Fun at the farm stand...

I'm really enjoying my little garden plot, all 9 square feet of it. My two tomato plants are covered in fruit. In fact, the tomato plants have done so well this summer that I came out last week to find that they had crushed their cages. A quick trip to the home improvement store, and several 6 foot tomato trellis stakes later, and they're back upright and supported. Most of the tomatoes are still small and green, so I'm (im)patiently waiting for them to ripen. Fortunately, where I live outside of Philadelphia, there are farmer's markets and small family run farms with farm stands all around, so I have plenty of options for seasonal produce to tide me over.

On my way home from the store with my tomato stakes, I stopped at one of my favorite little family farms, Maple Acres Farm. It's literally about a mile from a major shopping center and in the middle of suburban housing developments. If you didn't know it was there, you'd probably never find it, but they've been around for almost 100 years. I love the small family farms, they often have produce that you won't find at major grocery stores, and I discovered something new at the farm that day--Armenian cucumbers. They're about 2 feet long, slender and twisting, with dark and pale green stripes. When I asked about them, the guy at the farm stand when into raptures, so of course, I had to bring some home.

This time of summer, it can also be really hot outside, so this week's recipes are for dishes that take advantage of the lovely produce from the farm stand, but also don't heat up the kitchen too much. Enjoy!

Summer Couscous Salad 

I've been making this salad for years. I usually make it with Israeli couscous, but I've also used farro, quinoa, and pearl barley. I tend to make a large batch of it, then take it to work for lunch over the next several days, so feel free to cut the recipe in half.

Serves 8

4 ½ cups water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

3 cups dry Israeli couscous

2 bunches of green onions, thinly sliced

2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, diced

3 to 4 large heirloom tomatoes, diced

1 English cucumber (I used the Armenian cucumber I brought home from the farm stand), seeded and diced

²/₃ cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

²/₃ cup basil, sliced

¼ cup chives, finely sliced

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 large clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

¼ cup Champagne vinegar

¾ cups extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Bring the water, olive oil and salt to boil in a large saucepan. Add the couscous and stir. When the water has returned to the boil, cover the saucepan with a lid and remove from the heat. Allow the couscous to sit, undisturbed for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the couscous should have absorbed all of the liquid. Transfer the couscous to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

When the couscous has cooled, mix in all of the vegetables and herbs.

Place the mustard, garlic and champagne vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together and add a large pinch of salt. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking, this will form a more stable emulsion. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture of couscous and vegetables, and stir to thoroughly mix. Serve.

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Yellow Tomato Sauce

I forget where I learned this technique, but this is such a great way to enjoy the amazing flavors of fresh, ripe, local heirloom tomatoes. The only heat applied to the sauce is the heat from the freshly boiled pasta, leaving the flavor of the tomatoes very bright and fresh and unlike your typical cooked tomato based pasta sauces. I used yellow tomatoes, but you can use whatever variety you prefer.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer

3 to 4 large yellow tomatoes
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and passed through a garlic press
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1 pound angel hair pasta

2 to 3 plum tomatoes (I used the San Marzano's from my garden)
1 bunch of basil, thinly sliced
Parmigiano Reggiano shavings to garnish

Cut each of the tomatoes in half. Press the cut half of each tomato against the side of a box grater (use the side with the largest holes) set over a large mixing bowl, and grate the flesh. You should see a juicy pulp forming;stop grating when you have nothing but skin left. After you have grated all of the tomatoes, mix in the garlic, olive oil, and a large pinch of salt and black pepper in with the pulp.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the angel hair pasta per the package directions. When the pasta is al dente, drain and add the pasta to the bowl of tomato pulp. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Mix in the diced tomatoes and basil. Divide the pasta into serving dishes and garnish with the Parmigiano Reggiano shavings. Serve.

You say tomato, I say tomato...

One of the things I loved about my house in Houston was my backyard vegetable garden. I would come home from work, kick off my heels and slip on my gardening clogs (while still dressed in my business suit), grab my wicker basket and head out into the garden where I would pick dinner. I grew tomatoes, bell peppers, Japanese eggplant, cucumbers, and all kinds of herbs. 

When I moved north to DC, I had a townhouse in Arlington, Virginia, with a small back garden. It was mostly a large patio with planting beds around the perimeter, and it was very well shaded by a large oak tree that grew just outside my back fence gate. I had one large bed (about a fourth the size of my garden plot in Houston) that got direct sun, so that first year, I turned it into a vegetable garden--much to the amusement of the squirrels. I swear, they knew just when I was about to step outside, they would find the only tomato in the garden that was even beginning to turn from green to red and take a giant bite out of it. They took to leaving half-eaten tomatoes on my back steps. 

