Stuff It

Every year my friend Alisa and I host a Chrismukkah brunch, and the only food that gets repeat play is her breakfast casserole. Coming up with new foods we've never made before is half the fun of planning the brunch, and for some reason, this year, the first food that came to mind was stuffed French toast. I've never actually made stuffed French toast before, so I set out researching recipes. Most had you slicing whole loaves of bread and cutting a pocket into each slice, then stuffing the pocket with your filling. That seemed too time consuming. I've made monte cristos plenty of times, so I decided to go with that dipped sandwich approach.

My first attempt was to make banana stuffed French toast. I sliced a banana up into 1/4 inch coins, laid the coins out on the first piece of bread, covered it with the second, then let each side soak in an egg and milk mixture for a minute per side, then cooked it in a well buttered pan for two minutes on each side. I dusted the tops with powdered sugar and my fiancé and I ate them with syrup. They were good, but the egg mixture didn't soak in all the way, and even if it had, we would have been eating raw egg on the inside and cooked on the outside.

For my second attempt, I decided to add Nutella to the mix. First I toasted just one side of each slice of bread (using the bagel setting on my toaster). Then I smeared Nutella on the toasted sides of the bread, laid the banana coins out as before, soaked the outside in the egg mixture and cooked. I left off the powdered sugar and syrup figuring the Nutella was sweet enough. This was pure heaven! Each bite gave a soft spongey texture on the outside, a crisp bite from the toasted side, and in the middle, gooey, warm, chocolate and banana. Perfection.

I plan on serving these cut into bite sized cubes, maybe with a slice of strawberry on top.



Banana Nutella Stuffed French Toast

4 slices of buttermilk or white bread
1 medium banana, cut into 1/4" slices
4 tablespoons of Nutella or other chocolate spread
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of milk
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

Toast one side of each slice of bread. Spread Nutella on the toasted side of each slice, then arrange the banana slices on two of the slices of bread. Cover with the remaining slice, Nutella side down, so that you have a layer of bread, Nutella, banana, Nutella, and bread.

Beat the eggs with the milk in a pie plate until incorporated. Rest the sandwiches in the egg mixture for 1 minute on each side.

Heat the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until melted. Add the sandwiches to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side.

Serves 2.

Easy As (Pizza) Pie

My Uncle Eddie owns a pizzeria in Cairo, NY, and it was one of my favorite places to visit as a kid. My cousins and I would mix soda concoctions at the soda fountain, play video games on the arcade machines, and when the giant mozzarella shredder was running, I'd dip my hand into the pouring shreds and grab a handful of cheese as it rained down into the giant bowl. My cousins all knew how to toss dough, and I always wanted to learn, but never had the courage to ask.

A few years back, the Food Network was airing Pizza Week programming. All pizza, all the time. After watching a couple dough tossing competitions and Alton Brown's "Flat is Beautiful" episode, I decided to give it a try, and found it surprisingly easy. Here's a little step by step guide:

1. Dump your mound of pizza dough onto a floured surface, then flip it over to coat the other side with flour.

2. Press down around the edge of your dough, turning it as you go, and slowly work your way toward the middle, until you have a lumpy, but flattened disk.

3. Pick up the dough and lightly stretch the edges, tugging just enough to expand the disk a bit.

4. Make a fist and place the disk on it. Using your other fist, continue to stretch the dough until it's about 9" or 10" in diameter. Allow the dough to rest on your left fist while flexing your right wrist to pull the dough.

5. With the dough resting on both fists, turn your hands so your left fist is furthest from you and your right fist is closest, one behind the other. As you toss the dough in the air, twist your arms around so the right wrist is the further and the left is closer, like you're turning a steering wheel. The dough should spin in the air, like a frisbee. Then catch it on the back of your hands. Do this about 3 or 4 times.

If you have any round of fabric, you can practice with that.


Margherita Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes

Roasting the tomatoes first is well worth the effort. The tomatoes will burst in your mouth, creating fresh sauce with every bite. But be extra careful of pizza mouth. The tomatoes will be extremely hot. Let the pizza cool a minute or two before serving.

Tomatoes:
8 oz of cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Pizza Dough:
1 teaspoon of rapid rise or bread machine yeast
1 tablespoon of olive oil (I use a basil infused olive oil for extra flavor)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of all-purpose flour or a half and half mixture of all-purpose and semolina
6 oz of warm water

Pizza Topping:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup of grated parmesan
1 small bunch of fresh basil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

To make the dough, add flour, salt, and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment or bread machine. Pour the liquid ingredients on top and allow the mixer to work the ingredients until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Allow the machine to knead the dough for another minute. Pull the dough off the dough hook and, with well floured hands, remove the dough to a bowl coated with oil. Cover wit plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour. The dough should double in size. While the dough is rising you can roast the tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 500˚. Toss the tomatoes in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour into an oven-proof pan or baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. The tomatoes should have some black char and look withered.

Once your dough has risen, flatten it into a disk using the instructions above, or if you're really not comfortable tossing your dough, you can press it out into a disk using your fingers and the palms of your hands. Rolling pizza dough is a bit of a Sisyphean task, as the dough will just bounce right back into it's former shape. It's always better to stretch pizza dough.

Once you have your disk, transfer it to a well oiled cookie sheet or pizza pan. If you have cornmeal on hand, you can sprinkle that onto the oil first. It'll help keep the dough from sticking, but it's not entirely necessary. Brush the dough with oil, then layer on your tomatoes. Pres the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to burst them slightly. Next, sprinkle with garlic, mozzarella, and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste and bake for 10 minutes.

Chop the basil and sprinkle on the finished pizza.

Serves 2.

The Verni Pasta Factory

In the winter, when my sister and I were home from school for a snow day, or winter break, there would always be one day when we didn't want to go outside, there was nothing on TV, and the roads weren't plowed so we couldn't see anyone or have anyone over. That would leave only one thing to do. One thing that would take the entire day. "Dad, can we make pasta today?"

Dad did the most work when it came to making pasta, so it was always up to him, and he never said no. When my parents had remodeled the kitchen upon buying the house, they saved the piece of the counter that was cut out for the sink, and this was our all-purpose workspace. Dad would lay it on the kitchen table, measure out the flour, and dump it in a big pile on the board. Then he'd make a well, crack a few eggs into it, and mix it all together with his hands. I don't remember ever seeing him use a recipe or even use exact measurements, and for pasta, you don't really have to. There are only those two ingredients, and if the dough can be kneaded without sticking to your hands, then you got it right.

