Pea Heaven

I woke up early this morning and turned on the radio. On Being's Krista Tippett was interviewing spoken poetry poet Sarah Kay, who was talking about why she loves the word "flux". It was "fluffy and sharp", she said. Maybe it was the "x" sound, but the word "elixir" popped into my head. Right now, that's the word I'm in love with. See, I'd made Deborah Madison's recipe for pea soup the previous afternoon, as part of my brother-in-law Dave's birthday dinner. Madison calls the recipe "elixir of fresh peas" and trust me, it is the essence of peas--the holy grail for someone like me who's been carrying this idea around in my head for a long time of what pea soup perfection should taste like.  
I'm not exaggerating. 

Of course, this soup has to be made now, while fresh shell peas are in season. (I got mine at the farmers' market in Boston, but they can be found at the Portsmouth market, too.) This is not a recipe that tells you to substitute frozen peas. No. That's because the stock is made with the pea shells! Just that, some scallions or leeks, and parsley stems.  It's not time intensive either. It takes about 20 minutes to simmer the stock and then just another 4 or 5 minutes to make the soup itself. It practically takes longer to shell the peas. 


I followed the recipe pretty closely, though I first sweated the scallions for a couple of minutes before adding water for the stock. I also added some chopped chervil and chives to the finished soup.  Madison suggests adding a few drops of truffle oil to each bowl before serving, but I didn't want anything interfering with the heavenly taste of those peas.

Though of course, the soup can be served hot, I recommend serving it chilled. It stays that beautiful frothy, pale spring green color, even after a couple of hours in the fridge. (If you want it warm, it's best to make it just before serving.) Unlike some soups that lose a little something when served chilled, this one was still full of flavor. One warning: Madison is not kidding when she tells you to be careful when pureeing. Even though I used the towel, as suggested, soup just exploded out of the blender. (Luckily our kitchen walls are green!) I suggest doing it in small batches.  

Elixir of Fresh Peas (adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison)

1 bunch scallions or 2 small leeks, thinly sliced

5 large parsley stems with leaves

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 pounds english peas

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup thinly sliced spring onion or young leek

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Truffle oil, optional

To make the stock, bring 1 quart water to a boil. As it's heating, add the scallions, parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add about 3 cups of pea pods as you shell them. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, then strain.

Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the sliced onion. Cook over medium heat for about a minute, then add 1/2 cup of the stock so that the onion stews without browning. After 4-5 minutes, add the peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the sugar. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of the stock, bring to a boil, and simmer for 3 minutes, or until the peas are soft and cooked through, larger peas may take a bit longer.

Transfer the soup to a blender. Drape a towel over the lid and give a few short pulses to make sure it won't splatter. Then puree at high speed for 1 minute. Pour into soup bowls, adding a few drops of truffle oil to each, and serve immediately.

4-6 servings.

Salsa Verde: Where've You Been All My Life?

The annual garlic progression has begun at the Farmers' Markets in Boston and Portsmouth, NH. Right now, it's the green garlic stage; soon to be followed by garlic scapes, and finally, garlic bulbs.

Each stage offer its own taste treat, and I'm always looking for new ideas that bring out the unique flavor. So when The New York Times food writer Melissa Clark featured a recipe for salsa verde this week in her column A Good Appetite, I was intrigued. I was also in luck, as my brother-in-law Dave had picked up a couple of bunches of the scallion-looking bulbs Saturday, at the Seacoast Growers market in Portsmouth. 

Clark describes the tastes of green garlic as "grassy and sweet" -- and I have to agree. At this point in the season, it has none of that pungent bitterness that some people complain about in mature garlic. (Garlic at any stage is all right by me.)

While Clark served her salsa verde over grilled pork, we were having sautéed wild caught New England flounder, which I'd purchased at Sanders Fish Market in Portsmouth. I figured the salsa verde would be a nice change from our usual preparation of lemon, parsley, and capers -- after all, two out of three were ingredients in the salsa verde.

