Fresh Tart

Thanksgiving kicked off when my dad pulled up to the house last Tuesday afternoon, fresh from a quail hunt in Tennessee. My stepmom Susanna flew in a few hours later from Sheridan, Wyoming, their now home.

My house and kitchen were immediately improved. Dad sharpened my knives and starting halving and marinating quail in buttermilk and hot sauce. Susanna started washing dishes, straightening the house, and running loads of laundry. I felt a huge weight lift from my over-scheduled shoulders that can only come from guests who don't ask what needs to be done, but just find things and jump in. Usually those guests are family members, but not always.

Whoever the hell they are, they are always welcome in my home.

Sasha came by for dinner Wednesday night, just home from her freshman year at Wellesley. It was so good to see her! While we all chatted, Dad fried the quail: After their buttermilk soak, he dredged them in flour (gluten-free AP for me, which worked like a charm), let them rest on a rack for 15 minutes or so, then fried them in a couple of inches of hot oil.

My god. Tender-crispy-sublime. We devoured them.

Later that night David, Etta, and my cousin Craig arrived in various shifts from NYC and DC. I had big plans to stay awake to feed them late dinners. I even went for an almost-midnight walk, giddy in the balmy air, but upon return...I totally fell asleep.

Which was probably for the best, given my early-Thursday-morning playdate with butter and herbs and the big ol' turkey that I had brined overnight Tuesday, then let dry out in the fridge overnight Wednesday. That one-two punch always yields ridiculously crispy skin, lightly salty, perfectly buttery. I hit it pretty hard while Dad carved the bird.

In fact, if I could eat just crispy turkey skin and a pile of stuffing and call it Thanksgiving dinner I'd be so happy.

Which is why I am in fact I am happy, because that's exactly what I did.

OK, I - as well as my uncles Bruce and Jim, aunts Mary and Marge, cousin Craig, brother David, sisters Stacey and Etta, John, Mom, Dad, and Susanna - also inhaled these amazing Melissa Clark sour cream mashed potatoes, prepared by Stacey & Susanna. They have earned a do-ahead spot on my Thanksgiving table, for sure. The chives are a particularly lovely addition, as is Parmesan cheese on top. We skipped the called-for breadcrumbs and didn't miss them.

My aunt Mary brought green beans - no, not those green beans. Her version was fresh and simple - fresh beans tossed in an anchovy vinaigrette. Delicious.

I was thrilled with the way the (gluten-free) cornbread stuffing turned out. I added both spicy and sweet sausage, mushrooms, plenty of fresh sage, and Parmesan cheese. We've been frying the leftovers for the last few days, to top with poached eggs... Goodness do that.

My stepmom Susanna was the first to bring this gorgeous wild rice salad to the Thanksgiving table, sometime in the mid-90s, and one of us makes it every year, this year my aunt Mary. The citrus dressing is a welcome sweet-tangy palate cleanser in the midst of lots of buttery sausagey richness.

My mom made a cranberry-orange sauce and The Curry Diva herself, lovely Heather Jansz, gifted me a jar of her precious chutney. Both were stunning with the turkey, at the dinner table and on many sandwiches afterward.

I got too busy eating, talking, and drinking wine to snap a pic of my aunt Marge's perfect pumpkin chiffon and pecan pies! No! Needless to say, they were attacked as usual. Gone baby gone. She is a master.

I made this Michael Ruhlman oven stock from the carcass. It's the best stock I've made and so easy! With the stock, turkey, and leftover mashed potatoes I made a shepherd's pie, which we dug into last night. And turkey wild rice soup and latkes, which we ate Saturday night. And I'll be making this Mark Bittman turkey & spinach coconut curry for tomorrow. (I'm taking a break from turkey today...I need a little breathing space. Uff.)

Mom's cranberry sauce has appeared in three batches of muffins, one of which I brought with me to AM950 on Saturday morning, when I was on the Fresh & Local Show with Mike Madison of Unknown Prophets. We talked leftovers for an hour with host Susan Berkson and barely scratched the surface! The whole conversatoin left me starving so I came home and made myself a big batch of turkey nachos. I do so love turkey with chiles.

