A Reason to Come Home

Summer vacation in France is what dreams are made of.  Especially when you spend 2 weeks on a fully staffed river barge, sliding effortlessly from city to city, sampling all of the wonderful things that France has to offer.  But, alas, all good things must come to a fitting end, and this week I am back home in the states.  There will be future posts and pictures of some of the treats of France, but this week is saved for the treat that awaited me at home.

It's tough to leave a Western PA garden in August.  That is when the bounty of your toil comes flooding in.  Last year's odd weather patterns left the tomato yield quite paltry, and most of us are still reeling from those losses.  But this is a different year, and the tomatoes have gone forth and multiplied into large shiny scarlet orbs, hanging heavily from overburdened vines.  It is time for BLT's!!!

There are several secret weapons to a knock-out BLT.  The first is Basil Mayonnaise.  Whisking this together is a cinch if you are growing fresh basil beside your tomato patch, and it does make a huge difference on the sandwich.  When selecting bacon, it is important to find a quality supply.  I like the bacon thick and chewy, not too salty.  I find Brittner's Smokehouse here in my hometown does it just right.  Next, bread selection is paramount.  A good crusty Italian bread is always a good choice in a pinch, but better yet, I'm partial to a crusty semolina, or a hearty farm bread, preferrably from Mediterra Bakehouse here in Pittsburgh.  Traditional European bread cooked on bricks with fire, their bread always looks so beautiful, it's hard not to love it at first sight, but its the first bite that will make you a permanent fan.

Lastly, the tomato.  Ah, the sun-ripened, still warm, big as your face, garden tomato.  There is not much better than this.  If you have never tried an heirloom tomato of the striped variety, such as Mr. Stripey, Pineapple, or German striped, you MUST find one.  I am growing 2 types of stripes this year, and they are by far my favorite tomato.  Alternating between bright red and bright yellow, having a large core, thick flesh, next to no seeds or icky green goo, and a hauntingly sweet taste, these are the queens of the BLT.  Stop by for a bite, if you are in the neighborhood.  It was worth coming home for.

A Great Granola

Summer is a great time for granola, don't you think?  With all of the fresh stone fruits and wonderful berries popping up everywhere this time of year, there are few better ways to enjoy these riches  but with a simple yogurt (see last summer's Homemade Yogurt post for a real treat!) and some homemade granola.  This is my perfect summer breakfast and is the standard beginning of my day all summer long, and many fall, winter and spring days as well, though with different sources of fruit.

I have had some great granola in my time, but I have never been quite as happy with what I can find in the supermarket.  It always seems overloaded with the fillers, and under-represented with the tasty morsels of nuts, fruits, etc.  And worst of all, it never seems toasty.  That is the key really, if you think about it.  A good granola should be toasty.  Really toasty.  The store-bought granola that convinced me of this is the one I currently will buy when in a pinch - called "Udi's".  Not cheap, no, but good.  Which is how I got to the place of making it myself.  Was it possible to make an Udi's-stye granola (super toasty), with lots of high quality ingredients, but save some money to boot?  Could it really be that hard?

I tried a few different variations, judging each against the big issues with granola:  the fat content and the sugar content.  I mean, why ruin a good thing by weighing it down with too much bad stuff, and thereby negating that healthy-way-to-start-your-day concept.  So I was excited to find one particular recipe because of it's unapologetic use of olive oil as the fat, and quality maple syrup (the real stuff) as the sweet.  It so happens that these are two of my very favorite things.  I keep a large bottle of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil on the counter, and another in the pantry, at all times.  Next to it sits the large bottle of grade B maple syrup, with it's spare cozying up next to the pantry oil.  I was armed and ready for this recipe.  It was meant for me.