We'd assemble the Atlas Pasta Maker and clamp it to the kitchen counter, and this was where my sister and I came in. This was always a three-person job. One person to feed the dough through the rollers, one to turn the crank, and one to catch the pasta. And of course we wanted a turn at every position. But when it was time to run the dough through the cutting rollers, Dad was always the one to catch because he'd then immediately hang the pasta on a collapsible clothes rack to dry. We always made enough to fill the entire rack, but I'd sneak a strand or two off and eat it raw. This was before I knew anything about salmonella.

After the pasta was dry, Mom would boil a giant pot of water, and in a second pot, she'd make alfredo sauce. This was the only way we ever ate fresh pasta. It was always cut into fettuccine and it was always served with alfredo sauce. Then I'd beg her to put ham in the sauce. And when it was all done, we ate every last noodle.

Now I have an Atlas of my own, and make the whole thing myself. Feeding, cranking, and catching is a bit of a challenge with no help, but it's manageable. And my favorite thing to do with leftover Christmas ham is dice it up and throw it into the alfredo sauce.


Verni Family Fettuccine Alfredo

Pasta:
The ratio is 2 parts eggs to 3 parts flour by weight. If you don't have a scale, use the following for 3-4 people:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
A pinch of salt

Alfredo Sauce:
1 stick of butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more for serving
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

To make the pasta using a stand mixer, add the flour to the bowl, create a well in the center and add the eggs and a pinch of salt. Using the dough hook attachment, let the mixer run until the dough has gathered into a ball. You may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can do this all by hand. Start with a fork and mix the eggs together in the well, gathering flour little by little as you go. Once the mixture starts to stick to the fork, use your hands to mix the dough until it's smooth. If it's too sticky, add more flour. If it's too dry, add a little water.

Form the dough into a ball, place in a covered bowl, and let it rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime, assemble your pasta machine. When the dough is ready, roll it out into a half inch thickness and cut into 4 pieces. Run each piece through the machine at the thickest setting, and continue through each consecutive setting until you reach the 7th setting. The dough may become sticky throughout this process, so dust the sheets with flour whenever necessary. You will also need to keep the length manageable. I find that around the 4th setting, the pieces will start to become too long. Just cut them in half an continue.

Leave the sheets hanging to dry slightly, about half an hour. If you try to run the dough through the rollers at this point, the dough will be too soft and you'll end up with a single sheet of pasta dough with the markings of where the cutting roller pressed it.

When the dough is still floppy, but you can't feel much moisture, run each piece through the fettuccine roller and hang the pasta to dry completely.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and while waiting for the water to boil, assemble the sauce.

For the sauce, heat the butter in a medium sauce pan (if you want to add diced ham, this is where you would do that, and let the ham cook for about a minute.), add the minced garlic and cook for a few seconds, just to release the flavor. Next add the cream, constantly whisking as you go, to incorporate it.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Fresh pasta only takes about 2 minutes to cook, so watch it carefully. When the pasta is done, strain it and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the cooking water to remain in the pot, so the pasta doesn't stick. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the pepper and cheese, stirring to mix thoroughly. Add salt to taste.

Pour the sauce into the pasta and gently toss. Serve with fresh ground pepper and extra grated parmesan.

Serves 4

The Other Fat

I know, it's the holiday season and you're already eating half your weight in Christmas cookies, but maybe you should put down those butter saturated monsters and chow down on some heart healthy olive oil cake. Oh you heard me.

Olive oil is actually a lot healthier than butter. Per tablespoon, olive oil is cholesterol free and contains only 2 grams of saturated fat (the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol), no trans fats, 2 grams of polyunsaturated fats, and 10 grams of monounsaturated fats (unsaturated fats help lower your blood cholesterol). Butter, on the other hand, is composed entirely of saturated fat with the added "bonus" of 31mg of cholesterol.

The FDA recommends replacing 2 tablespoons of your usual fats with olive oil every day, and it surprisingly easy to sub olive oil in for butter when baking. Just do a 1 for 1 swap. As long as you're not creaming the butter (like for frosting) or cutting in cold butter (like for biscuits) you can replace all of the butter with olive oil. The only advantage butter has over oil is that it can solidify, which is why it makes such a great biscuit. The cold butter melts in the oven, creating pockets of air. Olive oil can't do that. But it does make a super moist and rich cake, and you can find flavored oils to really add something special to your recipes, or even use other oils like walnut or hazelnut oil.



Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1¼ cups sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1½ cups of lemon infused olive oil
⅔ cup whole milk
⅓ cup brandy
⅓ cup fresh orange juice (from about 1 medium orange)

Preheat the oven to 325˚ and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until combined; add the lemon zest, olive oil, milk, brandy and orange juice and whisk again until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake the cake, turning halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let the cake cool on a rack for 30 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert it onto the rack and let cool completely.

Serves 8.

The Wizarding World of Butterscotch

Last month, my boyfriend, Shaun, and I went to Orlando to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with his extended family. In her books, J.K. Rowling describes, with great detail, a town just outside the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry called Hogsmeade. There's the pub, The Three Broomsticks, where students drink pumpkin juice and butterbeer, and various shops to buy candy and supplies. An extremely creative art department came up with a spot-on recreation of the books' descriptions for the Harry Potter film series, and that same crew was hired by Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando to recreate Hogsmeade as a theme park.


Once we found out that they had also recreated butterbeer, well, of course we had to try some. I didn't put much thought into what butterbeer would taste like while reading the books, because it was a made up term with no basis in reality. I knew it wasn't actually beer, because children were drinking it, but that was about as far as I ever thought. So after walking through the gates to Hogsmeade, we went straight for the giant red barrel with a huge sign reading "BUTTERBEER". I bought Shaun a plain one, but got mine frozen. I watched them pull the tap and saw the fizzy substance pour into the mug, then they moved the mug to another tap and white foam was carefully laid on top, like the head of a real beer. Cute.

