nick of time

Deborah brings in the harvest...

Snow hit my garden early this year.

It is a game of chicken as the first frost looms over the garden. How long can I leave the last of the basil leaves and the few cherry tomatoes lingering on the vine before that heartless first frost abruptly claims all? I knew my days were numbered, but it always pains me to cut down the plants, a real summer finale, when I might possibly get one or two more days out of them.

This week I catered an evening event for the non-profit environmental news site Grist . The guest of honor was author Jonathan Franzen reading from his most recent novel, Freedom. The reading was followed by a lively interview of the writer conducted by the savvy and engaging Katherine Schultz, author of her own new book Being Wrong: Adventures in the margin of error.

Basil leaves "sous la neige"

Jonathan Franzen reads from his novel Freedom.

I wanted to use the last of the best from the summer growing season, so I managed to steel myself to the task of harvesting all of my variegated opal basil with the purpose of showcasing it in an hor d'oeuvre for the Grist party.
I decided to marinate bite-sized cubes of smoked mozzarella cheese in an olive oil I had infused with orange zest and red pepper flakes. The cheese is then rolled in toasted breadcrumbs, briefly warmed in the oven to get a little warm and oozy, then served on skewers wedged between cherry tomato halves and feathery basil leaves.

Fresh and light with a nod towards Spanish tapas, this simple hors d'oeuvre is perfect with wine and easy to nibble while listening, perhaps, to your favorite author talk about sex and birds.

The lovely Rachel kept the food moving.

Marinated Smoked Mozzarella Skewers

•cut a pound of smoked mozzarella into bite sized cubes

•mix 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbs. red pepper flakes and the zest of two oranges together in a small bowl and stir to combine.

•pour the olive oil mixture over the cubed mozzarella and let it marinate for at least one hour or refrigerated overnight.

•in a small, dry saute pan toast on medium heat one cup of panko breadcrumbs, stirring continuously until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown

•heat the oven to 350 degrees

•one by one, remove the mozzarella cubes form the olive oil marinade and roll each piece in the breadcrumbs to cover all sides.

• lay the coated cheese in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in the hot oven for two minutes, until the cheese begins to soften but does not melt.

•Cut 30 cherry tomatoes (red or yellow or a combination of the two) in half across the middle so you have a top half and a bottom half, and lightly salt them.

•remove the smallest basil leaves from their stems and set aside

To Assemble:
• On a small skewer thread a cherry tomato half bottom, a softened cheese cube, a few small basil leaves and then the top of the cherry tomato. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. Serve immediately.

a springtime Caprese

Deborah
How laughable that not even a month ago we were bemoaning the cold rainy weather. It feels like August in Key West right now, here in Queens, NY and we have barely brushed the surface of June.  It is already too hot to cook, so I am offering up a version of a deep summer recipe that would suit a steamy day like today.

 Lemon Balm has taken over my herb bed.  It is time to be ruthless and tear some out.

My herb garden has already become so overgrown it needs serious cutting back. A fresh herb pesto, made with a mix of the tenderest of spring herb leaves, is great to have on hand in the fridge. This pesto becomes a perfect addition to salads, soups, as a starter for a vinaigrette or a topping for grilled vegetables. Add some mayonnaise to it and use it as a sandwich spread.

With Caribbean mangoes now very visible in the markets what a great time to give this fruit a shot on the grill! For best results look for a firm, ripe mango that is not too mushy. The heat and smoke will intensify the flavor and leave really pretty grill marks on the flesh.

Gather up the ingredients for a simple summer salad.

With all this new-found abundance a grilled salad of Mango and mozzarella cheese with fresh herb pesto becomes a simple meal that can come together in minutes, which is about all the time you would want to spend cooking in this heat. The recipe is a play on the traditional Caprese Salad of fresh mozzarella cheese and garden fresh tomatoes served with basil and olive oil. We still have several weeks before any good tomatoes will be available, so consider this alternative for a springtime take on this classic.

