TALKING FRESH

Two Fabulous Blueberry Salads

           If blueberries aren't the best tasting of the early-summer fruits, I don't know what is.  Much has been written about the “superfruit” qualities of blueberries.  They are an excellent source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, and antioxidants, all at a mere 80 calories per cup.  What other superfood can give you so much return for so few calories and at the same time taste so sweet?

            And while blueberries are out of season right now, we bought them in the summer and froze them.  Lots of them.  Three flats this summer.  And now, in October, we're still enjoying fresh summer blueberries.

            Next summer, try them yourself.  To preserve blueberries for eating throughout the long winter months, freeze and store them immediately after purchase.  Simply wash the blueberries well and dry them thoroughly, lay them out on trays between layers of clean dish towels, and freeze.  Later, bag them up in quart-size freezer bags and store them on the bottom shelf of your freezer.  The reward for the modest effort expended is unimaginable, especially when you realize that you can dump a load of fresh blueberries on your morning cereal or in your pancakes when there is still snow on the ground.  Or, just eat 'em straight out of the bag, little sweet frozen treats exploding with flavor and nutrition.

            Here, fresh for good summer eating all year, are two fabulous cold blueberry salads, one from the August, 2003 issue of Cooking Light.  The other is one we've been playing with for years.  You can poach or grill your chicken--either way is fine--and both are filling and satisfying dishes that will surprise your family or guests with an unexpected sweet and savory--and extremely healthy--treat. 

Chicken, Endive, and Blueberry Salad with Toasted Pecans

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced Belgian endive (about 2 large heads), or, if you prefer a milder green, Bibb lettuce

2 cups mesclun (gourmet salad greens)

1 ½ cups boneless chicken breast, poached or grilled, chopped to 1-inch cubes

1 ½ cup fresh blueberries

¼ cup chopped red onion

2 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons honey

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat or feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

 

Preparation:

            Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper, whisk until combined. Add to salad and toss to coat.

Sprinkle salad with cheese and pecans.  Drizzle olive oil over the salad and toss lightly before serving.

CHICKEN AND BLUEBERRY PASTA SALAD

Ingredients:

2 cups boneless, skinless chicken breast, poached or grilled, chopped to 1-inch cubes
8 ounces whole-wheat pasta - fusilli, radiatore, gemelli or rotini. Or use protein-plus .
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

            Precook the chicken and chill, prepare the pasta according to the package directions, and then rinse with cold water.

            For the dressing, place the oil and shallot in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Add broth, feta and lime juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the feta begins to melt, 1 to 2 minutes.

            Add the chicken to the bowl with the pasta. Add the dressing, blueberries, thyme, lime zest and salt and toss until combined.

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki and Tzatziki



            The foundation of a great kitchen is the tools and supplies on hand. This includes knives, pots and pans, and condiments--salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise--the basic ingredients you use regularly.

            This includes, of course, herbs and spices.

            What I'm about here is herbs—the ones you use all the time, and don't even think about until a recipe calls for a teaspoonful.  You reach for the little bottle by the stove and—oops!—there’s not enough for the recipe.

            My solution?  Grow your own. Many of you already do, and if so, you know that there's not much better than an omelet
with a few snips of fresh chives to complete the dish.  Homemade marinara with fresh parsley and basil?  A snap, and so much better than store-bought.

            Growing your own herbs is easy, cheap, and rewarding—in the sense of pride you feel from adding homegrown ingredients to your food, and for the compliments you’ll get from guests who don't know why that simple red sauce tastes better than theirs.

            People have all kinds of ways to grow their herbs.  Pots on a windowsill and sections of vegetable gardens are common.  We grow ours in large pots outside our kitchen door.  A little water every day or two in the summer—not too much, herbs like to be a bit on the dry side—and a little planning, and you won't be buying expensive bottles of herbs at the grocery store any more. 

            Grow any herbs you like; most will flourish here. The trick to successful herb gardening is to harvest often.  Cut plants back when they outgrow the perimeter of the pot.  Cut large bunches, tie with string and hang in a warm, dry, dark place—I dry them in my garage—and forget them for three or four weeks.  When they are dry and crumbly to the touch, break them up in a large bowl, remove and discard the stems, and place them in the little bottles you saved when you ran out.