This was the sweetest and most delicious thing I had ever tasted. It had an overpowering butterscotch flavor, but with an even sweeter marshmallow-like head. I knew there had to be about 600 calories in this mug and I didn't care. I drank the whole thing. As I drank, I picked apart all of the flavors. Shaun and his cousins were insistent that the head was vanilla frosting, but to me it was clearly marshmallow. I just knew it. The soda itself was definitely butterscotch, but there was something else there. Creamy and vanilla. Like cream soda. And after finishing the last gulp, I turned to Shaun and declared, "I could totally make this."

Once we got home, I went to work assembling the ingredients and made a trial batch. I handed the mug to Shaun, and after the first sip, he screamed, "Holy shit! You just made butterbeer!" And so, in time for part 1 of the final chapter in the Harry Potter movies, I give you a true wizard's brew.

Butterbeer

1 bottle of good quality cream soda (I used Virgil's)
2 ounces of butterscotch syrup (such as Monin)
2 tablespoons of Marshmallow Fluff
1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream

Put the marshmallow and cream in a bowl and whisk together using a fork until completely blended and smooth and set aside. Next, pour the soda and syrup into a large 2-cup Pyrex measuring glass at the same time, so they mix during the pouring process. Then pour half into one mug and half into another. Top both mugs with the marshmallow mixture and let sit for a minute. The carbonation of the soda will begin to activate the marshmallow, and it will foam up even more. Enjoy the sugar rush!

Makes 2 servings

I Am Not a Witch

I’ll freely admit, there are weeks when nothing eventful happens. I will sit at my computer and haven’t a clue what to write about. Years before I would sit staring at a blank page, now it’s a blank screen. I’ve even been known to ask the little Microsoft Word “help guy” in the corner for ideas. He usually just scratches his little computer head and whistles softly.

However, I know from experience that if I sit here long enough with my blank monitor and my blank thoughts, something will land in my lap. Either one of my daughters will call with a fascinating cooking question, or the dog will go by on roller skates, or I’ll hear something pertinent on the news.

Earlier this week when I thought all was lost, I saw a Christine O’Donnell ad on TV telling Americans “I am not a witch.”

Thank you Christine; thank you, thank you, thank you; just in time for the start of the Halloween season. There she is on camera in a simple black dress and white pearls with a gray-blue swirling smoky background, obviously bubbling over from the cauldron. And, do you know what goes beautiful with a simple black dress and pearls—black and orange striped socks. You know she’s wearing them in that video.

Christine goes on to tell the audience, “I’m nothing you’ve heard. I’m you.” Now, for all the witches out there watching this campaign ad, they’re thinking, “well, that’s a misstatement. If you’re not a witch how can you be me if I am a witch?”

This is the time of year when we all should embrace our inner witchness. I actually do that all year ‘round. I am often known to cackle at the kitchen stove when stirring a big pot of something or other.

For all of you out there who have a “secret “ recipe or a recipe with a “secret” ingredient. Come on, we know what you’re doing; you’re brewing!

Christine then goes on to announce, “I didn’t go to Yale.” Well, duh. Of course you didn’t; you went to Hogwarts. You might have been just a C student, Christine, but then so was Bushy and he bragged about it. Be proud of your Hogwarts affiliation. Your alumni card should be arriving in the mail soon.

I’m sure that Christine didn’t write this ad. What’s scarier and creepier is that she read it and said, “Yeah, that’s great. Let’s go with this one.”

I can’t wait to see her next ad addressing masturbation.

Witch’s Brew

A nice garnish would be some very thinly sliced apples or oranges, peel and all. Use your mandoline for this.

4 cups water
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
12 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
4 whole allspice berries or 1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 quarts apple cider
3 cups orange juice
Juice of 3 lemons

Stir water and sugar together in a heavy large saucepan. Add ginger, cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cackle while you stir. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Strain syrup and return to pan. Add cider, orange juice and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer. Serve hot. You can spike this with rum or brandy, if you witch.

Makes about 14 cups.

The Versatility of Short Ribs

Restaurant Week is a 12 day celebration of food in Los Angeles, with participating restaurants serving up three-course prix fixe menus for $44 and under. Every year I undoubtedly come across a food trend I wasn't aware of while perusing the menus. Last year, sauteed scallops were offered at almost every restaurant, but this year the trend is clearly short ribs.

Spanish red wine-braised short ribs with olive oil crushed potatoes. Braised beef short rib with toasted couscous, wilted greens, and wild mushroom red wine sauce. Short rib risotto with port glaze and parmeggiano reggiano. Spice braised short ribs with creamy polenta and crispy shallots. These are just a few of the entrees listed.

If you're not familiar with them, short ribs hail from the chuck and plate primals, near the shoulder of the cow. They've got lots of connective tissue, which makes them perfect for braising. You can also slice the meat thin (a la Korean galbi), marinate it, and grill it up fast. Braising makes the ribs a bit more versatile, as the low, long exposure to heat and liquid render out all the connective tissue into gelatin, and this gives you the tender, falling apart, texture you want for stews. I like to use short ribs for more unconventional foods, however. You can replace just about any cut of steak with short ribs and make it into something new and wonderful. Beef stroganoff becomes absolutely mouth watering with the addition of short ribs, pulled apart first, and mixed in with all that creamy, mushroomy, awesomeness. Tacos become elevated. But my personal favorite, is adding short ribs to grilled cheese.

Most braised short rib recipes throw in all sorts of vegetables and herbs with the assumption that you're going to make a gravy from the remaining liquid. But for grilled cheese, that's too much unnecessary work. So here's my recipe for simply braised short rib grilled cheese sandwiches.


Short Rib Grilled Cheese

12 ounces of boneless short rib, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of beef broth
¼ cup of red wine
½ a white onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
8 slices of monterey jack
8 slices of good quality sourdough bread
1 tablespoon of butter

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it becomes glossy looking. Pat the ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear the ribs on all sides for just a few minutes per side, then set aside on a plate. Add the chopped onions to the pot and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add wine to the pot and scrape up all the browned bits. Let the wine simmer until almost cooked off, about 6 minutes. Add the beef broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot, cover, and cook in the oven for 1½ hours.

