COMFORTING BISQUE AND ORIENTAL PORK

                            Comforting bisque and Oriental pork

           Last week we were promised a rousing departure of summer as we tracked hurricane Lee along the Eastern seaboard with a promise of high winds and lots of rain. By Friday, anyone with a boat had it safely stashed away for storage or in a safe harbor. Homeowners secured anything liable to topple or be blown away. My five-foot potted dahlia in full second bloom was moved to our porch for protection.

          When Saturday arrived, it became clear that the air and water currents of the Atlantic had once more saved the Maine coast from such an unwelcome visitor. The national weather service declared that Lee was now only a tropical cyclone with minimal rain for us, though the winds still might cause some damage. Comfort food might not be a requirement, but since the ingredients were now on hand, the cook might as well produce the planned menu.

                                                Roast butternut squash bisque

          Most recipes for butternut squash soup start with cooking peeled, seeded, and cubed squash in a broth, but roasted squash provides a richer and deeper flavor for this dish.

 Cut a large butternut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, spray the cut sides with olive oil and roast in a shallow pan, cut side down at 425-degrees for 45 minutes. There will be enough roasted squash to serve two as a side dish with butter and salt, while the rest will be basis for the bisque. A good way to save on time for two meals.

          Break half of the roasted squash in large pieces and place a 3-4 qt. pot. Add ¾ cups dry white wine, 3-4 cups chicken broth, 2 sweet peeled and cored apples cut in 1-inch pieces, 1 tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 inch peeled and shredded fresh ginger, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.

          Allow soup to cool and puree in a blender. Return thick soup to the pot and adjust to desired consistency with chicken broth as well as salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives.

          Chicken, veal, and pork cutlets are easy meat dishes to prepare on a busy day. These thinly pounded slices of meat are dipped in a combination of flour, egg, breadcrumbs or panko and are quickly fried for a delicious meal. Pork tenderloin, usually made as a quick tender roast, is also excellent when sliced in ½ inch slices for making very tender pork cutlets and is amenable to many flavors as shown in this Oriental pork cutlet recipe. 

                                                  Oriental pork cutlets

          Start with 6-8 one half inch thick slices of pork tenderloin and pound them to ¼ inch thickness.

          For marinade combine: 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 tblsp. miso paste, 1 tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. lemon pepper, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. Chinese 5 spice, ¼ tsp. white Oriental pepper. Marinate the pork slices for 2-6 hours in the refrigerator.

          Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge the meat in cornstarch spread in a shallow bowl, shaking off excess and fry in hot vegetable oil 30 seconds to a side. Drain on paper towels.

          Serve hot with rice and a colorful vegetable sauté of zucchini, red bell pepper, shallots, and some corn kernels seasoned with celery salt and lemon pepper.

          Our bright blue sky of Sunday morning made the previous weeks hurricane trepidations seem overblown. To quote Shakespeare: “All is well that ends well”, the broken tree across the road in the next block notwithstanding.

         (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)

 

 

 

HANGING ON TO SUMMEER

 

 Hanging on to summer

     Our current spate of sunny warm days is easy to appreciate after a soggy August. My rosebushes are coming into their second bloom and the red stands out against the six-foot hydrangeas with their scattered bright blue flower heads. Even the eggplant finally proudly displays a veritable crop of white and purple striped fruit. September is gracing us with a few more days of summer-like weather with shimmering multicolored mounds of produce.

While fall harvests can be overwhelming, there is still time for the cook to revel in cooking with some of the fresh ingredients that abound in summer.  We love cherry tomatoes for salads and appetizers, but they can also add a different dimension to cooked dishes, especially pasta.

                                   Spicy Andouille pasta with cherry tomatoes

Cook 6 oz. mini farfalle (bows) in salted water for 1 minute less than al dente. Save a cup of cooking water, drain pasta and set aside.

In a large pan heat 1 tblsp. oil and 1 tblsp. butter and sauté 1 chopped medium onion with 3 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms and 2 sliced cloves of garlic for 7 minutes. Stir in juice of ½ lemon, ½ seeded diced red pepper, ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives cut in half, 1 tblsp. capers, 1 ½ tsp. Sicilian seasoning, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper, 1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth, 1 ½ cups multicolored cherry tomatoes cut in half, pasta and ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Bring to slow boil and stir in 2 ready to eat diced Andouille sausages. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Stir in ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley. Plate in shallow bowls, sprinkle with Feta cheese and serve.