Prior to this, I'd always thought of salsa verde  as the green tomatillo sauce you find Mexican cuisine. But there's a salsa verde--commonly made with parsley, mint, capers, and anchovies--that has an Italian heritage. This sauce, comes from that tradition, though since it has neither anchovies or nor capers, it's lighter and brighter in taste, with a beautiful green color. In fact, it was taste revelation -- so good, that Dave took the last bit drizzled on top of left-over rice and greens for lunch the next day, much to my disappointment!

No worries, though, I'm looking forward to making it again with grilled chicken or pork. But I'll have to hurry. Green garlic season doesn't last very long at all.

Salsa Verde al la Melissa Clark

INGREDIENTS
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (I recommend flat Italian parsley)

• 3 tablespoons chopped mint
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic chives or regular chives
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
• 1/8 teaspoon chile flakes
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION
1. Combine the herbs, garlic, lemon, 1 teaspoon salt and chile flakes. Stir in 1/2 cup oil. (NOTE: I used only about 1/4 cup of oil, as I wanted my sauce to be more chunky.)

A Souper Easter Celebration: Asparagus Style

Easter dinner can present a challenge for those who preach the benefits of eating local. While all around me, the markets and green grocers are showing off their bountiful displays of artichokes, mushrooms, spring onions, and asparagus, my CSA share is presenting me with more turnips, potatoes, and when I'm lucky, kale and spinach. Good things, yes, but right now I want a big helping of the tastes of the coming season, not more of what I"ve been enjoying all winter.

So, I figure, it's the holiday, why not indulge? And so we did. Big globe artichokes from California were trimmed, blanched, and sauteed in olive oil and garlic! Mushrooms of various types and sizes were sauteed and turned into sauce for veal chops--at least those were locally and humanely-- raised by Tim Rocha of Kellie Brook Farm in Greenland, NH. Heron Pond Farm of Hampton Falls' potatoes were sliced thin and combined with leeks in a cheese-filled potato gratin. But there was still all that asparagus calling my name. My sister Robin suggested an asparagus soup. Perfection!

We had some homemade chicken stock in the freezer and a bottle of  Brookford Farm buttermilk in the fridge, which seemed like it would be a lighter, tangier substitute for cream. All we needed were some of those nice spring onions!                         

To prepare the soup, I reserved the asparagus tips, snapped off the bottoms and cut the remaining stalks into inch-long pieces. The onions were chopped and then sweated in a little butter over low heat for 25 minutes. Next, I poured in the stock and the asparagus stalk pieces and simmered until the vegetables were soft. Then, I put the soup in the blender -- in batches, of course -- and blended until smooth.

When I was ready to serve the soup, I spooned it into a sauce pan, added the buttermilk, and combined. Lastly, I chopped the asparagus tips, sauteed them briefly and sprinkled them on top of each bowl. Finally, I added some fresh-snipped chives from the garden for a delicious start to a spring-inspired meal.

I'm already looking forward to having this soup again when the local asparagus is in. Then, I'll serve it cold -- with a little topping of creme fraiche.

Cream of Asparagus Soup 

Serves 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients
2 c. chopped yellow onions
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1  qt. chicken stock, preferably homemade
1  lbs. asparagus
1/4 to 1/2 c. buttermilk, depending on how thick you want the soup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chives for a garnish

Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a heavy 4-quart pot and simmer the onions over low heat, stir frequently, until very soft and golden, about 25 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

2. Snap off the ends of the asparagus, then trim the tips and reserve. Cut remaining stalks into 1-inch pieces. Add to the chicken stock and onions, and simmer until soft.

3. Blend soup in small batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. (Be careful as this is very hot!)
Soup can be made to this point and refrigerated until ready to serve, later in the day.

4. Pour soup into a large saucepan and add the buttermilk. Stir over low heat until blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Chop the asparagus tops into 1/4" pieces. Sauteed briefly until just cooked. Pour soup into serving bowls, top with asparagus tips and chives, and serve.

Flex Your Mussels, Clams, and Other Seafood.

In early November, I had the great fortune to take a trip to Paris. It was all too brief a stay -- just three days and three nights -- but I made the most of it with quiet walks, numerous museums and outdoor markets, and of course, superb meals.