I began to hate the squirrels. 

After that first summer, I gave up and planted a hydrangea bush. 

Now I live in an apartment style condo in the suburbs of Philly, and I have no dedicated outdoor space. I don't even have a patio where I can put pots of herbs. A couple of years ago, one of my neighbors and I petitioned the condo association and got permission to put in a small community garden along the back property line. I know proudly garden a square plot that's 3 foot by 3 foot. It's just big enough for two tomato plants, some basil, chives and thyme. It gets full sun all day, and the best part--no squirrels seem to be interested. I do find that the deer and bunnies occasionally take a nibble, but otherwise they seem to leave things alone. This year, I planted San Marzano and Cherokee Purple tomatoes. They are so tasty. 

We're in the peak time here locally for tomatoes. When I run out of tomatoes from my own garden, I've been picking up more at the farmer's market. I'm eating them almost every day, and I've been keeping notes on some of the recipes. Here are a few to enjoy, I'll probably have more to post in the next weeks.

Tomato Salad with Pickled Shallots and Chevre
Serves 4 as an appetizer

Think tomato salad, and most people think of the traditional insalate caprese--tomatoes, basil, mozzarella. This version uses chevre and chives (perhaps my favorite herb), and the unexpected addition of pickled shallots. Fair warning--the pickled shallots are addictive. Try them on your burgers and sandwiches and as a garnish to your cheese board.

For the pickled shallots:
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole star anise pods
4 large shallots, sliced thin on a mandolin

For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon shallot pickling liquid
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
2 pounds assorted heirloom tomatoes
4 ounces chevre, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

For the pickled shallots: place the vinegar, sugar and spices into a small saucepan and heat to a boil. Place the shallots in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling vinegar over the shallots. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and star anise pods. You can enjoy the shallots immediately, or cover and refrigerate. The pickled shallots will be even tastier if allowed to sit in the pickling liquid for several days.

For the vinaigrette: place pickling liquid and mustard in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Whisk together. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

To assemble the salad: slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a large plate or platter. Drizzle the tomatoes with the vinaigrette. Garnish with some of the pickled shallots, the chevre and chopped chives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Gazpacho
Serves 6 to 8

As my friends in Texas can attest, it's been awfully hot this summer. The last thing most of us want to do is to turn on the stove or oven to make something to eat, it just makes the kitchen hot. A chilled soup may just be the ticket.  

1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, chopped
4 large beefsteak tomatoes, cored and chopped
½ English cucumber, chopped
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
¹/₃ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 cups tomato juice
chopped chives and extra virgin olive oil to garnish

Place onion, celery, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, herbs, garlic, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix. Allow the ingredients to marinate a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Using a blender or food processor, puree the ingredients in batches until smooth and transfer to a large bowl. Mix in the oil, Tabasco, and tomato juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional Kosher salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls, garnish with chopped chives and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve.

BLT Pasta
Serves 4

I'll admit, many of the tomatoes from my garden have gone into bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. (By the way, add some of the pickled shallots to your next BLT--you'll thank me for it.) In this dish, I took the inspiration of my favorite sandwich and turned it into a pasta, using arugula, my favorite salad lettuce, for the "L". 

3 slices thick cut bacon, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
5 to 6 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup white wine
3 cups arugula
1 pound orecchiette pasta, cooked per the package directions
5 ounces chevre, crumbled

Place the bacon in a large skillet and heat over medium low heat. Slowly render the bacon fat, and when the bacon pieces are browned and crispy, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel. Cooking the bacon over low heat and over a longer period of time will allow more fat to be rendered without burning the protein before it's fully crispy.

Increase the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir, cooking until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir to thoroughly mix with the shallots and garlic. Add the white wine and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened and the liquid has reduced by half, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the arugula and stir to wilt.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet and stir to mix through. Add the chevre and stir, cooking until the cheese has melted and mixed into the sauce. Add the crisped bacon pieces and mix through. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

My day at the Smithsonian...

