Weather Cooks

Shortly after my family moved to Athens, Greece in the early 1970's, I found myself increasingly craving an orange. But oranges were out of season at the time, and try as she might, my mother could not find them anywhere. Finally, she located one pathetic, fairly tiny, and dry specimen. It was not good, nothing even close to resembling the fruit I had enjoyed stateside. And so I came to learn that some foods should only be enjoyed in certain seasons. Of course, today's stores have just about any fruit or veggie you could want all year round. But still, do you really want to eat an acorn squash in July?  Or what about watermelon in February? There's a certain feeling to seasonal weather and the food cravings that follow the temperature.  So, this page is devoted to cooking in all seasons and weather patterns. Check here frequently for new recipes, as well as tips on cooking creatively in every kind of weather - over  stove, barbecue grill, or Sterno (our first featured recipe) when the power goes out altogether. New recipes will be featured starting with our most recent addition - so our first featured recipe is at the bottom of this page.

Hadley Asparagus Tart

Spring has arrived in the Happy Valley…lilacs are blooming and farmstands offer Hadley asparagus everywhere you drive!  Personally, my favorite way to enjoy asparagus is steamed and tossed in some butter with salt and pepper, although roasted is delicious, grilled is tasty, and I’ll confess to enjoying a few servings of decadent deep fried asparagus.  But maybe you feel inspired to experiment with something more…extraordinary? 

The recipe below is SO simple, it’s really worth the 5 ingredients and 5 easy steps.  It is absolutely elegant enough for a dinner party but so easy  that you can make it any evening.  It’s delicious hot, warm, room temperature and even cold.  Enjoy!

Flour, for work surface

1 sheet frozen puff pastry  (yes, use store bought, it’s delicious)

5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle and place it on a baking sheet.

With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. This will create the edges of your “asparagus pool.” 

Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with cheese (gruyere or fontina works best). Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over the cheese, alternating ends and tips.

Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Beef Brisket the way it was intended to be eaten… (by Marian)

This recipe has been in my family for at least 4 generations…probably many more.  I remember my mother teaching it to me like it was yesterday (although it was more than 30 years ago).  She and my aunt drove from New York to New Hampshire (where I was living in a tiny one room apartment over a bakery) with a giant brisket in a sack.  

We sliced and browned and baked and checked and tasted and through the entire process she told stories about how she learned to make it and how her mother learned to make it.  The smell of the roasting brisket and onions not only filled our tiny apartment, but for once the building didn’t smell like cream puffs.  The bakery owners finally knocked on our door to ask what the heavenly smell was!

The memory of that weekend is precious to me…and though my mother is no longer with us, each time I make it, it’s like she’s with me.

It is unbelievably delicious – tender, flavorful, a real treat.  Just the delicious smell of it roasting is enough to warm you from the inside.  It’s wonderful served with potato kugel and a nice vinegary cucumber salad on the side.  It’s also wonderful on sandwiches.  Pack a bulky roll with the slices of beef and rich sauce and you will be in drippy heaven.  I seriously can’t encourage you enough to cook this.  While it takes a long time to cook, the “active” part of prepping is ridiculously simple, and it’s a perfect winter dish. 

Buying the meat:

Buy a whole brisket, will be about 8-10 pounds.  If they don’t have a whole one, get two pieces so it equals about 8-10 pounds.  I know this sounds like a lot – and it is.  But if you are going to take the time to make it, make a lot.  And it freezes like a dream…absolutely delicious and flavorful.

Very Important - these days the “fat police” trim the meat TOO much, so ask your butcher to refrain from this barbaric practice and request a piece/pieces that still have a good amount of fat on them.

Cooking Instructions:

Add a small amount of oil to a pan large enough to hold the meat.  Sear the outside of the meat to a dark brown – really caramelize it – this is critical.  This may take you 10 minutes, but it is probably the most valuable 10 minutes in your culinary life.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic salt, two or three bay leaves and about 5 pounds of thinly sliced onions.  It helps if you brown and soften the onions in the frying pan after the meat is browned as well.  I know, you think that 5 pounds must be an error.  It’s NOT.  My mother always taught me that you really can’t have too many onions.  They will brown, caramelize, melt and create a succulent broth/gravy and become “one with the meat.”

Put a layer of onions in the bottom of the baking pan, then put in the beef, cover with onions and add about 4 cups of beef broth.  Cover tightly.

Cook at 375 degrees.  After 3 hours, check it.  Is it fork tender?  If yes, take off the foil, turn down the oven to 325 or 350 and cook for another 1-2 hours uncovered.  Keep an eye on it to add broth if needed. You don’t want it soupy, but you do want the liquid/onions about half way up the meat.