What fun have you been having with leftovers? I hope you all had a terrific holiday!

It has bothered me that I didn't snap a pic of The Pioneer Woman Crash Hot Potatoes I made on July 4th.  I know...I'm weird.  But there it is, and here I am, and now I have a pic of the potatoes.

Which is good, since I've made them three times since July 4th.  What can I say?  They're addictive.  Especially with the minced preserved lemon I added to the basic recipe.  Really anything with preserved lemon is delicious, but crunchy, salty potatoes with preserved lemon?  The Kill.  Here's the recipe for the version I put together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you recall, on the 4th I served them alongside no-fail pork ribs and mini burgers.  I've since served them with grilled steaks with herb butter, grilled lamb chops, and tonight's version - greens dressed with a harissa vinaigrette, topped with olives and almonds, and finished with a poached egg.

That's right, another poached egg.  Some people eat chocolate several times per week.

I eat poached eggs.

In fact, if you're new to reading Fresh Tart, courtesy of Food News Journal, Minnesota Public Radio, Minnesota Monthly magazine, Twitter, or Facebook - thank you for stopping by.  I'm honored that you clicked through.  And I hope that you find tasty things!

Have I got a gazpacho recipe for you.  This version is smooth and creamy (without cream), made crunchy with a garnish of minced cucumber, green pepper, tomato, and croutons.  Serve it icy cold for summer in a bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or cup - sip it while you fry a few potato pancakes, poach a few eggs.  That's what I did, while John worked on his 9,500-song - no lie - iTunes library and read me raves from the newspaper.  I cook, he sits with me, that's our thing.

I picked up the tomatoes and cucumber at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market yesterday.  Real garden gazpacho.  Nice.  I plan to sip more later for an afternoon snack.  It's light yet filling, perfect for a hot, sunny Saturday.

Or ooh, pour the gazpacho into a thermos and take it for a bike ride-picnic, with good bread and cheese, cold white wine, and fresh cherries or berries.  Damn, I wish I were doing exactly that right now.

But then I would have missed making the second course...  I know, I know, yet another poached egg dish, sorry for the redundancy.  But poached eggs are so easy and delicious, I can't help myself.  They just make everything special.  Agree?

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are your plans for Independence Day?  We're having our Annual Super Duper Shubert Coopster 4th of July Celebration, including my sister Stacey, and hoping it won't rain all day so we can be in and around the pool.  I'm making the no-fail pork ribs and crunchy, creamy coleslaw I posted on Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly magazine blog, as well as mini-burgers and boiled new potatoes with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and preserved lemon.

Suz is bringing blueberry kuchen, which we'll top with a scoop of homemade strawberry-rhubarb ice cream.  Red, white & blue, woo hoo!  Have a Bangin' 4th everyone!

Andalusian Garden Gazpacho
Adapted from www.latimes.com
Serves 6-8

Author's note: the gazpacho should be the consistency of light cream.  If it is to be served for sipping, thin with additional cold water.  Lemon juice can be a substituted for the vinegar.

Stephanie's note: I used both a food processor and blender - food processor to puree the bread and tomatoes, blender to puree the gazpacho itself so it would be as smooth and creamy as possible.

4 slices bread, crusts removed (4 oz.); plus 2 slices bread, diced and fried in a little olive oil (for garnish), divided (Stephanie's note: I used the bread crusts to make the croutons)
water
5 tomatoes (2 lbs.), cored and roughly chopped; plus 1 small tomato, finely chopped (for garnish)
1/2 green pepper, cored and roughly chopped; plus extra finely chopped (for garnish), divided
1/2 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped; plus extra finely chopped (for garnish), divided
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 c. ice cold water

Break the 4 slices bread into chunks and soak it in water to cover until softened.  Squeeze the water from the bread and place it in a food processor with the garlic.  Process until smooth.  Transfer to the bowl of a blender.

Without washing the food processor, add the chopped tomatoes and process until smooth.  Press the tomato juice and pulp through a sieve or colander, discarding the skin and seeds.  Add the tomato juice and pulp to the blender.

