TRENDING INTO SUMMER

Trending into Summer

            Our Sargent crabapple, just outside our kitchen window, has finally burst into a  glorious cloud of pink and white. The bees are ecstatic and so am I !  Spring has finally arrived!  It may be a couple of weeks late this year and suddenly feels like it is trending into summer, but the warmth is most welcome.

            This needed a celebration. In our social isolation climate an impromptu picnic on our back patio was easily assembled. Even an old-fashioned picnic consisting of baked beans, hot dogs and a potato salad can seem like a treat after a dreary winter and spring with no travel plans for the coming months. So, at least the potato salad needed some updating to fit the occasion.

                                                 Tangy potato salad

            Potato salads of old were made with peeled potatoes. Now we have a variety of thin-skinned potatoes: white, red, yellow and even blue. All of these can be scrubbed, any blemishes removed and cut in pieces for cooking with the skin left in place. Nutritionists will tell you that many of the nutrients are found in the skin.

1.      Select 2 or 3 large potatoes, scrub well, cut in quarters or sixths and place in a large pot well covered with water.. Add 1 tsp. salt, bring to boil and continue

      cooking for 15-16 minutes. Test the potatoes with a fork for barely done and

      not too soft. Drain potatoes and cool.

2.      Boil 3 large eggs for 12 minutes and set aside.

3.      In a small bowl blend the dressing: 2 tblsp. mayonnaise, 3 tblsp. sour cream, 2 tblsp. finely chopped onion or 2 large scallions, 2 tsp. rice vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. celery seed, ½ tsp. dry mustard, ½ chopped large dill pickle.

4.      When the potatoes are cool, cut in cubes about 1 inch in size and place in a large bowl. Add 1 chopped hard boiled egg and gently mix with the dressing.

5.      Garnish the potato salad with the other two eggs cut in wedges and place a couple of black olives or a sprig of parsley in the center. Cover and chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Reminiscing about foods from the past sometimes can lead to new discoveries. One evening my husband was musing about a favorite breakfast from his childhood.  He fondly recalled his grandmother’s baked eggs with cheese, but typical of someone who does not cook, offered no other pertinent details. This posed an interesting culinary challenge. A baked “toad in a hole” was familiar. We sometimes have an elaborate breakfast bake for company with eggs, bacon, cheese, bread, tomatoes and kalamata olives, but I doubted it was something that would be found on an Iowa farm table in the last century. The following recipe was the result of canvasing our kitchen and some educated guesses. They were not his grandmother’s baked eggs ,but were nevertheless delicious and will be duplicated in my kitchen on future occasions.

 

                                                 Cheesy baked eggs

Preheat the oven to bake at 350 degrees. Lightly butter or use a buttery baking spray on two individual shallow gratin dishes.

1.      In a small bowl mix: ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 tblsp. flour, ¼ tsp. baking powder, 3 tblsp. half and half, 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

2.      Lightly toast 1 large slice soft white bread and cut in ½ inch cubes.

3.      Divide the bread crumbs between the two dishes, placing the crumbs at the ends.

4.      Place a heaping tblsp. cheese mix between and spread to cover dish between bread.  Drop small dabs of the remaining cheese mix on top of the bread crumbs at the ends.

5.      Break 2 eggs in each dish in the middle.

6.      Place dishes on a pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees lightly covered with a piece of parchment. If you want softer eggs, bake for only 15 minutes, remove parchment and turn on the broiler for a minute to set the egg white on top.

7.      Remove from oven, sprinkle with paprika and serve with additional buttered toast on the side.

A culinary challenge or an impromptu patio picnic can certainly make one appreciate days trending into summer and appreciate the joy in nature.           

           

(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)

FLAVOR AND EYE APPEAL

Flavor and Eye Appeal

            The robin outside my kitchen window is engaged in a vigorous tug of war with his reluctant breakfast underneath our pink tulips. Yesterday, out resident woodchuck happily decimated the Italian parsley plant I had lovingly planted next to an emerging oregano plant. The selective grazing proved that oregano was apparently of no gustatory interest to this chubby person. Wildlife sometime can provide even unappreciated distraction, when it goes about it’s normal activities, while we find little relief from the tedium of self-isolation in our cool spring sunshine.

            Jazz may be a popular choice to stimulate cheer, but flavor and eye appeal in  food are likely to achieve the same result at mealtimes. Early spring is not the most conducive time to achieve such results, especially if you are still working from items in your pantry and limited forays into the grocery store. Fortunately, pasta dishes provide the cook with a wonderful palette to achieve a colorful presentation. They have the added advantage of being easy and quick to prepare.