When it is meltingly tender (stick a fork in it and it just pulls right out with no effort) and the broth has reduced and the brisket and onions have reduced to a dark rich brown, it’s done!

Post-cooking Instructions:

Refrigerate overnight.  But first go ahead and cut off a little piece to taste.  You deserve it and you probably can’t stop yourself.  I never can.  But limit yourself to a taste – it’s worth waiting for!

The next day remove any fat that’s risen to the top.  (yes, NOW it’s fine to get rid of the fat, it has done its noble job).

Then carefully slice the brisket in thin slices (it soaks up the sauce better) and layer into a casserole dish with broth and onions between the layers of slices.  Refrigerate for at least a few hours, overnight is best. Warm before serving.

Now you are ready to enjoy a dinner fit for the gods.  You’re welcome.  I love you too.

New England Cider Braised Chicken (by Marian)

I discovered this recipe at least 25 years ago and have probably made it hundreds of times.  Using fresh apple cider (which is so plentiful right now) makes the chicken tender and succulent with indescribably delicious gravy.  It’s a healthy, low-fat recipe while also being the ultimate comfort food.  I promise it will feel like you’re being hugged from the inside out.

Ingredients:

- 6-8 skinless chicken thighs on the bone

- 1 cup water

- 2/3 cup apple cider

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

- 1 small bunch scallions sliced thin

- 2 Tablespoons of ketchup

- 2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar (packed)

- Dash of garlic salt

- Pepper (black and or red to taste)

- Cornstarch slurry (mix 2 T cornstarch with just enough water to dissolve)

- 2 Tablespoons of Toasted sesame seeds

Brown the chicken well on both sides – you want a nice deep golden brown color.   If you don’t want to remove the skin, you can buy skinless and boneless thighs, but the flavor will be richer and more wonderful if you cook thighs on the bone. Drain all of the fat when done, and remove the chicken to a plate.  (It is not cooked through at this point, just browned.)

Next mix all of the other ingredients except for the cornstarch slurry and sesame seeds.  Pour the mix into the frying pan you just browned the chicken in and deglaze, scraping the bits on the bottom up into the sauce.  After a minute or two, add the chicken back and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a serving dish, and add the slurry to thicken the sauce.  Once the sauce is as thick as you want, add the chicken back so it is totally coated with the delicious sauce.  Put it back on the serving platter and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.

You will want to serve this over egg noodles to fully enjoy the sauce.  The meat is tender and succulent and the sauce is alchemy/magic.  We literally make this once a week in the fall when the fresh cider is available.

If you are looking to reduce carbs, consider substituting cauliflower for the noodles – especially roasted cauliflower (toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast until golden).  The cauliflower has a way of working with the sauce and sesame seeds to create a spectacular flavor experience.  Or go all out and serve it with roasted cauliflower AND noodles.  Feel free to double the sauce ingredients to make more – it still works beautifully.

Grilled Peaches, Arugula, Goat Cheese & Prosciutto (by Marian)

Late summer is the season for gorgeous fresh peaches, and although nothing beats a fresh juicy peach by itself, here is another option for enjoying them for dinner.  Summer salads are among my favorite dinner options and the combination of fresh greens with sweet fruit and the prosciutto and goat cheese is just magical.  Although you don’t “need” to, the prosciutto is particularly delicious “baked” on a rack in the oven so it is crispy – it adds a lovely texture to the salad. 

- 1 T balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 tablespoon honey

- 1 peach, pitted and cut into 6 wedges

- Cooking spray

- 1/2 tablespoon  olive oil

- Dash of freshly ground black pepper

- Dash of kosher salt

- Arugula

- 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch strips

- Crumbled goat cheese

Combine balsamic and honey, salt and pepper and 1-2 T of oil.  Whisk.

Place peach wedges on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 30 seconds on each side or until grill marks appear but peaches are still firm. Remove from grill; set aside.

Add some of the dressing to the arugula, tossing gently to coat. Arrange arugula mixture on a platter. Top with peach wedges and prosciutto. Drizzle with balsamic syrup; sprinkle with cheese.

MAPLE-GLAZED WALNUTS

There may still be snow on the ground, but spring has officially arrived, the days are really getting longer and brighter, and it’s been a whopper of a maple syrup season!  While we have a while to wait for those precious green buds and explosion of whites and pinks and purples, we can comfort ourselves with winter’s parting gift - real, thick, delicious maple syrup.  Personally, I enjoy Grade B syrup – the end of the season “best in show,” where the flavor is rich and deep.

Of course, our family enjoyed our annual pilgrimage to our favorite local sugar house for pancakes drenched in warm syrup right from the boiler, syrup on snow (with pickles, of course), maple cotton candy, maple cream covered donuts, and tiny cones of maple cream and glazed nuts to take home (with a huge jug of syrup). And yes…by the time we finish our brunch we are sticky and groaning (but very happy).  Hey, we have scrambled eggs with it, and the pickles are a vegetable, so that’s a balanced meal, right?