Add the green pepper, cumin, and salt to the bread and tomatoes in the blender.  With the blender running, add the oil in a slow stream.  Blend in the vinegar and some of the cold water.  Transfer the gazpacho to a large pitcher and stir in the remaining water.  Serve immediately or chill until serving time.  (Stephanie's note: I like to leave a couple of hours for it to chill and for the flavors to blend.  It's best icy cold.)

To serve, pour the gazpacho into individual bowls.  Place each of the garnishes (finely chopped green pepper, cucumber, tomato, and crispy bread) in small bowls.  Pass the garnishes with the gazpacho and allow guests to serve themselves.

Poached Eggs Over Potato-Green Pepper Pancakes
Serves 2

1/2 c. safflower, canola, peanut, or other high-heat oil
1 large russet potato, peeled and shredded
1/2 green pepper, shredded
1 large shallot, peeled and shredded
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs

Set a saucepan 1/2 filled with salted water on to boil.

Heat oil in a large (preferably nonstick) skillet over medium-high.  While the oil heats, stir together the potatoes, green pepper, shallot, flour, and salt.  When the oil is hot, drop 2 or 3 large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil.  Use a spatula to flatten and spread the potatoes a bit, into pancake shapes.  Fry until golden brown, then turn pancakes over and brown on the other side.  Drain on paper towels.  Fry remaining pancakes; drain.  Place one or two pancakes on each plate.

The water will likely boil as you're frying pancakes, which is great.  Turn heat down so that the water is barely simmering - small bubbles should barely break the surface.  As soon as you're done frying the pancakes, crack one egg into a small dish and slide it into the water.  Quickly do the same with the second egg.  Set the timer for 3 minutes.  The eggs whites will look shredded, but that's OK.  When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to scoop one egg out of the water.  Tilt the spoon so the water drains completely off, then place the egg on top of one of the plates of hot potato pancakes.  Repeat with the second egg and second plate of pancakes.  Top eggs with a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of black pepper each.  Serve immediately.

Oh look, I missed both holidays.  I usually relish cooking Kosher for Passover treats for my stepdaughter, as well as coloring Easter eggs and making brunch for my son.  A trip to Seattle and illness (see below) wiped out both opportunities this year.

Instead, on Sunday, I made a potato-pepper hash with baked eggs for John and me.  I couldn't much taste it, but I thought it was very pretty. And John loved it, so that's a good sign.  (Plus, I make some version of this on a regular basis - it's one of my favorites.)

I'm not even posting a formal recipe, dear readers, since this was all about cooking with what I had on hand, the day after returning from a trip.  Roughly do this: saute diced mushrooms, peppers (I used red bell pepper, wished I'd had a jalapeno), leeks or onions, and potatoes together, in some butter or oil, slowly, partially covered, stirring frequently, until everything is nicely browned, about 30 minutes.  A generous sprinkling of salt and pepper at some point is key.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, then make four little wells in the hash (or one or two little wells, depending on how much hash you've made).  Crack eggs into the wells, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, whatever you have), and transfer to the oven.  Bake until the eggs are to your liking (about 6 minutes for cooked whites/soft yolks).  I finished with a sprinkle of chopped scallions, although any fresh herb would be lovely.  A pile of hot, buttered toast is a pretty killer accompaniment (unless you're keeping Kosher for Passover; matzo would be delicious too).

Ooh, I have a cool new grill tool to rave about - the Weber Poultry Roaster! A sort of Chicko for the grill, or as Weber bills it, "beer-can chicken without the beer can." It has a little depression to fill with liquid - I innovated and poured in a bit of white wine with several cloves of smashed garlic - and the same phallic shape as the Chicko for spearing the chicken upright, always fun. The results? Completely delicious - crisp skin (salty, well, cuz I oiled and salted it), tender meat, even some nice pan juices (skimmed of oil, probably only a couple of tablespoons afterward, but very concentrated and tasty). All in all a success, especially with potatoes grilled in foil (with dill and scallions), finished with a dab of creme fraiche (scraped them from the foil into a bowl, stirred in a dab of creme fraiche), and LaFincapeapods sauteed quickly in a bit of butter. Uber-Frenchy, uber-yum, especially on the deck with a little tune-age, yeah.

