July

My ode to Summer continued this weekend as a few good friends helped ring in July with deliciousness. Friday night we discovered a true gem. Joe's Noodle House. Szechuan cooking at it's finest, including some mysterious ingredient that made our tongues numb. We couldn't decide if it was the actual peppers or some other ingredient like ginger. It was kind of weird, especially when you drank water after numbing the mouth. Worth it.

The best way to cool off the mouth? Agua fresca. My lovely friend Katie recently made some of the nectar of the gods, agua fresca, and posted it on her blog. Then my friends made some watermelon agua fresca, and I knew I was in love again. For the rest of the weekend I blended, strained, mixed and swooned. Fireworks. Stars. Hearts.

I also took a trip to the mexican market and bought awesome cheese to top off some juevos rancheros that I enjoyed with the Suburban Duo (they live in the suburbs, after all). Mmm. Tostados, refried beans, perfectly poached eggs, salsa, cheese, sour cream, patio, sun, agua fresca.

Waterfront, deck, refreshing viognier, perfectly crispy-skinned fish followed by luscious strawberry shortcake=perfect way to begin the weekend. We couldn't believe that after so many years of all of us living in DC we hadn't discovered Indigo Landing. And it seemed as though we weren't alone in that...it only took 5 minutes to get an outside table. What could top that?

Crabs. It's that time of the year, and thanks again to the Suburban Duo, a feast of steamed old bay crabs, grilled calamari, huge succulent clams and some stubborn oysters all showed up at my door (because I was late and they were kind enough to come to me. Bless them). An afternoon spent picking crabs and indulging on riches from the sea=great 4th of July.

So what now, you ask? Well, since I've made a summer's resolution to be better about posting on the bloggy blog, I'm sitting enjoying yet another agua fresca accompanied by a delightful summer salad of fresh cucumber from my co-worker's garden, juicy ripe tomatoes, little balls of mozzarella, a couple pieces of avocado and lots and lots of fresh basil.

It's gonna be a good month.

Gimme gimme chimi chimi!

It was hotter than the face of the sun last weekend, but we grilled anyway. That's how dedicated my friend Dave and I are. Well, how dedicated he is, anyway, he's the one that stood over the flames. I guess he might as well get used to it (hee hee). I, on the other hand, waited until the one day this week when the temperature was below 80. It was beautiful out tonight, so I decided early in the day that I was going to be spending some time at the grill on my roof.

I like it when my food has a lot of bright flavors. To me that means lots of herbs, citrus, and spice. For some reason when thinking about what would be the perfect dinner for such a lovely break in the oppressive summer heat, my mind went to chimichurri sauce. I've never made a chimichurri sauce, so I stole a few minutes from work to look it up, and confirmed my suspicion that I would love it. What's not to love, really? A zesty sauce over some lemon-marinated grilled chicken along with some sweet corn sounded like just the ticket.

After a quick bike ride home, a stop in the store, and some short prep time (involving a kitchen appliance, always a plus), I was ready to grill. And not a moment too soon, because after I put my chicken and corn on the grill, with a dollop of chimichurri sauce on top, neighbor after neighbor started pouring onto the roof. Blinking into the setting sun, we all caught up on neighborhood news, life updates, and of course, grill recipes. Once again, ah summer.

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce

Chicken:

Marinate chicken for 15-30 minutes in 1 part olive oil, 1 part lemon juice and a tsp or two of garlic powder

Chimichurri Sauce:

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch flat leaf parsley

3 tbsp capers

zest and juice of 1 lime

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp horseradish

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 cup olive oil

salt to taste

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor. I also added extra horseradish because I like it spicy. I made a lot to use some leftovers and freeze the rest.

Summer's here

Sorry guys. I've been bad about sharing. I've had so many food adventures, I promise I'll write them down. But tonight, I just wanted to share one thing.

Strawberry popsicles.

So delicious. So summer. Remember when you used to have those homemade popsicles with the little straw at the bottom so you could catch all the melted juice? I ate mine too fast for that to be needed.

May Favorites

Homemade Tangy Frozen Yogurt. A recipe has filtered through the Internet like a game of telephone. It started with David Lebovitz, then Heidi at 101 Cookbooks posted the recipe, and commentators left all kinds of wonderful suggestions for variations. Boston Globe picked it up, playing with proportions and creating four tasty flavor combinations of its own. I've adopted the honey-lemon version as my go-to summer 2010 treat. Don't laugh: it makes the most refreshing breakfast served over berries from the market. If you love Pinkberry, Red Mango, Tangysweet, Mr. Yogato, and the like, this recipe is for you.