            And here's an added bonus:  most herbs overwinter nicely in a garage. Simply put the pots on a shelf in a cold (but not freezing) garage, near a window if you have one, give them a little water every couple of weeks, and in the spring, after the freeze is gone, trim them back to about six inches, and most will come back, probably stronger. 

 

            So what can you do with these fabulous herbs?  How about a festival of Greek summer treats?

 

Souvlaki (Lamb or Chicken)

Ingredients:

½ cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1 tablespoon chopped oregano

2 lemons, juiced

2 pounds lamb shoulder meat, trimmed of most (but not all) the fat, cut into 1-inch cubes or

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (similarly prepared)

 

Preparation:

Place all the ingredients in a zipper-close food-storage bag, mix well, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, and preferably overnight.  Place the meat on soaked wood or steel skewers, and grill over direct heat, turning several times, until done, 15-20 minutes.

Serve over rice or couscous, and with this fabulous yogurt dipping sauce:

 

Greek Tzatziki

Ingredients:

32 ounces plain yogurt or 16 ounces plain Greek yogurt

1 large peeled, seeded and shredded English cucumber (or two regular ones)

5-8 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced (you decide how many)

3 tablespoons white vinegar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

 

Preparation:

Place the plain yogurt in cheese cloth over a large bowl and strain in the refrigerator overnight (not necessary if you use Greek yogurt).  Mix the cucumber and garlic with the salt and drain over a bowl for a half hour (this will remove moisture from the cucumber).  Blend all the ingredients well in a large bowl. 

Serve with the grilled souvlaki and a Greek salad.

Goat Lips (You've Got to Read This!)

I'm in Pensacola, Florida, this week, teaching courses for my friend's training business.  I've never been here before, but I've got to say, there are some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.

Now...about Goat Lips.

I was pointed towards a place to eat lunch between classes to a place called The Goat Lips Deli & Dinner House.  When I drove up, I was a bit reticent.  It looks like a place you wouldn't want to go for a meal.  I drove by it once, not even noticing it.  And when I did, I thought, "Where the heck have these otherwise reasonable people sent me?"

A true dive, and a not very attractive one at that.

But I decided to try it, as it was convenient to my workplace, and it did come with a recommendation.  So in I walked.

And there, behind the counter was Larry.  Larry Cowan.  Hair just a bit too long, middle-aged guy with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye, and pointing towards a menu that contained such interesting things as a twenty-dollar muffuletta, (or a ten-buck half), Caribbean Jerk Chicken I was warned would make my forehead sweat, a classic gyro, a blackened fish sandwich, and a host of normal lunch fare.

So, forewarned, I tried the Jerk Chicken sandwich

Folks, this beast is all you could ever want in a lunch sandwich.  Enough jerk seasoning and crushed red peppers to last a lifetime.  Smoked ham and cheese, fresh red onion, lettuc,e and tomato, and a thrilling spicy mayo--this is all a sandwich should be. 

And the sweet tea, a southern specialty, was a homerun.

Larry let me know that there were some wonderful things coming up at suppertime, and I will certainly need to try them as well.

And a for atmosphere?  The dining room--he called it the Sports Bar, and there are the requisite big screens playing ESPN, has more autographed 8x10 photos than I have ever seen in one place before--featuring everyone from Emmitt Smith to Dave Schultz to Johnny Miller to Willie Nelson to xxxxxx to, well, you get the idea.  Just about anyone you can think of, collected over what appears to be more than thirty years.

And Larry himself is just the right guy to herd over this little place.  A former advertising executive who decided to chuck it and follow his passion.  And the food, lorded over by Marsha Surprenant, a tiny and feisty white-haired lady (who floated me my meal when I discovered that I had forgotten my  wallet-I paid her back the next day), is about as good as it gets.

Here's a link to the Goat Lips:  http://www.goatlipsdeli.com/default.asp.

I know Pensacola is a bit off the beaten track, but if you get here, Goat lips is an absolute must!

Magnificent Summer Pasta with a Surprise

By JEFF THAL, Talking Fresh

 

I just didn't think I could be surprised by a bowl of pasta and tomato sauce.

I've been cooking for more than 50 years, and I was pretty sure I had seen about every variation on pasta and tomatoes that was worth tasting, and especially simple dishes that could be prepared quickly on a hot summer evening with a minimum of fuss and with familiar flavors I've used or tasted a thousand times.

When I was single, I would boil a big handful of pasta, throw a chopped clove of garlic, a couple of basil leaves, a plum tomato and some onions into a sauté pan heated with olive oil, toss them together with some Parmesan, pour a glass of Chianti and call it dinner.

