airtight container 1 week. Strain before using. (Strained Aleppo flakes can be stirred into yogurt for grilled eggplant or added to a lamb marinade.)


Chickpea Cream
1, 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 C. heavy cream


1. Puree the chickpeas with the lemon juice, salt, olive oil and 1/4 cup of cold water in a food processor until smooth. Slowly pulse in heavy cream.

Gooseberries and Black Raspberries Make Good Friends

Gooseberries of the Ribes species, not to be confused with the cape gooseberries Physalis Peruviana, are relatives of the Currant. The redder (read ripe) translucent globes have a sweeter weight to their tart green counterpart. I found them at the Greenmarket last weekend along with some mysterious black raspberries.

Of the things I considered doing with those gooseberries:

• Stringing them together as a necklace
• Spiking them on a cocktail spear for an Elderflower cordial
• Using them as chase bait for the kitty

In the end I opted to toss them with the black raspberries, a little elderflower syrup and basil for a Mascarpone Gooseberry and Black Raspberry Tart. (cocktail first, recipe to follow)

I dare you! Has Any New Yorker Had a Ripe Strawberry this season?

Anyone? Are you out there, all alone, in a corner hoarding all those dribbling little jammy thimbles?

Do you want to shaaaaaare them?

Since we've returned from California, where we ate our weight in farm fresh strawberries at the H.B. Farmer's Market, I cannot seem to replicate the experience. Last weekend at the Green Market I happily sampled one of the strawberries, with a little coaxing.

I was disenchanted and consoled myself with 4 pints of blueberries instead.

Zucchini Blossoms

Zucchini squash blossoms growing in Huntington Beach California



On a recent trip to Los Angeles, we stopped at the Huntington Beach Farmer's Market, held every Friday at Pier Plaza from noon to dusk. Once we returned home with our bounty of bouffant little squash blossoms, that extraordinarily showed no signs of wilting, we delighted in finding more growing right in the back yard.

Foraging...



While stuffing and frying zucchini blossoms seems to be the ubiquitous manner in which to prepare these dainty parcels, I couldn't help but do the same.

Zucchini Dumplings: a Rock Shrimp farce seasoned with sesame oil, spring onions, light soy and white balsamic; enter summer's scantily clad dumpling, wearing this season’s blossom. Losing the winter weight and burden of dumpling skins and wonton wrappers, this dumpling was ready to show its legs!


Steamed Baby Summer Squash Blossom Dumplings with Rock Shrimp

Bacon Cure

Aleppo and Cayenne Bacon




Camping brings out the bacon in us.

Scratch that; reverse it.

Bacon brings out the camping in us.

Isn’t there and adage about “everything is bettered with bacon.”

But what improvement can we bring to that slab of cured, smoked, fatty goodness?




A recent visit to the Big Blue Barn answered that very question. Having the jar of meat cure on hand for that just-in-case-there’s- a- bacon-moment proved worthwhile as our host, Josh inquired about the spiced-spiked bacon on our last morning.

There’s no formula for the ingredients. The variety of Chilies (Pasillas and Chipotles for example) can be altered based on personal preferences for each chilies attribute: smokey, citrus,earthy and spicy notes. Smoked Spanish Agridulce Paprika has a rounder aroma versus the Hungarian variety. Brown or maple sugar to taste.

Black Rice and Swiss Chard Dolmas

Black Rice and Swiss Chard Dolmas
Yields 24 small or 12 large Dolmas

The Arabic word Dolmades means “something stuffed.”

A twist on the traditional Dolma: stuffed grape leaves. Prepared varieties are often metallic and heavy on the citric acid, aiding their preservation. I wanted to make good use of the generous bunch of Swiss chard I received from our CSA share from Garden of Eve Farms.

Chinese Black Rice, also known as Forbidden Rice is an unmilled rice that cooks quickly for its variety, yielding a nutty flavor and tender texture.

1/2 C. Chinese black rice, rinsed in a sieve until the water runs clear
1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 C. pine nuts
1/3 C. golden raisins
2 Tbsp. Muscat vinegar
1/2 C. minced spring onion
1/2 C. plus 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground clove
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Aleppo pepper (or red chili)
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. lemon zest
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 C. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 scallion, finely minced
1 sprig (10 to 12 leaves) fresh zataar or oregano leaves, finely sliced
12 small or 24 large swiss chard leaves

Cook the Rice:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 1 1/2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook rice covered over medium low heat for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand off the heat 5-10 minutes, the water will be completely absorbed. Remove rice to a medium bowl to cool.

2. Lightly toast pine nuts in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat, shaking the pan frequently until golden and the nuts lose their raw taste, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. In a small bowl, combine the raisins and Muscat vinegar making sure the raisins are submerged in vinegar.

4. Heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium high heat, add the onion and reduce the heat to medium. Sweat the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent without browning them, about 10 minutes.

5. Add 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and Aleppo pepper off the heat to the onions, set aside. Drain the raisins reserving the Muscat vinegar. Add the raisins to the onion mixture.

6. In a small bowl combine the honey, zest, lemon and orange juices, Muscat vinegar, 1/2 tsp. of salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil to make a loose vinaigrette. (It may not form a stable emulsion.)

7. Fold in the raisin-onion mixture into the rice with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette. Fold in the pine nuts, scallions and zataar, season with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Let rice stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Prep the Swiss Chard
1. Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large bowl prepare an ice water bath. Add the leaves to the boiling water in batches, blanching them for 10 to 12 seconds, removing them carefully with tongs to the ice bath. Repeat with all the leaves.

2. When the leaves are cool, drain, pat dry and trim the 2-inch stems off the chard (reserve stems for a gratin or tempura). Remove the remaining central vein by cutting along each side of the stem, being careful not to tear the leaves in half.

3. Lay out the leaves vertically with the smooth side down. Place the open flaps towards you, overlapping the flaps to make one smooth sheet.

4. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp. of filling depending on the size of the leaves, at the bottom third of the leaf. Roll the filling in the chard leaves, tucking in the edges halfway through, pulling them taught. Place the rolled dolmas seam side down in a shallow dish. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over rolls. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Deviled Egg

Butter Poached Prawns, Celeriac Puree & Parsley Sabayon

Butter Poached Prawns, Celeriac Puree & Parsley Sabayon

I was playing around with savory sabayon idea. I lifted the foamy part of the sabayon for this shot because I wanted keep the parsley more ethereal in its weight on the palate.

I blanched and shocked a generous bunch of parsley and pureed it with enough water to make a puree. When I strained the puree I was left with a good 3/4 cup of parsley water, which I used to finish the sabayon. The puree remaining in the sieve can be stirred into a pistou-esque soup, some thickened chicken stock (thick chick) for a quick pan sauce, or pureed again with some oil for a parsley oil in a mean vinaigrette.

Adding the parsley water at the end insures the color won't change. Although it’s blanched and the color sets, any additional heat will deteriorate its bright punchy color.

The clarified butter that remained from poaching the prawns went into the freezer as a prawn compound-butter. Hopefully it will re-incarnate itself with some carnaroli rice for a nice risotto.