If you don’t live near a sugar house but want to celebrate sugaring time, get yourself some real syrup and create your own delicious brunch.  Whatever you do, make sure to get the REAL STUFF, not that brown fake stuff.  Mail order if need be.  Substitutions are pointless.

Below is an easy recipe for a maple treat. 

MAPLE-GLAZED WALNUTS

1/2 c. maple syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. walnuts

In an iron skillet or saucepan, stir together the syrup, cinnamon, butter, and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture becomes brown and starts to thicken. Add vanilla, then nuts, and toss until the nuts are covered evenly with the glaze. Quickly spread and cool on wax paper.

The Winter Soup Series

by Marian

Everyone knows that winter weather is soup weather. Whether you’re cooking on a conventional stove, wood stove, or over sterno during a power outage, there’s no food that warms the body and soul like soup. So, in keeping with the winter season, we are rolling out a soup series. Check back frequently, as we plan to add 1-2 soup recipes each month through the Vernal Equinox.

Multi-Cultural Wedding Soup (added 2/2/2013)
February is a tough month to get through - spring is still so far off, it’s cold and dreary, and it feels like winter will never end.  In a wild burst of weather-defiance I lit the barbecue grill and made chicken tonight.  Wrapped in fleece, blankets, a hat and gloves, I looked and felt ridiculous.  While the chicken was tasty, I think I will wait for warmer weather to try that again.  The moral of the story is “cook for the season.”

Multicultural Wedding Soup

So, on that note, it’s a great time to make this rich, flavorful, and satisfying soup.  It’s a perfect dinner – add some warm bread with butter and you can actually feel the icy chill melting and the color slowly returning to your black and white world. Enjoy.

Chop into small dice – this is important, so take the time to make nice small cubes!

½ small Vidalia onion

3 medium carrots

1 medium zucchini

3 stalks celery

½ to 2/3 cup of fresh green beans

(Note: hey, if you want to use frozen cut green beans I won’t judge… they really come out fine, but it’s still important to dice them into small pieces to match the other vegetable sizes)

Saute in a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of thyme (1/2 – 1 t) for about 10 minutes until softened.

Then add:

6 cups chicken stock

1 cup of water

½ cup orzo (add more if you like it pasta-heavy)

3-4 cups torn escarole

Approx. 1 – 1 ½ T grated parmesan cheese

Mini meatballs (1 lb. ground beef mixed with 1 egg, salt and pepper)

Cook covered on a simmer for 15 minutes

Then add:

4 cooked chicken thighs de-boned and chopped into small pieces (or an equivalent amount of white meat, but in my opinion the thighs taste so much better)

1-2 T. chopped dill

2-3 T. chopped fresh parsley

1-2 T. fresh lemon juice

Cook uncovered for another 5 minutes

Not-Chicken Soup - aka Vegetarian “Chicken” Soup (added mid-January 2013)

Everyone knows that Grandma’s Chicken Soup has healing properties, perfect for the seasonal cold and flu season we find ourselves fighting off right now. But what’s an alternative healthy soup for vegetarians? Our family of vegetarians and non-vegetarians has experimented over the years, and believe we’ve finally perfected a soup that looks a lot like chicken soup, has a taste that resembles chicken soup, but – more importantly – tastes delicious in its own right. In fact, the non-vegetarians among us often chose this broth over chicken broth or mix the two broths together for a luscious, flavorful experience.

To make Not Chicken Soup, combine the following ingredients in a stock pot, cover everything with water, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 90 minutes. Strain the broth from all the other ingredients and serve with noodles, carrots, or other ingredients you typically add to your chicken broth except for the chicken. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients: 

• 1 large portabella mushroom (or two small ones), whole

• ½ sweet onion (i.e. Vidalia or Spanish), peeled and chunked

• 3 stalks of celery, chunked

• 2 parsnips, peeled and chunked

• 2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chunked

• ¼ cup of fresh, flat leaf parsley

• ½ large turnip, peeled and chunked

• 2-4 carrots, peeled and chunked (number depending on the size and flavor quality of the carrots)

• 2 apples, such as a gala or honeycrisp variety, cored and quartered (do not peel)

• Optional (to increase the “chicken soup” flavor): 1 heaping Tbsp of Vegetarian, Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Soup Base OR, for non-vegetarians, Better than Bouillon Chicken Base. It will still taste delicious without the bouillon, but less like “chicken soup.” Better than Bouillon Vegetable Stock can be used in lieu of the chicken or non-chicken base, but it will take the soup further away from chicken stock, both in color and taste, and closer to vegetable stock (although still delicious).

• Salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!

Potassium Soup (added Winter Solstice, 12/21/2012)

This recipe has been passed down through my family (and modernized along the way) for generations. My mother, who was known for her soups, served up Potassium Soup, as well as a whole medley of other soup favorites, whenever the occasion called for it – especially when the weather turned chilly, when friends needed comfort, or when anyone was sick anywhere in her community. I have no idea when or where the “potassium” moniker got attached to this soup, but it is very rich in potassium. Canned tomatoes and cooked (not raw) spinach rank fourth and fifth respectively among potassium rich foods (bananas stand at #1). Originally a lengthy chopping job, this soup can be prepped in about 30 minutes if you use a food processor to chop or grate the vegetables. Served with hearty bread, Potassium Soup is more a meal than a starter.

- 2 ½ quarts water

- 1 bunch thinly sliced celery including leaves

- 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach (or 2 lbs. fresh spinach, hand chopped, can be used in lieu of frozen)

- 1 large 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes

- 1 small can of tomato puree

- 1 heaping tablespoon of vegetable stock or high quality vegetable bullion (such as “Better Than” vegetable bouillion)

- 1 thinly sliced medium onion

- 4 grated carrots

Meat Balls (mix ingredients together in a bowl and form into moderately sized meatballs, a bit larger than a golf ball)

- 1 ½ lb. chopped meat

- 2 eggs

- 1 cup rice (white or brown)

- 2 ½ teaspoons of salt

Bring the non-meatball ingredients to a slow boil.  Add meatballs one at a time.  Cook covered about 1h and 15 minutes over a low flame. Salt and pepper to taste.

When Fall is in the Air (Pumpkin Bread Cupcakes, of course!)

by Marian

When the weather turns cooler, and fall is rapidly turning towards winter, there is nothing like a rich, moist, dense pumpkin bread.  This is one of the best I’ve ever had.  One day I decided to make cupcakes with the batter instead of a more traditional bread, and I topped them with a cream cheese icing.  Oh my.  It was the dessert treat my pumpkin bread had always aspired to be. 

So make a big loaf, make mini-loaves or make iced individual treats…all roads lead to delicious.  And if you want to do twice as much, simply double the recipe and it will turn out just fine!

Pumpkin Bread/Pumpkin Cupcakes

2 cups white sugar

2 cups pumpkin (canned)

4 eggs, beaten

1 ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in the middle of the oven.

Mix in the order the ingredients are listed.

- For pumpkin bread: Grease and flour 2 large bread pans (approximately 9 x 5 x 3 inches). Bake for one hour in a pre-heated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

- For pumpkin cupcakes: Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners or spray each cup with a non-stick vegetable spray. Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes in a pre-heated oven, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Cream Cheese Icing (for cupcakes)

8 oz. package of cream cheese (Philadelphia)

1 stick of butter

1 Tablespoon of vanilla

¾ lb. powdered sugar

Cream all ingredients together and ice cupcakes once they are cool.  Feel free to decorate with mini candy pumpkins or whatever else makes you happy.

During a Power Outage (over Sterno)
by Marian

Anything fried can be cooked on Sterno.  It might take a while, but you’re trapped at home in a storm…what else do you have to do?  Of course some things are more tasty than others.  I’ve tried chicken cutlets but ended up with rubbery weird chicken (but it was edible).  Of course scrambled eggs with cheese is a classic and always comes out delicious.   And when all else fails and the contents of your fridge need to be eaten…just melt a pan of chocolate over Sterno and dip everything you can imagine in chocolate.  You may discover new amazing combinations.  Pickles and chocolate?  Cheese dipped in chocolate?

Below is a particularly tasty dish which is lovely on a sauté pan over a “real” stove, but can easily be adapted to Sterno.  It’ll take some time, but spending an hour frying up some golden corn cakes could surely make the power outage pass more pleasantly, right? 

This recipe is very flexible and forgiving.  Want to make it healthier?  Use whole wheat flour and low fat milk.  Want to substitute another herb for basil or leave herbs out entirely?  No problem (although the basil tastes phenomenal).  Want to add some shrimp that’s thawing in your turned off freezer and has to be used up?  Sure - what could be bad? - just sauté the shrimp first in a bit of butter and seasoning and then add the cooked shrimp to the cakes as you cook them.  Enjoy!

Corn & Basil Cakes

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups corn kernels

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Whisk flour, milk, eggs, 1 tablespoon oil, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in corn and basil.
2. Brush a small fry pan or nonstick skillet lightly with some of the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; heat the pan over sterno until hot.  Cook the cakes one at a time until golden brown on both sides. 

Serving suggestion:  serve with a small “dipping bowl” of maple syrup!