Potato & Vanilla Mousse with Caviar. Three weeks after tasting it, I'm still dreaming about this dish from Cafe Atlantico's latino dim sum brunch.* That, and the seared cigala with vanilla oil. Come to think of it, I'm obsessing over vanilla—this recipe from the Washington Post is next on my list.

Fried lemon slices at Palena. Really.

Farmer's Market pasta toss. Sautee 2–3 cups of veggies scored at the market in 1/4 cup of garlic-infused olive oil, liberally season with salt and crushed red pepper, toss with a pound of pasta, and top with chopped fresh herbs and citrus zest. I made a refreshing version this weekend with zucchini, ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms, celery leaves, and orange zest.

*I swear it has nothing to do with the smokin' hot Spanish waiter who served it.

Spring on a Plate

The firsts of springs are such a thrill, especially after last winter's icy, gloomier-than-usual reign. About six weeks ago, Whole Foods started selling the first halibut of the season. Fresh peas made an appearance in delicate, delicious raviolis and agnolottis on menus all over the city. Then the farmer's market opened, with its beautiful, thin stalks of asparagus, zippy greens, ripe strawberries, and peonies that bloomed for weeks. Last weekend I scored the first of the market's squash blossoms—our most rabid spring-produce obsession—and knew just what to do with them. This dish is great for company because it's a luxurious, self-contained meal that can be assembled and chilled for up to 4 hours before popping it into the oven.

Halibut Fillets in Parchment with Asparagus and Stuffed Squash Blossoms*

Adapted from Bon Appetit

16–20 squash blossoms, stamens and calyxes removed
Ricotta
2 tablespoons butter
1 leek (white part only), finely chopped
4 15x15-inch squares parchment paper
4 5-ounce halibut fillets, rinsed and pat dry
1 large bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 navel oranges, one juiced and one sliced
4 large sprigs tarragon

Preheat oven to 400°. Gently open squash blossom petals and inspect for bugs. Swish in a bowl of cold water, pat dry. Stuff each blossom with a spoonful of ricotta and set aside. Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sautee until tender, about 7 minutes. Set aside. Place parchment squares on work surface. Butter half of each parchment square; top buttered half of each with 1 fish fillet. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; top each fillet with a spoonful of sauteed leeks, a sprig of tarragon, and a slice of orange. Arrange asparagus and 4–5 squash blossoms around each fish fillet; pour 2 tablespoons orange juice over each. Fold parchment over fish and asparagus, folding and crimping edges tightly to seal and enclose filling completely. Place on 2 rimmed baking sheets, spacing apart.

Bake fish packets 17 minutes. Slide packets onto plates and serve.

*In the fall, we use pomegranate seeds in lieu of squash blossoms for a seasonal variation.

S'mores pie?

Yes, please

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/now-baking-first-prize-piess-smores-pie/?ref=t-magazine&src=tmcc

14th and U, I love you!

After reading about Wendy's mouth-watering dinner created straight out of her fresh produce box, I was more than psyched to make my first pilgrimage of the year to our wonderful little farmer's market at 14th and U last Saturday. I picked up all kinds of goodies, including a few ingredients for last night's meal: hot! hot! hot! mustard greens, sweet Italian sausages from Truck Patch, and my favorite goat cheese, Monocacy Ash from Cherry Glen Farm. Combined with a few other elements, they came together to make one of our most beloved dishes—Red Beet Risotto with Mustard Greens and Goat Cheese—with roasted sausages* on the side. Not only is the risotto bursting with complementary flavors—sweet and earthy ones from the beets, tang from the goat cheese and balsamic vinegar, fiery spice from the mustard greens—it's also a rock-n-roll magenta color. We happily gobbled up the leftovers tonight, but that means no more for tomorrow!

Red Beet Risotto with Mustard Greens and Goat Cheese
Bon Appetit, February 2007

1/4 cup butter
2 beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups chopped white onion
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups low-salt chicken or veggie broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups chopped mustard greens
5 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add beets and onion. Cover; cook until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Mix in rice and cook for a minute. Add broth** and vinegar. Increase heat; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered until rice and beets are just tender and risotto is creamy, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and mix in greens and goat cheese.

*Like, really really roasted, within an inch of their lives. Thanks a lot, Jamie Oliver. 25 minutes? Next time I'll try 15. (I still love you.)

**Add 1/2 cup of broth at a time until the rice has absorbed the liquid if you want to feel like you're completely ruling the risotto. I've made it both ways and find the end result nearly identical, I hate to say it.

Photo via La Tartine Gourmande. (Sorry, I can't bring myself to stop eating and start photographing my dinner. It just seems weird.)