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Road-Tripping (Recipe: Sesame-Ginger Fusion Cabbage)

Along the main roads of rural Massachusetts, it’s not unusual to drive past a farm-stand with fresh produce grown just a few meters away. In the summer time, I become quite discerning about where I stop. In the winter and early spring, I’m down-right grateful that someone is growing *anything* local and I’ll snatch up whatever I can just to support the farmer's efforts.

The selection is often limited, and on a recent stop, this particular farmer only had potatoes (which had been in storage) and cabbage. I didn’t mind… The potatoes made their way into latkes and tater tots. The green cabbage required a bit more thought as I rarely cook with it.

My friend Brett has a recipe for “Ginger Sesame Greens” which I included in The Sauchuk Farm cookbook. It’s an easy recipe that would be great as a side for teriyaki chicken or salmon. Even more simple, you could throw in leftover roast chicken and serve the cabbage over brown rice.

Ginger Sesame Fusion Cabbage
This recipe also works well with Swiss Chard

(serves 4-6)
1 small head green cabbage
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoon dark roasted sesame oil (such as Kadoya brand)
2 tablespoons mild soy sauce or 1 tablespoon double dark soy sauce
¼ teaspoon (or more depending on taste) black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup sake or white wine

Cut cabbage in half. Cut out core, and coarsely chop. Rinse thoroughly.

In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, sauté for 2 minutes, or until garlic just begins to soften. Add cabbage and pepper.

Cover the cabbage and steam for 1 minute. Add sake or white wine and soy sauce.

When cabbage just soft (about 3 minutes), add butter. Shake pan to incorporate.

Adjust seasoning with salt and lemon juice if necessary.

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Celery (Recipe: Spicy Shrimp and Cashew Stir-Fry)

Along the lines of garlic and onions, I think of celery more as an aromatic than a vegetable. I rarely cook it on its own, but its distinctive flavor enhances French, Chinese and southern cooking. Its crunchy texture makes it a staple in egg, chicken or tuna salad.

Because of how I use celery – one stalk at a time – it becomes a regular crop in my vegetable garden. I can harvest the single stalk, leaving the remainder of the plant in the ground to continue growing. Unlike purchasing a whole head at the market – where the remainder will go limp in my crisper drawer before I have a chance to use it up.

I was working on a cookbook for Sauchuk Farm in Plympton MA for their summer CSA. His subscribers will get an incredibly diverse assortment of vegetables, including celery. The celery will keep for up to 3 weeks when stored properly (Coldest part of fridge. Leaves like to be dry in a bag. Stems like to be loose in a bag). You’d still need to use almost a stalk a day to consume it all before it goes flaccid. That creates a menu planning challenge. For that reason, I wanted to make sure I included a few recipes in his cookbook that called for copious amounts of celery.

Last summer, I made a celery Caesar salad which was quite lovely, but decided to go a different route for his book. I opted, instead, for a Chinese stir-fry – a variation of kung pao chicken that I learned at a cooking class in Beijing China. I used cashews instead of peanuts, and shrimp instead of chicken.

Spicy Shrimp, Celery and Cashew Stir-Fry
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 egg white
3 scallions cut into rounds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbs. ginger, peeled and finely minced
3 celery stalks, sliced
¾ cup roasted, salted cashews
2 tbs. plain or peanut oil

Sauce
½ tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar
2 tbs. black vinegar or balsamic
2 tsp. shaio xing wine or sherry
2 tbs. water or chicken broth
1 tsp. corn starch
1 – 2 tsp or more chile paste (like sriracha)

In a small bowl, marinade the shrimp with ¼ tsp. salt, soy sauce and egg whites. In a separate bowl, combine all sauce ingredients.

Heat a large over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, ginger, garlic and ½ the scallions. Let cook for 1 minute and then add the celery and cashews. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry until the celery turns jade green, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and shrimp and stir-fry until shrimp turn pink and curl up, about 2 minutes. Return the celery and cashews to the pan and the sauce, and stir over the heat for about 1 minute to mix together evenly and blend flavors. Transfer the stir-fry to a platter and garnish with the remaining scallions.

Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

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Swimming Upstream (Recipe: Shad Roe with Braised Cabbage)

Like salmon, shad spawn in the spring… They generally live in salt water, but swim up fresh water rivers, like the Delaware River, in the spring to lay their eggs. It’s during this season that the female shads swell up with eggs in anticipation.

Though many fish are available year round now, despite preferred seasons, the shad roe can’t be forced or rushed, and it’s limited to a 5 week window in March and April.

The roe are held together by a thin membrane. Honestly, I think this is a euphemism for ovary sacs. The tiny eggs inside are the size of sturgeon (caviar) roe. But unlike caviar, it’s sold fresh, and not salted or preserved. As such, it must be cooked. A “pair” of shad roe, as it is sold, is ample for two people.

The earthy, sweet and rich flavor of the shad roe classically pairs with bacon, capers and/or balsamic vinegar. I’ve been trying to branch out from the standard. And thinking about the flavor profiles of the traditional accompaniments, I opted for the sweet and sour flavor of braised cabbage (and a side of latkes to give a little texture to the otherwise soft meal)

Shad Roe with Braised Cabbage
1 onion
2 slices bacon (opt) or 2 tbs. butter
1 small red cabbage, cut in half, core removed and sliced thin
¼ cup red wine
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tbs. red currant jelly
1 tbs. sugar
1 pair shad roe
1 tbs. flour
2 tbs. plain oil
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. In a medium pan, render bacon fat over medium heat for about 3 minutes… add the onions and cook until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add red wine, red wine vinegar, sugar, red currant jelly and cabbage. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, or until cabbage is nice and tender. Remove cover and continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside in a warm place

2. Heat another skillet over high heat. Season shad with salt and pepper, and dust it with flour. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the membrane — this will keep the roe from exploding. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Gently place the shad roe in the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on the first side, or until golden brown. Flip over and cook for a few minutes more. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on top just before serving.

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Brick Oven Pizza at Home

“Brick-oven” pizzas are revered because the brick bottomed ovens get screaming hot and retain heat very well. And, in fact, all pizza ovens are set at about 700F, some getting as hot as 800F. This high heat gets the crust extra-crispy, and prevents the toppings from sogging up the dough.

Getting a crispy crust at home is more challenging. Most ovens max out at 500F. Pizza stones mimic the pizza oven floor in that they absorb heat and will get that much hotter than the ambient air of the oven.

I don’t have a pizza stone, but still have a few tricks up my sleeve for getting a crispy crust:

The first, I pre-fry the dough in canola oil before topping and baking the pizza. During the baking process, the oil releases itself from the dough helping to further crisp the crust. This has been my default, but it does have a few drawbacks – mainly that it adds extra fat along with the extra step.

Lately, I’ve been baking my pizzas on the floor of the oven. This gives the crust direct, intense heat as opposed to the ambient heat of baking the pizza on a lower shelf. With this method, the crust crisps up in about 5 minutes. You can then move the pizza to a higher shelf to finish browning the toppings.

Pizza is a great way to use up left-overs. From last night’s dinner, I had some eggplant and smoked tomato coulis. With the addition of fresh mozzarella, I had a perfect dinner for both kids and adults!

There is no "perfect" recipe for pizza. It's really a matter of what you're in the mood for and what you have on hand. Here's my recipe for pizza dough.

Dough
1 cup water
1 tsp. yeast
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup semolina
2 tbs. olive oil
1 ½ tsp salt
1/2 tsp. sugar

1. Heat water to 105F. Dissolve yeast in water. In a separate bowl, combine flour, semolina, salt and sugar.

2. Using a dough hook, combine flours, yeasted water and olive oil. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and form into pizza rounds.

Place dough on cookie sheet before topping.

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The Whole Beast (Recipe: Chopped Liver)

Passover preparations serendipitously began yesterday. As I was shopping for regular staples and dinner, I noticed that whole chickens were on sale. At $1.69/pound at Whole Paycheck Foods, I decided to stock up. And then I remembered that I have 10 guests coming for the first seder next week. This was the perfect time to start in on the chicken soup that would provide the medium for my matzah balls.