This is still probably the best simple dish I know.

So when we were directed to the large bowl of warm linguine and tomatoes at a party a few weeks ago, I nodded politely, said "Thank you" and headed for the Thai spring rolls. Some time later, out of curiosity — and because the pasta in the large bowl was dwindling rapidly and I didn't want to feel left out — I tried the pasta.

Surprise!

I discovered what I think pasta and tomatoes is supposed to taste like. When that first Italian farmer, three thousand years ago, accidentally spilled his harvest into a bowl of noodles, this was what he experienced. And we've all been trying to replicate it ever since.

This is Zen in the kitchen: The only cooking is boiling the pasta, and it requires very few ingredients, most of which you already have on hand. Many people grow their own tomatoes and basil, but if you don't, try it next summer. It's the easiest way to start growing your own food. You'll save money on oft-used staples, and ingredients you grow yourself make any recipe better.

The dish began as "Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil" in The Silver Palate Cookbook, and it uses softened Brie instead of the more common Parmesan.

I was most surprised by that. I've never used Brie in a recipe. To me, it's bland and uninteresting. But what a difference it makes! It's about texture, and it beautifully carries the other, bolder flavors.

I've sharpened and altered the recipe to make it, I think, even better. It has less oil, more veggies, and a more intense flavor. And use rotini, which holds more of the sauce and is available in a protein-enriched variety in most grocery stores.

SUMMER PASTA AND TOMATOES
6 ripe Roma tomatoes, skinned, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound Brie, rind removed and cut into small pieces

1 generous cup fresh basil leaves, washed and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (use the good stuff for this dish)

3 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound protein-enriched rotini

Combine the tomatoes, cheese, basil, garlic, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Cover and let stand at room temperature for two hours.

Boil the rotini in water with the remaining salt and olive oil until just al dente.

Drain the pasta well (but don't rinse it — you want the pasta starch in this dish) and immediately combine with the tomato sauce, tossing well until the cheese melts into the pasta.

Serve immediately with warm, crusty bread and a bold Italian red wine. Have a pepper mill at the ready.

Right now is peak tomato season, and you can't possibly have enough different and wonderful recipes using these garden treasures. On vacation last week, we rediscovered panzanella, an extraordinary tomato, basil and bread salad, one of my favorite summer dishes. You can find my recipe for this treat in the Aug. 8, 2010, edition in the LancasterOnline archive, or on my blog.

Email Jeff Thal at talking.fresh@yahoo.com or visit his blog, talkingfresh.typepad.com/blog.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/442066_Dazzled-by-an-old-standby.html#ixzz1VwPnSV00

Fresh-Picked Fruits, and Sherbet, Sherbet, Sherbet

By JEFF THAL, Talking Fresh

 

Sometimes — like right now — it's simply too hot to cook.

What we're hoping for is a break in the heat, perhaps a day of soaking rain, a couple of pleasant hours to get outside and do the yardwork, then a big salad and a tall, cool drink for supper, and a terrific frozen treat to finish off the evening.

I've been inspired by the weather this July (and likely August, as well), to keep it simple; we're making lots of salads now — Greek salad with feta and cucumbers, Mexican black bean salad with cilantro and peppers, and lots of different cold pasta salads with poached salmon, grilled chicken or hard-boiled eggs. It's just too hot to cook.

With that in mind, what I present to you this week is some ideas for wonderful cool, sweet fruit treats using seasonal fresh and local fruits available from all your favorite markets. I've pulled out our ice cream maker, and we're enjoying the rich bounty of what Lancaster County does best: sweet fruits for hot summer evenings. Watermelon and peaches are at the peak of perfection now, and if you've prepared ahead, you'll likely have some frozen blueberries from last month's harvest.

Additionally, making fruit sherbets and ices are a fun way to get the kids involved in food planning and preparation. Nothing is likely to pull them into the kitchen faster than the anticipation of homemade frozen dessert treats. Also, if you want to skip the ice cream maker entirely, simply freeze the fruit purees and then shave the icy result into bowls for an intensely flavored granita.

And if these recipes don't get your attention, keep in mind that any of them can be altered to suit your taste. You can use strawberries, raspberries, nectarines or plums, mangoes and melons of all sorts. Even oranges, lemons and limes make wonderful frozen desserts. Try these recipes or adapt any one of them to your favorite fruits.

