Sunday, May 22, 2022

BEYOND THE SANDWICH LUNCH

 

Beyond the Sandwich Lunch

           Let me start with a confession, I love sandwiches! All kinds of sandwiches: regular, open faced, gilled, rolled up or hoagies. After all, they are the perfect finger food for home, a brown bag lunch and even a picnic. However, when mother nature surprised us in Maine with 80+ degree weather in middle of May, it was time to review the menu possibilities.

          Our cupboard fortunately hosts Bulgur wheat (cracked wheat). This is an ancient grain widely used in the Mediterranean region and it makes a wonderful nutty breakfast cereal that cooks in 5 minutes. It is also the basis for the popular Mediterranean grain salad tabbouleh.  Our son Mark first introduced me to tabbouleh in Arizona in a restaurant, long before it became so popular, but this recipe has evolved and served us well for many years.


                                                           Tabbouleh

          Pour 2 cups boiling water over 1 cup uncooked Bulgur wheat in a large bowl. After 30 minutes, drain in a sieve lined with a paper towel and return to the bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together: ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tsp. white wine vinegar, 2 tsp. each dried mint and dill. Toss dressing well with the Bulgur wheat.

Dice: 1 stalk celery, 2 Roma tomatoes, 4 scallions including the green parts and 1 and ½ cups fresh parsley. Toss vegetables with the grain and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend. Serve over some lettuce. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For a gluten free Tabbouleh, use red or white quinoa with similar delicious results. The following recipe is a slight variation with grape tomatoes, red pepper and Feta cheese.

                                      Quinoa Tabbouleh

          Rinse 1 cup quinoa, stir in 2 cups boiling water, simmer for 15 minutes and drain. Toss with the dressing in the above Tabbouleh recipe.

          Toss with thinly sliced 6 scallions (green and white parts), 1 seeded and diced red or yellow pepper, 1 cup chopped parsley, 1 cup halved grape tomatoes, and ½ cup diced Feta cheese. Chill for 1-2 hours and serve on some lettuce.

          Maine’s weather being what it is, the heat wave did not last, so the menu possibilities for Sunday needed another revision. Fond memories of noodle shops in Japan came to rescue and while the udon noodles in my cupboard were not as plump as one’s served in a proper ‘noodle shop’, they provided a tasty and warm lunch with minimal fuss. 

 


                               Udon with crispy tofu and snow peas

          Cook 3 oz udon noodles for 2 persons in unsalted boiling water for 7 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

          In a small bowl combine for sauce: 2 tblsp. light soy sauce, 2 tblsp. mirin (rice wine or sherry), 1 tblsp. rice vinegar, 2 tblsp. lime juice, 1 inch peeled fresh ginger grated and ¼ tsp. Olek sambal or dried red pepper flakes (optional).

          Pat ½ of a 12 oz. package of extra firm tofu dry with paper towels and cut in ½ inch cubes.  Fry tofu in 2 tblsp. grapeseed oil to brown on all sides and set on paper towels to drain.

          In the same pan sauté 2 finely chopped garlic cloves for 30 seconds, swirl the pan with the sauce and add everything to 3 ½   cups of low salt chicken broth in a small pot. Heat to simmer, add 1 cup trimmed snow peas and simmer 5 minutes.

          Dish noodles in 2 serving bowls, top with tofu and ladle ½ of the soup with snow peas on top of each dish. Sprinkle with sliced scallions and serve.

          That brief heat wave popped open the blossoms of our Sargent crabapple at our kitchen window and gave a brief foretaste of the warm days to come requiring lighter fare on the 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: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

Sunday, May 8, 2022

ASPARAGUS, SYMBOL OF SPRING

 

Asparagus, Symbol of Spring

           The flowers that bloom in the spring, Tra la...”, promises the song by Gilbert and Sullivan from “Mikado, to bring “summer of roses and wine”. The fresh green of asparagus is an equally good harbinger of spring and the coming summer for the kitchen.

          Asparagus is a perennial flowering plant, and it takes a couple of years to establish a productive asparagus bed to yield these tender young shoots. As a first spring vegetable it was appreciated by the Egyptians, considered a medicinal herb by Galen, a Greek physician in the Roman empire, and carefully cultivated in French monasteries. Modern analysis tells us it is rich in vitamins, fiber and low in calories, only 3 calories per spear.

          That calorie advantage is however quickly lost with Hollandaise, the favorite sauce for asparagus. My favorite quick Hollandaise recipe comes from Craig Clairborne’s “The New York Times Cookbook”.

                                      Quick Hollandaise’

 Blend 3 large egg yolks, 2 tblsp. fresh lemon juice, ¼ tsp. salt and a dash of cayenne in a blender. Heat ½ cup butter without browning. Turn the mixer motor on slow and slowly add the hot butter in a stream. Blend for 15 seconds to a thickened sauce. Serve with asparagus or eggs on an English muffin for breakfast.

                             Creamy asparagus soup

          The pale green color is perfect to start any meal or serve this soup as a light luncheon main course. Harvested asparagus comes with a tough portion at the bottom of the stalk, which easily snaps off for removal as you bend the stalk. Snap the tough ends from 1 lb. asparagus and wash the stalks in cold water. Set aside 1-inch pieces from the top of 6 spears and cut the rest in 3–4-inch lengths.

1)    Melt 2 tblsp. butter in a large pot and sauté 1 large, chopped onion for 5 minutes. Stir in 5-6 cups chicken broth, 2 medium potatoes cut in pieces, the cut-up asparagus, a light dash of cayenne and ¼ cup chopped parsley. Cook for 20 minutes and set aside to cool.

2)    When cooled puree in a blender with 1 tsp. lemon juice. Stir in ½ cup heavy cream and reheat. If you are making this soup on a warm day, you can substitute 1 cup yoghurt for the cream and serve the soup cold. Garnish each bowl with a reserved small asparagus spear piece and chopped dill.


            Prosciutto wrapped asparagus

          This asparagus dish works best with medium to fat asparagus spears. Trim and wash ½ lb. of asparagus and boil in salted water for 3 minutes and quickly plunge the spears in ice water. When cool, remove from water, wrap each spear with a small piece of prosciutto around the middle and arrange on a platter with spears pointing in the same direction.

          The Prosciutto wrapped asparagus makes a colorful side dish with any meat serving. The following recipe is for chicken, but it would work equally well with steak, veal, lamb or ham.


                                          Roasted ginger-chicken legs

          In a bowl combine:2/3 cup soy sauce, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tblsp. cornstarch, 4 tblsp. white vinegar, 2 large, chopped garlic cloves, 2-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated or finely chopped. Marinate 8 chicken drumsticks in a shallow dish or plastic bag in the marinade for 6-8 hours.

          Set the oven rack in upper ¾ of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and spread on a rimmed pan without the pieces touching. Roast for 40-45 minutes, turning the chicken once. In another pan roast 3-4 large potatoes cut in pieces and tossed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and sprinkled with salt. Serve chicken, potatoes and the prosciutto wrapped asparagus for a colorful and delicious spring dinner.

          In the merry, merry month of May” goes the old song by Stephen Foster. Like Gilbert and Sullivan, we are reminded the sights, sounds and tastes of spring signal the earth awakening for another year to anticipate and savor.

(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: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)