Getting quality oats was important too.  Luckily, a local bulk food store not only has an organic oat product, but has a 7-grain organic mix as well....this is what I opted for.  Next, the coconut.  Ahhh, the coconut...my childhood nemesis.  I never much liked the stuff, it seemed to ruin every decent baked good I found it in.  Dry, cloying, stick to the grooves in your mouth, coconut.  The pinnacle of my coconut hating goes back to the freezerful of coconut lemon cake that my dad stocked us up with as a side perk from a job he was working.  That cake made its way to our dinner table many nights over the course of a year, and almost wiped the sweet-lover right out of me. ( I did say almost.)  It tried, but I overcame.  Today, I love all things lemon.  I can tolerate a little coconut once in a while.  But what I didn't know is how REALLY GOOD coconut can be, if found in the right form.  Here's where unsweetened coconut flakes from Bob's Red Mill comes in.  This stuff if fantastic, especially when super-toasted along with the oats.  In fact, I'd like to say it's my favorite part of this granola, the part I pick out with my fingers when nobody's looking.

Lastly, the nuts and the fruits.  These are the tidbits that are often skimped on in over-the-counter varieties.  With this recipe, you get to choose them.  Mix and match them, try out new variations.  I'd caution you to add the fruit at the end, after the long toast (my first batch the fruit was tooth-bustingly hard).   And by all means, improvise.  But mostly, just enjoy.

Olive Oil Granola With Dried Fruit and Nuts

Adapted from MELISSA CLARK

Originally Published: July 10, 2009

1. 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2. 1 1/2 cups raw nuts, hulled
3. 1 cup raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds, hulled
4. 1 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
5. 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
6. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
7. 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or less if using salted nuts or seeds)
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9. 3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I love dried cherries here!)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, olive oil,  salt, and cinnamon. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.
2. Transfer granola to a large bowl and add dried fruit, tossing to combine. Serve with yogurt and fruit, if desired.
Yield: About 9 cups.

The Morel of the Story

It is the first week of summer, and here I am teasing you with a picture of spring.  I am a bit late in posting this, and for that I apologize.  These little beauties showed up in my kitchen one day this spring.  I'm going to hazard a guess that is was in late April.  You may notice that I said they "showed" up.  Not that I didn't go looking for them yet again this year.  I've got the rules down, under old apple, elm and poplar, recent burned areas, when the apple trees bloom, when the trillium  blossom.   I even have some fantastic sites in mind, where I just KNOW they will appear.... I check and re-check only to come up empty.  I traipsed on several well-timed forays into the woodlands when I was just sure the path would lead to bountiful morels- yet, my eyes did not light on a single one this year.  That is, until these appeared.

I'm not saying that I have been lucky before this year either.  To be fair, I've only known enough about wild mushrooms to even LOOK for morels in the last 6 or 7 years.  Before that, I could've stepped on an entire field of morels and kept right on moving through.  That's how most things go, I guess.  But now I know when to look, I know what to look for, I just need to get lucky with the right spot.  The best part of finding them has got to be how good these little hard-to-find devils taste.  I did get lucky one year, and found 1 yellow morel.  That's right, ONE.  We took that yellow morel back to the kitchen, fried it up ever so lightly in butter, then spooned it over a crisped piece of toast.  And split it 3 ways.  Spartan yes, but oh so meltingly delicious.

So this year, when a kind benefactor (thank you, thank you!) dropped off this gift, I had an idea laying in wait: Morels in Cream Sauce. My plan involved not just serving it spooned over top of a piece of toast, but to grill a marinated steak and first layer slices over the toast, then crown the whole affair with the morels in cream.  (Is your mouth watering yet?)   After some quick photography, a simple marinade for a sumptuous T-bone steak (equal parts A1 sauce, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, a spritz of hot sauce and a sprinkle of montreal steak seasoning), I got to washing the convoluted caps.  I decided to slice them right down the middle, cleaning out and rinsing as I went.   This is just about when the unexpected company showed up- lucky ducks!

I have to say, in my humble vegetarian-leaning opinion, the sauce was fully capable of standing on its own with the toast, leaving the steak to be somewhat superfluous.  However, the whole thing worked beautifully together, and for the steak lovers in the crowd, you will not be disappointed at all.  