Grilled Mango and Mozzarella Salad with Herb Pesto
oil for grilling
1 mango, peeled and sliced into slabs
1 lb. fresh mozerella, sliced into 1/2' slabs
6-8 large lettuce leaves
1/2 cup fresh herb pesto- see recipe below

Lightly oil a hot grill and cook the mangos about three minutes per side, till warmed through with visible grill marks, but not too cooked that they fall apart. Remove from heat. Add the sliced mozerella on the grill for barely one minute to warm the chesse, but don't let it melt into the grill.
Arrange the slices of cheese and the mango on a bed of the lettuce leaves and dress with the herb pesto.

Fresh Herb Pesto
-for this recipe mix and match herbs as you like. It could be just one herb, like the classic basil or a mix of two or more.  If you are mixing different herbs from the garden, choose the youngest, most tender leaves- any of these would work well: parsley, mint, tarragon, cilantro, sage, oregano, lemon balm, chives, basil, dill, chervil, lovage, thyme.

2 cups chopped fresh herbs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons walnuts
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend till the consistensy is thick, adding more oil as needed.
Makes about one cup. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

For another grilled mango recipe, one that includes shrimp and a spicy BBQ, sauce check out my post on the Edible Queens Blog.

Amanda
Deb, you should consider a career in cookbook photography. As if your schedule isn't full enough! But honestly, your pictures are beautiful!  The salad looks gorgeous.

For those of you red wine lovers...sorry, but this time of year I'm mostly about white, especially with all of these wonderful light salads. That being said, I'm a big believer in simply choosing whatever wine you desire, to complement the foods you love. So, if it's red your craving, that's what you should drink. Just be sure to try and match the body of the wine with the weight of the meal. You don't want one to overpower the other. For example, you wouldn't go with a big heavy Cab here. Look for something on the lighter side like a Beaujolais perhaps.

For me, typically I would go with something light, dry and crisp. But here I'm going to be adventurous and go for a Moscato d'Asti. Often enjoyed as a dessert wine, it is sweet and low in alcohol (which makes it perfect for an afternoon brunch). This slightly sparkling (frizzante) white comes from the region of Asti in Piedmont, in northwest Italy. Moscato Bianco is the grape. Flavors of peach and pear are dominant in this crowd-pleasing wine. It's particularly delicious with fresh fruit (hence my choice for this recipe)! Deb's summery salad and a glass of Moscato are a perfect combination this time of year.

Moscato's are also very reasonably priced - there are so many outstanding examples in the $15 price range. La Spinetta is one of my favorite producers. Their Moscato d'Asti Bricco Quaglia is sublime...and affordable at $15.99. These wines are not meant to be aged so try to find the youngest vintage you can. Right now, the 2010's are what you should be looking for.

Mmmmm. I know what I'm making this weekend!

The Real Deal

Amanda
It is entirely possible that pizza just might be my favorite food. I always had the inkling it was. My suspicions were confirmed about two weeks ago. I had the good fortune to get involved with a grilled pizza-making "class" which came about quite unexpectedly. One of our customers (and now friend) at Wine and Spirit world has a reputation for creating authentic, exquisite pizzas that are so perfect they are hard to describe. As part of a silent auction for the Franklin Lakes Education Foundation in New Jersey, John Gonzalez, along with some friends, donated a fabulous night of pizza making, wine, and osso bucco which was purchased by 5 couples and went for $1,000. John and his wife Sandy, and 2 other couples prepared everything themselves. The night consisted of a pizza making demonstration given by John, a wine tasting coordinated by John and myself, and a fabulous dinner prepared by one of the other couples involved. All aspects of the night were created, donated, organized, and served by the three couples who donated the package. They did everything from soup to nuts and it was truly a fabulous evening.

John came into Wine and Spirit World several days before the event, asking for recommendations on wines that were on the inexpensive side, but tasted like more high-end offerings. This idea was intended to prove that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get wines of superior quality. And that's where I came in. After selecting about 6 wines that I thought would impress his guests, John invited me to participate in the event. I attended, and as a result, had the good fortune to get a lesson in making what I consider to be one of the world's most perfect foods.