What else? A dee-licious and romantic din at Cafe Lurcat last night, just John et moi, in the pretty bar. We shared the mini-burgers (to die), shrimp fritters, roasted cauliflower, apple salad, and gazpacho with anchovy crouton (again, to die).

Today, I worked off the excess by hauling my bike into Erik's Bike Shop (on an upside-down bike rack, no less, how embarrassing). I ride my bike every week or so, every time miserably uncomfortable and pretty much hating it. I finally brought it in to address the fact that my hands are painfully numbish after just an hour ride, plus I always feel like I'm sliding off the front of my seat. Well, hallelujah Erik's, my seat was too low, my handle bars were WAY too low, my seat was too big and tilted too far forward, and my tires were seriously under-inflated. The guy wryly said, well, we are making this quite a tall bike, but then again, you are not a short woman. Ha! No one else in the fam will be able to ride the thing (at least not if they want to touch the ground) - it even looks tall to me - but I got on that bad boy afterward and biked for an hour and a half today, happy as a clam. Do not underestimate the importance of a properly fitted bike - sheesh, what a difference.

Moderate it: it's tough at a spot like Cafe Lurcat, with arguably the best frites in the city. In the end, John and I chose between the burger and frites, and were happy with our choice (we were needing some protein in our order). We fleshed out the rest of our meal with veggies - gazpacho, cauliflower, and salad. Does a Bloody Mary count as veg? Who cares...damn goooood.

Now we're talking, now it feels like summer. The catmint in our yard is in riotous, excessive bloom, a purple explosion ironically contained in tidy, linear beds. Virtually alive with honey bees, the effect is stunning as I sit here on the deck, in my robe, with a cup of coffee, on a sunny-cool Sunday morning. (If any of my neighbors can see me, good morning to you.)

Yeah, it's nice to be home, even from Italy. Bzzzz...

We embraced our return to the states with a late afternoon Little League baseball game followed by burgers on the grill. Hot juicy damn that burger tasted good! Just...yum. I topped mine with nothing more than sauteed mushrooms, but John and Nathan went the distance. In a nod to all the simple, beautifully prepared food we had in Italy (sigh), I made up a little warm potato dish - halved new potatoes tossed with (La Finca veggie share!) arugula, capers, sliced roasted red peppers, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. The heat of the potatoes wilted the arugula and brought out the salty goodness of the capers and peppers. Nice alongside a burger or chicken or fish or even on its own. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Today we're on for more baseball and grillin', baby! Along with the arugula, my veggie share included bok choy. A quick saute with lots of garlic, minced jalapenos, and a splash of soy sauce should add crunchy-salty-heat to the shrimp and steaks I'm going to grill (yep, double-beef, bit of a planning goof, but I doubt anyone will complain...). Maybe I can convince Stacey, Cooper Cuteness, and Levi Sizzle to join us...

Happy Sunny Sunday!

Moderate it: ah hamburgers, so good, so potentially not-moderate. I've never been a thick burger girl, so I either cook a small one for myself, or cut a large one in half, then in half again lengthwise, and voila, a thinner burger. I eat mine open-faced, topped with veggies (raw onions, sauteed mushrooms, tomato in season - you know the yummy drill), alongside a salad, and it's all good.

Glorious day, eh? Wow, spectacular. What a difference a break in the humidity makes - the air positively sparkles in this late-summer sun. Saucy Suz and her kids, Vivian and Sullivan, came over for a lovely swim today, and we just soaked it all in, knowing - and feeling, for the first time - that September is right around the corner. Sniff.