I bought 3 chickens, and immediately got to work breaking them down. I separated the birds into 4 groups – breasts, thighs, livers and, of course, stock parts – the bones, drums and wings that will go into making the chicken soup. After all, there’s so much flavor in the bones. Industrious chefs have long known that the bones make the best, most flavorful stock, even more so than the meat. And I must confess, I’m not a big fan of chicken drums or wings (unless they’re deep-fried) so they go into the stock-pile as well.

The chicken breasts and thighs were immediately frozen for a later meal.

I tossed the “stock-parts” with some salt and pepper, and roasted them in the oven. This accomplished two functions. First, the fat rendered away from the bones which will yield me a cleaner stock. As a bonus, I now have schmaltz for my matzah balls. Best of all, the bones achieve a dark, rich color that will make for a more flavorful stock.

Remember the chicken drums I tossed into my stock pile? When the bones have finished roasting, after about 30 minutes at 400F, the chicken legs are cooked through. I pick the meat off the bone and save that separately to put in my matzah ball soup. If I were to put them in the stock pot along with the bones, I wouldn’t have the meat for my soup. Yes, I could fetch it out after the stock was finished. But that would be more hassle than it’s worth. But more unfortunate, the meat would have lost all its flavor to the broth. Better to pick it out now, and add it back at the end.

Inside the chickens is a little pouch that contains the gizzards and neck. I never know how many livers I might get. Though each chicken only have one, the little pouch could have three or none. In this case, I had three in each: enough to make chopped liver. Chicken liver mousse with cognac and butter would also be delicious, but I was feeling particularly Jewish.

I also felt particularly thrifty and resourceful last night. From my three birds, I yielded:

6 boneless chicken breasts (retail value: $22)
6 chicken thighs (retail value: $8)
½ pint chopped liver (retail value: $2)
Chicken schmaltz (priceless)
1+ gallon chicken stock/soup (retail value: $12)

Chopped Liver
This recipe could not be simpler… with only 4 ingredients. I prefer chopping it by hand – the flavor and texture is better. Some people “chop” it in the food processor.

3 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or chicken fat
1 large onions, diced
1 lb. fresh chicken livers
salt and pepper to taste

1. Put eggs in cold water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 1 minute. Cover the pot and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain the eggs and place under cold running water until cold. Peel.

2. Meanwhile, put chicken livers on a paper towel to blot dry. Season with salt and pepper. heat oil or chicken fat in a large sauté pan. Add onions, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until onions start to brown. Season the livers with salt and pepper and add them to the pan. Cook until they are cooked through and firm, about 5 minutes.

3. Chop everything together, by hand or in a food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Super Fresh

I never know what sort of adventure awaits me when I visit the farm. Brett may have a chicken “matanza” scheduled, some great tomato at peak harvest, or a wild animal that made its way into the walk-refrigerator.

This time it was (a rather tame) tuna belly that a friend had recently caught on a fishing trip. It was already a few days old by the time we got it, but even still, it was fresher than anything we could have gotten at the fish market.

And perfect for eating raw – as sushi or tartar. The tuna was a paler red than what I usually see at the market – this is from the fat that’s imperceptibly marbled through the meat. The tuna was more tender, and the taste more luscious.

When cooking on the farm, we make do with what’s on hand. He and his family prefer maki rolls. Their well-stocked pantry has plenty of rice, nori (seaweed) and wasabi on hand, making this an easy, go-to meal.

Our maki rolls were not traditional – I did not properly fan the rice as it cooled so it would glisten, though I did season it with rice vinegar, salt and sugar. I seasoned the tuna with a little soy sauce before rolling.

After using all the nori to make rolls, we still had some tuna. I used lettuce leaves instead to wrap the remainder.

An old favorite is tuna timbale with avocado and smoked salmon. Brett had a few ripe avocadoes, but no smoked salmon. The avocado was seasoned with scallions, cilantro, a touch of chipotle and lime juice. The tuna was seasoned with soy sauce and scallions. For an extra layer of color, I garnished the plate with a few sprigs of the greenhouse lettuce and a drizzle of wasabi. If I had wasabi peas, I would have sprinkled a few on the plate for textural contrast and a quick shot of heat.