I'm not sure when I will see the likes of another batch like this, but must accept the fact that it will be at least another year.  The short morel season, coupled with my incredible difficulty stumbling on them by chance, and everyone that's in-the-know being maddeningly tight lipped on their top secret hunting spots- all makes them taste that much better.   (Not to mention the price they can fetch at market!)

Thinking ahead, I secreted away one precious cap to dice up and sprinkle in my woods, like fairy dust, on the off chance that it would find a perfect landing spot to go forth and prosper.  Until then, these pictures must do.  Oh, and chanterelle season is just around the corner!

Morels in Cream Sauce (adapted from The Great Morel website)

15-20 morels, well cleaned, and sliced in half

1 shallot, finely diced

2 T butter

2 T olive oil

3/4 cup veal stock (or chicken stock)

1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the shallot in the butter and oil over medium until just translucent.  Add the sliced morels and saute till starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add stock and allow to reduce for 2-3 minutes.  Add cream, reduce heat, allowing to simmer until thickened slightly.  Season to taste.  

A planted garden with a happy pie ending

Today was a garden day.  Perhaps THE pinnacle of garden days this spring, as it was the day that the tomatoes were finally planted.  For those of you installing a garden this year, you know all about it....the dirty clothes and shoes, the weary back and arms, the fresh dug dirt smell, and the feeling of utter elation that it is finally in!!  For the rest of you, I know you will be hoping and waiting for our tomatoes to ripen so that you can visit with precision timing this summer.....a well-planned drop-in visit can yield large amounts of fresh veggies if all goes like this picture from the summer of 2008!  Keep those fingers crossed!!

Making the list this year are 10 tomato plants, of five different heirloom varieties. (Brandywine, Mr. Stripey, Amish Paste, Pineapple, Green Zebra).  Three of the varieties were started from seeds that I saved from those beauties 2 years ago!   Sadly, last year's heirloom bounty was a bust in this garden, as the blight struck us hard.  Yes, there were a few to harvest, but nothing to brag about for sure.   We are hoping for greater success this year.

We've got a few other things growing as well:  asparagus, rhubarb, raspberries, 2 new blueberry bushes, an herb garden, zucchini, pattypan, cantaloupe, winter squash, cucumber, lima bean, green bean, beet, carrot, 4 kinds of peppers, tomatillo, 2 kinds of eggplant, radish, green onion, swiss chard, arugula, red and green lettuces.  Whew.  I am exhausted just making the list.  It HAS been a long day.

Which leads me to the pie part.  After the long, laborious, hot and sunny day in the garden, we got visitors!!!  Four to be exact.  All of our parents showed up, taking advantage of the lovely weather to take a little drive.  Arriving just in time to see us drag our tired shovels out of the garden, the quick decision was made to catch dinner in town.   A wise decision, as no food was materializing from this house.  Off to Goodfella's we went.

After a very fulfilling meal, a single person ventured to order dessert.  But when Nutella Pie was announced as an option, all of our ears perked up.  Still, only one slice was ordered, but upon it's arrival, forks were raised all around and that single slice was quickly laid to rest.  Happily licking our forks we mused, "I wonder how you make a Nutella Pie?".   Once home, a quick google search happily answered that query, and you are the benefactors of this story.  Do make this pie soon.  I plan to.  Does it sound seriously easy or what?   Invite a few friends over (like me!) if you do, and they too will share in the joy that is Nutella Pie!

Nutella Pie (adapted from http://flavorsofabruzzo.com/2009/02/05/whipped-nutella-pie-for-world-nutella-day/)


1 pre-baked pie crust of  your choice


1 8oz.  package of cream cheese
1 cup Nutella
1 cup heavy cream - whipped


chocolate sauce or chocolate shavings for the top


Directions:  Combine cream cheese and nutella in a mixer, mix until well combined and creamy.  Fold in whipped heavy cream until just combined.  Spread into prepared pie shell.  Chill for at least 1 hour.  Serve with grated chocolate or drizzled with chocolate sauce.  

