Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

How did it get to be October already? And me with a backlog of summer recipes! Luckily, heirloom tomatoes are still beautiful and all over the greenmarket and watermelon is in abundance at Fairway.


When I was a kid, watermelon (and cucumbers) were the only two foods I refused to eat. Their high water content diluted the flavor so much as to make it unpalatable to me. Lately, though, I've found that, when it's terribly hot out, I crave these watery fruits. Probably my body seeking to rehydrate itself as much as possible.


But, because I have a low tolerance to sweet, I needed to add something salty to the watermelon and tomatoes. Mark Bittman recommends goat cheese, but I was more interested in feta, as suggested by Josh in his Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad. Some basil (from the plant that's still growing nicely on our terrace!), a sprinkling of sea salt and a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and we had ourselves a delicious salad. Enjoy!


Watermelon and Tomato Salad
adapted from How to Cook Everything and The Food Section

• 3 heirloom tomatoes, assorted varieties, cored and thickly sliced
• 1/4 watermelon, seeded, peeled and sliced as thickly (or thinly) as tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled
• 8 leaves basil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

On a large platter, lay down first a tomato slice, then a watermelon slice, overlapping slightly, until all used. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and feta. Crumble basil leaves on top and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Salad, Corn and Shrimp

Make It a Meal: Keep the summer theme going by serving the salad with corn -- rather than just steaming it, try Roasted Corn with Parsley Butter. If serving a vegetarian, and since the oven's already on for the corn) finish out the meal with some Roasted Vegetables. If not, go for Salt Roasted Shrimp instead. And to drink? Riesling, especially if you can find a local one like Treleaven Riesling from the Finger Lakes. Bon appetit!

Leftovers: Unfortunately, this isn't a salad that saves very well, so eat it the night of, if at all possible. If not, mix leftovers with falafel (if you don't make your own, I highly recommend Trader Joe's frozen variety) to make a more substantial salad. Yum!

Links to other watermelon salad noshes:

• Watermelon Salad with Feta or Cotija from Simply Recipes
• Beautiful and Simple Watermelon Salad that Is Perfect for Summer Days from Junglefrog Cooking
• Watermelon Salad Thing from Lottie + Doof
• Minty Watermelon Salad from Never Enough Thyme
• Tomato and Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese from Steamy Kitchen

Roasted Rosemary Tofu

Roasted Rosemary Tofu with Salsa Verde

 So sorry for the extended silence! We just returned from an absolutely fabulous weekend in Florida (my first time!) for my cousin's wedding. We swam, went to the beach, saw alligators in the Everglades, ate hibachi, danced and enjoyed some sun and warm weather--two things we were beginning to think were just figments of our imagination.


But now we're back in New York, where it's still stubbornly winter and I see I have yet to write up the 

Tofu

recipe for the tofu variation of last week's Roasted Rosemary Cod. Enjoy!


Roasted Rosemary Tofu

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• 1 lb. firm tofu
• 1 skewer fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons salsa verde

Cut tofu in half height-wise, wrap in a clean towel and place on a plate. On top, place a colander or bowl filled with a couple of bottles or boxes (I use a bottle of olive oil and a box of kosher salt). Press for at least an hour.

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peanut oil. Swirl around pan. Unwrap pressed tofu and salt and pepper each side. Place tofu in pan. Pan-roast for 7 minutes. Flip over, reduce heat to medium, and add rosemary leaves, butter and thyme. Cook another 5 minutes. Remove from pan and serve with

Rosemary and Tofu

 

salsa verde.

Make it a meal: We also had this with pearl barley, spinach, and Beaujolais Nouveau. For dessert: tangerines. Bon appetit!