Once the ribs are done, pull them from the pot and place them on a plate to cool. Once cooled enough to touch without burning yourself, pull the ribs apart into shreds. Pre-heat a cast iron skillet on the stove top while arranging the sandwiches. For each sandwich, place one piece of monterey jack, then layer the meat on. Top with another slice of cheese and the bread. Heat butter on the skillet and grill the sandwich on each side for 2 minutes. Slice each sandwich diagonally and serve.

Serves 4

Put 'Em Up!

Summers in the Catskills make you feel like a socialite. Calendars are filled with events, many of them overlapping and competing for your attention and attendance. This mad rush of going to concerts, theater shows, gallery receptions, lawn sales, parties, and fairs makes for a whirlwind of activity. 

By September, the winding down of events is almost a relief and prepares us for the void that is winter, when watching the mail lady stop at the roadside mailbox is an occasion. 

In the Catskills, it is seasonally feast or famine. It’s especially like that in the vegetable garden as it winds down as well. 

I’ve picked the last of my tomatoes and cucumbers. There are some straggler zucchinis and—until the frost comes—green beans, peppers, and my second crop of lettuce and peas. The last to leave the party is the kale and Swiss chard. They’ll dance on into the snow. 

If these buckets of tomatoes and baskets of zucchini don’t get cooked up and eaten they’ll be food for the compost pile. This is when I take dust off my canning supplies and leaf through relish, chutney, and pickle recipes for interesting recipes to “put up.” 

There are some really wonderful canning books available. My first book on canning was from the makers of the Ball canning jars, the Ball Blue Book to Preserving. Back then it was a short, thick booklet with basic pickle, jam, and jelly recipes, and loaded with instructions for the novice canner. I made my first peach jam following the instructions in the book. It has since been updated. It’s a real hardcover book with 400 recipes for both rookies and pros. Not only is the peach jam recipe in it, but Thai Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce, as well. The times they are a changin’. 

Here’s a list of some other great canning and preserving books I found really wonderful. I absolutely drooled over some of the exquisite photos. My idea of a centerfold photo is of a jar of Sticky Fig Jam. 

Preserving Summer’s Bounty by Rodale Food Center 

The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich 

The Joys of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves also by Linda Ziedrich Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff 

The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp 

The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader  

Put ‘Em Up by Sherri Brooks Vinton 

Preserve It by DK Publishing 

Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone 

You Can Can by Better Homes & Gardens  

How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It by James Wesley Rawles (I just thought I’d include it. You never know.)  

Williams-Sonoma The Art of Preserving by Rick Field 

You can find these books, and many, many more about canning and preserving at online bookstores, brick and mortar bookstores, and at the best resource, your local public library. If your local library doesn’t have a specific book on its shelf, they can get it from another library that does if you just ask. 

I’ll be making the following chutney today from the Preserve It cookbook to use up the abundance of green beans and zucchini from my garden. I have mostly Romano beans and will be using them instead of green beans. Romano beans are flatter and wider than standard green beans. Typically, they are cooked with tomatoes. I usually cook them with tomatoes, garlic, onions, and a bit of hot pepper until the tomatoes cook down a bit and then serve it with pasta.

Green Beans and Zucchini Chutney
 
1 ¼ pounds green beans, thinly sliced
4 zucchini, thinly sliced
3/4 pounds cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
2 ¼ cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 cups cider vinegar

Put the beans, zucchini, apples, and onions in a large stainless steel saucepan; add the sugar, mustard powder, turmeric, and coriander seeds. Pour in the vinegar and stir.

Green beans (I used Romano beans) sliced small and in the pot.

Cook over low heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved; bring to a boil and cook at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 1 ½ hours, stirring from time to time, until the mixture thickens. Stir continuously near the end of the cooking time so that the chutney doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Pint jars bubbling away. Just 10 minutes does the trick.

      Ladle into warm sterilized mason jars, leaving ¼-inch head space and making sure there are no air pockets. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes; cover and seal with a two-part top, and label. Store in a cool, dark place. Allow flavors to mature for 1 month before using and refrigerate after opening. Make 2 ¼ pounds or 3 medium jars.

The finished product. I made half-pints and pints, some to keep and some to give as gifts.

If It's Wednesday, It Must Be Meatloaf

In another life, I worked at an ad agency in the city along with someone I’ll call Donny, and someone else I’ll call Jerry. Donny was a little short white guy who was a newlywed and wore a wig. He didn’t think anyone knew he was wearing a wig, but back then it was painfully obvious.

Jerry was a 12-foot tall black guy who was outwardly friendly, but with a huge chip on his shoulder. I didn’t care; though I was a third of his height (okay, I exaggerate) I was able to knock the chip off and we got along great.

One day, as we were cleaning up at the end of the day, Donny announced, “oh boy, I’m having meatloaf tonight.”

I stuck my head up and peered over the partition, “How do you know you’re having meatloaf? Did your wife phone?”

“No,” replied Donny. “It’s Wednesday; we always have meatloaf on Wednesday.”

Jerry glanced over his partition (he didn’t have to raise his head).

“What?” I said.

Now this is where it gets good. Donny then told me (actually us), that spaghetti and meatballs were Monday, chicken cutlets were Tuesday, meatloaf was Wednesday, hot dogs were Thursday; well, you get the picture.

Jerry and I looked at each other. That’s all we had to hear. Well, of course our ribbing of Donny entered over into other aspects of Donny’s married life.

Imagine mealtime with no surprises, no variation. Sometimes, I think of Donny and wonder if he’s still married to this woman and if he’s still having chicken cutlets on Tuesday.

On the other side of the spectrum is my younger daughter. She’ll phone me periodically with a question that goes somewhat like this:

“Mom, I’ve got pork chops, an onion, a pear, and rice. What could I make for dinner?

It’s interesting because usually her question is generally her answer as well. I think she just wants reinforcement that, for example, pork chops with sautéed onion and pear over rice doesn’t sound crazy.

I bought her a great cookbook online and had it sent to her: “50 Ways to Cook Everything.” You look up an item, say pork chops, and it has 50 different recipes to prepare it. It’s perfect for her.

The day after it arrived in the mail, she phoned me.

“Thanks for the book, mom. It’s great. So, I have ground beef, one red bell pepper, onions, potatoes, and olives. What should I make?

Cuban Picadillo

I bet you thought I was going to suggest chili. I just knew she’d have beer on hand; after all, she’s in the Navy. Some things actually are predictable.

