SOUTHWESTERN FLAVORS FOR AUGUST

 

                         Southwest flavors for August

 

          The geographic American Southwest includes Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and parts of California and Nevada. The landscape is dry; climate is hot but made steamy by monsoons in late summer.  Altogether it is very different from what we experience in Maine. And yet, in August the differences seem less apparent as we swelter on sunny days and look for rain to help our parched lawns. Thus, it is easy to look for Southwestern flavors in food that are well adapted to the climate and helped by our current global distribution and familiarity with food from other locales. Long gone are the days when tacos were a novelty in the Northeast.

          Southwestern cuisine comes from Native American, colonial Spanish and Mexican roots, but along the way has adapted many Mediterranean and American cowboy ingredients in interesting and flavorful combinations. Principally Southwestern food features corn, beans and squash with generous helpings of tomatoes, onions and peppers including chiles to add some heat. Meat is often grilled as well as some vegetables and corn and wheat flour account for the ever-present tortillas. 

           Having spent a number of years in the Southwest, breakfast eggs are likely to arrive at our house in August with fresh salsa and warm tortillas or scrambled with diced onions, peppers and crumbled bacon. Huevos rancheros are a Saturday feast for poached eggs in a lightly cooked mix of onions, peppers, tomatoes and jalapenos, sprinkled with shredded jack cheese and served with warm flour tortillas.

          A recent dinner from my kitchen featured a Southwestern dinner of grilled ham, zucchini lightly grilled with olive oil and garlic salt, Southwestern lentils and black-eyed peas, all garnished with a lightly grilled peach. 

                                  Southwestern lentils and black—eyed peas

          Rinse 1 and ½ cup beluga (black)lentils and cook covered with 2 inches of water, 1 tbsp. onion flakes, 1 bay leaf and 6 cloves for 30 minutes on medium low heat. Drain and discard the bay leaf.

          In a large bowl mix the dressing: 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. honey, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tsp. lemon pepper. Stir in the drained lentils while hot and 1 (15.5 oz.) drained and rinsed can of black-eyed peas. Mix thoroughly.

In addition, stir in ½ cup chopped red onion, 2-3 sliced green onions, ½ green and ½ red large peppers seeded and diced, 1/3 cup crumbled Mexican Cotija or Feta cheese and 1 -1 ½ cups mixed red and yellow grape tomatoes cut in half. Mix and serve warm or room temperature garnished with parsley and additional cheese.

                                                 Southwestern ratatouille

This could be considered a Southwestern cousin to the French ratatouille we all love at the end of summer with plentiful squash, eggplant and other garden produce. It has acquired extra protein in the form of Mexican chorizo.

Roast 1/3-inch slices of 1 medium zucchini and 1 peeled eggplant brushed with olive oil and garlic salt in a 425-degree oven, turning once until browned. Cut slices into bite size pieces.

Remove casing from 2 fresh chorizo sausages, crumble and brown in a large pan and set aside. In the same pan add 1 tbsp. olive oil and sauté 1 coarsely chopped onion 4 minutes, stir in 3 chopped garlic cloves for 1 minute, ¼ each red and yellow pepper diced, zucchini and eggplant, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. oregano, 2 tbsp. tomato paste, 1 and ½ tsp. chipotle powder and 2 tsp. white vinegar. Cook with stirring for 5-7 minutes until liquid is absorbed.  Stir in 2 cups frozen corn kernels, chorizo and 2 tsp. pesto (optional). Cook for 3minutes more, transfer to an 8x8x2 baking dish and cover with 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm on corn tortillas.

          It is easy to see how a tortilla could wrap anything, as long as it is served with love.

(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)

 

 

IT IS TIME FOR CORN

 

                                                 It is time for corn

 

          “The corn is as high as the elephants eye,” sings the hero of Oklahoma by Rogers and Hammerstein in my mind, as I see the baskets brimming with corn in farmers markets and grocery stores. Our steamy mid-August also reminds me of driving through the Mid-West many summers ago in South Dakota where the two-lane highway passed for miles through stands of such corn fields as far as the eye could see.

          Corn was developed by selective breeding of a grass teosinte in Mexico some 9,000 years ago to give us those plump white or yellow kernels that we enjoy each summer. Sweet corn as we know it, is a more recent introduction by selective breeding.  Before 1980 you had to have a boiling pot on the stove, run out to the cornfield to pick a few ears and quickly boil them to retain sweetness, in order to quickly stop the immediate conversion of sugar to starch when picked. Today sweet corn has a more extended shelf life, though fresh is still really the best.

          Corn on the cob is the easiest side dish for most August meals, and grilled corn features in salads and makes an interesting vegetable mélange with sautéed zucchini and peppers. Mexican street corn has caught recent attention, as a simple but tasty corn dish that is amenable to many variations with satisfying results. The following recipe was inspired and adapted from a recent issue of Bon Appetit.

                                              Street corn with pork

          The two less common ingredients in this recipe are Kewpie mayonnaise (creamy flavored Japanese mayonnaise) and Cotija cheese (salty crumbly Mexican cheese similar but less tart than Feta). Both items are available in local supermarkets but may be substituted by regular mayonnaise and Feta.

          Slice 2 center cut pork chops across the grain on diagonal in ¼ inch or less slices. Mix thoroughly with 1 tbsp. Kewpie mayonnaise, ½ tsp. kosher salt and ½ tsp. paprika (use ½ tsp. chili powder for spicier version).

