“What are those?” a customer asked, eyeing a basket of green tomatillos. “And what do we do with them?” Tomatillos, available at Allen and Silverbrook farms, are part of the extended tomato family. You may already know the sweet little husk-tomatoes at the market, with their hints of strawberry or pineapple, which are eaten as fruit. They have papery outer […]
Read moreThe recent tropical heat and humidity (global climate change in action?) has made us crave cooling soups. Here’s a yogurt-based soup, loosely inspired by the summer soups of Poland and Russia. You may find it surprisingly hearty, substantial enough for a meal, especially if you serve it with a side of steamed new potatoes. It’s made with beets, the deep […]
Read moreFresh cod with Ginger-scallion sauce One pound of fresh fish Half bunch of scallions, cut into 1/4’ slices at the white end and going up to 2’ for the green 2-3 inch chunk of ginger root, grated 3 Tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter One quarter lemon Broil the fish about 5-8 minutes each side, or until flaky and just-cooked. […]
Read moreSummer is waning. The autumnal equinox falls on September 22. Make salad while the sun shines. Here is an easy-going chopped vegetable and bread salad called fattoush. If you can find powdered sumac, a tart, deep-red, Middle-Eastern spice, dust it over the finished salad. Similarly if you can forage some purslane, put that in, too. Both add a refreshing, authentic […]
Read moreIt’s summertime and the cooking is easy. Less is often more: summer food at peak flavor needs very little to turn it into something that looks and tastes delicious. Like this corn and tomato salad, for instance. We tweaked it with a spoonful of Singe-Sations, a great condiment to keep in your fridge if you like a little instant jalapeno […]
Read moreThis week’s recipe combines butter-poached peas, scallions and garlic scapes, which become a quite different vegetable when cooked–bean-like and sweet. Spring Vegetable Ragout 10 oz sugar snap pea-pods, trimmed (about 4 cups) 8 oz shelling peas (about ½ cup shelled) 8 garlic scapes, tender parts only, top-knot discarded 8 scallions, trimmed back to six inches 1 cup pea-cooking water, plus […]
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