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Garden Updates – First Day of Spring

Garden-Updates-Mar-2010_1
It’s always a mad-dash to get ready to leave town for a week. In addition to the usual laundry and cleaning, I wanted to plant all my lettuces for a spring harvest before I headed down to the farm. Reading old posts from blog, I was reminded that the first week in March is a great time to get started. So I was quite proud of myself that I turned the soil, cleaned the yard and planted rows upon rows of lettuce before I left on March 8th.

As I was driving back last week, I was most worried about the state of my basement. I had heard horror stories about the torrential rains and flooding in New England — 7 inches in 3 days, road closures and most horrifically – raw sewage was being pumped into Quincy Bay because the treatment plant could not handle all the rainfall. I thought the bright spot in this rain was that my seeds would have sprouted. As I thought about taking pictures to share with you, I was quite excited.

Thankfully, when I came home, the basement was dry. The ceiling was dry. No water damage. Alas, I had damage of a different sort. Some critter, with 3 inch paws, ate every single lettuce seed planted.  Can you see the indentations in the soil??
Planting-seeds---take-1

Today, I replanted everything, but with a different strategy. I went to the hardware store and purchased window screens to lay atop of the beds. They will allow the light and rainwater to penetrate, but hopefully keep the critters from nibbling at my seeds.
Planting-seeds---take-2

In other garden news: I had hoped that when the Brussels sprouts defrosted again, they would rejuvenate and I’d be able to harvest them. Alas, they did not survive. Totally bummed that I didn’t get a chance to harvest more sprouts before the deep cold of winter hit.

The scallions have resprouted again this year. I’m happy to have my garden supply again, so I no longer need to rely on the produce section of the grocery store for this staple.

The garlic is sprouting as well. I think it will still be a few months before that’s ready to harvest… though I’m tempted to dig up a plant just to see what it looks like at this stage.

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After the Storm

Normally, Farmer Brett grows field greens throughout the relatively mild DC winters. He has cultivated his seeds for kales, mustard greens and other brassicas to withstand bouts of cold and snow. Temperatures rarely fall below freezing for longer than 72 hours, allowing most of the greens to quickly spring back after the brief shock. And a light blanket of snow is no match for his winter hardy brassicas.

This year, winter was different: The DC area was pummeled with several feet of snow – they had more snow in one storm than Boston had all season.

Brett depends on the greens (salad and cooking) to create diversity for the winter CSA subscribers. In addition, he offers free-range eggs, sweet potatoes that were harvested in the fall, and other summer crops that were preserved for winter: seasoned salts, sundried tomatoes and jams. Because he is at the mercy of the weather, the best crop insurance is a diversity of crops. If one fails, there are back-ups.

Thankfully, he also has a greenhouse. Despite brutal weather, the greenhouse is warm, bright and filled with hardy lettuces: romaine, tat-soi, Chinese thick stem mustard, and an assortment of fresh herbs. It’s true – the greenhouse lettuces are not as flavorful and textured as their field counterparts. The winds and natural rainwater give the field lettuces their robust flavor. Nonetheless, the greenhouse produce is still more vibrant than any California green available at the market in the dead of winter. And until the weather cooperates, this will suffice.

After several days of 60F temps and substantial rain the fields have defrosted. And the mustard greens and kales are slowly rejuvenating. Alas, the fall planting of radishes did not fare as well: they were too small for harvest at the onslaught of snow. After the thaw, they are woody and dry.

And in a corner of the greenhouse, seeds are sprouting summer hopefuls. In early June, these teeny tomato sprouts will be transformed into robust plants bestowing sweet juicy tomatoes.

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Rich Man, Poor Man (Recipe: Lentils and Foie Gras)

Chefs have long paired pauper ingredients with luxurious ingredients to create a new level of refinement and balance. Cabbage and Truffles; Potatoes and Caviar; and Hot Dog Rolls with Lobster Salad.

For the same effect, Jean Georges Vongerichten poaches foie gras in lentils for an alluring juxtaposition of luxury, richness and texture. I happened to have more foie gras in the freezer….

(As a side note, I wanted to let you know that despite what it may seem with the regularity of foie gras posts, I do have a more balanced diet. But since they come in 1 pound lobes, I invariably have a left over chunk to indulge with at a later time).