WATERMELON SHERBET
8 cups seeded, chopped watermelon

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

1 cup milk

In a large bowl, combine watermelon, sugar and lemon juice. Chill for 30 minutes; place half in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and repeat with the remaining watermelon mixture.

In a saucepan, dissolve the gelatin into the water; add to watermelon mixture. Stir in the milk until all the ingredients are well-blended. Chill the mixture for 2 hours. Freeze in two batches in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately or freeze overnight and defrost for 10 minutes before serving.

TASTY PEACH SHERBET
1 pound fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups sugar

Place the peaches (reserving 1/2 cup), lemon juice and salt in a blender and whiz until smooth.

Warm 1 1/2 cups of the milk in a saucepan over low heat, add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Pour into the blender with the peach mixture and add the remaining milk. Blend thoroughly and refrigerate four to 24 hours. Whisk again and freeze in an ice cream maker, adding the reserved peach pieces in the last minute. Serve immediately, or transfer to a tightly sealed container and freeze overnight for a better, ripe ice cream product. For a tangier product, replace 1 cup of milk with crème fraiche or plain yogurt.

SIMPLE BLUEBERRY SHERBET
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Process the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into an 8x8 baking pan; cover and freeze 4 hours or until firm. Process the frozen mixture, in batches, in a blender until smooth; turn into a tightly sealing plastic freezer container and freeze another four to 24 hours. Defrost 10 minutes before serving.

Email Jeff Thal at talking.fresh@yahoo.com or visit his blog, talkingfresh.typepad.com/blog.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/433933_Fresh-fruit-tastes-great-in-some-homemade-sherbet.html#ixzz1VwPAtOSN

Salsa With a Twist: Fresh Peaches With Zing

By JEFF THAL, Talking Fresh

 

Have you ever had a meal that stayed with you? And stayed and stayed and stayed? I had one of those, and I want to share the experience as best I can.

To do this, close your eyes and travel with me to The 1829 House, a wonderful old inn — it's as old as its name, and was once a haunt of the dread pirate Blackbeard — dug into a hillside above Charlotte Amalie and the harbor of St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It is there, on my honeymoon, that I first experienced a fresh fruit salsa, and I remember it to this day. The sun was sinking over the hills to the west and the sky was ablaze with reds and oranges and purples unlike any I've seen anywhere else. It being my honeymoon, I was, of course, dazzled by the company, the setting, the steel-drum music plunking gently in the background, and the bittersweet knowledge that it was our last night on the island, a last romantic dinner before heading back to Pennsylvania and reality.

It was there that I dined on the most wonderful meal of grilled pork chops with a fresh peach and mango salsa. Made entirely with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, this brilliantly colorful, sweet-yet-spicy salsa brought to the brink of perfection two tender, herb-encrusted loin-cut pork chops that were sublimely cooked, moist and tender. The salsa was the special element of the meal that I like to call "zing."

Every meal should have some zing, and it turns out, a fruity, tangy salsa is a perfect complement to grilled pork or chicken. It is a flavor marriage that, while not everyone's idea of what a summer barbecue ought to look like, stands out in my mind as perhaps the best restaurant meal I've ever eaten. Served with a lightly dressed mesclun salad and a tall, cold, locally featured rum drink, this meal actually distracted me from my honeymoon for perhaps a moment or two. This is one that deserves to be served to company.

I have strived mightily to reproduce that special salsa, and the result is a worthy challenger. Not being the biggest fan of mangoes, I opt to leave them out of my recipe, but you don't have to. They will make the salsa sweeter, and will add a tropical flavor and texture.

And while I believe that this salsa is best served with grilled pork or chicken, one of my best friends and wisest critics — one who chooses to remain meat free — suggests that you eat the salsa with chips. Try the dish with some blue corn or plantain chips. Fortunately for all of us, the locally grown peaches are right here, right now. Go get some and try this recipe.

FRESH PEACH SALSA
3-4 firm, not quite soft, peaches (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 almost ripe Roma tomatoes

6 large green onions (green parts only)

1/2 red onion

1/2 to 1 (to taste) seeded jalapeno pepper, chopped fine, or 3 dashes of Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons cider vinegar

Dip the peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds, plunge into ice water, and let them cool. Then peel the skins. Cut the peaches in half, discard the pits, then cut the halves into thin slices. Toss with lime juice.

