SAUCY CHICKEN, CRISP CAULIFLOWER AND MORE

 

                    Saucy chicken, crisp cauliflower and more

 

          Last night the crickets in the garden were most insistent in their song, signaling the end of summer and our approaching fall.  Fall is my favorite time of the year when the nights are cool, and the days are still full of brilliant sun. This time of the year also can’t help to energize the cook when viewing the colorful vegetable mounds at local farmers markets.

          A recent small family gathering required a meal prepared on short notice and between the freezer and a recent trip to the local market it was fun to assemble a colorful repast. Pasta Putanesca is a staple in summer at our house but would not fill the hearty appetites of two of the diners, leading me to adapt the sauce to chicken with tasty results.

                                      Saucy chicken Putanesca

          Salt and pepper 8-10 chicken drumsticks and fry in 2 tbsp. olive oil for 10 minutes, browning the drumsticks on all sides in an oven proof pan. Set the meat aside.

          In the same pan stir in 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute, stir in 1 tbsp. anchovy paste, 2 tbsp. double strength tomato paste, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and blend for 1 minute. Stir in 1 diced tomato, ¾ cup green and ½ cup Kalamata olives halved, 2 tbsp. drained capers and 4 long strips of lemon zest. Cook to reduce volume for 5 minutes. Evenly distribute the drumsticks over the vegetables in the pan, add 1 cup of water and bring to simmer. Place the pan in a 350-degree oven and bake for 25 minutes. If your supermarket chicken drumsticks are very large, bake for 35 minutes.

          Remove pan from oven and plate the chicken in a dish with sides. Return the pan to the stove and reduce the sauce together with 2 tbsp. chopped parsley and 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil (optional). Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with boiled new potatoes.

                         Roast cauliflower and carrots with pumpkin seeds

          Break apart or cut a head of cauliflower in medium sized florets. Wash and slice 2 large carrots diagonally into 1-inch pieces.

          In a medium bowl mix 2-3 tbsp. olive oil with 1 ½ tbsp. balsamic vinegar, ½ tsp. garlic powder and ¼ tsp. pepper. Toss the vegetables to coat in the mixture and spread in a single layer on a foil lined pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt and broil for 5 minutes. In the meantime, toss 2 tblsp. pumpkin seeds in the oil mixture. Remove pan from oven, turn the vegetables with a spatula and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.  Return pan to broiler for an additional 4 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and toss to mix well in a bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.

          Local peaches in Maine peak in late August and early September. Both peach pie and crumble are delicious, but since there were not enough on hand for either we had peach shortcakes instead.

                                                      Peach shortcake

          Bake 6-8 small biscuits according to directions of a commercial biscuit mix.

          Briefly dip 8 small (or 4 very large) peaches in boiling water to ease the removal of the peel. If peaches are not fully ripe it will be necessary to peel them. Pit and peel the peaches, slice in 8-10 slices in an enameled or steel pot containing 2/3 cup dry white wine, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves and 1-inch peeled ginger grated. Bring to a gentle boil, stir in ½ cup sugar and simmer the fruit until soft and the mixture thickens. Set aside and allow to cool.

          Cut each biscuit in half, spread with a slightly heaped tbsp. of the cooked peaches, top with the other half of the biscuit and another helping of cooked peaches. Serve with whipped cream and enjoy the flavors of the fading summer.

          To quote John Steinbeck: “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” But that sweetness is saved in nature’s grand gesture – the coming fall.

    (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)

 

EASY WEEKNIGHT SHRIMP

 

                                            Easy weeknight shrimp

           Summer may be winding down all too soon, but our days are still full of activities trying to capture the joys of summer in Maine. The home cook needs to come up with interesting and tasty meals without having to spend too much time in the kitchen. The grill is a wonderful resource tool for burgers, steak, chicken, sausages and even corn and zucchini. However, one of my favorite summer staples is shrimp. They can be conveniently kept in your freezer and are on hand for days when you are short of time.

          Frozen cooked shrimp are naturally ready made for appetizers and great for salads.  Raw frozen shrimp defrost in an hour at room temperature or more quickly under cold water, though too long an exposure to water will make them soggy. Shelled deveined raw shrimp easily adapt to many different flavors for a variety of interesting recipes. For those cooks addicted to the grill, shrimp marinated for 15 minutes in Italian dressing are wonderful quickly grilled by themselves or in kebabs with sausage and green or red peppers. The following recipes are for two to three persons and easily scale up to accommodate more diners.

                                              Easy shrimp Diavolo

          Shell and devein ½ lb. large or extra-large shrimp and sauté in 2 tbsp. olive oil with 1 minced garlic clove to pink and set aside.

          In the same pan add ½ tbsp. more olive oil and sauté on medium heat for 4 minutes: 1 thinly sliced small onion, ½ red pepper seeded and cut in julienne strips and 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms. Stir in ½ cup dry white wine, 1 tbsp. double strength tomato paste, 1 tsp. anchovy paste, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and couple of shakes of Tabasco (optional).  Cook for 2 minutes, stir in the shrimp. Cook another minute and serve on hot pasta garnished with fresh basil leaves.

