buttermilk squash soup

Buttermilk Summer Squash Soup Recipe

I happened to have a bit of buttermilk to use up here, and I like the creamy tang it brings to the soup, but feel free to add a splash of creme, or half & half, or a swirl of creme fraiche instead if that's what you have. If you like a deeper green soup (and some bonus nutrition), add a handful of chopped spinach toward the very end - a minute or so before pureeing.

a generous splash of olive oil or (3T.) knob of butter
3 large shallots, chopped
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
3-inch sprig of rosemary
1 1/2 pounds yellow or green summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices/chunks
3/4 pound potatoes, un-peeled, cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces
3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups lightly flavored vegetable stock or water
2/3 cup buttermilk

garnish with: fresh herbs, toasted almonds, a generous drizzle of olive oil/ melted butter, and/or some crumbled feta

Heat olive oil/butter in large thick-bottomed pan over medium heat. Stir in the shallots, salt, red pepper flakes, and rosemary. Saute until shallots are tender - a couple minutes. Stir in the squash and potatoes, and cook until the squash starts to get a bit tender - a few minutes. Stir in the garlic, remove the sprig of rosemary, and then add the stock (or water) to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree with a hand blender. If you like a silkier soup feel free to pour the soup through a strainer. Slowly whisk in the buttermilk, taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt if needed. I like this soup topped with a bit of crumbled feta, some toasted almonds, a drizzle of olive oil, and a small pinch of red pepper - but it's perfectly good straight with no fuss on top.

Serves 6 - 8.

two fresh tomato recipes

Buy the best mozzarella you can find, and make a big platter of sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella slices, fresh basil leaves, drizzled good-quality olive oil, and the coup de grâce, some Malden sea salt.

Resurrecting the mozzarella is the key to making this dish work. Just about all the mozzarella found in the U.S. is refrigerated after it's made. Refrigeration causes mozzarella rigor mortis to set in, making the cheese dry, gummy, and rubbery. Don't despair, though. A mozzarella maker I know gave me foolproof instructions for reviving it. Gently poach the cold mozzarella in a bath of warm whole milk. It works every time.

Last weekend I bought some orange cherry tomatoes that were so sweet I'm sure some fancy-pants chef somewhere would use them in a dessert. I made a ridiculously easy pasta dish with them.

Cook some dried pasta for two minutes less than it says on the package, reserving a cup of the pasta water for the sauce. Put the cooked pasta in a big sauté pan, and add the pasta water. Toss in a cup of fresh mozzarella cubes, a half cup of fresh goat cheese, a tablespoon of capers, some grated Parmigiana-Reggiano (Romano cheese would also be a fine, a saltier alternative), and a cup of chopped arugula.

Cook on low heat for five minutes, long enough to reduce the pasta water by half. Just before serving, halve the cherry tomatoes and toss them into the pasta along with a little Malden sea salt.

red beans

NOLA red beans and rice

Red Beans & Rice Recipe

1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
1 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 Cup Celery, Chopped
1 Cup Andouille Sausage, Cubed
1 Cup Tasso, Cubed
1/2 lb. Small Red Beans (soaked overnight or for at least a few hours)
1 Tbsp Fresh Garlic, Minced
3 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock (You could certainly use water)
3 Fresh Bay Leaves
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar (When I don’t use Pickle Meat, I add a little vinegar because I like the flavor it lends. Pickle Meat makes wonderful Red Beans by the way; recipe forthcoming.)
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce (I learned this from Louis Armstrong’s Recipe)
1 Tbsp Italian Parsley, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice

Mix together the Holy Trinity (Onions, Celery, Bell Pepper). Drain the beans.
Melt the butter over medium heat.
Add 1/2 of the Holy Trinity, 1 Tbsp of the Creole Seasoning, Tasso, and the Andouille, turn the heat to medium high. Cook this for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables start to get some color.
Add the beans and cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
Add the Chicken Stock or Water, Garlic, Bay Leaves, the remaining Trinity and Creole Seasoning. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let this simmer for 2- 2 1/2 Hours. The first hour is low maintenance; an occasional stir and making sure the beans are covered with liquid. The second hour, you want to check back a little more often, the beans will really start to absorb some liquid and you don’t want them to stick.
After the beans have cooked for two hours, add the Tomato Sauce, the Parsley and 1/2 of the Green Onions. Make your Rice. Cook the beans for another half hour.
To Serve:
Remove the Bay Leaves. Mound a half cup of Rice each, onto two serving plates, Cover with a generous helping of the Red Beans, Garnish with the remaining Green Onions. Make sure there is a bottle of hot sauce on the table. Perfect compliments to this meal are a simple vinaigrette salad, Good Crusty French Bread, and your favorite Ice Cold Beer.