Maine blueberries were late this year. Blueberries forever denote a Maine summer and last weekend it seemed the perfect time to remind ourselves that summer is still technically here despite it being Labor Day. Old time deserts often have strange functional names and so does this classical New England desert: Blueberry Grunt or Blueberry Slump, a stovetop blueberry desert with steamed dumplings.  Presumably the name was to imply the impending state of the overstuffed diner.  

                                                    Blueberry grunt

In a 10-inch-deep pan with a lid, place 4 cups fresh (or frozen) wild blueberries, ½ cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ cup maple syrup, 3 tblsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. grated lemon rind, ¼ tsp. ground cloves and ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg. Cook with occasional stirring until the berries release their juices and the mixture comes to a boil.

Dumplings: mix 1 cup flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tblsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. salt. Add 3 tbslp. unsalted butter cut in small pieces and using your fingers rub it in the flour mix. Stir in lightly ½ cup milk and mix just until the flour holds together. Drop ¼ cup measures of the dumpling mix in the bubbling blueberries. Cover with the tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the dumpling comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature in small bowls, topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

The autumn equinox arrives September 23 this year, which means we have close to three weeks to still enjoy summer, when “the living is easy”!

    (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)

 

 

 

 

FRESH SUMMER FLAVORS

 

                                        Fresh summer flavors

          Our rainy summer has yielded amazingly green lawns this August, lush gardens well populated with slugs. and bountiful crops of kale and Swiss chard.  Corn, tomatoes and even peppers and summer squash sadly have lacked the usual heat of summer and are late in ripening. The sweet full flavor of wild blueberries and tomatoes has been noticeably reduced this year due to our cloudy days. But that is the fate of all farmers and gardeners, the vagaries of seasonal crops we cherish. However, it has been a banner year for wild mushrooms.

          Looking at the positive side of this year’s harvest, the seasonal cook invariably seeks colorful ways to present fresh flavors in interesting combinations. 

                                       Ginger-shrimp soup with kale and corn

          Heat 2 tblsp. olive oil in a 3 qt. pot and stir fry 1 medium chopped onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 4 cups de-ribbed and torn washed kale 3-4 minutes. Stir in juice of ½ lemon, 1 ½ tsp. finely chopped ginger, 4 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups water, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper, 1 tblsp. fish sauce.  Bring to boil and simmer for 12-14 minutes.  Stir in a dozen large shrimp, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces. Stir in fresh corn cut from 2 cobs and cook until shrimp turn opaque. Remove from heat, let sit for 5 minutes before serving garnished with chopped chives.

          The rains have given a bumper crop of mushrooms this year. Many farmer’s markets are a source of wild mushrooms in summer and the colorful chanterelles were a real pleasure to cook. This recipe would also taste delicious with shitake or oyster mushrooms, though less colorful in appearance.

                                              Chanterelles in cream sauce

          Brush or wipe with a damp paper towel 1-quart or slightly more of fresh mushrooms.  Discard tough stems and cut into bite size pieces. Heat 1 tblsp. olive oil and 2 tblsp. unsalted butter in a large pan and when sizzling add mushrooms and one thinly sliced large shallot. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add 1/3 cup julienned sundried tomatoes, juice of ½ large lemon, ½ tsp. lemon pepper and ½ cup chicken broth. Cook to reduce liquid to ½ volume, stir in 1/3 cup heavy cream and heat without boiling. Serve over pasta garnished with fresh basil leaves.

 

                                                 Black plum clafoutis

          Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Melt 4 tblsp. unsalted butter in a 10-inch-deep dish pie or quiche pan and swirl the butter to coat the sides of the pan. Wash and pit 4 large black plums, cut each half in 4 slices, toss with ¼ cup sugar, and distribute the fruit evenly on the bottom of the buttered pan.

          In a blender or with a hand mixer in a bowl combine: 3 eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 tsp. lemon extract, ½ tsp. salt and ¾ cups flour. Do not overmix, but when blended pour over the plums. Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake for 40-45 minutes until puffed, slightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm in wedges with a dusting of powdered sugar if desired.

          My annual wild blueberry flat was a bit of disappointment in flavor this year for eating them fresh. However, the berries still made excellent pies, muffins and cooked with a bit of sugar and lemon juice made a delicious topping for lemon pudding. Nothing like a bit of kitchen magic to improve any crop.

       (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)