                                      Shrimp and shitake on cheesy polenta

          Regular polenta made of finely ground cornmeal requires 30 minutes of cooking with fairly constant stirring. This recipe takes advantage of quick cooking polenta thus significantly shortening the process. Bring 2 cups of water with ½ tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. butter to boil, carefully stir in ½ cup quick cooking polenta and cook for 3 minutes with constant stirring, dispersing any lumps that have formed and set aside for 5 minutes before stirring again and serving.

          In a large pan heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp butter and sauté 10-12 extra-large shrimp to pink and set aside. In the same pan add 1 tbsp. butter and 4 oz. sliced shitake and ½ thinly sliced red onion. Cook on medium high heat for 5 minutes without turning. Add: 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 ½ cups halved cherry tomatoes, 1 tsp. fish sauce, 2 tsp. Sicilian seasoning, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, 2 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley, 2 tblsp. chopped fresh basil and ½ cup chicken broth. Cook to reduce volume, stir in shrimp for 1 minute and serve on cheesy polenta.

          Fortunately, we are still in blueberry season, and so it was time to resurrect Sally Lunn, a simple old fashioned coffee cake from my 1957 Meta Givens “Encyclopedia of Cooking” and dress it up with slivered almonds and some raw sugar.

                                                     blueberry Sally Lunn

          Spray with buttery baking spray an 8x8x2 inch glass baking dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse a pint of fresh blueberries, pick out any stems and toss with 1 tbsp. sugar in a small bowl.

          Whisk together 1 ½ cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and ¼ tsp. salt. In a large bowl beat 3 tblsp. soft butter with ½ cup sugar to fluffy, stir in 1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice and grated lemon rind from ½ lemon. Using a wooden spoon add the flour mixture alternating with ½ cup and 2 tbsp milk, starting and ending with flour. In the thick batter gently fold in the blueberries and spread everything in the prepared baking dish. In a small pan melt 1 tbsp. butter, lightly toast 1/3 cup slivered almonds and spread them on top of the batter. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. raw sugar and bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick tester comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.

          To paraphrase Julia child: “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces (in summer)– just good food with fresh ingredients”.

                (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)

 

 

 

AUGUST TOMATOES

 

 

                                                August tomatoes

           In August my favorite reading material are Mediterranean recipes as starting points for creating varied dishes to feature the incredible flavor of fresh, off the vine tomatoes. Red, yellow, or any variety of heirloom tomatoes are bound to give a lift to dishes both hot and cold, with guaranteed eye appeal.      

          Tomato origins are from South and Central America and come with the botanical definition as the edible berry of the tomato plant. However, the dispute of whether a tomato is a fruit, or a vegetable was settled to the dismay of the botanists by the US Supreme court in 1893, when they ruled that tomato is legally a vegetable.  Court rulings aside, tomatoes represent a treasure trove of healthy vitamins, antioxidants and minerals and unlike some other vegetables are savored by most people.

          Sliced or chopped raw tomatoes are easy sources for summer meals requiring little preparation. Two of my easy go to meals are open faced sandwiches with sliced tomato salad and my standby Philadelphia tacos, created in 1960’s when fresh soft taco shells had never been seen in East coast groceries and I could only find them in a can!

                                          Tomato-smoked trout lunch

          Arrange tomato slices on some fresh basil leaves, scatter with crumbled Feta cheese and Kalamata olives, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

          Spread rye bread with a layer of cream cheese, arrange pieces of smoked trout on top and scatter with capers. All set for an easy and picturesque lunch.

                                                     Philadelphia tacos

          Brown a pound of lean ground beef in a skillet, pour off the fat, mix with a package of taco mix and some water and cook for 10 minutes until the water is absorbed. Slightly blister 6-inch corn taco shells in a hot skillet with a drop of oil on both sides. You will need 2 or 3 shells per person.

          To assemble: spread center line of each shell with a 2 of tbsp. of meat, sprinkle with chopped red onion, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sharp cheddar cheese and a spoonful of spicy salsa.  Serve with plenty of paper napkins and enjoy.

Curried summer tomato-squash soup.

 If you are lucky to have a lot of fresh tomatoes, this is an interesting and flavorful tomato soup. Sauté a coarsely chopped large onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until transparent, stir in 2 chopped cloves of garlic and 2-3 Tblsp. curry powder, according to taste. Continue to sauté on low heat for 5 minutes with occasional stirring. Add 6 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes and 2 chopped small summer squash, a couple of sprigs of parsley and 1 tsp. salt. Add enough water or chicken broth to barely cover. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and process in a blender in batches. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve heated with a tablespoon of sour cream and chives or a sprig of parsley. The soup can be reheated several times or frozen for a future occasion.

                                        Italian sausage and tomato ragù

Remove casings from 2-3 mild Italian sausages, crumble the meat, brown in a large skillet and set aside. In the same skillet sauté ½ thin sliced red onion, 1 large roasting pepper with seeds removed and cut in wide julienne strips, 1 sliced garlic clove and ¼ tsp. hot pepper flakes for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups halved red and yellow grape tomatoes, cook for another 5 minutes ant then stir in 2 tbsp. double strength tomato paste, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. oregano and ½ cup chicken broth. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, stir in 3 tblsp. of chopped Italian parsley and garnish with fresh basil leaves to serve on pasta.

Barbara Kingsolver waxes nostalgic in her book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” about living close to natural food, with emphasis on vegetables, where she refers to August as “life in a red state”, defining our appreciation for the tomato.

    (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)