His recipe called for poaching a full lobe in the lentils. To me this seemed overly decadent and not the best way to lure out the foie gras’ refined flavor. I prefer foie gras when it’s seared to crusty brown. But in a nod to the Jean-Georges, I melted a small piece of foie gras in the lentils to infuse some of the distinct flavor.

Lentils, red wine sauce and salmon on its own is a wonderful flavor pairing. The foie gras adds a new dimension, though this meal would be fabulous without it.

Seared Salmon with Lentils and Red Wine Reduction

1 tbs. plain oil
4 – 6 oz. salmon filets
1 cup pinot noir or other red wine
1/2 lemon juiced
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
butter
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Lentils
1 tbs. butter
1 shallot, small dice
1/2 carrot, small dice
1/4 celery rib, small dice
1/2 leek, small dice
1 sprig thyme
1 cup French green lentils
1 oz. foie gras
2 scallion, cut into rounds

Cook the lentils: Over medium heat sweat shallots, celery, carrots and leeks in 1 tbs. of butter. Add lentils, salt and pepper and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Add the foie gras and simmer for 5 minutes more. When lentils are cooked, stir in scallions.

Cook the salmon: Season salmon with salt and pepper. Let salmon rest, skin side down on a paper towel to make sure skin is dry.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil. Carefully, place salmon, skin side down in the skillet. Do not poke or prod, when the skin is crispy, the salmon will easily come off bottom of pan. Flip over, and continue cooking until desired doneness. Remove salmon from pan, and keep in a warm place while preparing sauce. If you are serving foie gras, you can sear it in the hot, salmon pan at this point

Make the wine sauce: Pour off excess fat from the salmon/foie pan. Return pan to heat, add shallots, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until soft. Add wine, and let it reduce to about 1/4 cup. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil and reduce by half again. Turn the heat off, and whisk in butter, 2 tbs. at a time – for a total of 1 stick of butter (or more depending on your taste). Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and a small squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve lentils with salmon, wilted spinach and seared foie gras. Drizzle sauce around the plate.

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Crop Rotation (Recipe: Lentils with Spinach and Scallops)

Legumes – things like lentils, peanuts and chickpeas – are plants grown specifically for their seeds. They are also an integral part of crop rotation – a farming practice of planting different crops in one location as a way to replace nitrogen and other nutrients that other crops deplete. This practice minimizes the need for fertilizers and helps ward off insects and fungus.

Plants get nutrients from the soil. And unless we amend the soil, it will degrade every season as plants pull more and more from the soil. Amendments can come in the form of artificial fertilizers and organic compost. We can also add nutrients back by planting particularly nutrient dense crops, such as clover, wheat grass and legumes. Instead of depleting the soil, they add nitrogen and other important nutrients back into the soil… and planting these crops across a tapped area of soil can help it recover, so that future crops will grow better.

For me, lentils are a protein- and nutrient- dense food that is also very economical. They come in a variety of colors and shapes – red, green, brown and the rounder French (green) lentils. The French lentils are better for holding their shape, the red are great for their wonderful color and in soups since they puree easily.

In the past few weeks, a bevy of recipes have popped up on the blogosphere…
Barley Pilaf with Lentils from The Perfect Pantry
Palak Dal from Closet Cooking
Crock-Pot Curried Red Lentils from Eat This.

Last week, I made a variation on Mulligatawny soup from We Are Never Full, and garnished it with seared scallops and spinach.

Mulligatawny Soup
1 tbs. butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped into a few chunks
½ stalk of celery, chopped finely
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. curry
1/2 cinnamon
2 tsp. ground coriander seed
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 can tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of red lentils
6 to 8 cups of chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
½ lb. scallops
½ lb. spinach
Sour cream or plain yogurt to garnish

1. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté until they soften and become fragrant.
2. To the pot, add the spices, carrots and celery. Cook for 1 minute more, just to toast the spices and help them release their flavor.
3. Add the lentils, tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
4. Meanwhile, season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. Add the scallops and cook for 2 minutes or until they start to brown. Flip them over and then cook for 2 minutes more. Remove the scallops from the pan.
5. Return the scallop pan to the heat. Wilt spinach. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
6. When lentils are tender, puree in the blender or with an immersion blender. Adjust seasoning with salt pepper and lemon juice. Garnish with scallops and spinach.