WRAP IT 'UP'!

Wrap it up!

            The passing of old and beginning anew get mostly associated with arrival of the New Year in midwinter. And yet, we anticipate the arrival of summer with equal feelings of letting go as well as expectations for the new.  This seems especially true this year, when letting go of snow was such a slow process. However, the season of graduations and weddings inevitably announces change accompanied by both trepidation and joy.

            At our house the anticipatory activities seem multiplied, since most of the children and all the grandchildren have birthdays in the summer.  While we  may turn a jaundiced eye to birthdays in later years regretting the passing of time, but for children and teenagers birthdays are definite marks of passage and achievements and PRESENTS!

            Which brings me to the process of wrapping gifts for all these celebrations. Tantalizing elaborate wrappings may lead to unrealistic expectations that the contents will measure up to the cover, an unfortunate assumption for anything in life.  This I often take as an excuse for being a relative minimalist in this activity. Two of the best gifts I ever received had such wrapping. One was, a notebook wrapped in newspaper at Christmas during WWII in Europe, when I could expect nothing and the second was, a birthday gift many years later from my sons wrapped in brown paper and “tied up with string” for “some of my favorite things” (Sound of Music, Rodgers and Hammerstein).

            Fortunately for this column, food wraps are easy, decorative and edible together with their contents, so there is never a question about the equal importance of cover and content. They also fit in well with summer entertaining when time is of importance and it is helpful to prepare things ahead of  time. Pairing fruit or vegetables with thinly sliced deli meats on an appetizer platter can produce interesting variations for your taste buds.

                                                Fruit and vegetable wraps

            Prosciutto wrapped around melon (cantaloupe or honeydew) cubes or sticks is a well-known standard. Prosciutto also pairs and looks elegant wrapped around the center of an asparagus spear that has been cooked for no more than 3 minutes in boiling salted water. A special treat for this is to layer a thin line of cream cheese on each asparagus spear before wrapping with prosciutto.

            Thin sliced salami, ham or smoked turkey make excellent wraps for pickled string beans or thin spears of dill pickles. Anyone on a Paleo-diet would also enjoy them wrapped around a stick of cheese, instead of a sandwich.

            Mandoline or thin wide peeled slices of cucumber or even young zucchini, are good wrapped around strong flavored cheeses or cream cheese blended with bacon crumbs. Tender red or green lettuce leaves make wonderful wraps for chicken, tuna or shrimp salad.

            And then there are sandwich wraps. They first became popular certainly more than ten years ago, when suddenly Lavash bread pinwheels appeared on everyone’s cocktail party plates. Now that wraps are advertised at every supermarket as the sandwich alternative, they have all but disappeared.  However, despite the passing food trend, they make an attractive and easy to handle appetizer for any celebration or to accompany cold soup at lunch served in the shade on a hot day.

                                                Spicy beef or turkey pinwheels

            Soften 8 oz package of cream cheese and blend with 2 Tblsp. sour cream or Ranch dressing and 1 tsp. drained of horseradish. Spread on one side of each Lavash bread or  large flour tortilla. Sprinkle some arugula or baby spinach leaves on top and layer thin slices roast beef or smoked turkey (or ham) on the surface. Cut thin strips of roast red pepper or pimento, drain, blot dry and arrange one or two of the strips lengthwise on top of the meat. Roll each wrap tightly lengthwise, wrap tightly in saran or aluminum forl and chill at least 2 hours. Cut the rolls into 1 inch pieces, discarding the ends.

            The infinite variety of wraps extends also to warm luncheon and supper dishes, but that will have to wait for another column. But how do you wrap a Maine summer? With the best of smiles of course!

I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

WITH OR AGAINST THE GRAIN?

With or Against the Grain?