Using the same boiling and ice water, repeat the skinning process with the tomatoes. Seed them, quarter them, and then cut the quarters into slices. Combine the peaches and tomatoes; add the onions, peppers, cilantro and ginger. Mix well.

Whisk together the oil and vinegar. Pour over the other ingredients and toss gently.

Allow the mixture to marry about 1 hour. If serving within several hours, no need to refrigerate. Otherwise, cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving.

Email Jeff Thal at talking.fresh@yahoo.com or visit his blog, talkingfresh.typepad.com/blog.

 

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/425272_This-is-a-peach-of-a-salsa.html#ixzz1VwOf0mIf

Swiss Chard Like You've Never Tasted it Before. YUM!

By JEFF THAL, Talking Fresh

Saturday mornings in downtown Lancaster are magical. The sun is up, but the heat of the day hasn't yet assumed its place in our consciousness. The streets and sidewalks are alive but not yet crowded. There is a gentle breeze rolling down Prince Street.

At 7, I step into the alley in front of Central Market, and all around are pleasing sights and sounds: happy shoppers heading to and from the market in all directions; stand holders and their children unloading trucks full of freshly picked goods, chatting about the morning and their week; a young blond-haired girl plunking out a tune on one of the Music for Everyone pianos, stationed just outside the market; someone hawking fliers in the alley.

All in all, a serene Saturday morning in Lancaster.

I was going to write about my garden and the beautiful bunches of chard, red Swiss and yellow rainbow stalks, big green leaves still glistening from the overnight rain, and then I got distracted by this wonderful Lancaster morning.

When we moved here eight summers ago, my family and I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. It was an OK place to live, work and raise kids, but it was quiet, conservative and very slow-moving. Now I can't imagine living anyplace else.

What a terrific place Lancaster has become. It is alive with the pulse of a city in love — with the artists and galleries up and down the streets and alleyways; fabulous events virtually every weekend and many more during the week; the Barnstormers and their family-centric baseball, fireworks and fun; more than a dozen small coffee roasters and numerous excellent breweries and wineries; cool museums, lively parks and a busy new convention center and YMCA; great restaurants and hotels; and the centerpiece of this thrilling renaissance, the beautifully renovated Central Market.

What a great time to be living in Lancaster.

This amazing place is the way it is, I suppose, because for more than 200 years, the people here have been making their way off the land, off the deep, rich earth that is Lancaster County; and here in my small corner my family is, like so many others, growing food in our backyard—peas, tomatoes, peppers, chard, squashes, grapes, pumpkins—crops we will be able to keep and use all year.

Here's a recipe we tried just today, after cutting some of that beautiful chard from our garden. What will you make from your garden, or from one of the fabulous Lancaster County growers?

SOBA NOODLES WITH BACON AND SWISS CHARD
6 ounces soba noodles

4 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and leaves chopped and separated, about 3 cups

1 tablespoon tamari or light soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped scallions to garnish

Cook the soba noodles according to the directions on the package; reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Rinse well with cold water, drain and set aside.

In a large heavy pan, cook the bacon until crisp, about 6 minutes (we used turkey bacon; if you do so, add 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil to the pan, as turkey bacon is much leaner than pork bacon). Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Add the garlic, onion and chard stems, and sauté over medium heat for about 6 minutes, until soft. Then add the chard leaves and season with salt and pepper; continue to stir and sauté until the chard wilts; add the reserved noodle liquid and stir until the chard is completely wilted and tender. Add the tamari or soy sauce and cook for one more minute.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the cooked noodles, the bacon, vinegar and toasted sesame oil and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/418186_Fertility-in-city--county-and-soil.html#ixzz1VwNuX2Uv

Fresh Cherries and Ten Minutes Add Up to a Sweet Treat.

"There's 104 days of summer vacation,
And school comes along just to end it.
So the annual problem for our generation,
Is finding a good way to spend it!"
                             —"Phineas and Ferb," The Disney Channel

If you have children between the ages of 6 and 16, you might have already heard these lyrics enough to last a couple of lifetimes. On the other hand, from perhaps the most inspired animated TV series of this generation comes a terrific idea that has inspired my daughter Liza and her best friends to make a "bucket list" of things to do to keep the summer doldrums at bay and the electronic screens dark.

