Scape afficionados rejoice! The whimsical curly shoots that spring from garlic plants in early summer have arrived at the market. (Note: When you get home, trim your scape-stems and prop in a tall glass or vase with some water at the bottom.) Since the first cucumbers are showing up, too, this week’s recipe is a local, seasonal take on Tzatziki […]
Read moreSweet strawberries have a faithful companion in tart rhubarb. They’re often called the first two fruits of spring, although rhubarb is strictly speaking a vegetable. Rhubarb was introduced to America by Benjamin Franklin and was commonly called pie plant, supposedly because of its use in pies. Here it joins strawberries in a crumble – humbler than pie, and even easier! […]
Read moreMicro-greens are baby-plants with cut stems and leaves, as opposed to sprouts which are germinated seeds, eaten roots and all. Chefs love piling the little greens into tangled stacks on top of a nice piece of fish or meat – they add instant hits of flavor and texture and look so appealingly fresh. Use them to dress up scrambled eggs, […]
Read moreThe 2012 growing season got off to a quick start with unseasonably warm weather in early spring. This week, while it lasts, we’re taking advantage of local asparagus . Roast Asparagus with a lemony cream 1 lb. asparagus 1 scant Tbs olive oil 2 ½ tsp. strained fresh lemon juice lemon parings from ½ a lemon salt and white pepper […]
Read moreOur recipe this week is for a large whitish botanically-enigmatic knob in the turnip family. The Macomber turnip. also known as the Westport turnip, was introduced to Westport by the Macomber brothers in 1876. It’s crisp as a radish, sweet as rutabaga, white as a turnip, and winsomely smooth and mellow when cooked. Turnips suspiciously like these are also called […]
Read moreAsiago crisps, our recipe for this week, are the perfect little cocktail nibble before you settle down to the big meal. We used Foxboro’s Asiago, available at several local winter markets. Ridiculously simple and good, these crisps, and you can easily double or treble the recipe assuming you have enough baking sheets. Asiago Crisps ½ cup fine shreds of Asiago […]
Read moreLast week we ran a recipe for roasted eggplant. This week we’re roasting cauliflower. Even people who profess not to like cauliflower one bit can fall in love with this dish. Roasting brings out the sweetness of cauliflower and slightly caramelizes it. And the recipe couldn’t be easier. Roasted Cauliflower 1 lb or so cauliflower, washed and trimmed 3-4 Tbs. […]
Read moreAs evenings get cooler, we don’t mind switching on our ovens and roasting vegetables at high temperature. You might want to try roasting eggplants while they are still plentiful. Choose the regular glossy dark eggplants for this. The addition of a pinch of turmeric is less for taste than for color – it imbues the eggplant slices with a golden […]
Read moreIt’s been the vogue for a while to barely cook green beans—just plunge in boiling salted water for a few minutes until crisp tender. And, especially if they are skinny, beans are good cooked like that, in a squeaky, vibrant-green sort of way. There’s something to be said, though, for cooking beans over very low heat in their own buttery […]
Read moreWe still hope to see peaches and plums, the stone-fruits of late summer, before they vanish for another year. Here’s a recipe for a gooey plum paste that makes an unusual addition to a cheese plate. It’s also good with roasted meats, game and turkey. And, of course, you can use it in sandwiches or spread on toast. Sticky Plum […]
Read more