Serves 2-3

creamy lemon shrimp

* 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
* 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 medium lemons
* 1 pound cooked shrimp (any size)
* 2 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 2 cups arugula
* 1 bag (8 ounces) tofu noodles, rinsed and drained (found in the Asian section of grocery store)

Preparation

Place yogurt, sour cream, chives, tarragon, garlic, mustard, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Zest lemons over bowl. Juice 1 lemon into bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add shrimp, broccoli, arugula and noodles. Toss to coat and serve with remaining lemon, cut into wedges, if desired.

Quesadilla Pie Recipe

Brush butter on the bottom of the pan to keep the tortillas from sticking, and to the top of the last tortilla for flavor and to help it brown. Hint: do not skip the butter.
Ingredients

Basic ingredients:

* 4 large flour tortillas (9-10 inches diameter)
* Butter
* 1/2 pound grated cheese, either mild or sharp cheddar, or Monterey Jack

Potential filling ingredients:

* Beans, cooked (black beans, pinto beans)
* Tomatoes, chopped
* Summer squash, chopped
* Onions (green onions, red onions, onion greens)
* Mushrooms (if using a lot, sauté first, to remove moisture)
* Cooked shredded chicken, pork, or beef
* Chiles, either from cooked green chiles, chopped pickled jalapenos, or salsa
* Cumin and/or chili powder for extra heat

Garnishes:

* Chopped avocado
* Chopped cilantro
* Thinly sliced iceberg lettuce dressed with vinegar and salt
* Sour cream
* Salsa

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a pie dish, approximately the same size as your tortillas (I used a 10-inch pyrex pie dish for 10-inch wide tortillas).

2 Place one tortilla on the bottom of the pie dish. Sprinkle some shredded cheese over the tortilla. At this point, you will begin to add your chosen filling ingredients, and layering the tortillas. Just make sure each layer has a generous sprinkling of cheese. In the pictured example, I used cheese, black beans, and onion greens on the first layer. Then I added another tortilla on top of that and put chopped zucchini, chopped tomato, chopped pickled jalapenos, and more shredded cheese. I also sprinkled a little cumin and chili powder on this layer. I added another tortilla and put more shredded cheese, more black beans, tomatoes and onions. Top off your layers with one last flour tortilla. Spread a little butter over the surface of this tortilla.

3 Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Put in oven for 30 minutes on 350°F. Then remove the foil and increase the heat to 400°F. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into quarters.

Serve with chopped avocados, shredded lettuce, cilantro, salsa, and/or sour cream.

Serves 4.

strawberries and dumplings

Strawberries and Dumplings
Adapted wildly from Gourmet

Being difficult — er, being “me” — I changed a whole lot of things about the original recipe. It sounded like it would be way too sweet, especially for my market-fresh peak-season berries, and boy, am I glad I dialed back the sugar by almost two-thirds because it needs nothing more. I added lemon juice, because it makes strawberries sing. And then, because I already knew that the dumpling recipe I’d used previously was perfect in every way — less wet and using less baking powder than the Gourmet version — I decided to not fix what wasn’t broken. The end result? A hole in one recipe, and an awesome weekday night treat. Or maybe breakfast, when I come at it with some Greek yogurt tomorrow morning. Gah, is it tomorrow yet?

Serves 6, in theory

1 quart (about 2 pints or 4 cups or 1.25 pounds or just shy of 600 grams) strawberries, trimmed and thickly sliced (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup sugar (though I might try this with brown sugar next time, just to up the cozy quotient)
Juice of half a lemon
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Accompaniment: Heavy cream

Stir together strawberries, sugar and lemon in a 4-qt heavy saucepan and let stand, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 15 minutes. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Heat the milk and butter together just until the butter melts. Stir this warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth. Gather a golf-ball-sized portion of the dumpling batter onto a small spoon, then push the dumpling onto the stew using a second spoon. (I used a small cookie scoop for this — a #70. It made 16 dumplings. Yes, I counted because someone always asks these things!) Cover the fruit with the dumplings, leaving about 1/4 inch between each.

Tightly cover saucepan and reduce heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, until dumpling looks dry on top, 15 to 18 minutes; the dumplings will have doubled in size. Let stand off heat, uncovered, five minutes, then drizzle with heavy cream right before serving.

