As the summer is coming to a close, I've been trying to check off more of my 30/30 items. This weekend I checked off a pretty dreamy one, a picnic in central park.
The city's been closing down a few avenues to traffic on Sundays in August, which means bikes and pedestrians have free rein of the streets. Riding my bike in traffic is not one of my strong suites, so I jumped at the chance ride over the Brooklyn Bridge and all the way to central park car-free. Once we got to the park we spread out our blanket and snacked on fruit, cheese and bread from the market. As if that's not cool enough, we decided to take advantage of the lovely day and rowed a boat in the pond. It was like taking a vacation in my own city... I love it!
I'm over half way there... fingers crossed I can accomplish all of my goals before the big day! Look for a market week round up in the next day or two.
30/30: picnic in central park
As the summer is coming to a close, I've been trying to check off more of my 30/30 items. This weekend I checked off a pretty dreamy one, a picnic in central park.
The city's been closing down a few avenues to traffic on Sundays in August, which means bikes and pedestrians have free rein of the streets. Riding my bike in traffic is not one of my strong suites, so I jumped at the chance ride over the Brooklyn Bridge and all the way to central park car-free. Once we got to the park we spread out our blanket and snacked on fruit, cheese and bread from the market. As if that's not cool enough, we decided to take advantage of the lovely day and rowed a boat in the pond. It was like taking a vacation in my own city... I love it!
I'm over half way there... fingers crossed I can accomplish all of my goals before the big day! Look for a market week round up in the next day or two.
market week: bruschetta
Most weeks, by the time Thursday rolls around I'm ready to not cook. If we don't go out to eat, I like to whip up something simple and perhaps a little indulgent. That's where this bruschetta-type plate comes in. I simply pick up a fresh baguette, come home, slice it up and place a bunch of slices on a plate. Next I take out my oh-so-delicious ricotta from Salvatore and either use it as is or mix in a little lemon zest, or in this week's case, some fresh basil, then place it on the bread. Lastly I either slice or chop up a few tomatoes to put on top of the cheese. I'll often sprinkle a bit of sea salt over top, just for some extra pizazz. It's simple and incredibly delicious.
Filed under dinner and eat and events and market week and snacks by . August 13th, 2010 . 0 Comments
market week: tacos take two
I was debating a few things regarding this post. First, should I make dinner? As nine o'clock rolled past and I was still at work, ordering dinner sounded pretty nice. But then, funny as it sounds, the thought of trying to decide what to order, then having it delivered just sounded like too much work. So once I got home I looked in the fridge and considered my options; or more importantly "what requires the least amount of work?".
Tacos. More often than not, when I don't have time or just don't want to use my brain, I reach for tortillas, find something to put inside them (beef, chicken or some kind of veggies) and call it dinner. Plus, because I almost always have salsa on hand, I just add a few spoonfuls to the pan while the filling is cooking and I have automatic seasoning.
Which brings me back to my internal debate... I just posted tacos last night. But I realized, this is reality. Every dinner can't be glamorous, but every dinner can be good. And they can be easy. And fresh. And that's what made me post my totally boring dinner. It took me about ten minutes from idea to table, which is way quicker than any take out. I love tacos.
market week: mushroom + eggplant tacos
Ok, this might be the ugliest meal of all (or at least I hope so). Looks are deceiving though. The tortillas are handmade with blue corn (purchased from the market*), hence their color. For the insides I simply sauteed some portobello mushrooms and eggplant, along with some tomatoes and peppers. I used some of the fresh salsa I mentioned yesterday to bring in a some juiciness. To add a little pizazzz, I actually used a dollop of ricotta cheese and sprinkled some cilantro over top. Not the best meal ever, but certainly not bad.
Editor's Note: I didn't make the tortillas, I bought them at the market. They are handmade, just not by me.
market week: summer berry ice cream
I couldn't get too far without whipping up some kind of dessert, my sweet tooth just won't allow it. I can across this recipe for summer berry ice cream last week and it sounded pretty dang perfect. I love summer berries and I love to bake with them, but when summer brings as many heat waves as we've had this year, ice cream starts to sound like a genius idea. And so, a summer berry ice cream was made.
This recipe called for a mixture of berries, heavy cream, sugar, salt and vodka. Pretty simple. I ended up splashing a little whole milk in with my heavy cream because I didn't have enough, but I don't think it made a huge difference. I simply mashed the berries (raspberries and blackberries) and warmed up the milk on the stovetop to allow the sugar to dissolve. Once the sugar disappeared, I moved the milk to the fridge to let it cool. About an hour later I poured the milk in my ice cream maker, added the berries and churned away.
Last night we tried it for the first time and surprise, surprise, it's a keeper! Fresh berries and cream? Yes please! It's as simple as that. You taste the sweet, fresh taste of raspberries and black berries and the cool, creamy texture of local cream. It's a match made in heaven.
summer berry ice cream
makes about a quart
adapted from the New York Times
1 1/2 cups berries (raspberries & blackberries,or any other berries you have on hand, combined)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, as needed
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons vodka
1
in a bowl, mash berries with a fork or potato masher until just slightly chunky. Set aside.
2
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring cream and milk to a simmer with 1/3 cup sugar and the salt. Taste berries and if they are very tart, add 2 tablespoons sugar to saucepan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about five minutes.
3
Transfer to a bowl, stir in vodka and place in refrigerator or in an ice bath to chill.
4
When cold, pour mixture into ice cream machine. Add berries and churn according to manufacturer’s directions.