Tonight, John and I had big plans to go out for Date Night, but after I picked up my LaFinca veggie share, and saw all the lovely possibilities (carrots, new potatoes, baby cabbage, arugula, tomatoes, green beans), I called John and said, Dude, let's eat here! Nothing can beat a fresh vege-ful dinner on our own deck on a night as spectacular as this! So John's happily picking up a couple of killer NY Strips at Byerly's on his way home, and I'm roasting those new potatoes with fresh rosemary, garlic, coarse salt, and oil (400 degrees, for about 45 minutes, turn several times) until they're crispy little bombs, perfect for a dippy-poo in cool, creamy sour cream. Yeah, baby! Chopped arugula salad with lots of shaved Parm and cracked pepper, alongside tomato slices, should finish us off nicely. I'd better get to it, tee hee!

Well, I got to it, and it rawked! Especially with the Cain Five 2003 we sipped with all the tasties, ooooh, Napa Nice. And XM Satellite Radio tuned to the 70s, ha, I love it. We could hardly make a dent in the Cain Five, however, with its high alcohol content, ack. Too early to be drinking it, but we went ahead anyhow (decanted it a couple of times) with at least a bit of it, and it was delicious.

Tomorrow, I gotta come up with some way to use the 10 + cukes I now have in my fridge. Sauteed? Raita? Greek salad? All of the above? Ha. Stay tuned...

Here are the veggies and herbs (from my LaFinca veggie share) that I have to play with this weekend:

carrots
fennel
green beans
corn
kale
tomatoes
cucumber
zucchini
summer squash
onions
basil
dill

The carrots and fennel are terrific additions to a packet of Potatoes on the Grill. Summer squash would be nice too. In addition, I love steamed carrots with a little butter and lots of fresh dill and lemon.

The green beans, oh man, I'm so roasting half of them for Roasted Vegetable Panzanella, one of my very favorite meals. The other half I'll save for Spicy Braised Green Beans, which calls for tomato and onion as well. Fried Walleye with some Spicy Braised Green Beans? Ohhh, now that's a summer meal. What night can I pull that off? Might have to wait until Monday...

I didn't feel like boiling a big pot of water last night, just for John and me, so I sliced the kernels off of a couple of ears of corn and sauteed them quickly in a bit of browned butter (adds a lovely, nutty flavor). Salt and pepper, done. Easy and sooo yummy. I think I'll do the same for the kids tomorrow night.

The basil is going to become a small batch of pesto - I like to have a bit on hand for stirring into sauteed corn (stir in a diced tomato with the pesto, so pretty). Or for swirling into Instant Vegetable Soup (an assortment of vegetables grated together, brought to a quick simmer with water, and finished off with a sprinkle of cheese; delicious and very nutritious, and also a good way to use up veggie-share veggies!), which makes a perfect, quick lunch.

The cucumber already became Cucumber-Mint Raita, and I already ate it, ha. Ditto for the zucchini (see below for Zucchini-Tomato Gratin).

The kale, hmmm, there's not much of it so I'll probably just saute it with garlic, then steam it with a small amount of water until it's quite tender. With salt and pepper, and a drizzle of good balsamic, it's pretty hard to beat. Even if no one else in my family thinks so...

Yeah. It's shaping up to be a very colorful, healthy, moderate (no parties, no party food!) weekend. Yay, my butt lurves veggies!

Two down, one to go! Woo hooooo, we are party central again this weekend! Friday night we were invited to dinner by a family at Nathan's new school. So fun - cool people, lovely home, great kids, and delicious wine and food. Salmon, fresh herbs and vegetables, a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil, all wrapped up in foil and passed over the grill. We opened up the individual packets to find perfectly moist and fragrant fish, with lovely juices that flowed handily over to the pile of rice waiting patiently on the other side of the plate. Yum. I baked and brought a Cherry Tart with Almond Crust, with fresh cherries as well as fresh peaches and blueberries. Good stuff.

Then yesterday, another pool-and-wine party with Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius (Rudy and Ana are in the Hamptons, poor souls, ha). Sooooo fun, a gorgeous, hot day, perfect for floating and sipping. And eating! Stu and Debbie brought two Turley wines, in honor of our Napa trip (and stay at Larry Turley's home), both delicious. In the pool we drank the white, a 2003 The White Coat, a rich blend, quite golden and delicious. With dinner we drank a 2004 Lodi Zinfandel, from the Dogtown Vineyard (not the one we overlooked), fantastic. Tasted just like Napa, sigh.