Summer vacation is a time for kids to create special memories. It is an opportunity to spend lots of time with their friends, doing things they don't have time to do together during the school year. The friendships they cement during the summer months are ones that last a lifetime. What could be better and healthier for children than to plan things to do together? Outside, away from the TV and the computer.

I love the idea of a bucket list created by a group. It requires thinking, planning, collaboration, give and take, compromise and huge amounts of creativity. It's such a good idea that my wife and I are thinking of our own summer list, and there are lots of things on Liza's list that we want to do, too.

So what's on the girls' list?

Having a water balloon fight. Writing a poem. Playing favorite childhood board games. Sketching a flower growing in the backyard. Picking fruit in an orchard.

And making a fabulous dessert.

So what fabulous dessert can a bunch of 12-year-old girls make that is simple and tasty, uses the best available fresh and local ingredients, and will appeal to almost everyone?

Let's start with what's in season. One of my favorites right now is cherries. For the next few weeks, local cherries will be abundant, sweet and delicious. Among the places to find them is Cherry Hill Orchards, near New Danville. It's one of the oldest pick-your-own orchards in Pennsylvania, with more than 2,500 trees from which to gather some of the finest fruit available anywhere.

And what could these budding pastry chefs make that would whet my appetite on a hot summer evening? How about this one.

CHERRY CLAFOUTI (CHERRY PUDDING CAKE)
1 pound pitted fresh cherries

Zest of one lemon

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 tablespoon butter

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon amaretto (optional)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

4 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

Powdered sugar (10X) for dusting

About an hour ahead, toss the cherries and the lemon zest in a mixing bowl with 1/4 cup sugar.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter an ovenproof dish, deep-dish pie plate, or 10-inch cast-iron skillet.

Place eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, amaretto, flour and milk in a blender; blend until smooth.

Place the cherries and their juices in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Pour the batter over the fruit; sprinkle the toasted almonds on top of the batter.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown and puffy, like a popover. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving (cake will deflate slightly). Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top with a sieve. Serve the clafouti warm. Vanilla ice cream might be nice, too.

Serves about 6-8.

This is originally a French dish, in which they use cherries with the pits in. The pits add a certain toasty flavor to the dish. It can also be made with defrosted frozen pitted cherries, or almost any other seasonal fruit, including pears, apples, blueberries, plums and peaches. When using very juicy fruit, increase the amount of flour in the recipe from 1 cup to 1 1/4 cups.

Email Jeff Thal at talking.fresh@yahoo.com or visit his blog, talkingfresh.typepad.com/blog.

 

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/410588_Bucket-list-includes-kitchen-time.html#ixzz1VwNKtWID

Shrimp, Peas, and Gnocchi: The Perfect One-Pot Meal

By JEFF THAL, Talking Fresh

 

Out in the backyard garden, the sugar peas are as tall as I am, and we're picking like crazy. They are the result of a grand experiment of three or four years ago, when the girls indicated that they wanted some investment in the family garden.

They chose peas for several reasons: They're reasonably simple to grow, they sprout early and grow quickly (kids are all about instant gratification, after all), they're showy, easy to pick and edible right off the vine.

Peas are one of those crops that, if you're new to food gardening at home, will most likely give you a positive experience, make you want to continue growing them and even expand your garden horizons. All it takes is about 5 square feet of garden space and something on which the peas can climb. I built a trellis out of 1/2-inch aluminum electrical conduit and some rabbit fence strung between the vertical poles. It cost me about $10 and about 20 minutes of my time. (You can find complete instructions at motherearthnews.com. Search on "growing peas" and click the link "All About Growing Peas.")

Try planting peas this fall, or next spring, as early in the season as you can get a garden fork 10 inches into the ground. Peas love cool weather. You'll be tempted to eat them right from the vine in your garden. Bring some ranch dressing to the harvest.

But don't eat all the peas outside. Make sure some of them get to the kitchen. Then you'll be able to use them to make one of my all-time favorite one-pan, quick-fix meals, Gnocchi With Shrimp and Peas. This dish can be made, start to finish, in less than a half-hour if you use frozen or dried gnocchi.

Or, if you have some time, try making your own from scratch. Making gnocchi is a bit time consuming, but the result is well worth the effort.

All it takes are two baked and peeled russet potatoes, 2 lightly beaten eggs and 3/4 cup of sifted flour. Cube, then rice the potatoes with a fork. Gently fold the potatoes, eggs and flour together on a large cutting board until you have a moist ball of dough. Add a bit more flour if the dough is sticky to the touch, but don't add so much that it gets dry. Cut the dough into 1/4-cup-size pieces and roll each piece into 1/2- to 3/4-inch diameter snakes (about the thickness of your thumb).