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup beer
One 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
A few drops Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound potatoes (about 2), peeled and cubed
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted green olives, quartered

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the beer, canned tomatoes and its juice, tomato paste, the spices, and Tabasco sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet in hot oil over medium-high heat, sauté the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, raisins, and olive to the meat mixture. Cook, covered, until the potatoes are just done, about 10 minutes longer. Serves 4.

Herbal Renewal

Since I am a condiment addict, this is the time of year I just love. With my garden overflowing with fresh summer herbs and vegetables, I am at the ready with a variety of sauces to fill up my refrigerator and grace my meals.

When I look at my dill, with its filigreed leaves waving in the breeze, I don’t just see dillweed, I see a homemade horseradish sauce.

That spreading mint among the gladioli will make a fine tzatziki sauce. Tickling my abundant parsley, I’m not just admiring the bright green leaves, I’m thinking about the chimichurri sauce I can make with it.

Not only is my herb and vegetable garden home to fresh summer herbs, I have them potted and residing on my deck and patio. Later on, when the air turns chilly in the evenings, I’ll bring them indoors to extend their growing season. I have plans for some of that rosemary doing so well now.

I think of my herbs as a growing investment from which I can reap the dividends.

Oh, I could go on and on about the merits of growing fresh herbs, but I’d much rather use this space to share some recipes with you.


Horseradish Sauce
This sauce is amazing with roast beef or as a dipping sauce with crudités.

2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh or prepared grated horseradish
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix until well blended. Allow the mixture to sit for 15 to 20 minutes to blend the flavors. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Tzatziki Sauce

This sauce is a staple in Greece. Serve with lamb burgers on pita bread or as an accompaniment to hummus and baba ganouj.

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cups plain yogurt
1/2 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Lightly salt the grated cucumber, place in a colander or strainer, and set aside to drain for half an hour. In a bowl, combine the drained cucumbers with the remaining ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 1 cup.


Moroccan Charmoula
This is an all-purpose spicy cilantro pesto. Traditionally served with fish and seafood, you can also use it as a marinade, or as a fresh sauce over baked and grilled fish, chicken and vegetables. There is no set recipe for charmoula; the blend of spices and herbs may vary. However, it always contains cilantro, olive oil, and lemon.

1 cup lightly packed cilantro, leaves and stems
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients, except vinegar and oil, in a blender or food processor and pulse to coarsely chop. With the motor running, slowly add the vinegar and enough of the oil to make a thick paste. Start with ¼ cup oil and add more to get the desired consistency.

Allow the sauce to sit for 20 to 30 minutes to blend the flavors. This sauce will keep for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Makes about 1/2 cup.


Tomato-Mint Pasta Sauce
Serve this over the cooked pasta of your choice. With tomatoes ripening in the garden as we speak, this quick and easy recipe is perfect for late summer.

3 shallots or 1/2 red onion, minced
1 ½ pounds fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 handful of fresh mint leave, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Grated zest of 1 lemon, for garnish

Put the shallots and tomatoes in a large skillet, bring to a simmer, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the mint, salt and pepper. Toss hot drained pasta with the sauce and garnish with grated lemon zest. Serves 4.

Cuba Libre

As a latchkey child growing up in Brooklyn, my afternoons were pretty much the same. I would run home after school, open the apartment door with the key that I wore around my neck, lock the door behind me, throw down my schoolbooks, tele­phone my mom at the dress factory where she worked to tell her I arrived, and put the TV on to watch Million Dollar Movie.

I watched Million Dollar Movie every day after school no matter what was showing, and therefore viewed the same movie all week long. I loved the movies as much the fifth time I watched as I did the first.

Of course, I had my favorites; I loved William Powell’s Thin Man movies, adored W. C. Fields, and Laurel and Hardy; but my very best, all-time favorites movie stars were Sonja Henji and Carmen Miranda.

Sonja Henji could do nothing wrong in my eyes and Carmen Miranda, well, now, she was in a class all her own. Anyone who would dance around with a bowl of fruit on their head with utmost pride and dignity was #1 in my book.

Ultimately, along with Carmen Miranda I became interested in Cuba and its culture. Did you know that when sugarcane prices soared after World War I, scores of restaurants, mansions and casinos were built in and around Havana?

During the next four decades, vacationers flocked to Cuba for the beaches, casinos, exciting nightlife, and Cuba Libres. American touristas were returning home from Cuba with Cuban shirts, recipes for daiquiris and Havana cigars.

All this ended after the revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959. But my infatuation with Cuba continued. Hundreds of thou­sands of Cubans left their beloved home and most of them settled in the U.S. There are now well over a million Cuban exiles in this country.

One of those exiles became the janitor of the building in which I lived as child. Manuel was as close to Carmen Miranda as I could get in my young years, and I treated him like a movie star. I gave him my comic books after I read them. He told me they helped him with his English. I’m sure they did because shezam and gadzooks became staples in his vo­cabulary.

Years later when I found myself in Amsterdam, I found a shop that sold pipes, tobacco, and cigars. I brought my fa­ther back a box of Havana cigars, something not available to U.S. cit­izens. The owner of the store took the cigars out of their original box and put them in another brand’s box, so customs wouldn’t confiscate them. My father treated them like gold and only smoked them on special occasions.

Cuban food reflects this Cuban spirit: a hearty appetite for en­joy­ing the sweetness and richness of life, and a respect for tradi­tion. The food also reflects the history of Cuba and the diverse groups of people who have inhabited that beautiful island, from the Spanish explorers, to the African slaves brought there to work the planta­tions for the Spaniards, to the Chinese laborers who replaced them.

Cuban cuisine is a melting pot of ingredients and cooking tech­niques. It is a cuisine of meat lovers: pork and beef dishes are fa­vored, and usually served with rice. Because the sea surrounds Cuba, there are also many delicious fish dishes. And because of the sugarcane crop, Cuban cuisine is often sweet as well as spicy. Sugar is added to many entrées and side dishes. Green vegetables and salads are rarely seen. Fried plantains (green starchy bananas), boniatos (Cuban sweet potatoes), and beans of all types are typical accompaniments at lunch and dinner.