After a quick shower, it was time to get some food on! I started by grilling bread for a quick appetizer, served alongside hard salami, roasted peppers, and olive tapenade from the deli. For a first course I made a red cabbage salad - red cabbage sauteed until wilted and then tossed with crispy bacon and a warm shallot dressing and topped with a warm, breaded goat-cheese medallion. Crunchy, creamy, salty, gorgeous - all the good stuff (recipe in comments, below). And for dinner I grilled a couple racks of lamb chops, cut into two-chop pieces before smearing them with a mixture of minced garlic, mint, oregano, rosemary, and tarragon (the herbs on my deck) bound with a bit of olive oil. Alongside I grilled Potatoes on the Grill, or more accurately, La Finca Veggies and Potatoes on the Grill, because I threw in carrots, fennel, green pepper, and onion, all from my veggie share this week. For dessert I had baked a Lemon Picnic Cake (lemon cake soaked in lemon icing, yum; recipe in comments, below), withwhipped cream and raspberry sauce. Uff, we were stuffed as we chatted in the dark, watching the pool lights shimmer eerily off the trees, while Nathan took a pre-bedtime dip.

So! Now it's Sun-day, and time for a Baseball Moms and Players Swimming Party! Another hot sunny day, perfect for grillin' some 'dogs, eating lots of salty chips and appetizers, drinking ice cold beer, munching on cookies and bars, and chatting the afternoon/evening away while the boys raise hell in the pool. Yeah, baby!

Happy April! Ack, I know it's been terribly long since I've posted. Craziness, what can I say? I've not been much in town, in fact, Nathan and I just returned from a spring-break trip to Washington, DC, just the two of us. Such fun! We arrived Thursday, checked into our hotel, and immediately set out for the White House. After a bit of walking around, we made our way back to the hotel, changed for dinner, and walked over to Bistrot D'Oc for a lovely French dinner. Nathan's first taste of escargot was not a disaster - he didn't much appreciate the snail, but he seriously dug the herb-y, garlicky butter soaked up with lots of baguette slices. Yeah, baby!

We set out Friday morning for the memorial/west end of The Mall. After touring the Washington, World War II, Lincoln, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials, we made our way to a quick and tasty turkey-sandwich lunch at The Corner Deli. As we continued on to the National Portrait Gallery, we spontaneously popped into Risorante Tosca to score a dinner res for later that night. And what a dinner, wow, Nathan had a veal and prosciutto-stuffed ravioli in sage butter, delicious. I had a whole broiled Dover sole, served alongside braised lentils and fennel. Nathan downed a serious tiramisu trifle for dessert, then we toddled off to our hotel for a good night's sleep.

On Saturday we veered toward the east end of The Mall, opening with a very crowded walk through the National Air and Space Museum. Afterward we met up with my aunt Mary and uncle Bruce, in DC visiting their son, my cousin Craig. Mary, Bruce, Craig, Nathan, and I lunched at Union Station before making our way back to our hotels via the Capitol and Supreme Court. We all met up again a couple of hours later, with my cousin Kelly, who also lives in DC, hoping to score dinner at Jaleo. Uh, no dice, a two-hour wait at best at 7 pm on a Saturday night. Darn! Really wanted to sample their famously fabulous tapas but it wasn't meant to be (Chef Jose Andres' book, Tapas A Taste of Spain in America, is one of my very favorites; in honor of the Jaleo meal I didn't have, I've posted a Chef Andres' recipe for Potatoes Rioja-Style with Chorizo in comments, below). Instead, we stumbled into a lucky table at Zola, where I dug into a lovely papardelle topped with perfectly crispy duck confit and wild cherries. Decadent, delicious.

And then Sunday, back home. Spring break over, right back in the action, whew, I've hardly caught my breath. Up next, dinner Monday night with Rudy Maxa & Ana Scofield and Stu & Debbie Williams at The Sample Room, which RAWKED! Stay tuned...