Cut the snakes into 3/4-inch slices, place a dinner fork in the middle of each piece and gently push down about halfway to create ridges. Then boil them in small batches (20 to 25 pieces) in salted water until they float, and then about 10 seconds longer. Remove with a strainer to a colander.

POTATO GNOCCHI WITH SHRIMP AND PEAS
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 30 pieces)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 package frozen or dried potato gnocchi, or 3 cups homemade

1/4 cup fresh shelled peas

1 tablespoon thinly chopped green onion

Toss shrimp with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Bring 8 cups well-salted water to a boil; add gnocchi, stir gently and continuously until all the gnocchi float, about 5 minutes. (If you've made your own gnocchi, skip the preceding step.) Remove from the pot and drain, reserving the pasta liquid.

Combine the remaining olive oil with shrimp, peas and green onions in a large sauté pan over high heat. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add the gnocchi and 1/4 cup pasta water to the pan and cook until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Email Jeff Thal at talking.fresh@yahoo.com or visit his blog, talkingfresh.typepad.com/blog.

 

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/403427_Put-fresh-peas-to-good-use.html#ixzz1VwMcKjod

Do You Like Rhubarb? You Will After This. Guaranteed!

By JEFF THAL, Talking Fresh

 

John wore a suit to work every day.

Right after high school, he had gotten a job as an office boy and went to college at night. He ended up in sales, working in buildings full of offices five days a week for the next 40 years.

He married at 22, was a father at 24 and had three children by age 30. He supported a family — a wife and three daughters — working hard and long, traveling often and being moved around by employers every three years or so: to Long Island, N.Y; New Hampshire; Syracuse, N.Y. (twice); Schenectady, N.Y; and Hummelstown. He put his three daughters through fine colleges.

When you look at photographs of this sales executive when he was young, images of the TV show "Mad Men" come to mind. But unlike the glamorous hijinks in the world according to Hollywood, John's life was much more normal. On the weekends, he spent his time with family. He did chores around the house. And he baked. Sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes, cookies, fruit crisps. After all, what could be better than fresh baked goods made with butter and brown sugar?

So when John gave me a recipe for fresh rhubarb cake and told me that it was a wonderful, light, sweet confection, perfect for breakfast or dessert, I sat up and listened. After all, John knows cake. And now, retired in Landisville, John has been growing his own rhubarb almost from the time he and wife Barbara moved here in 1999.

And he's still baking, almost every weekend. He makes cookies and brownies with his grandchildren, cakes and breads for family events and a large batch of Christmas stollen that is worthy of a story of its own.

Three years ago John gave me two rhubarb plants that he divided out of his own patch. They have been growing profusely in my garden ever since, one of my favorite harbingers of the new season. When the rhubarb pokes up through the ground, I know it's time to get my vegetable garden ready.

Now it's May, and on the tables at Central Market fresh rhubarb abounds, great piles of it at all the local fruit and vegetable stands. It's at its peak for the next month or so, until it gets hot, so I'm constantly on the lookout for wonderful new ways to cook with rhubarb. (Got any great recipes? I'll try 'em!)

Last season I ran one of my favorite rhubarb recipes, grilled pork tenderloin with rhubarb chutney (email me, and I'll send it to you). So this year I'm baking a cake. But not just any cake. This is a fresh rhubarb cake that no less an authority than John — my father-in-law —calls "the best cake I've ever made." We made one this weekend. We agree.

FRESH RHUBARB CAKE
1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh rhubarb

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cream the butter until light, then add the brown sugar slowly until the mixture is well-blended and fluffy. Beat the egg and vanilla into the mixture until well-blended.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Sift again.

In a separate container, combine the milk and lemon juice.

Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk mixture to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat after each addition just enough to blend.

Gently fold the rhubarb into the batter. Pour into a buttered and floured 9-by-13-inch pan.

In a small bowl, combine the pecans, granulated sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes (325 degrees for a glass baking pan).

Cool 30 minutes before serving.

Email Jeff Thal at talking.fresh@yahoo.com or visit his blog, talkingfresh.typepad.com/blog.

 

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/395981_Rhubarb-recipe-is-a-piece-of-cake.html#ixzz1VwLextMP