A Thousand Splendid Asparagus

This time last year a blog was born.  It was a time of celebration for my asparagus patch, which was dutifully sprouting the first spears of the spring, beautiful tips tightly closed and purple-tinged.  One year later the asparagus rises again.  And again and again if luck has it.  This blog too, has remained steadfast.  Though a bit more time may elapse between posts, it lives on.  Thank you for tuning in from time to time, and thank you for sharing your thoughts about it.  Your input - whether in person, or posting to the blog - inspires me.  Keep it up!!


As asparagus season rolls out in Western PA and farmer's markets begin to open up (May 8th for some of my favorites), hopefully you can get your hands on some freshly grown local spears.  Or maybe you'd rather drop by here and pick a few.  Either way, you may feel as I do that its time to try out some new recipes alongside your old favorites.  Because the production around here is fast and furious (and short-lived), I'm looking for ways to keep from getting bored.  Last year's big hit was the Cream of Asparagus Soup.  If you've not yet tried it out, make it your goal this spring.


Tonight was not the night for it though.  Tired from a long work week, not wanting to go to the trouble of making a pretty simple soup, I was looking for a quick fix.   Admittedly, I made the mistake this week of over-roasting a set of stalks. Though I do love oven-roasted asparagus, these were made limp, and dreadfully  stringy by my over-calculation of cooking time.  Not wanting to repeat that textural error, I went for the slightly cooked plan, and it was a winner.  In fact, I would go as far as to say this minimal cooking time was just perfect, resulting in just barely tender spears that yielded ever-so-slightly when bitten.  Even better was the flavor combination, a punch of lemon that only fresh grated rind can produce, combined with the salty/briny, earthy complexity of a well-aged parmesan cheese.


Cheers to you on this momentous occasion.  Keep reading, and I'll do my best to send more interesting things your way.


Lemon Parmesan Asparagus


1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed, remaining cut into 2-3" lengths
Olive oil  
Salt 
Pepper
Finely grated lemon peel from 1 fresh lemon
Freshly grated parmesan cheese


Directions:  Set pan of water to boil.  Add lengths of asparagus to boiling water.  Time for 2 minutes at full boil.  Remove spears and run quickly under cold water to stop cooking process.  Place drained asparagus on serving plate.  Dress lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Grate fresh lemon rind over spears, then fresh parmesan.

Home Style Mexican Dinner

Almost like clockwork, Mexican food beckons......weekly at a bare minimum around here.  Usually, that is the all the reason needed to head off to the nearest authentic Mexican restaurant and dig into some hot  salty chips and fresh spicy salsa, slow-simmered mashed and smokey pinto beans and something wrapped inside a tortilla.  You know what I'm talking about.  It's just so easy, and so tasty.  The thing is, its not so hard to whip up a decent south-of-the-border type dinner at home, it just takes a little bit pre-planning.

My favorite dish to order when I see it on the menu is  Carnitas.  For those uninitiated, this is a delicious, fall-apart pork dish, crispy on the outside, unbelievable tender inside, flavorful chunks of porky-ness served with flour or corn tortillas and toppings to create your own little wraps.  Turns out, it's an easy one to make at home as long as you have a crock pot, and a little time on your hands.   Since pork is the star here, it makes sense to find a great quality piece of meat.  We are lucky to have some local producers of pork here in the 'burgh, and that's where I'd start if I were you.  And don't forget, its the shoulder or butt that you want.  That's the piece with all of the flavor, imbedded with pork fat, that allows this cut to melt so beautifully.  Even a bone in the cut is OK.  It will be easy to pull out after you slow cook it.

So first, you slow cook the well seasoned (salt and pepper) pork shoulder on bed of raw onions until the meat melts into tender chunks.  Then, you take the entire contents of the crock pot - fat, slumpy onions, and pork, and toss into a hot saute pan, searing at high heat to create the crispy finish that defines a good batch of carnitas.  Be sure it is well done, crispy, and seasoned.