Cut kernels from 4 ears of husked corn. In a large pan heat 2 tbsp. vegetable oil to hot but not smoking and stir in the corn with 1 tsp. canned chopped jalapeno pepper. Fry corn for 4 minutes stirring a few times until some of the corn is slightly charred. Transfer to a large bowl.

Wipe out the pan, add 1 tbsp. vegetable oil and fry the pork in a single layer on hot for 2 minutes, turning once. Add pork to the corn and stir in ½ tsp. kosher salt, 2-3 tbsp. lime juice, 2 tbsp. grated Cotija cheese. Toss all ingredients together. Top with 1 tbsp. Cotija cheese and garnish with parsley (or cilantro) and lime. Serve with additional Cotija and lime if desired and cool cucumber salad.

                                               Dilly cucumber salad

          Thinly slice a seedless long English cucumber or several young pickling cucumbers. Toss with ½ tsp. salt, 1-2 tbsp. chopped dill and 1-2 tbsp. chopped chives. Stir in 2 tbsp. sour cream and 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.

          Creamy puddings or ice cream topped with fruit are easy summer deserts, however plain Greek yoghurt easily substitutes for such and makes a less caloric but equally colorful and tasty desert. 

                                 Yoghurt with blueberry syrup and raspberries

          Blueberry syrup: bring 1and ½ cups blueberries, ½ cup water,1 cup sugar, and 1 tbsp. lemon juice to boil, simmer for 5 minutes, stir in ½ tsp. lemon zest and cool.

          Spoon creamy plain Greek yogurt in a dish, top with 1-2 tblsp. blueberry syrup, dot with raspberries and enjoy.

          “August brings the sheaves of corn Then the harvest home is borne….” to quote Sara Coleridge (1802-1852).

    (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)

 

 

VERSATILE BASIL

                                                         Versatile Basil

 

          Fresh basil is one of summer’s great gifts to the cook. It’s bright green color and flavor add a special dash to food in both cooking and presentation and because the flavor significantly diminishes when preserved by drying or cooking, we cherish their fresh flavor in summer.

          Basil comes in many different varieties of leaf shape and colors from the familiar Italian Genovese cooking green to reddish purple, each with a different subtle additional flavoring such cinnamon or citrus of Lemon basil. The plant has a 5000-year history in India and general South Eastern Asia.

It’s most famous culinary product is pesto, a pounded mixture of basil, pine nuts, lemon, garlic and Parmesan cheese used for enhancing the flavor of many soups, pasta, tomatoes and even fish or chicken. In past, pesto was the ‘auditioning’ preparation with which new chefs were admitted to famous restaurant kitchens by pounding all those ingredients in a mortar and pestle in record time. Fortunately, modern blenders have made this preparation more accessible to everyone else.

          Fresh basil leaves brighten up our summer tomato caprese salads with mozzarella or burrata, Kalamata olives and balsamic dressing. Basil can be tucked in bacon-lettuce sandwiches with surprisingly flavorful results, and add a summer flavor to pasta, chicken, fish and bean or lentil salads. Fortunately, it is easy to grow in a pot on a porch or even a front step, which gives the cook continued fresh supply throughout the summer.  

                                         Buttery-lemon-basil pasta

          Cook 8 oz. Cavatappi (short corkscrews) pasta in boiling water for 9 minutes.

While pasta is boiling, melt 1/3 cup of butter in a large pan on low heat. Carefully stir in 1 cup salt water from the pasta and cook to slightly reduced volume. Remove pasta after 9 minutes with a slotted spoon directly into the butter mixture and stir to coat.

          Add ½ cup packed torn basil leaves, 1 ½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp. grated lemon rind. Stir and cook 3-4 minutes more until sauce is somewhat thickened and coats the pasta. Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup Parmesan cheese and 10 small thin slices of Genoa salami cut in thick strips. Serve garnished with additional basil leaves and black sesame seeds.

          Panzanella or Italian bread salad goes back to Middle Ages when peasants used to reconstitute old, dried bread with flavored olive oil and vinegar using purslane as a flavoring tart green in the salad. Purslane has an unfortunate look alike in spurge which will give you a very upset stomach. Once tomatoes arrived from America, they became the more reliable ingredient in Panzanella and have become an essential safe substitute ingredient for this dish.

                                          Panzanella-Tuscan bread salad

          Balsamic dressing: 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. kosher salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, small pinch of sugar and 4-5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil.

          In a large bowl assemble 4 cups cubed sourdough or Cibatta bread, a day or more old. Add 1 ½ cups halved cherry tomatoes, 1 cup torn basil leaves, ½ cup red onion thin sliced, ½ cup seeded thin sliced red pepper, and ½ cup seeded thin sliced green pepper. Toss all with ½ tsp salt and the dressing. Allow flavors to blend for at least an hour and serve as a side to grilled meat, sausage or fish, garnished with additional basil. For a vegetarian meal serve with deviled eggs.

          Do not refrigerate cut basil. Basil is best kept at room temperature in water, replenishing the water every day. In fact, basil kept that way will often sprout roots, which then can be planted in a pot with soil and will keep you in basil for a good part of the winter when placed on a sunny windowsill.

(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)