Cuba Libre
There are varying stories circulated as to the origin of the Cuba Libre. The one I like is that it has its origins in the Spanish-American War at the turn of the century when American arrived in Cuba in large numbers. One afternoon, a group of off-duty soldiers from the U.S. Signal Corps were gathered in a bar in Havana when a captain came in and wanted his rum mixed with Coca-Cola and a wedge of lime. The other soldiers decided to give it a try and one of them raised his glass in a toast, “por Cuba libre!” in celebration of the newly freed Cuba. Later on, during the 1970s in the U.S., Cuban exiles would call the drink “La Mentirita” meaning a little lie referring a Cuba that is not free.

2 ounces rum
Juice of 1/2 lime
Coca-Cola

Pour lime juice into a highball glass over ice cubes. Add rum and fill with cola; stir and add a wedge of lime. Serves 1.


Batidos
If you can’t find mango sorbet, any tropical or citrus fruit sorbet will do.

6 ounces mango sorbet
3 ounces vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh mango, plus a mango slice for garnish
3/4 cup cold milk
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
Mint sprigs for garnish

Place all ingredients, except mint and mango slice, in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and serve immediately. Garnish with a mango slice and mint sprig, if desired. Serves 1.

   

Bison and Ducks, Oh My!

We’re now at the halfway point of summer. It’s at this point that a great many festivals are planned.

If you’re tired of sitting around the house or office complaining about how hot it is, or how rainy it is, or how dry it is, here is a list of some festivals in your area or someone else’s area:

In New York City, the New York Pizza Expo is happening; Seneca has their 14th Annual Garlic Festival. Did you know that 70 to 100 different strains of garlic are cultivated in the Finger Lakes? Rochester is having a Festival of Food. No specifics there.

If you want to take a long ride, Rockland, Maine is having their Maine Lobster Festival; Camden, NJ has planned their Third Annual New Jersey Tomato Festival.

For those more ambitious, Raleigh, North Carolina is hosting a BugFest, which includes a selection of gourmet bug and insect dishes and a critter cook-off.

Morgan City in Louisiana is having a Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. Now, there’s an interesting combination. South Dakota is having a Great Plains Bison-tennial Dutch Oven cook-off; Gueydan, Louisiana is having a Duck Festival. They should join in with the BugFest people.

And in keeping with stereotypes, Los Angeles, California is having their 11th Annual Tofu Festival with a tofu-eating contest, and a tofu Ninja photo opportunity.

If you want to use up some frequent flyer miles, London, England is going to be having a jolly good time at their Great British Beer Festival; New Delhi, India is hosting both a Banana Festival and a National Conference on Pulses (that would be lentils and chickpeas and not heartthrobs); Melbourne is having a Taste of Slow Festival which should go hand in hand with their Duck Crawl Convention.

Cairo, Egypt is having the Sahara Agricultural Festival. This one stumped me. The last time I looked, the Sahara was a desert. And though I’m pretty sure you could have a dessert in a desert; I’m not sure you could have a farm in a desert.

In terms of event planning, some do better than others. The Barnesville Potato Days festival in Minnesota will be having a Miss Tater Tot Pageant, a Mashed Potato Sculpturing Exhibit, and will be serving potato soup, potato dumplings, potato pancakes, potato donuts, potato sausage and potato lefse. Lefse is a Scandinavian flat bread made from potatoes.

The Flint Hills Beef Fest in Kansas will be having a barbecue cook-off and a Cow Chip Toss AND Catch.

And the food festival that wins my prize is the ACFSA International Conference in Savannah, Georgia. What is ACFSA, you ask? ACFSA is the American Correctional Food Service Association. Prison food, folks. Anyone up for going to the prison food fest with me?

Norwegian Lefse
4 cups leftover mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
About 3 cups flour
Vegetable oil for frying

In a large bowl, add butter, milk and salt to the mashed potatoes; mix well. Gradually, add enough flour to form a non-sticky dough. The less flour you use, the better the outcome. Place in the refrigerator to thoroughly chill and make it easier to roll.

Divide the dough into 24 pieces. Roll each piece out, using flour to keep from sticking. Use care to press lightly with the rolling pin when forming into rounds as they are much more tender than pie dough. The weight of the rolling pin is almost enough to flatten them. Each piece should roll out to size of a tortilla, about 10 inches.

Heat a cast iron griddle over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil just to coat the bottom of the griddle. Place one lefse in griddle. Lefse will bubble. Cook on a griddle until each round feels dry but not crisp, turning frequently.

Cool on a clean dishcloth and cover with an additional towel. Stack pieces on top of each other as they are cooked. The steam released will create a more tender lefse.

Serve rolled up with butter and a sprinkling of sugar. Some people like to use cinnamon sugar, and others spread their lefse with jam before rolling. Makes 24.

  

Explosive Popcorn

Just the other day, I had to ask my husband to put his hands on either side of my head to stop it from spinning. I had just finished reading a news report about the allotment of funding for homeland security.

Apparently, in its infinite wisdom, the Department of Homeland Defense deemed Indiana more of a risk for terrorist attacks than New York, because, and I quote, New York doesn’t have any “national icons.”

After I regained my equilibrium from the head-spinning, I decided to check out the list of potential terrorist targets that the Department of Homeland Security was concerned about.

Are you sitting down?

The Groundhog Zoo in Pennsylvania; the Kangaroo Conservation Center in Georgia; the Sweetwater Flea Market in Tennessee, Weeki Wachee Springs, and Dinosaur World in Florida.

Among the shopping malls, lube shops, petting zoos, and the Mule Day Parade, conspicuously missing is the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Oh, wait, they’re not “national icons.”

I was relieved to see the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop near Des Moines listed, as well as the Amish Country Popcorn Factory in Indiana. I could sleep better now. I had been concerned about the safety of our doughnuts and popcorn. It’s been weighing heavily on my mind for quite some time.

I really ought to send a thank you card to President Bush and his administration. There are times when I sit down to write my column and think I will never find something to write about this week. And then I pick up a newspaper.

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn
1 cup popcorn, for popping
For the caramel:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons corn syrup
Scant 1/4 cup water
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, for melting

Pop the popcorn.

To make the caramel: Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until light golden brown. Make sure you use a large pot, as you’re going to add the popcorn to it.