What I love about the result is that you can create the wrap of your dreams with that delicious pork.  My favorite things to dress it with are homemade guacamole and salsa, lettuce, diced red onion, and a drizzle of sour cream mixed with a little milk (a home version of mexican crema).  But you can top yours entirely differently!  One thing it really does NOT need is cheese, the calling card of many mexican dishes.  I think it's due to the richness of the pork that makes cheese an unnecessary afterthought.  In fact, I imagine it would do more to mask the flavor of the pork than accent it.   But you cheese-heads out there may disagree, and can go ahead and give it a try!  Myself, I am thinking of those smokey beans, and hoping some may come my way soon.  

Secrets of a great chocolate chunk cookie.

Do you know what the best way is to smash up a big hunk of dark chocolate?  It's  probably fortunate that I don't.  Otherwise, these cookies might become a nightly feature around here, and that can only lead to trouble.  But, if you figure it out, and want to share your method with me, post it here and we can all try to resist making these little lovelies too often.

You don't really HAVE to mess with the standard chocolate chip cookie recipe too much in my estimation.   But there are several little secrets held amongst those who bake them most often (hello to my sister's family), and somehow their cookies just come out better than mine.  Though I don't know all the secrets that they have, I'm going to share a few secrets that I encountered when I tried out this new recipe.  Shhhh. Don't tell anyone, or they will no longer be secrets.

First, a really interesting technique that tests your willpower right up front.  Age the dough.  Yes, that means to make it a day or two in advance, put in the fridge, and forget about it for a while.  It really does amazing things to the flavor complexity of the dough.   Second use some whole grain flour.  Try just subbing out a small part of the flour.  It gives the dough some "teeth", which I think improves the taste.  Third, don't overbake them.  Really don't overbake them.  Keep an eagle eye on them, and take them out of the oven just before you think you should.  Fourth, put away the bagged chocolate chips.  You won't need them here.  Find a big dark chocolate bar (here's secret #5:  Trader Joe's has pound plus belgian dark chocolate bars for cheap!).

Here's the tricky part:  Figure out a way to smash it into various sized shards, which will inevitably be the key to making a really awesome multi-dimensional cookie.  I'm sparing you the photography of my smashing event.  It's nothing I'm proud of.  I started innocently enough, on the solid-surface countertop, while still wrapped in its package, banging away at the bar using various instruments.  No luck.  It split open the package into gaping paper wounds spilling out chocolate dust everywhere, but no shards.  I pulled out my meat mallet, ready to do some real business, but decided I needed a way to "capture" the shards that would otherwise fly.  An "ahah" moment:  a kitchen towel!!  Wrapping the naked bar in the towel, I started by whacking at it on the counter.  Moments later I realized that was a bad idea for the longevity of my counter, so quickly moved to the tile floor.  Bashing meat hammer to cloth towel to chocolate bar to tile floor was great way to release pent up emotions, and gather the dogs to the chaos that was ensuing in the hallway.

The end result was questionable.  Yes, shards of chocolate, varying sizes from dust to quite large.  Towel?  Torn to shreds, imbedded deeply with chocolate, worthless.  Floor?  Unbroken, thankfully.  Dogs?  Puzzled, but happy with chocolate dust smell.  Cookies?  Priceless.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Perfect Chocolate Chunk Cookies


3 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
    Stir these together in a separate bowl
2 sticks of butter
1 cup white sugar
1.5 cups brown sugar
   Cream these together in mixer, for about 3 minutes
3 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
   Add these to creamed butter/sugar mixture


Gradually mix in flour mixture on low speed, mixing just to combine and no longer.  
Add 14 oz. dark chocolate shards.


Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, but 1-2 days is even better.
Form cookies into  approx. 2" balls.  Roughly a big handful.  Don't worry about packing it into perfect balls.  I loosely structured mine, and they turned out fine. 
*Bake at 350 degrees, for 11-13 minutes, on trays lined with parchment paper.  Halfway through baking, switch around trays on racks (up to down, front to back).  At this point, you are also assessing how much more baking time.  Check them often after this halfway point.  


*note:  I finally bought an oven thermometer...highly recommended.