                                    Rotini with Feta and kale

            Cook 6-8 oz rotini in salted water to al dente according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tblsp. olive oil in a large pan and sauté: 1 medium onion chopped with 1 ½ cups kale, deveined and cut in ribbons, for 4 minutes. Stir in 1 chopped clove of garlic, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and continue to cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cubed Roma tomatoes, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tblsp. small capers, 1 tblsp. lemon juice, ½ cup pitted sliced Kalamata olives (optional), ¼ cup water and cook 6-8 minutes until tomatoes are soft, but not falling apart. Stir in ¾ cups cubed Feta cheese and the drained pasta. Serve hot with a light sprinkling of parsley.

            The beginning of May brings celebrations of Cinco de Mayo with colorful Mexican dishes. One of my favorite salads for this time of the year has been a Fiesta salad, which can be made with either corn or beans or the two together. The original recipe was for a corn salad, the provenance of which came from a graduate student at UCLA, where I spent a sabbatical many years ago. It requires no cooking, quite a bit of dicing and should be made ahead for the various flavors to blend.

                                    Fiesta black bean salad

            For best texture of the salad, soak black beans overnight and cook in salted water until firm. However, for expediency, this can be made with canned black beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed. In a large bowl combine: 16 oz can drained black beans, 1 medium tomato diced, ½ each red and green diced bell peppers, 2 sliced scallions with tops, ¾ cup frozen corn thawed in the microwave, 1 small can drained sliced black olives. Dressing: ½ package taco seasoning mix, ¼ cup water, ¼ cup white vinegar, scant ¼ cup olive oil. Stir dressing until well blended, toss well with vegetables and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Toss well again before serving plain or on lettuce.

            Creative colorful dishes on our lunch or dinner tables can bring a smile even on a chilly cloudy day in May.

(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)

LEAN TIMES?

Lean Times?

            When food magazine editors send out recipe selections entitled “When There’s Nothing in the Fridge”, it certainly is a sign of ‘Lean Times’. As our isolation practices go into another month, even those of us with relatively well stocked pantries are noticing necessary changes in our normal cooking habits. We tend to look at what is available at home and find old recipes or improvise.

            We tend to shop less often and concentrate on the essentials in order to minimize our time at the store. Missing or scarce items on the store shelves also contribute to the problem. Finding a 5 pound bag of flour these days is considered a miracle. We are staying home and cooing and baking a loaf of bread becomes an active creative outlet.

Ironically, early this year those same food magazines were all featuring yeast breads in their infinite variety. Their “Nothing in Fridge” suggestions tend to lean on garbanzos and beans, which in their canned variety are also somewhat scarce. Nevertheless, the concept of improvising on what is available has a great deal of merit.

This year’s cool spring encourages hearty soups, although the fresh and tangy flavors of this red lentil soup would not be amiss even in summer. The provenance of this soup comes via a friend of mine many years ago, who was involved with a Sudan Relief Task Force. Since then. the recipe been somewhat modified.

                        Sudanese red lentil soup

Place 2 cups of red lentils in a large bowl, cover with water, stir and pour off the cloudy liquid. Repeat process 3 more times. Place the rinsed lentils in a 4 quart pot. Add: 3 ½ cups water, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tblsp. butter, 1 tblsp. olive oil, 1 heaping teaspoon Coriander and Cumin each, 1 tsp. Sumac (optional), 1 tsp. dried mint, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper. Bring to a gentle boil and stir to avoid burning. After 10 minutes add another cup of water and continue cooking with occasional stirring for 30 minutes. Soup will turn yellow, creamy and thick, adjust with a bit of water if desired.. Cut up 4 oz Feta cheese and stir in. Gently cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in juice of 1 lime. Serve sprinkled with chopped chives or parsley. Soup can be reheated for serving on successive days.

Butternut squash is still available this time of the year. We like it peeled and cubed together with potatoes carrots and onions in mixed roasted vegetables, tossed with olive oil, chopped garlic and balsamic vinegar, sprinkled with coarse salt and roasted for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. The stem is the best part for this purpose, so I usually split the rest, scoop out the seeds and bake it face down in the lower part of the oven while the rest of the vegetables are roasting.

After roasting the soft butternut squash flesh is scooped out, mashed and can be used to make butternut squash soup or frozen for later use. Another creative use for baked squash are squash fritters. They make a tasty side dish for chicken or pork topped with Gruyere cheese.  Or even serve as a light luncheon topped with cottage cheese or sour cream.

                                    Butternut squash fritters

In a small bowl stir together 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp. salt 1.5 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. lemon-pepper, ½ tsp. ground thyme. In a medium bowl beat together with and electric mixer: ¾ cups mashed butternut squash, 1 large egg, ½ tsp. dried minced onion, 2 tblsp. melted butter. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended, Fry heaping tablespoons in vegetable oil 2-3 minutes on the side. Serve topped with cheese or sour cream.

Versatile use of what is available in the kitchen is never more timely than in the present days and weeks.

(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)