Use a wooden spoon to stir the popcorn into the caramel until it is evenly coated. Pour the caramelized popcorn onto a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet and allow it to cool. When cool, use your hands to break up any clumps.

Place the cool popcorn in a large bowl. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, and drizzle it over the popcorn, stirring with a wooden spoon as you go. Keep adding chocolate until the popcorn is evenly coated. Pour the chocolate-coated popcorn onto a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet and allow to cool.

Note: Be careful when you work with the caramel. It is very hot and can burn you easily. Keep a bowl of ice water next to you in case you get caramel on your hands. Makes 4 cups caramel popcorn.

Thatsa Spicy Popcorn
1 cup popcorn, for popping
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pop the popcorn. Drizzle with melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly. Combine the spices in a small dish and sprinkle the blend over the hot corn. Mix again with the wooden spoon. Makes enough for 8.

What's the Beef?

Barbecues used to mean hotdogs and hamburgers. However, with changing tastes, healthier diets, and an ever-expanding exposure and awareness of other cuisines, that ole grill in the backyard is host to some interesting foods.

It’s a regular global smorgasbord out there in the yard, and it’s wonderful; it’s the real spice of life.

Found on the grill these days are kebabs, tuna steaks, stuffed trout, and an assortment of grilled vegetables from corn in its husk oozing herbed butter to mint-marinated zucchini slices.

The flavors of Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and every other corner of the world influence our dining and grilling pleasures.

I’ve always felt that a better way for problematic countries and their leaders to settle their differences would be with a good old-fashioned cook-off. Let the Lebanese put their kafta up against Israel’s shisklik. It’s difficult to yell at each other when your mouth is full; and, it’s even more difficult to pick up a gun when your hands are sticky with tahini sauce.

So, fire up the grill, pass the sauce, and let there be peace… at least in your backyard.

Wasabi Scallops
Wasabi paste is available in tubes in many supermarkets. You could also find it in powder form, in which case simply mix the powder with a bit of water to desired consistency.

To grill the scallops, use a vegetable grill pan or you’ll be picking scallops out of the ashes as they fall through the grate.

1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1- 1/2 pounds sea scallops

Preheat a lightly oiled grilled to medium-hot.

In a bowl, combine wasabi, brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce. Add scallops and marinate for 20 minutes.

Remove scallops from marinade, reserving marinade. Bring marinade to a boil. Remove 2 tablespoons marinade for brushing onto scallops. Boil remaining marinade until it thickens into glaze-like consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and reserve for serving.

Grill scallops for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through, brushing frequently with reserved 2 tablespoons of marinade. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with reserved glaze. Serves 4.

Portobello “Burgers”
Vegetarians aren’t the only ones who will find these a delicious alternative to hamburgers.

4 large portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, or to taste
4 hamburger buns
Lettuce
1 large tomato, sliced

Preheat a lightly oiled grill to medium-hot.

Place portobello mushrooms on a platter and brush both sides with barbecue sauce of choice. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until tender. Remove from grill.

Place buns on grill, cut side down, for 1 to 2 minutes, or just long enough to make grill marks. Remove and place a grilled mushroom on a bun. Add more barbecue sauce, if desired. Top with lettuce and tomato, or toppings of your choice. I like to top mine with cole slaw. Serves 4.

  

Ice and Salt

One of the best purchases I made when my daughters were young was an electric ice cream maker. It came with a little recipe book for different flavors of ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt.

The girls loved to add the ingredients to the machine from the crushed ice and coarse salt in the tub, to the heavy cream and fruit in the churning can.

We once made pistachio ice cream, and someone (I’m not naming names) put in enough green food coloring to qualify the ice cream as Master of Ceremonies at the Saint Patrick’s Day parade.

None of us ever left the side of the ice cream maker while it was churning away. We watched the process evolve like a newborn babe. Bowls and spoons were on the table ready for the moment the mixture was just right.

Recently, we had weekend guests for the July 4th holiday, and there was mention of homemade ice cream. I was encouraged, okay, forced to find the old ice cream maker up in the attic. There it was sitting next to some forlorn-looking Barbies and My Little Ponies.

After some prodding and the introduction of pliers, the ice cream maker started to do its thing. A half hour later, we had delicious creamy vanilla ice cream that put a smile on everyone’s face.

Down through the years, many stories arose as to the origin and creator of ice cream, with Marco Polo entering into the process. Alas, that is untrue. Facts are hazy, but china seems to be the originator of freezing milk as an icy treat. This was brought to England, and in 1774, a caterer named Phillip Lenzi announced in a New York newspaper that he had just arrived from London and would be offering for sale various confections, including ice cream.

Apparently, the frozen confection took hold, because Dolly Madison, wife of President James Madison, served ice cream at her husband’s Inaugural Ball in 1813.

The first improvement in the manufacture of ice cream, which was previously made in a large bowl requiring a lot of stirring, was by a New Jersey woman, Nancy Johnson, who in 1846 invented the hand-cranked freezer.

Jacob Fussell, now known as the father of the American ice cream industry, began commercial production in Baltimore, Maryland in 1851. Thanks, Jacob.

Now that I dusted off my old ice cream maker, I think I’m going to use it more often again. It might be a little more trouble than driving to the store and reaching into the freezer section for a half gallon, but homemade does taste so much better.

What attracts me now to making homemade ice cream is the fact that I can tweak the ingredients to make it less sweet than store-bought without sacrificing taste. The addition of fresh seasonal fruit makes it so delicious.

If you’re interested in purchasing an ice cream maker, there are many makers available in varying price ranges from $25 to $600. There’s even a hand-crank model for those who really want to stick to “homemade.” Happy churning.

Fresh Summer Peach Ice Cream
You could use 3 cups of half-and-half instead of milk and cream. I used light half-and-half. If you’re concerned about the amount of sugar, use half Splenda and half sugar.

5 peaches (about 1- 1/4 pounds)
1- 1/2 cups sugar
1- 1/2 cups milk
1- 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the peaches for 1 minute and transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Peel and pit the peaches and in a food processor or blender, purée them.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, milk and cream, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the purée and the vanilla and process mixture in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Makes about 1- 1/2 quarts.


Velvety Lemon Ice Cream
1- 1/4 cups heavy cream
1- 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves. Chill well. Transfer mixture to your ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Makes 2 quarts.