This dish definitely tastes best freshly made, as the dumplings do dry out a bit by the second. But then it starts to taste like a cobbler, and really, who is going to complain about that?

sw bbq shrimp on tomato salad

Ingredients

1. 1/3 cup packed basil leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish
2. 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4. 2 1/4 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons pure ancho chile powder
6. 1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar
7. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8. 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
9. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10. 24 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
11. 2 tablespoons canola oil
12. 3 large yellow heirloom tomatoes (1 1/2 pounds), sliced 1/4 inch thick
13. 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
14.

Directions

1. In a blender, puree the 1/3 cup of basil leaves with the olive oil until smooth. Season the oil with salt and black pepper.
2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a small bowl, mix the sweet smoked paprika with the pure ancho chile powder, light brown sugar, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Brush the shrimp with the canola oil and season all over with the spice mixture. Grill the shrimp over moderately high heat, turning once, until they are lightly charred and cooked through, about 4 minutes total.
3. Arrange the tomato and onion slices on a platter and drizzle with the basil oil. Top with the shrimp, garnish with the remaining basil leaves and serve.


Make Ahead

The basil oil can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

crunchy baked pork chops

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
Cook’s Illustrated

Serves 4

CI notes: This recipe was developed using natural pork, but enhanced pork (injected with a salt solution) will work as well. If using enhanced pork, eliminate the brining in step 1. The bread crumb mixture can be prepared through step 2 up to 3 days in advance. The breaded chops can be frozen for up to 1 week. They don’t need to be thawed before baking; simply increase the cooking time in step 5 to 35 to 40 minutes.

Table salt
4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

3. Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

4. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

5. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

Circassian chicken

Presumably it originated in the Caucasus Mountains, which is where the Circassians live. Or not. Who knows? What I do know is that there are plenty of recipes for this dish out there, but what ties them all together are walnuts, garlic, paprika and poached chicken or pheasant.

I’ve tended to make this with pheasant, but a good chicken breast is just as good. Try to use an older bird, like a stewing hen or rooster. If none are available, use a roasting chicken of about 3-5 pounds, not the smaller fryers. The reason is because this is a bold salad, and I think young birds lack the flavor to stand up to it.

This recipe is a great way to get away from typical mayo-based chicken salads, and is wonderful either as a sandwich, or simply served with crusty bread and a pickle or two. Once made, it keeps well in the fridge for at least 3-4 days.

* 2 full chicken breasts (both halves)
* 4 tablespoons olive or walnut oil
* 4 teaspoons paprika
* 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
* 3 chopped garlic cloves
* 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
* 1 teaspoon cayenne
* 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
* 2 slices of bread, crusts removed
* 1 quart chicken stock
* Salt
* Black pepper
* The juice of a lemon

Method

1 Bring the chicken stock to a simmer and add the chicken breasts. Add some water if there is not enough liquid to cover the meat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.

2 Meanwhile, heat the olive or walnut oil in a small pot over low heat and add the paprika. Stir well to combine. Heat until you can smell the aroma of the paprika, then turn off the heat.

3 Tear the bread into chunks and put into a bowl. Ladle out about a cup or two of the chicken broth and pour it over the bread.

4 Set aside ½ cup of walnuts and put in a bowl with the green onions and 1 tablespoon of the parsley.

5 Put the rest of the walnuts into a food processor with the garlic, the cayenne, about a teaspoon of salt, the rest of the parsley and the soaked bread. Buzz to make a thick, relatively chunky paste. If it needs a bit more chicken broth to loosen up, add some a tablespoon at a time.

6 Stir the paprika-oil, then pour it into the food processor and buzz to combine. Taste the mixture to see if it needs salt.

7 Pull the skin off the chicken breasts and tear the meat into shreds. Put it in the bowl with the unchopped walnuts, green onions and such.

8 Add the walnut-paprika paste from the food processor to the bowl and stir gently to combine everything thoroughly. Add black pepper and lemon juice to taste and stir one more time to combine.

Serves 4-6 as a lunch.

black bean salad

Giant Black Bean Salad

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 small jalapeño, seeded, deveined and chopped
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 small garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 -3 big handfuls baby arugula (or other salad greens), well washed and dried
3 cups cooked black beans
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Start by making the dressing. I use an immersion blender - but a blender or food processor will work just as well. Combine the lime juice, vinegar, honey, jalapeño, salt, garlic and mustard and puree. Add the olive oil and puree until everything comes together. Taste and adjust with more salt, honey, or lime juice if needed. Set aside until you are ready to serve the salad.

