Coming Attractions

I figured I’d post the menu for the next few days (although I’ve been known to change things at the last minute).

Tuesday (September 15): Heirloom tomato bruschetta; oyster stew; glazed ginger peaches.

Wednesday (September 16): Baked rainbow trout in corn husks, coconut rice, spicy peach and tomato salsa.

Thursday (September 17): Roasted beets, poached farm egg, ricotta salata; late summer minestra.

Friday (September 18): Kielbasa cooked with beet greens; long beans sautéed with tomato and garlic.

Check back for recipes and pix.

for Appoggiatura, Arnie and Mark

Left to right: Sungold cherry tomatoes, assorted heirloom grape and cherry tomatoes, assorted heirloom tomatoes (Plum Yellow, San Marzano, Persimmon, Red Zebra)

Tonight will be a mini tomato dinner. I had initially planned for Tuesday but a casual inspection this morning revealed that a couple of toms had ripened a bit while in the fridge. That, or they’ve softened considerably. All the more reason why I should eat them as soon as possible.

Heirloom tomato salad, corn flan
Fettucine with Sungold tomatoes, garlic and bush basil
Watermelon and white peach salad

If I had more time, I would have candied some Sungold toms and served that with the fruit salad for dessert. Depending on tonight’s effort, I might do another tomato dinner in a couple of weeks.

Check back later for pix and recipes.

Recession Specials 4

This week I’m imposing a special challenge on myself — no shopping until Friday (which is my next payday).

It will be an extra difficult cooking challenge because some of the produce that’s leftover in the fridge isn’t normally associated with summer.

Let’s take a look at the ingredient list, shall we?

kielbasa
angel hair pasta
oil-cured olives
parsley
one rather forlorn cucumber
half a loaf of sourdough bread
garlic
onion — yellow, red cippolini and gold cippolini
less than 1/4 lb. string beans
less than 1/2 bunch arugula
some basil that needs to be used quickly — the leaves have begun oxidizing
watermelon radishes — about six
French breakfast radishes — about 1/2 lb.
2 ears corn
beets — one bunch, sans greens
celery
one red bell pepper
assorted fingerling potatoes
one carrot
one parsnip
a few Jerusalem artichokes
ginger
eggs
milk
less than 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
mesclun
prosciutto
garlic chives
sage

At least I’ve got olive oil, so all is not lost.

There’s also half a tub of Sungold cherry tomatoes and a container of anchovies packed in olive oil. I’m not including any nonperishable items like dried pasta, lentils and rice. They’ll appear in this week’s menu but those ingredients won’t be the focus of this week’s meals.

Should be an interesting experiment. I’ll post tonight’s dinner in a couple of hours.

Saturation Point

We’ve been having so much rain lately, it’s starting to make me think I’m living in Seattle. Hmph.

Radishes — Serve these thinly sliced, with bread, butter and a little salt. Heaven in three bites. Also good roasted with some olive oil, chopped mint, salt and pepper.

Confidential to Mark

A loaf of sourdough bread from one of the bakery vendor stalls at USGM

Since Mark wanted to know what this week’s menu was, here it is…

This is all subject to change, depending on the phases of the moon or personal whim.

Tuesday, 5 May (tonight): Linguine with anchovies, breadcrumbs and mint. Asparagus in the style of Parma.
Wednesday, 6 May: Roast chicken la Keller, vegetable side dish undetermined. Very likely it will be potatoes and watercress, in the style of Istria.
Thursday, 7 May: Chicken congee. Stir-fried baby bok choy and fava greens. Leftover roast chicken will be reserved for another use and the carcass turned into stock. The neat thing about congee is that you can freeze it for the future, especially on nights when you don’t feel like cooking dinner.
Friday, 8 May: Not sure yet. I have a bunch of fingerlings, Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips from a while back. I’m thinking a vegetable plate of some sort. More later.
Saturday, 9 May: Sourdough french toast and bacon for breakfast. Not sure what to do about lunch or dinner as this will depend on what’s available at the market. I picked up some fresh ricotta cheese last weekend from USGM so I’m thinking perhaps some ricotta gnocchi with spring vegetables.
Sunday, 10 May: Not sure about this one either. At some point this weekend I’m going to make ramps strata. A strata is a savory bread pudding. (The recipe I’m using will be different from the one I’ve linked to.) I already have most of the ingredients on hand — ramps (2 bunches), eggs, bacon, mushrooms, shallots, red onion and sourdough bread. There will also be dairy in the custard base and a little bit of Parmesan cheese. Originally I had wanted to make the strata last weekend but I got distracted by other possibilities.

I’m always thinking about food — what to eat a meal ahead, what other people are having, who’s blogging about what and so forth. As I’ve said elsewhere, cooking is a ceaseless education. You never stop learning. You develop an awareness and a curiosity about the world around you that results in worthwhile experiences. It serves as an endless fountain of inspiration in the years to come.