Links to other Rosemary Roasted Tofu noshes:

• Roasted Rosemary Pears from A Life (Time) of Cooking
• Lentil and Eggplant Pasta with Rosemary from Tofu for Two
• Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Shrimp Skewers with Fuyu Persimmon from Kalyn's Kitchen

Roasted Rosemary Cod

Rosemary-Roasted Cod with Salsa Verde

Lately I've been wanting fish. Maybe it's the recent spate of warmer temperatures. Either way, last week, I 

Cod, Roasting in the Pan

kept thinking about cod. Cod is thick, rich, buttery and difficult to overcook. Because by itself it has a quiet flavor, I like pairing it with more pungent tastes like rosemary. Even though it grows year-round, I associate rosemary's loud flavor with winter. It marries surprisingly well with fish, so I decided to cook it with the cod, grounding the dish in winter although it's certainly on its way to spring. Just like the weather these days. Next post will be the tofu variation. Enjoy!


Roasted Rosemary Cod
(adapted from Craft of Cooking)

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• 1 lb. skin-on cod fillet
• 1 skewer fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons salsa verde

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil. Swirl around pan. Salt and pepper both sides of cod fillets. Place them, skin side down, in pan. Pan-roast about 7 minutes. Flip over, reduce heat to medium and add rosemary leaves, butter and thyme. Cook another 5 minutes. Remove 

Rosemary-sprinkled Cod

from pan and serve with salsa verde.

Make it a meal: We also had this with pearl barley, spinach and Beaujolais Nouveau. For dessert I had some sottocenere and we each had a tangerine. Bon appetit!

Links to other Roasted Rosemary Cod noshes:

• Bacon Wrapped Cod with Rosemary and Lemon from Culinary Disasters
• Roasted Rosemary Beets from Guilty Kitchen
• Roasted New Potatoes from Simply Recipes

Tarragon Pistachio Butter and Beer Making, Part I

Tarragon Pistachio Butter

One of our Chanukah presents this year was a beer maker which, until now, has sat patiently above our kitchen cabinets, waiting to be used. Sunday night, after spring teased us with a 60F-day on Friday (only to shoot back down to a wintry 20F over the weekend), we decided it was time. Since neither the vegetarian nor I know very much about beer or beer-making, we invited one of his best friends from college, E, over to join in the merriment. We made West Coast Pale Ale, set everything in a (mostly) empty cabinet and began the more-immediate task of making dinner.


I've been on a sweet potato kick lately and, while looking for yummy sweet potato recipes in the folder in which I keep all the recipes I've stumbled upon and plan to make, I excitedly lighted on the word "sweet". It was followed, however, not by the word "potato" but instead by "pistachio".  Ah, yes! The Sweet Pistachio Butter from 101 Cookbooks--a vegetarian "healthy recipe journal" that I cannot recommend highly enough--that I had saved as a way to use up the pistachios from my Cornish Hens (and Tofu) with 

An (almost-set) Table

Cranberry Paste. (On a side note, one of my former college roommates, Miss Julie, a San Franciscan, cooks from there incessantly and was actually the one who first turned me on to the site.) Heidi made her Pistachio Butter for crepes but I, with my waning sweet tooth, wanted something more savory, to serve atop a protein. I stared for a while at the picture of Heidi's brilliantly green butter and decided to replace the sweetener with an herb. What herb? Something light, with a sweet taste and a loud flavor--tarragon! I often think of tarragon with chicken, but instead I paired it with Salmon Roasted with Herbs (from How to Cook Everything) for E and me and Tofu Roasted with Herbs for the vegetarian. The tarragon created just the right amount of sweetness to balance out the flavor of the pistachios and paired beautifully with the richness of the salmon. It also matched quite nicely with the delicate flavor of the tofu, I was told. And, to satisfy this sweet potato obsession, we had Roasted Yam Puree with Brown Butter--decadent and delightful. There was also a Cherry Tomato-Caper Salad and Hummus with Capers. And, while I would 
recommend a Viognier as a wine-pairing, we stayed on our beer theme and instead 
had Long Haul Session Ale with the Hummus and Morimoto Soba Ale with the Salmon, Tofu and Tarragon 
Pistachio Butter. I highly recommend both, especially the Morimoto. Enjoy!


Tarragon Pistachio Butter

• 

  Salmon and Tofu

  1 cup almonds
• 1 cup pistachios, shelled and crushed
• 1 bunch fresh tarragon leaves
• 1/2 cup water, hot (from the tap is fine)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 pinches Hawaiian salt

First peel almonds: pour boiling water into a small bowl and add almonds. Allow to sit at least 1 minute, then remove them one at a time (go for those whose peels are the most shriveled first) and peel, rub, whatever to remove.