Just before you are ready to serve the salad gently toss the arugula with a bit of the dressing. Arrange it on a platter. Now toss the beans and most of the almonds with a generous splash of the dressing. Arrange the beans on top of the arugula and finish by sprinkling with the remaining almonds and the crumbled feta cheese.

Serves 4 - 6.

green orzo salad

Orzo Super Salad Recipe

If you are going to transport this to an outdoor picnic or potluck, place all of the ingredients, layered, in a big bowl or container. Toss the avocado gently with a bit of lemon juice ahead of time - so it doesn't brown. Make sure there are a few inches of head room in the container, and you'll need some sort of lid. Carry the dressing in a separate jar. When you are ready to serve the salad, gently toss the ingredients with the dressing using your hands, or leave the lid on the container and gently shake/tumble it - not ideal but it works. You can double or triple this recipe to serve more of a crowd. To make it vegan, you know the drill, skip the feta. And GF-ers, you can swap in a gluten-free grain/rice (for the orzo) and make a grain salad out of this instead.

1 cup dried (whole wheat) orzo pasta
8 - 10 medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
1/2 a medium head of broccoli (or broccolini), cut into small trees
small handful of cilantro(or mint if you prefer), chopped

1 small clove of garlic, mashed with a big pinch of salt and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

a small handful of sprouts
1/3 cup almonds, toasted
1/2 small cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium avocado, sliced into small pieces
1/4 cup feta, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and boil the orzo per package instructions. Avoid over-boiling, you want your orzo to be cooked through, but maintain structure. About 30 seconds before the orzo is finished cooking stir the asparagus and broccoli into the orzo pot. Cook for the final 30 seconds, drain and run under a bit of cold water. Just long enough to stop the cooking.

In the meantime, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and more salt (if needed) into the dressing. Set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad toss the orzo, asparagus, broccoli, and cilantro with about half the dressing. Add more dressing if needed, and toss well. Now add the sprouts, almonds, cucumber, avocado, and feta. Very gently toss a couple of times to distribute those ingredients throughout the salad and serve.

white bean salad

Quick and Easy White Bean Salad Recipe
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You can easily double or quadruple the recipe to serve a larger group.
Ingredients

* 1 14.5-ounce can white beans, drained but not rinsed
* 2 Tbsp chopped red onion
* A squeeze of lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons wine vinegar (red or white)
* 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon dry herbs de provence (crumbled) OR 1 teaspoon of some combination of finely chopped rosemary, tarragon, thyme, and lavender
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

1 After you chop up the onion, squeeze a little lemon juice over it and let it sit while prepping the other ingredients. According to my mother, this will take the edge off the onion.

2 Combine all ingredients into a serving dish. You can serve right away if you want, but if you chill for a few hours, the flavors will come together better.

Serves 4. Lasts a couple of days in the refrigerator.

sausage, fontina and pepper strata

* 6 large eggs
* 21/2 cups whole milk
* 2 cups sliced green onions
* 1/2 cup whipping cream
* 1/2 cup finely grated Romano cheese
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
* 1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch wide-strips
* 1 1-pound loaf rustic French bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
* 2 cups (loosely packed) coarsely grated Fontina cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2- inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Whisk first 7 ingredients in large bowl; sprinkle generously with pepper. Set aside.

Place sausage in large nonstick skillet; push to 1 side. Add bell pepper to other side of skillet. Sauteacute; over high heat, breaking up sausage with fork, until sausage is cooked through and bell peppers are brown in spots, about 7 minutes.

Arrange half of bread slices in prepared dish. Pour half of egg mixture over. Sprinkle with half of cheese, then half of sausagepepper mixture. Repeat layering. Let stand 20 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to submerge. Bake strata until puffed and brown, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Pesto Potato Salad with Green Beans

Adapted so wildly from this recipe that they’re no longer on speaking terms

Now, I’m going to have to insist that you make your own pesto. Okay, I can’t insist, but I do highly recommend it. Even the best store-bought stuff lacks the flavor wallop of making your own — they may look green, but turn out to be mostly oil — and with basil inching its way towards Greenmarkets, it’s more delicious than ever to make your own. Brightening the flavor with vinegar and a good helping of salt and pepper keep this from bland-dom (a critique of many pesto potato salads), and the green beans provide the perfect antidote to those carb-phobic types.

