MIDSUMMER

 

                                                Midsummer

           The magic of Midsummer solstice came last week together with a two-day heat wave that left most of us gasping.  It was difficult to imagine those cool dusk filled evenings portrayed in Swedish movies as young and old gather around bonfires to celebrate Midsummer or St. John’s night. The saint’s name came with Christianity to a previously pagan celebration of the arrival and fruitfulness of summer, celebrated with song, dancing, beer, cheese, herring and other savory and sweet special dishes.

          It was time to think of dinners with grilled meat, take advantage of early summer fruit and incorporate them in our meals from breakfast to desert time. Pancakes are simple and easy any day and a good pancake mix that requires only a measure of mix plus water becomes so much more, when you incorporate an egg in the batter and stir in bite size peaches before cooking. 

                                       Peach pancakes

Measure out 1 cup pancake mix and lightly beat with 1 large egg and water as per package directions, decreasing the water by 2 tblsp. per 1 cup mix. Pit a peach (no need to peel), distribute the dice evenly in the batter and fry 3-to-4-inch pancakes. Serve with or without strawberries and maple syrup or jam.  Peach pancakes might only be beaten by fresh Maine blueberries, but for that we will have to wait until late July.

                                    Steak with rice-kimchi fritters

Grill or fry in a very hot cast-iron pan, a salted and peppered 1 inch ribeye steak for 3-4 minutes on a side. Baste with Korean barbeques sauce and cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute on side, remove to a platter and pour any remaining sauce on top. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and slice on diagonal.

For fritters: beat 1 large egg with 2 tbsp. flour, 1 tsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. salt. Stir in 1 ½ -2 cups cooked rice (preferably day-old leftover). Drain 1 cup kimchi, chop the leaves and stir into the rice mix. Allow to sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to blend and then fry fritters in 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter for 4 minutes to the side. Serve with dipping sauce: ¼ cup soy sauce plus 1 tbsp. white vinegar.

Serve steak with fritters, some greens and enjoy the blending of the flavors.

Each spring and early summer we savor a favorite rhubarb-cherry pie. This recipe has an interesting history since it was inspired by a Maine Public Television program that was not a cooking show. This show featured a series of garden design discussions between a woman Maine gardener and one of the curators of the Kew British Royal Gardens. Somewhere between white and night fragrant gardens the lady from Maine mentioned that she had just baked a rhubarb-cherry pie, since rhubarb was plentiful in her garden. It sounded intriguing and with a bit of second guessing I came up with my own recipe. Rhubarb need a bit of taming in a pie and many cooks accomplish this with strawberries. Unfortunately, my husband is allergic to strawberries, so discovering a combination with dried cherries saved the day.

                                                   Rhubarb-cherry pie

Wash rhubarb and cut stalks in ¾ inch lengths to make 3 and ½ cups. Roll out a ready-made pie crust for the supermarket deli case and fit in a 9-inch pie plate. Toss 1 ½ cups sugar with 3 tbsp. cornstarch and spread 1/3 over the bottom of the pastry. In a large bowl toss the rhubarb, ½ cup dried cherries with the remaining sugar mix and spread evenly in the pan. Grate 1 tsp. lemon zest over the surface and dot with 1 tblsp. butter. Cover the pie with the second crust, crimp the sides and cut some vents on top. Lightly baste the top with cream and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a 450-degree preheated oven for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.          

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

JUICY PORK CHOPS, CITRUSY LENTILS AND PEACH MUFFINS

                Juicy pork chops, citrusy lentils and peach muffins

           The merry month of June has arrived on our calendars with graduations assuring that Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” heads all charts for the most played music of the month. Mendelsohn’s “Wedding March” probably comes in as a close second. The lilacs are finally blooming in our yard though the daily temperatures remain reticent to welcome the approach of summer and dinner is more likely to be eaten indoors.

          Pork chops make an easy dinner main course, though it requires a bit of care to keep them juicy and not overcooked to a leathery state. Bone-in thick pork chops with a good marinade, make this possible.

                                      Marinated thick pork chops

          This is a marinade useful for both pork and steak. Combine: ½ cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce and 1 tbsp. minced garlic.

          Salt and pepper two or four 1-inch-thick bone-in pork chops and marinate in a plastic bag with the above sauce for 30 minutes to 24 hours.

          Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil to hot in an oven proof pan.  Remove pork chops from marinade, dust with paprika and fry in hot oil for 2 minutes to the side. If frying in batches, combine all back in the pan and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Turn the chops once and continue baking for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve. Thicker pork chops will require additional time in the oven to reach the done temperature of 145 degrees.

                                                Citrusy lentils with feta

          Citrusy flavors meld well with pork, hence the citrusy lentils for serving with juicy pork chops. Rinse 1 ¼ cups gray lentils.

          Sauté 1 large, chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves in 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 diced celery stalk, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. coriander, ½ tsp. turmeric, cook for 2 minutes and then stir in 4 cups low sodium chicken broth. Bring to boil and cook on low heat for 40 minutes with occasional stirring until the lentils are soft. Add a bit more broth if the lentils become too dry. Stir in juice of ½ large lemon and grated zest of the same. Dice 4 oz. feta and stir into the mixture to blend. Serve warm with pork, chicken or sausage. Any leftovers can be diluted to taste with more broth for a tangy and delightful citrusy lentil soup.