Place peeled almonds into food processor along with pistachios, tarragon, hot water and garlic. Pulse until all one consistency (add more water if you'd like it to be wetter), then add salt and pulse once or twice more to incorporate. Serve, atop salmon, tofu or whatever you'd like. Makes more than enough for 3 people's dinner. Enjoy!

Links to other tarragon pistachio butter noshes:

• Baked Peas with Tarragon, Yogurt, and Pistachios from 101 Cookbooks
• Tarragon Chicken Thighs with Buttered Leeks from Winter Skies, Kitchen Aglow

CSA Week 2: Filets de poulet au sauce de moutarde, menthe et persil

Week 2 of our CSA and we had another exciting haul: 5 more garlic scapes, 4 baby turnips with their greens still attached, 3 more heads of lettuce, 1 bunch swiss chard, parsley, mizuna and field greens. Obviously, salads are in our future, but I'm also trying to come up with some scrumptious cooked dishes as well.

While not cooked, I made this sauce on Thursday night when I came home hot and sweaty with my vegetables. I wanted a tasty, refreshing, light meal that wouldn't require too much work to prepare. After browsing online for a while, I found a recipe for a Mustard-Mint-Parsley Sauce that Alosha served with salmon. The sauce sounded delicious, but I was more interested in having meat than fish. So I searched for a turkey dish that would go nicely with the sauce. I finally settled on Turkey Cutlets from Kalyn's Kitchen. After tweaking both recipes quite a bit (and discovering that there actually are no turkey cutlets to be found in Chinatown), I created my own dish which, served with a simple salad with almonds, turned into a delightful meal.

Chicken fillets with mustard mint and parsley sauce

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons yogurt
• 1 tablespoon aioli
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons chardonnay
• leaves from 1 stalk fresh spearmint, finely chopped
• leaves from 1 stalk fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped

Chicken:

• 1 tablespoon breading mix
• 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• dash kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 pound chicken fillets

Begin by making the sauce so the flavors have sufficient time to meld. Simply mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Reserve until ready to use.
Now make the chicken. Mix breading mix, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper together on a plate. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt into olive oil. Dredge each chicken fillet in breading, then add to hot pan. Cook 4 minutes, then flip, lower heat, cover and cook another 4 minutes until fillets are cooked through. Remove from pan and serve accompanied by sauce. Enjoy!
Links to other parsley noshes:

• Parsley Hummus with Whole Wheat Pita Chips from Kalyn's Kitchen
• Basil Mint Parsley "Pesto" Sauce from Karina's Kitchen
• Parsley-Herb Salad from Mark Bittman
• Quinoa Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Parsley from The Perfect Pantry
• Quinoa, Parsley and Pepper Salad from Just Bento
• Pear Parsley Dressing from Elana's Pantry

Truite rose envelopee de la poitrine fumee et farcie par le romarin

I have a confession to make: I'm squeamish about fish. Not eating fish; I'm perfectly happy to eat it, including the gloopy jarred gefilte fish almost none of my friends can stand. And I rather enjoy cooking fillets. But I can't deal with a whole fish. First of all, in order to even cook it, you have to gut it, which is always a big bloody mess that makes your kitchen reek for weeks afterwards. I don't usually have a problem with blood; I eat my meat rare, or saignant [literally, bloody]. So maybe it's fish blood. I don't like fish blood.

But today I went to a market in search of fresh spinach and passed by a fish stand. The little pink trouts were so cute--just the right size for a meal for one. And they were inexpensive. Since Davey's in Amsterdam until tomorrow and the Boy is back in the States for a few weeks, it was just me for dinner tonight. And when I'm not feeding anyone but myself, I'm always more inclined to experiment. I decided to go for it and bought one trout, asking the saleswoman to "la vider, s'il vous plait [literally, to empty it out]." I brought the gutted fish home and it lay in its blue plastic bag in my fridge until I mustered up the courage to deal with it.