A few weeks ago I had the honor and privilege of teaching a cooking demonstration at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. On Fridays through December, the Smithsonian will conduct a program called Food Fridays, focusing both on food and history at the museum’s new demonstration kitchen on the Coulter Performance Plaza. A different chef is featured each Friday, and I was lucky enough to be the first chef from Sur La Table to participate. The museum cafe even featured dishes inspired by my recipes, and the recipes are posted on the Smithsonian website. 

http://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/food/pages/food-fridays

Each month will have a different theme, and July was Summertime Cooking in America. We kicked around a few different ideas and ended up settling on the seafood traditions along the mid Atlantic and New England coast. You may remember from an earlier blog post that one of the dishes was New England Clam Chowder (it turned out really yummy), and I also made a Maine Lobster Roll and a Maryland Crab Cake.  

It was a lot of fun putting together the recipes, but I also had to research history on each of the dishes--after all, it was a presentation for the Museum of American History--to incorporate in the presentation. For example, I learned that Old Bay Seasoning is made in Baltimore, it's primary spice in the blend is celery salt, and the name comes from a steamship line that ran through the Chesapeake Bay. 

I was partnered with a member of the Smithsonian staff, Jessica. She also had researched history and fun facts about the dishes, regions and seafood. She had also arranged for artifacts from the museum's collection to be brought out during the presentation.

As much fun as all of this was, this wasn't the end, or even the beginning,of my adventure at the Smithsonian that day. I got a call late that Thursday evening, asking if I could be a the museum early on Friday because SLT wanted to take my picture in Julia Child's kitchen. No, I didn't get to actually go into her kitchen (wouldn't THAT have been amazing), but I did get to go through the exhibit before the museum opened to the general public.

But, it turns out that it was more than just a quick photo op. SLT had a film crew there. They filmed me walking through the exhibit, and not just with a hand-held camera, they actually had a small steadicam. They wanted to film "Angie's day at the Smithsonian". As you might imagine, they had cameras set up during my on-stage demonstration, but it didn't end there. Once we finished the last demo, they took me out to the main lobby of the museum. It was about 2:30pm, on a Friday, in July--you can imagine how many tourists were in the lobby. Hundreds. Now imagine me walking through the lobby with a guy operating a steadicam circling and zooming around me as I went. Twice. Then imagine the same scenario, but this time I'm walking up the outside staircase into the main entrance of the museum. Again, twice. I had the hardest time keeping a straight face, it was just too funny and surreal. I can just imagine what all the tourists were thinking! I don't really know what the plan is for the footage they shot, I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as I do.

So, back to the food. The clam chowder recipe can be found in an earlier blog post, and you can download all of them from the Smithsonian's website. Here are the lobster roll and crab cake recipes. Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Maine Lobster Roll

The classic Maine lobster roll recipe traditionally uses chilled lobster meat with only enough mayonnaise added to moisten the meat and add a small amount of flavoring. In this recipe, the addition of ingredients like celery and lemon juice bring a nice texture as well as flavor to the classic. When preparing lobster roll recipes, use live Maine or other live, cold-water lobster. If needed, frozen lobster tails can be substituted. Typically, a Maine lobster roll calls for frankfurter buns. However, any split top roll, medium size hamburger roll, or bread of your choice, may be used.

Makes 4

3,  1 ¼  to 1 ½ pound lobsters
½ cup mayonnaise
¹/₃ cup finely diced celery
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, white and pale green parts only
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Several dashes of Tabasco Sauce

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

4 top-split hot dog rolls
Butter for grilling hot dog rolls

Steam or boil the lobster ahead of time and remove the meat from the shell (claws, knuckles and tail). Cut the meat into bite size pieces and chill.

Once the lobster is chilled, combine it with the celery, green onions and parsley. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Tabasco. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the lobster and gently fold to mix.

Lightly butter the outside of the hot dog buns and grill them in a skillet until golden brown. Place lobster salad meat inside the grilled hot dog bun. Serve.

Maryland Crab Cakes with Old Bay Tartar Sauce

An easy and authentic version of this Maryland classic. The key to Maryland crab cakes is not to over mix and shred the crab.

Makes 6 crab cakes

For the crab cakes:

1 pound lump crab meat

8 saltine crackers

1 egg, beaten

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Carefully check the crab meat for any shell fragments or cartilage. Put the meat in a bowl and set it aside.

Crush the saltine crackers to a very fine texture and mix with all the other ingredients in a large bowl. Gently fold in the crab, being careful to only mix enough to combine the ingredients. You don't want to break up the crab into fine shreds. Shape into 6 crab cakes, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and serve with the Old Bay tartar sauce.

For the tartar sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste

1 shallot, finely diced

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon capers, drained and finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, plus more to taste

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately or refrigerate.