5
Transfer to a container and freeze until solid, at least 2 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, or in refrigerator for 15 to 30.
market week: corn and zucchini cakes with fresh salsa
Day two brings more deliciousness. After being wowed by yesterday's corn confetti I saved the leftovers and decided to incorporate them into some lively zucchini cakes. As I mentioned earlier, vegetables are still a bit of a challenge for me, but I've found a few ways that I can get a whole bunch of ingredients and still really like it. One is salsa. I mean, who doesn't like salsa?
The second veggie bonanza comes in the form of cakes, like corn cakes or in this case corn and zucchini cakes. I had about a cup of the corn leftover from yesterday which was sprinkled with peppers and onion. In addition to that I shredded a zucchini, then squeezed as much liquid out of that I could get. Who knew zucchini has so much water in it?! In order to bind it I used some of my half white flour and eggs from the market. Pretty soon I had an ugly batter in front of me, a batter that may not look so hot but I had faith that it would be tasty.
True to form, my corn and zucchini cakes passed the test. They're super moist and flavorful with little corn bursts every now and then. I especially like the salsa on top because it just adds an extra layer of flavor (not that the cakes need it) but also a different texture and a little sauciness, kind of like a savory syrup.
corn and zucchini cakes
makes 6 4-inch cakes
1 cup corn
1 medium zucchini, shredded and drained*
1/2 cup flour (I used half white, which is like 1 part wheat/1 part white)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1
Combine flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
2
Add egg and milk, stirring until you get a smooth, thick batter.
3
Incorporate the corn and zucchini.
4
Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a large frying pan.
5
Pour 1/4 cup batter into the pan. I was able to place 3 cakes in the pan at once, do as many as you can.
6
Let cook until the cakes starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat.
7
When they're all done, plate them and top with fresh salsa or whatever floats your boat.
market week: burgers + confetti corn + salad
Last night was the big kick off to market week and I can attest, our meals were practically licked clean. Let's start with the burgers, which weren't just any old burgers. I used a blend of ground beef and ground pork to make some super juicy and flavorful patties. Then I used one of my yellow onions to make delicious caramelized onions. But wait, that's not all my friends. This is the kicker, if you look really hard you can see creamy mayonaise spread on the top of that bun. Oh yeah, I finally bit the bullet and made homemade mayo, which was one of my 30/30 items.
Let's just take a time out and talk about mayo. It has always weirded me out... it's white and jiggly and I just didn't get it. But some people love it, one being my husband. Slowly I've tried it here and there, especially when it's disguised as garlic aioli. I thought if I actually made it myself, I might feel better about it. I do. But I have to say the thing that surprised me most about it was how incredibly easy it was to make it. I mean like crazy easy! You might die if you realize how much oil is involved, but it doesn't take much more work or time than unscrewing the lid of jar.So that's the burger. On the side is a super delicious corn medley, comprised of sweet corn, peppers, onion and a little basil. The medley is so surprisingly delicious, or at least to me it was surprising. I still find myself a little caught off guard when I really love something with vegetables... I think that's a holdover from a childhood spent avoiding them at all costs. Then of course I've included a little arugula salad sprinkled with some purple basil.
It was a good dinner, one where both Aaron and I felt spoiled.
Confetti Corn
adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics
serves 4
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 Tablespoon butter
kernels cut from 2 ears of corn
salt
pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, julienned
1
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan.
2
Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until onion is soft.
3
Add the pepper and saute for 2 more minutes.
4
Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt.
5
Over medium heat, add the corn with a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for about 5-7 minutes.
6
Gently stir in the basil and serve hot.
market week: the goods
Ok, here's the haul* from the market, plus a few other local specialties:
fruits & veggies:
purple potatoes
red onions
yellow onions
corn
zucchini
peppers
okra
tomatoes galore (including some from my friends backyard)
cilantro
eggplant
raspberries
blackberries
basil
portobello mushrooms
peaches
arugula
grain:
polenta (from farmer ground flour)
half wheat flour (from farmer ground flour)
tortillas (not shown, from hot bread kitchen)
dairy:
cream (from ronneybrook)
whole milk (from ronneybrook)
ricotta cheese (from salvatore bklyn)
eggs (not shown)
meat: (not shown)
ground pork
ground beef
*please excuse the exclusion of some items in the photo. my brain is not functioning correctly today and after two attempts at shooting everything and then remembering I forgot something, I decided you have a good imagination and can just picture it in your head.
happy hour: 30/30 list perfect margarita
Woohoo! It's that time of week again and I am so ready! Next week is market week which should be a blast. Thanks to everyone who's shown interest! Remember to post photos to our flickr page.
Before we start market week, I have something to celebrate... I have perfected my margarita, which was one of my to-dos on my 30/30 list. I've posted a few margaritas before, but I have a dirty little secret to admit. Ok, it's not super dirty so don't get all excited, but up until now I've been using Triple Sec instead of Cointreau. You hard-core cocktail folks are probably cringing, but it was cheaper and I thought it was the same. My biggest revelation: it's not the same. Cointreau has a much more flavorful citrus taste and really is a key component to a good margarita. After trying different proportions, I've concluded that the recipe below is my perfect margarita. It's hard work, but someone's got to do it.
Cheers! Have a great weekend!
Perfect Margarita
from Dale Degroff
1 1/2 oz 100% agave tequila
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz agave syrup
kosher salt
ice
lime wedge to garnish
1
Place a tablespoon or two of salt on a plate. Rub the lip of your glass with a lime and dip in the salt.
2
Add ice to glass and set aside.
3
Combine tequila, lime juice, agave, ice and Cointreau in a separate glass and give it a good shake. Pour over ice and say cheers!
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