When I finally took it out of its bag, I almost hid it back in the fridge. There was blood everywhere, slowly dripping out of the hole in its stomach. But I rinsed it under cold water, convinced myself that it wasn't actually still bleeding, and set about making dinner.

You know what? It was delicious. I served it with my spinach and a thick slice of pain de campagne, also from the market.

Truite rose envelopee de la poitrine fumee et farcie par le romarin
(based on a recipe at Food Network.)

Serves 1.

1 whole pink Trout, cleaned
Salt and Black Pepper
1 sprig fresh Rosemary
3 slices Bacon
1/2 Lemon, sliced

Pre-heat broiler. If, like me, you don't have one, simply raise the rack of your oven so a glass baking dish will be close to the heat source. Then set the heat to about 300 C.

Dry Trout with paper towels and rinse off any residual blood. Stuff Salt and Pepper into the cavity, along with the Rosemary. Salt and Pepper the outside of the Trout and wrap three slices of Bacon around it.

Put the Trout in a glass baking dish and broil for 5 minutes. Flip the Trout, being careful not to let the Bacon fall off. Broil for another 2 minutes. Add Lemon slices to pan, lower heat to 250 C (if not using a broiler) and cook 2 more minutes, until Bacon and skin of Trout are crispy and Trout is cooked through. Serve.

Jarret de veau braise avec du thym

Today I spent the day in bed, feeling all mopey and sleepy. Missing the Boy and possibly fighting some kind of French flu (or just the side effects of not sleeping very well or very much lately). What I really wanted, was some good chicken noodle soup, but the last time I went down to the Jewish quarter for matzoh ball soup (there was no chicken noodle), it was overpriced and disappointing. I didn't want to make it at home because I don't like dealing with picking apart raw chicken carcasses. Also, I figured I needed the extra kick of red meat. After doing some thinking, I decided on pasta with a heavy sauce and lamb shanks. We have a fair amount of port left from before the Boy left and I'm sure it's too old to be any good for drinking so I decided to make that.

However, when I got to my wonderful butcher, I found that he had no Jarret d'agneau! So I got Jarret de veau, Veal Shank. Unfortunatley, it was a lot more expensive than I expected, so I didn't have the heart to turn it into a sauce. Instead I made plain braised veal shanks, with carrots and celery (including celery leaves), the rest of my thyme and a bay leaf. And so my port lives to see another day.

Jarret de veau

(Adapted from Epicurious)

Makes a hearty meal for three meat-eaters, or a normal meal for six.

All-purpose Flour
6 Veal Shanks, bone-in (about 1.5 kg in all)
Salt and Pepper
Dried Oregano to taste
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
2 Celery Stalks and their leafy tops, the stalks chopped
6 sprigs of Thyme
1 Sprig of Bay Leaf
1/2 L Chicken Bouillon

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Rub Salt, Pepper and Dried Oregano on both sides of each
Shank. Heat 1/4 cup Olive Oil in an oven-proof pot big enough to hold all six chops over medium-high heat. Pour Flour into a shallow bowl or onto a cutting board. Dip each side of each piece of veal into the flour. Shake off the excess and place the shank into the pot. Turn the heat down to medium and brown the veal, about 3 minutes each side. The veal should be in one layer in the pot, so you will probably have to brown it in batches. When each piece is done, transfer it to a plate.
Add the rest of the Olive Oil to the pot. Add the Onion, Carrot, Celery stalks and leaves, Thyme, Bay Leaf, Salt, Pepper and Oregano. Cook for 12 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan every so often to prevent nasty stains you'll have to scratch out. Add more Salt, Pepper or Oregano if you desire. Add the veal on top and cover everything with chicken stock. Put the pot into the oven (preferably covered to keep it from drying out) for 1 hour, 10 minutes. Place 1-2 Shanks on each plate and cover in sauce and veggies. Serve immediately.

This was yummy and, because I'm a meat-eater, I neglected to make a side. But I'll have a nice dinner for three days and will keep you updated on re-heating, etc. Who doesn't love left-overs?

Update: I made a new variation!