            Couscous, grits, quinoa, bulgur, faro…No, I have not joined a New Age dance community with the coming of summer. Rather I’m exploring the culinary possibilities of these ancient grains that recently have come again to the attention of foodies everywhere. Suddenly in chic restaurants you may find your lamb chop on a bed of quinoa where previously it may have been lentils, a shrimp ragout served on a bed of couscous, where previously it might have been polenta. Bulgur wheat is cropping up in a variety of Mediterranean dishes. The good news for summer is that most of these grains require minimal preparation time.

            Couscous is a long time Mediterranean staple from western North Africa to southern France.  It is actually derived from crushed unground semolina wheat, just like other pasta, but undergoes further cycles of moistening and steaming before it ends up on our plates. Fortunately for the modern cook, Moroccan or fine couscous, roughly the size 3 times cornmeal, requires very little effort. You simply bring to boil 1 cup of water or broth with 1 Tblsp. butter, salt to taste, stir in 1 cup of couscous, cover, remove from heat, allow to sit for 5 minutes, fluff lightly with a fork and serve. Couscous like grits has little flavor itself, the success of your meal is going to depend on the topping or other flavoring agents you add, such as parmesan, dried currants and pine nuts or even chopped sun dried tomatoes.

                                    Couscous with soppressata

Prepare couscous as described above. For topping: sauté 6 oz of sliced mushrooms with a  chopped onion for 15 minutes, stir in 1 Tblsp. lemon juice and chopped soppressata or other spicy sausage. ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and finely chopped 5 sundried tomatoes.  When heated through,  sprinkle with 1-2 Tblsp. flour, slowly stir in 1 cup of beef broth and cook with stirring until thickened. Serve ragout on top of couscous.

            Hearty summer salads are welcome both for lunch and dinner and find a new appetizing appeal with grains instead of potatoes or pasta. One of my favorites for years has been Tabbouli salad, which can be prepared ahead and even keeps for a day or two when refrigerated.  Bulgur wheat is a natural whole grain cereal that is cracked and partially processed to shorten cooking time. A staple of Mediterranean diet, it is now estimated by archaeologists that early Neolithic Bulgarians may have used this cooking method as early as 5730 BC, as found in grain excavations. Bronze age fragmented cereal and grain has been found also in Northern Greece

                                    Tabbouli salad

            Cover 1 cup of bulgur wheat with 2 cups of boiling water and allow to sit for 20 minutes, drain thoroughly and place in a large bowl. Add:1 cup finely chopped parsley, 4 thinly sliced scallions with green tops, ¼ cup finely chopped mint, 2 chopped tomatoes and ½ cup finely diced seedless cucumber (optional).  Prepare vinaigrette by mixing ½ cup lemon juice, 1Tblsp. rice vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, dash of Tabasco and whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Toss vinaigrette with the bulgur and vegetable mixture and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve topped with halved cherry tomatoes.

            Fortunately there are some grains that are naturally gluten free and can be enjoyed by those individuals who need to avoid gluten in their diets. Quinoa has become recently widely available. As a pseudo-cereal it is gluten-free and unlike grass type cereals it contains the essential amino acid lysine, as well as being high in protein content.. Like potatoes it originated in the Peruvian Andes. Quinoa cooks in 20 minutes and can be served warm as a side dish, with enhancements such as pine nuts, spinach or even pancetta. Because of its texture it also makes wonderful hearty salads, especially when combined with black beans or garbanzos.

                                    Quinoa and garbanzo/black bean salad

            Cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups boiling salted water, drain and cool. Drain and rinse one 14 oz can of garbanzos or black beans and combine with the cooked quinoa. Stir in: 1  diced red pepper, 4 thinly sliced scallions and ¾ cups halved grape tomatoes. Toss all with vinaigrette: 3 Tblsp. lime juice, 3 Tblsp. grape seed or olive oil, 2 oz. chopped dill pickle or pickled onion (optional) , salt and pepper. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Exploring these cyclical discoveries by new/old food trends can be a fascinating learning experience and a delicious way to welcome summer!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)