John giving the group a lesson in dough-making 

Using the indoor grill at one of the participating couples' homes, John wowed the group with his pizza making expertise. He uses black garlic (fermented garlic) on his pizza which just brings the flavors to an entirely new level. I have to say he made the process look painfully simple, though I have yet to try it and have to think it's not as easy as it looks. His crust is cracker thin and the finished product offers the perfect crunch combined with the delectable flavors of San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh Pecorino Romano and Fontina, fresh basil and fresh parsley (the herbs come from his own garden). Watching him, one would guess he could do this with his eyes closed. I consider myself to be somewhat of a pizza snob, and I have to say that John's pies rank among the best I've tasted.

One of my latest addictions is grilled fennel. I would love to try some atop John's pizza!

Patience is key. Let the underside cook sufficiently before flipping and adding the toppings.

Usually when I recommend wines to go with pizza, I tend to suggest reds (like Sangiovese) in a lower-end price range. While an everyday Chianti would be fine next to John's pizzas, I personally would opt to enjoy something a little more special. They are that good!

Viola! A work of art!

John G's Grilled Pizza Margherita
(Adapted from Al Forno's in Providence, RI)

For the dough:
1 envelope (2 1/2 tsps) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
Pinch sugar
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 cup stone ground corn meal or polenta
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

Topping:
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cups grated fresh mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese (not aged or smoked)
4 1/2 cups chopped canned tomatoes (San Marzano DOP's are the best)
3 scallions, chopped and sliced thinly
4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped fine (or fermented black garlic)
3/4 cup chopped Italian flat-leafed parsley
Chiffonade of basil for garnish
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water with the sugar.
2. After 5 minutes stir in the salt, corn meal, whole-wheat flour, and oil.
3. Gradually add the white flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until a stiff dough has formed.
4. Place the dough on a floured board, and knead it for several minutes, adding only enough additional flour to keep the dough from sticking. When the dough is smooth and shiny, transfer it to a bowl that has been brushed with olive oil. To prevent a skin from forming, brush the top of the dough with additional olive oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead once more. Let the dough rise again for about 40 minutes. Punch down the dough. If it is sticky, knead in a bit more flour.
5. Divide into 6 balls.  Cover the balls with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for about 45 minutes.
6. While the dough is rising, prepare a hot charcoal fire, setting the grill rack 3 to 4 inches above the coals and set out topping ingredients. If using a gas grill, warm it up.
7. Place a ball of dough on a flat surface. Mold it into a round shape, then with a rolling pin, spread and flatten the dough into a 10 to 12-inch rectangle, 1/8-inch thick; the shape is unimportant. Take care not to stretch the dough so thin that small holes appear. If this happens, all is not lost. Rather than try to repair them, avoid them when adding toppings and drizzling with olive oil.
8. When the fire is hot, brush olive oil onto one side of the dough, and using your fingertips lift the dough gently by the two corners closest to you, and drape it onto the grill, oiled side down. Once it's in place, brush olive oil onto the second side. Within a minute, the dough will puff slightly, the underside will stiffen, and grill marks will appear.
9. Once the underside is well grilled, use tongs to flip the crust over onto the coolest part of the grill. Quickly brush the grilled surface with 2 tsps of virgin olive oil.
10. Spread 1/2 cup or more of the cheese mixture over the entire surface of the pizza.
11. Dollop with 8 to 10 tbsps of the tomatoes.
12. Top with parsley, scallions, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper and anything else you desire.
13. Drizzle the entire pizza with extra virgin olive oil.
14. After the toppings have been added, slide the pizza back toward the hot coals so about half of the pizza is directly over the heat. Rotate the pizza frequently so that different sections receive high heat checking the underside by lifting the edge with tongs to be sure it is not burning.
15. The pizza is done when the top is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Garnish with basil and serve immediately. Use a pizza cutter to slice irregular pieces...and enjoy!