In the process, I rediscovered my love affair with French baguettes and sweet butter; thanks to Beach Pea Bakery and Kate's Homemade Butter, I've been able to enjoy a reasonable facsimile of these right here in Portsmouth. (I'm still yearning for those simple ham and cheese sandwiches one finds in every Paris bakery, though!)

One dinner I particularly enjoyed was at the seafood-only restaurant, Bistrot du Dome Bastille, where I had a lovely stew of fish and shellfish. I was reminded of this just before Christmas when I read David Tanis' recipe for Fishmonger's Stew in one of his City Kitchen columns in the New York Times. Dave, Robin, and I had been thinking about kicking off the New Year's weekend with a bouillabaisse or cioppino. The Tanis recipe seemed simpler; more like the dish that had so delighted me in Paris.

Those of us who live in the Seacoast area are so fortunate to have so many places where we can get the fresh-caught fish a dish like this requires! Saunders Fish Market in Portsmouth had both local flounder and sea scallops -- no monkfish or calamari this week, which was a slight disappointment-- however, it was easy to find the mussels and clams, so we were all set.

This stew has a leek and onion base, with only a few tomatoes to give it some flavor depth and color. We used a good canned fish stock, but you can also use chicken broth or water.  You can also be flexible about what fish you add -- just be sure to put things in to the stock base  in the order that Tanis suggests so the more delicate fish doesn't overcook. If you use sea scallops, as we did, you might cut them in half crosswise so they get done at the same time that everything else does. 

  

 Most important: don't overlook the sauce. It's the source of the bright, rich garlic-lemon-olive oil-saffron taste that gives this stew its distinctive taste -- just like the one I loved in Paris!

Fishmonger’s Stew ala David Tanis
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 dozen medium-small clams, like littlenecks

1 pound mussels
3/4 pound monkfish or other firm-fleshed white fish, in 1-inch cubes
3/4 pound scrod, flounder, or other soft-fleshed white fish, in 1-inch cubes
3/4 pound squid, in 1/2-inch rings, plus tentacles
1/2 pound bay scallops, optional
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups medium-diced onions
3 cups medium-diced leeks, rinsed of grit
1/2 cup diced canned tomato
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or a few thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
Pinch of saffron, about 1/8 teaspoon
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch red pepper flakes
6 cups fish stock, chicken broth, or water
1 pound Yellow Finn or russet potatoes, peeled, in 1/2-inch slices
Garlic-saffron sauce, see recipe.

Instructions
1. Soak the clams in cold water to remove grit and sand, then drain. Rinse and de-beard the mussels. Put the monkfish, scrod, squid and bay scallops (if using) in separate small bowls. Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, thyme, bay leaf, saffron, garlic, paprika and red pepper flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.

3. Turn the heat to high, add the fish stock, chicken broth or water, and bring to a boil. Taste for salt and adjust to taste. Add the potatoes and reduce the heat so they simmer gently until firm-tender, about 10 minutes. (The stew may be prepared to this point up to 2 hours ahead.)

4. To finish the stew, return the heat to a brisk simmer. Add the clams and cook till they open, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mussels, monkfish and scrod and simmer until the mussels open, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the squid and scallops, if using, and cook 1 minute more. Turn off the heat, stir in the garlic-saffron sauce.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Garlic-Saffron Sauce
Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup crustless day-old French bread, in 1/2-inch cubes
2 or 3 garlic cloves
Salt
Pinch of saffron, about 1/8 teaspoon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley.

Instructions
1. Soak the bread in cold water for 1 minute and squeeze dry. Mash garlic and salt into a paste. Put it in a mortar with the bread and pound together with the saffron, or mix it all in a blender.

2. Gradually whisk in the olive oil to make a thick sauce. Add the lemon juice, parsley and salt. Keep the sauce at room temperature.

Yield: 1/3 cup.

Not Sure What Flavors Go With What?

Check out this visualization of complementary flavors by David McCandless and Willow Tyrer. Even if you know how to combine flavors, this is beautiful to look at.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/taste-buds/«

Tomato Soup That's Just Peachy

If you've been very lucky, sometime about this point in the tomato season, you'll have had so many BLTs, tomato/basil/mozzarella salads, and fresh tomato sauces that you'll be ready to move into something new and perhaps a little unexpected. If that should happen while fresh peaches are still in season, so much the better.

