Hi there,
So last night I found myself with a surplus of fresh herbs - thyme, basil, Italian flat-leaf parsley, and oregano. I also had a good-sized portion of arugula, thanks to my boss' garden. I tore up just the leaves of the herbs and tossed them with the arugula. Then I sliced a fresh, ripe tomato onto the plate and just before serving, tossed all the greens with a little olive oil and red wine vinegar. I placed them on top of the tomato with a little salt and pepper and voila - a very tasty salad.
I also had some wonderful sand dabs, thanks to Frank's Fish Market on Market Street - delicious and great for someone on a budget. He did all the hard work of cleaning them - and then I sauteed them and served them on top of the salad and tomato. Delicious!!
Until next time, I'll see you at the market!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Julia Didn't Tell Me. . .
Hi all,
I'm making boeuf bourguignon according to Julia Child's recipe and guess what? She has you saute a sliced carrot and sliced onion, and then never says when to put them back in. It's right there on pp. 316 - 317. This is sort of a signature recipe from the movie "Julie and Julia" and is anecdotally, at least, one of the reasons Mastering the Art of French Cooking got published in the first place, so you think they'd want to get that right. . .
Operating on the theory that the reason you cook the pearl onions and mushrooms separately and add them at the last minute is so the wine doesn't turn them purple, I decided to hold the sliced regular onions and carrots until the end, too.
It's strange, both my sister and I have made this recipe a half-dozen times between us - and neither of us ever noticed it before. (I called her to confirm that I was not losing my mind and that the instruction really was missing.) Here's hoping! Until next time, I'll see you at the market!
I'm making boeuf bourguignon according to Julia Child's recipe and guess what? She has you saute a sliced carrot and sliced onion, and then never says when to put them back in. It's right there on pp. 316 - 317. This is sort of a signature recipe from the movie "Julie and Julia" and is anecdotally, at least, one of the reasons Mastering the Art of French Cooking got published in the first place, so you think they'd want to get that right. . .
Operating on the theory that the reason you cook the pearl onions and mushrooms separately and add them at the last minute is so the wine doesn't turn them purple, I decided to hold the sliced regular onions and carrots until the end, too.
It's strange, both my sister and I have made this recipe a half-dozen times between us - and neither of us ever noticed it before. (I called her to confirm that I was not losing my mind and that the instruction really was missing.) Here's hoping! Until next time, I'll see you at the market!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Stack up the eggplant!
Hi all,
I can't believe the bounty at the farmers' market these days! Beautiful heirloom tomatoes, eggplant in every shape and size, melons, peaches, sweet nectarines...what's a girl to do??? Fortunately, not much. The flavor that's packed into the produce means you have to do very little to it -- if anything at all!
May I suggest some eggplant and tomato stacks? If you like eggplant parmigiana, you'll like this very fresh version of it as well. Slice the eggplant horizontally into pieces about 1/4 - 1/2" thick. Lay them in a colander, salt them fairly heavily (you'll wash most of it off) and put a bowl on top of them. Fill the bowl either with canned goods or water and let the whole thing sit in the sink to drain for 30 minutes or so.
Take the eggplant slices out and rinse thoroughly, then pat dry. At this point you can either brush or toss them with olive oil and grill them on both sides until they're soft, or you can sautee them in some olive oil until lightly browned on both sides.
Slice a ball of fresh mozarella cheese (preferably at room temperature) into thin rounds. Slice a tomato (or 2 or 3, depending on how big your eggplant is) into rounds horizontally as well. Get some fresh basil and just stack the ingredients up on a plate - a layer of eggplant, then tomato, then cheese and so on, until you have anywhere from 6-9 layers per person. Tear the basil up and sprinkle it over the stack, along with some very good quality olive oil and a few drops of red wine or balsamic vinegar - and dig in! This dish not only tastes good, it looks very pretty on the plate. It's a great appetizer or side salad.
Mangia! Until next time, I'll see you at the market!
I can't believe the bounty at the farmers' market these days! Beautiful heirloom tomatoes, eggplant in every shape and size, melons, peaches, sweet nectarines...what's a girl to do??? Fortunately, not much. The flavor that's packed into the produce means you have to do very little to it -- if anything at all!
May I suggest some eggplant and tomato stacks? If you like eggplant parmigiana, you'll like this very fresh version of it as well. Slice the eggplant horizontally into pieces about 1/4 - 1/2" thick. Lay them in a colander, salt them fairly heavily (you'll wash most of it off) and put a bowl on top of them. Fill the bowl either with canned goods or water and let the whole thing sit in the sink to drain for 30 minutes or so.
Take the eggplant slices out and rinse thoroughly, then pat dry. At this point you can either brush or toss them with olive oil and grill them on both sides until they're soft, or you can sautee them in some olive oil until lightly browned on both sides.
Slice a ball of fresh mozarella cheese (preferably at room temperature) into thin rounds. Slice a tomato (or 2 or 3, depending on how big your eggplant is) into rounds horizontally as well. Get some fresh basil and just stack the ingredients up on a plate - a layer of eggplant, then tomato, then cheese and so on, until you have anywhere from 6-9 layers per person. Tear the basil up and sprinkle it over the stack, along with some very good quality olive oil and a few drops of red wine or balsamic vinegar - and dig in! This dish not only tastes good, it looks very pretty on the plate. It's a great appetizer or side salad.
Mangia! Until next time, I'll see you at the market!
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