Kiss Your Diet Goodbye

Deborah
It was a totally casual comment from my brother-in-law that set my mind ablaze. I had been visiting my newest nephew, four month old baby Carl, in his new home in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn this week and had to run off early because, I told my family, I needed to make an Eggplant Parmesan for a client. This is when Carl's father Lee, also a food professional, told me that he had recently heard about some chef making a fennel Parmesan. Fennel Parmesan? Fennel Parmesan?  FENNEL PARMESAN!
That was it. I was aquiver with desire. I had no idea how to make it, but I was determined to figure it out.

I picked up a fennel bulb on the way home and planned on making a small batch for myself to see how it would go. The mental picture I conjured just sent me wild with anticipation. I don't know why, but it just sounded like it would be SOOOOOOOOOO Good!!

Fennel has a lovely mild celery/liquorish flavor. When cooked it retains its moisture so the process of batter dipping, pan frying and then baking under lots of cheese made sense. I knew it would hold up to the assault and come out a winner.

My first challenge was how to cut the fennel bulb. Plunked on the cutting board it reminded me eerily of a human heart. Should I slice lengthwise and make wedges or crosswise and make rings? Fennel is similar to an onion in that it has layers. I opted for wedges.

The rest of the recipe was a no brainer. I dusted the fennel wedges with flour (which did not really stick to the dry fennel, oh well), I dipped the wedges in egg wash, and then rolled them in panko crumbs and grated parma cheese. Pan fried till golden, laid in a pan, topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, I plowed through all the stages. It baked in the oven for 25 minutes until I pulled it out. Hot, hot, hot, but I wanted to taste it right away. Burned my mouth in the process.

I don't know what to say. It was so good I had tears in my eyes. I ate half the entire pan within minutes of it leaving the oven. It tasted absolutely as good as I had hoped. I could live on this. Seriously.

Amanda, this dish is just screaming for a great wine pairing. I would happily serve this to guests with a salad or some sauteed spinach. I am getting woozy with desire.

Fennel Parmesan
2 fennel bulbs cut into *wedges
1 cup of flour
1 egg beaten with a Tbs of water
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 24 oz jar of good tomato sauce (make your own if you wish)
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese sliced

*figure about a 1" wide wedge or slices cut in half lengthwise. I trimmed out the core after cutting the wedges so that the fennel wouldn't completely fall apart. Don't stress too much over this. the dish is going to taste great no matter what.

Pre heat oven to 350F
Set up your battering station (sounds so violent!):
Put flour in a bowl and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Put egg wash in another shallow bowl and season with a pinch of s & p. Put panko crumbs and grated cheese in another bowl and season with a pinch of s & p. Dip each fennel wedge into each bowl, flour, egg, panko in that order and lay on a baking sheet.
Heat oil in a saute pan and cook the fennel until golden brown, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Lay pan fried fennel in a single layer in a baking pan and top with the tomato sauce spooned over the fennel in an even layer. Top the fennel and sauce with the sliced mozzarella.
bake in oven for 25 minutes, until the cheese is golden and melted.

serves 4

Amanda
This just sounds (and looks) crazy delicious! Never in a million years could I come up with something like this. Who would've thought? Fennel Parmesan??!! What could be bad? I love the mild flavors of licorice fennel offers. And cheese? You could put melted cheese on tree bark and I'd eat it. Add tomato sauce and I'm in heaven. Not sure I could get many takers in my household though. Deb, do you think this dish would freeze well? If not, I will use it as an excuse to have a "mom's night out" at my house. Your enthusiasm for the dish is contagious! I have not even tried it and already I think it's spectacular! My stomach growled and my mouth watered just reading your description.

Deb, you mentioned the need for a great wine. As it so happens, I am sipping the perfect partner to this dish at this very moment. It is the Di Majo Norante 2008 Sangiovese. Wonderful. The Wine Advocate calls it "incredibly delicious" and gave it a 90 point rating. The shocker? It's $8.95 per bottle. An absolute bargain. The wine has everything going for it to complement this dish perfectly. It is bright red in color, medium in body and full of fruit. Hints of leather introduce themselves on the palate. And, I get just a touch of licorice and pepper on the finish. It's not too powerful as to overpower the meal. It is delicious and the pricetag makes it even more so!