Serves 10

4 pounds small Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, quartered
1 pound green beans, cut into one-inch segments
1 to 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
2 bunches of basil (about one ounce each)
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons (or more to taste) mild vinegar, such as champagne, white wine or a white balsamic
1/4 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan cheese to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add beans; cook four minutes longer. Drain well and let cool, then transfer potatoes and beans to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, discard the stems from the basil and wash and dry the leaves. Puree them in a food processor with garlic, drizzling in enough olive oil that it gets saucy. Season the pesto with salt and pepper. [Alternately, you can swap this step with one cup of prepared pesto, but seriously, I think you'll be missing out.]

Toss the beans and potatoes with pesto. Stir in vinegar and pine nuts and season with salt, pepper and/or additional vinegar to taste. Finally, shave some wide flecks of parmesan over the salad with a vegetable peeler.

Serve immediately, or make this up to two hours in advance. It can be stored at room temperature.

orange rhubarb compote

good on toast, in yogurt, topping cake...you name it. easy.

2 tbsp butter

1 lb rhubarb

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp orange liquor

zest of one orange

1. Trim the Rhubarb of the ends, and split it lengthwise down the center. Cut across in 1 cm. intervals, leaving you with rough cubes of rhubarb.

2. In a large bowl, toss the rhubarb with the sugar and orange liquor, and orange zest, and set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the sugar coated rhubarb. Let this cook over a medium heat, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes. When the rhubarb has started to release juices, gently stir.

3. Continue cooking the compote over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the juices are all released, then begin to thicken. Cooking time is about 10 to 15 minutes total, until the compote looks thick and the rhubarb is tender.

Notes:

* I set a timer last time I made it, just for you, and it took 13 minutes and 17 seconds until the desired texture and thickness was reached. This time will depend on the size of your rhubarb pieces, the particular heat of “medium” on your stove, etc, etc, etc. So use your intuition.

* Many of the cubes will break down from cooking, but some of the larger ones will remain as little tender lumps, offering bursts of tart rhubarb flavor in the mouth, and a pleasant texture on the tongue. If you like, you can break all the rhubarb apart with aggressive stirring, using the spoon to break the rhubarb up. You might even puree it and pass it through a sieve if you are looking for a smooth compote. But the less you stir, the more chunks you will leave intact.

broccoli soup with lemon chive cream

Oh, and should you have some of the sour cream mixture left over, it makes a great dip for potato chips.

For the soup:
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, sliced
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 ½ lb. broccoli, both crowns and stems, trimmed and coarsely chopped
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 rind (about 2 inches square) from a piece of Parmesan cheese
¾ tsp. kosher salt, or less if your broth is well salted

For the sour cream:
1 cup sour cream (not low-fat or nonfat)
2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, very thinly sliced
¼ cup minced chives
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. pressed or minced garlic

In a small stockpot or Dutch oven, warm the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute. Add the broccoli, stock, Parmesan rind, and salt, and stir to mix. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes.

While the soup cooks, prepare the cream. In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream, scallions, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, grated Parmesan, salt, and garlic, mixing until fully combined. Taste, and adjust as necessary.

To finish the soup, remove the Parmesan rind. Using a blender and working in small batches – when puréeing hot liquids, never fill the blender more than one-third full – purée until very smooth. (Alternatively, purée it in the pot with an immersion blender.) Return the soup to the pot, add a few dollops of the cream mixture – I add about 1/3 cup – and stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary. If needed, rewarm the soup gently over low heat.

Serve the soup with a spoonful or two of the remaining cream on top.

Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp

Serves 4

2 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/4 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and chili powder. In a separate bowl, combine shrimp, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

2. Spread broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Add shrimp to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around edges, about 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges, or squeeze lemon juice all over shrimp and broccoli just before serving.

lemon mint granita

Lemon-Mint Granita
Adapted pretty liberally from Wolfgang Puck

Granita’s selling points don’t end with being more appealing than ice cream to a certain preggo (though really, what more do you need to know?), more refreshing than an air conditioner on turbo on a sticky summer day, and the best thing since a Snoopy Sno-Cone — they’ve got something going for them that sorbets, sherbets, ice creams and gelatos lack: not just the ability to be made without a machine, but the insistence that it’s the only right way. You won’t get those fleck-y ice bits in a churner, you’ve got to rake them up yourself with a fork. And then try not to eat them all before sharing.

Oh, and let’s say you’re not baking a baby right now? One word for you: Limoncello. Can you imagine a glug of that over your dish? Oh baby indeed. Just promise to have some for me, too.