  

Spummer Is In the Air

Over the years, I’ve come to learn that the Catskills do not have the traditional four seasons.

Though our winters can be severe or mild, and autumn dry, wet, warm or cool, it’s spring and summer that bring the most intense deviations.

We citizens of the Catskills cannot luxuriate in storybook seasons of blossoming trees and singing birds. Spring and summer could bring hailstorms, cold spells, drought and intense heat, or as we saw last week, floods.

Therefore, spring is preceded by what I like to call spinter, a blend of winter and spring, and followed by a season I call spummer, a mix of spring and summer.

During those spinter days when the temperature dips, it’s disheartening to have to turn on the furnace. Afterall, it’s June; fuel bills are supposed to subside in June.

Those are the days I like to pop something in the oven to warm up the house. Trying to stay clear of cakes, pies and muffins, a casserole does the trick.

Normally casseroles are hearty, heavy fare. However, if you stick with an all-vegetable casserole, you get a light yet satisfying warm meal.

So, as spinter still lingers and before spummer, summer, and sumtumn arrives, here are some turn-on-the-oven casseroles to warm your evening and lighten your heart.

Spinter Casserole
3/4 cup couscous
2 medium-sized zucchini, cut in chunks
1 small eggplant, cut in chunks
1 large red pepper, cut in chunks
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 cup frozen lima beans
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
4 large eggs

Grease a shallow 3- 1/2-quart casserole dish; sprinkle with couscous.

In a large pot over high heat in hot oil, cook zucchini, eggplant and pepper 5 minutes, stirring. Reduce heat to medium; add corn, lima beans and salt to taste; cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove cover and cook 5 minutes more. This is a good time to turn on the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, beat milk, flour, and eggs together.

Add shredded cheese to vegetables and mix. Spoon vegetable mixture over couscous in casserole dish, then top with egg mixture.

Cover casserole loosely with foil. Bake in 350° oven for 1-1/4 hours or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 10. If you like this dish can be served cold on those spummer days when it starts out cold and then gets hot.

 

Just Call Me Ceci

I always make sure I have a stockpile of dried and canned cooked chickpeas in my pantry. I just love these wonderful beans. Not only are they terrific in stews and soups during the cold months, but also they are absolutely wonderful in salads during the summer months.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are native to the Middle East, and are popular throughout India, North Africa, Spain, and southern France. Chickpeas are one of the oldest cultivated foods in the world.

In Ancient Rome, they were so highly valued that Cicero claimed his family name came from the Latin word for Chickpea, cicer arietinum.

Chickpeas are the main ingredient of one of my favorite dishes, hummus. You could go the long way and cook dried chickpeas and sesame seeds to make this Middle Eastern party favorite, or do what I do, and use canned chickpeas and tahini.

Hummus
Two cans of chickpeas
2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped or to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons of tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Place chickpeas, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, garlic and tahini in a food processor or blender. Purée, adding salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. If the consistency of the hummus isn’t thin enough, add either more water or lemon juice to the mix. Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley and chopped black olives, if you like. Serve with pita bread.

As a child roaming through the crowds at the San Genaro Festival in NYC’s Little Italy, I remember seeing strands of roasted chickpeas hung from booths. This special snack actually originates from Turkey, where the chickpeas are roasted and spiced, and called leblebi (say that ten times fast).

Here is a curry-spiced version. The spiciness keeps you from munching on too many at a time, though they are a healthy substitute for chips.

Curry-Roasted Chickpeas
If curry isn’t your thing, try a mixture of the spices you like that add up to 2 teaspoons.

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over low heat, and add curry powder. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the drained and dried chickpeas and the salt, and stir to coat. Pour onto prepared baking sheet to make a single layer and place pan on a rack in the middle of the oven. Roast for 30 minutes, shaking the pan every ten minutes or so, until the chickpeas are crisp and golden.

To lead us into the salad days of summer, a colorful chickpea salad:

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Toss to coat well. Let stand for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serves 8.

You Choose

Without fail, if I write about the unbearable heat a week before my column is actually printed, you can be sure that the week it appears in print there will be frost on the ground.

If I write about the terrible drought, my readers will be reading about it while inundated with a week of rain.

Therefore, let me start by saying that last week, well, actually two weeks for me, I remarked about the heat wave. This week, actually the week before for you, or is it the previous week, I’m writing about the rain, rain, rain, and cold. A vague memory for sure, when you read this. Or not.

Anyway, during that rainy, cold spell we had, or might have had, I made a big pot of soup.

Minestrone is often my soup of choice, mostly because there is no set recipe for this hearty dish. It is usually made from whatever vegetables are on hand, can be vegetarian, or contain meat.

Minestrone, as most everyone knows, originates from Italy. It is believed that monks served the soup to travelers who called at their monastery. That’s a nice thing to believe, whether it’s true or not.

The soup comes from humble origins. No one set about creating a mixed vegetable soup; the soup was made using leftovers and what seasonal vegetables and legumes were on hand. Just about every version of minestrone contained dried beans. Dried beans have a long life, and so this humble soup nourished the Ancient Roman army. It was their sustenance.

Various parts of Italy created their own version of the soup. The people of Genoa add pesto to the soup when it is served. The Milanese add bacon and rice to the vegetables. Ligurian minestrone has the addition of spinach.

In this point in time, you don’t need to use dried beans; you could use canned, and you don’t need to rely on leftovers; you could shop for the ingredients you wish to use at any time of year, whether it be zucchini, spinach or cabbage.

1) Therefore, on this rainy day, a bowl of hearty minestrone could be your only sure thing.

2) Therefore, on this cold day, a bowl of warming minestrone could be your only sure thing.

3) Therefore, on this hot day, a bowl of soothing minestrone could be your only sure thing.

4) Therefore on this snowy day...NOOOOO!


Minestrone
Pancetta is spicy Italian bacon that is cured with salt but not smoked like American bacon. If you can’t find pancetta, use prosciutto (Italian ham) or regular bacon. Feel free to substitute other vegetables in the recipe.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound Swiss chart, stems trimmed, leaves chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and cubed
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 teaspoon fresh
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Two 14-ounce cans beef broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the chard and potato; sauté for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the puréed bean mixture and remaining broth to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.