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August 10, 2006
Food Finds
This is likely my last entry for a while, as we're headed to the land-of-no-internet shortly. I have been cooking away, and thought I'd share my latest acceptable-to-the-public dishes. I'm beginning to feel more comfortable in the kitchen. A year ago, I was not all that confident about whipping up a presentable dinner for more than two with whatever was in the fridge, but I feel like I have more options now. Experimenting is coming a little easier.
First, since it's hot and nobody should be eating anything warm, I made tabbouleh. I used the recipe from Joy of Cooking, thinking it would be standard enough, and was surprised at how easy it was. Aside from soaking the bulgar wheat in boiling water, there's no cooking. There is lots of chopping, but that I can handle. I wasn't happy with the excess of onions and parsley in the recipe, but it taught me the basics, so I made it again last night with some variations (less parsley, no mint (none left), cucumbers instead of onion), and was very pleased with the result. It's a great summer picnicking extra or a take-to-work lunch.
Here's the basic idea, for the uninitiated. Take a cup or so of bulgar wheat and put it in a bowl. Pour in twice as much boiling water, cover with a plate, and soak for half an hour. Then chop parsley, tomato, scallions, and cucumbers to taste. When the wheat is soaked, strain it in a sieve, pushing out the excess water with a spoon. Put it a clean bowl and add the chopped ingredients. Whisk together 1/3 a cup of lemon juice with 1/3 cup olive oil and add that. Add salt and pepper and mix and refrigerate. Voila. If you're not satisfied, there are ten billion variations of this online.
I also picked up Israeli couscous at the co-op recently, mainly because of the colorful label on the bulk bin. I thought it might make a nice alternative to bigger pasta. In a rush to make something with it later, I went to one web site, read that it can be cooked like risotto, and proceeded to use it that way. Since my risotto-making habits are extravagant, this involved lots of good ingredients and lots of stirring. The result was decadent -- a lot like risotto, but not great as leftovers (it congealed quite a bit). The site I checked said that it could be simply boiled as well, so I might try something simpler next time.
I've been making this banana bread at every available opportunity, since I love the recipe and have felt compelled to be a good hostess and make it for house guests. Last weekend, since we had some perfectly ripe plums on hand and only 3 bananas, I added two of those, and they added an extra bit of moisture and subtle fruity sweetness. Still, the recipe is fine (and impressive) all on its own, as long as you use four ripe (not overripe) bananas.
The plums came from a farmer's market in Warrensburg, NY, which is only open for three hours a week. Still, we happened to be driving through just as it opened, and we made out like bandits. We got great sweet corn (picked that morning), plums, peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, etc. It's worth seeking out these places during summer trips. We got some donut peaches (also known as saturn peaches), which we'd seen at the co-op for exorbitant prices. We weren't sure if they'd live up to their promise, since they were hard as a rock, but when they ripened OH MY GOD they were good. Like peaches, but ... better. Try some if you get the chance.
Posted by csageday at August 10, 2006 01:40 AM
Comments
Sort of off topic, but food-related--have you been to the Hungry Cabbie yet? I just learned about him today. Apparently he's a Marylander like me, but is a NYC cabbie doling out food reviews. He has great stories about people who take his cabs.
Posted by: ck at August 24, 2006 07:32 PM
I think I have read a few posts on Gothamist -- he seems to be a good resource, and entertaining.
Posted by: Cindy at August 28, 2006 12:11 PM