4 lemons
4 cups water
Sugar, to taste (we used 3 tablespoons, like a tart lemonade)
Handful of fresh mint leaves

Clean and wash the lemons. Cut off the top quarter of the lemons and slice a thin bevel off the bottom, so they can stand up straight. (You can skip this step if you don’t want to serve them in frozen lemon cups.) Using a grapefruit knife, carefully remove all of the lemon flesh and juice (working over a bowl ensures you won’t lose any), being careful not to cut through the bottom. Stand the lemons on a plate or cookie sheet and freeze until solid.

Using a food processor (a blender will work as well), toss a handful of washed and dried fresh mint leaves into the work bowl. (I used about 25 to 30 leaves from 6 to 9 sprigs.) Add the scooped out lemon flesh and juice, and pulse until mostly pureed. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes, so the mint releases its flavor, then press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. You’ll end up with approximately one cup of lemon-mint juice.

Stir in the water, then sugar, one tablespoon at a time until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is to your desire level of sweetness. Pour the mixture into a large roasting pan or baking dish, large enough that the liquid isn’t more than one-inch deep. (Otherwise it takes forever to freeze, trust me. A 9×13-inch pan worked great here.)

Freeze for one hour, then remove the mixture and scrape with two forks to break up the ice. (Your freezing time will vary, depending on the temperature and muscle of your freezer.) Return to the freezer and freeze until solid, about 2 to 3 hours, scraping it again with forks every hour or so.

When the granita is frozen, rake until glittery. Scoop into frozen lemon shells (or, you know, plain old dishes) and serve before Deb gets to it.

spicy korean chile chicken

Spicy Chile Chicken
from Quick & Easy Korean Cooking by Cecilia Hia-Jin Lee
Spicy Chile Chicken

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken
, cut into about 2-inch pieces
1 yam, peeled and cut into thin strips about 2 inches long
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 head cabbage, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 green onion, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 tablespoons Korean chile paste
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Makes about 4 servings
This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in Cecilia Hia-Jin Lee's
Quick & Easy Korean Cooking




There is a town in the Gyeonggi province of Korea that specializes in this dish. You can drive down the streets and see a chicken restaurant on practically every corner. All the joints are pretty much the same with huge, flat griddles on the table. Once you sit down, the waitresses will pile on all the ingredients, pour on the chile paste seasoning, and cook the dish right in front of you as you salivate in anticipation. You can re-create the fun at home with an electric frying pan or make it in a large skillet or wok.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the chicken, yam, onion, zucchini, cabbage, and garlic and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables
begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the green onion, chile paste, soy sauce, and sugar
and cook for a couple of minutes or so.

Serve immediately with hot rice.

Variation:
If you're using an electric frying pan on the table, you can keep the chicken hot as you eat from the frying pan. As you near the bottom of the dish, add leftover white rice to the pan with a bit of sesame oil and make fried rice to finish off the meal.

pan roasted shrimp with corn cakes

Ingredients

1. 1 cup fresh or frozen baby lima beans
2. 1/4 cup vegetable oil
3. 1/4 cup minced onion
4. 6 garlic cloves—2 minced, 4 sliced
5. 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
6. 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme, plus 4 thyme sprigs
7. 1 1/2 packed cups of crumbled corn bread (6 ounces)
8. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
10. 1 large egg, beaten
11. All-purpose flour, for dusting
12. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
13. 3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, cut into thin strips
14. 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
15. 1 Thai chile, minced
16. 1 cup fresh orange juice
17. 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
18.

Directions

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the lima beans and cook until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion, minced garlic and jalapeño and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a medium bowl and add the lima beans, chopped thyme and corn bread. Stir in the buttermilk and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the egg. Using lightly moistened hands, form the mixture into 6 cakes, about 1 inch thick. Dust the cakes with flour and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, until chilled.
3. Wipe out the skillet. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in 2 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet. Dust the cakes with flour again. Add them to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the cakes to plates and keep warm. Wipe out the skillet.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the pancetta and cook over high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the sliced garlic and thyme sprigs and cook until the garlic is lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Season the shrimp with salt and add to the skillet along with the Thai chile. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are slightly curled and pink, about 2 minutes. Add the orange juice and zest and cook until the juice is slightly reduced and the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute. Discard the thyme sprigs and swirl in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Spoon the shrimp and sauce over the cakes and serve right away.


Make Ahead

The corn cakes can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated overnight.