          Peaches are just appearing in our supermarkets. If you are lucky to find juicy Georgia peaches, fresh peaches are a delight. Unfortunately, others picked too early often disappoint by not ripening to a sweet juicy state on the sideboard. Faced with 3 such recalcitrant performers I relegated them to a cooked state, supported by dried cranberries in muffins with delightfully tasty results.

                                            Peach-cranberry muffins

          Line a 6 place very large muffin pan or spray with baking spray.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

      Combine and mix 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour with 1 tsp. cinnamon, 3 tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. nutmeg and ½ tsp. salt.  In a large bowl beat 2 eggs with 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp. lemon flavor, 1 tsp almond flavor and 1 cup sugar, ¾ cups milk and grated zest of ½ lemon. Stir the flour mix in the liquid and beat until just smooth. Wash and pit peaches (no need to peel them) and dice them in 1/3-inch dice. Toss peaches with 1 tsp. cornstarch and stir them and ½ cup dried cranberries in the batter. Fill batter in the lined cups. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar and slivered almonds. Bake for 35 minutes with the liners and use a toothpick to test if they are done. The time for baking will be less with smaller muffins or in a pan with baking spray instead of liners.

    You don't have to wait for poorly ripening peaches to make the muffins. Ripe peaches will have even more flavor!                      

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

 

ORIENTAL FLAVORS

 

                                            Oriental flavors

           Home cooking allows one to explore different cuisines of the world, regardless of whether you live in a metropolis or a rural area these days. The availability of special ingredients used to be the limiting factor, but most markets now embrace a variety of international flavorings, others can be ordered online, so you remain limited only by your own imagination.

          A recent rainy weekend required something warm, light and not too time-consuming. My well stocked pantry and a fresh block of tofu made the choices for our oriental dinner menu: soup, tofu with Udon noodles and pudding.

                                                     Hot and sour soup

Black dried tree mushrooms and dried lily buds can be substituted by 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms, but the soup will lack some of its color.

Soak 4 dry black tree mushrooms and 12 dried lily buds in 3 cups boiling water for 30 minutes. Decant the soaking liquid from any debris and save. Pull the lily buds in half lengthwise and cut mushrooms into bite size pieces.

Rinse and drain 4-5 oz extra firm tofu on paper towels and cut in ½ inch cubes. Slice 5 oz. boneless pork loin in ¼ inch thick strips and toss with 2 tsp. dark soy sauce to coat. In a small bowl mix 3-4 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 tbsp. light soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger. In another small bowl mix 2 tbsp. cornstarch with ¼ cup of the mushroom liquid. Rinse bamboo shoots from an 8 oz can and cut in strips.

Heat wok on high heat, swirl in 2 tbsp. peanut oil and stir fry the pork strips for 1 minute, add mushrooms, lily buds and bamboo shoots and stir fry for another minute. Add 4 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth and 1 cup of mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to boil, add the tofu and when boiling again stir in the vinegar mixture and then cornstarch mixture. When the liquid thickens, turn heat to medium and add two eggs beaten with a tsp. of sesame oil in a stream, stirring slowly in one direction with a spoon. Stir in 1 ½ tsp. white pepper and 1 tsp. sesame oil. Serve sprinkled with thinly cut scallions. Soup can be reheated for lunch the following day.

                                    Crisp miso tofu with vegetables on Udon

Rinse an 8 oz. block of extra firm tofu and set on paper towels in refrigerator to drain. Assemble 3 cups of broccoli florets, ½ red pepper seeded and cut in julienne, 1 medium carrot cut in thin strips and 1 shallot, thinly sliced. In a small bowl mix for sauce: grated 1-inch peeled ginger, 1 minced garlic clove, ¼ cup light soy sauce, 2 tbsp. miso, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 2 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil, 1/3 tsp. salt, 1 ½ tsp. cornstarch, 4 tbsp. water.

Cut the tofu in 1-inch cubes, sprinkle with ¼ cup cornstarch, pressing with fingers to adhere.

Heat 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil to shimmer in a large pan and cook broccoli, carrot, shallot and pepper with tossing for 5 minutes. Set aside. Add 2-3 tbsp. grapeseed oil to pan and arrange tofu in a single layer to cook for 10 minutes, turning the pieces every 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Whisk sauce in pan and cook to thicken. Remove pan from heat, stir in vegetables and tofu to coat and serve on cooked Udon noodles garnished with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

                                        Coconut pudding with blueberry sauce

This is a simple dessert prepared by beating instant coconut pudding in 2 cups of milk for 2 minutes and chilled in the refrigerator for an hour. For sauce: place 2 cups frozen blueberries in a small pot with ¼ cup water, ¾ cups sugar and cook for 10 minutes, stir in 2 tsp. lemon juice, zest of ½ lemon and 2 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup water. Cook to thicken then cool and serve on top of the coconut pudding.

Our gustatory travels have taken us to the Far East, and though it is past the cherry blossom time in Japan, the flavors of Orient abounded on or dinner table.                  

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)