A couple of weeks ago, Mark Bittman focused on heirloom tomatoes in one of his EAT columns in The Sunday New York Times Magazine. There were 12 recipes in all, several of which I've tried and loved -- and will probably spotlight here at a later date -- but there's one I've made twice so far this summer, and could easily think about making again: the Cold Cream of Tomato and Peach Soup 

To say this soup is simple to make is no exaggeration. Yes, it requires a little stove time to sautee the onion and simmer the tomatoes and peaches. And it does taste best cold, so you'll need to make it enough in advance to chill it. But as there's no need to peel or seed the tomatoes, the actual preparation time is minimal. Just make sure the tomatoes and peaches are nice and ripe, because you'll want them to be juicy. Do that, and you'll have a soup that's elegant enough for company and easy enough to make just for you.

It may seem odd for a soup with cream in its name, but Bittman lists that ingredient as optional; he's right, the soup really doesn't need it, the tomato and peach taste comes through just great without it. However, I find topping each serving of soup with a healthy dollop of crème fraîche, provided you can get a good one, like the one made by the folks at Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery, adds just the right tang.

Cold Cream of Tomato and Peach Soup
Mark Bittman, Sunday New York Times Magazine

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1/2 pound peaches, chopped and peeled

1/2 cup cream (optional) (I prefer to use crème fraîche as a garnish, though you could also purée some with the soup.)

Tarragon for garnishing

Preparation

1. Cook onion in butter for 5 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and peaches.

3. Simmer until the tomatoes break up.

4. Add cream (optional but good), purée (in a blender) and chill.

5. Garnish with chopped tarragon.

Back Again: Tomato Bread Salad ala David Tanis

After a few months off to finish my upcoming book, Peaceful Places Boston: 121 Tranquil Places in the City and Beyond, I'm back to writing this blog at the perfect time: just as the height of the summer's bounty begins to appear in farmers' markets and farm stands.

Hallelujah for corn, new baby potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and of course, tomatoes!

I've been making bread salads for years now. My long-time, go-to recipe is the Panzanella: Bread and Vegetable Salad with Anchovies in The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan, which unfortunately, now seems to be out of print.

Recently, I've also enjoyed Judy Rodgers version, Tomato Summer Pudding from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. But I'm always looking for new slants on this salad and interesting techniques--so when I found a recipe for Layered Tomato Bread Salad, in David Tanis' Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys, I was eager to experiment.

Part of what intrigued me was the complexity of the vinaigrette for the salad--complexity of flavor, by the way, not of preparation.
You macerate a minced shallot in red wine vinegar for five minutes, then add a garlic paste, made by smashing garlic cloves and a little salt with a mortar and pestle, then drizzle in some olive oil to make your vinaigrette.

Next, you add some chopped anchovies, capers, and olives to make a chunky dressing that you pour over the cubed tomatoes and sliced cucumbers--and let the pungent flavors meld.

Heirloom tomatoes have just come into the Seacoast Growers' market in Portsmouth. Robin and Dave were able to buy a ripe and colorful selection through our CSA at Meadow's Mirth Farm. We also bought some country-style bread at Beach Pea Bakery in Kittery. Of course, as it was just fresh baked, it was not the day-old bread we needed, so to dry it, we sliced it and left it out overnight, in preparation for grilling it the next day. (The point of this salad is to have some bread pieces be really crispy, while others soften by soaking in the salad juices.)

 

Because this salad was to be our contribution to a cookout, we made everything ahead of time and transported the vegetables and dressing separately. Our host was happy to grill the bread prior to making dinner, so we could have the completed salad on the table when the rest of the food was ready. Needless to say, it was a big hit!

Layered Tomato and Bread Salad

From Heart of the Artichoke And Other Kitchen Journeys by David Tanis

Ingredients

12 slices day-old country bread, such as pain au levain

1/2 c olive oil, plus more for brushing
3 garlic cloves for swiping the bread
1 shallot, minced
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
6 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup Nicoise olives, pitted and roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
6 ripe large tomatoes, roughly cubed
1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced
A generous handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
A generous handful for serving, if desired

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Paint the bread generously with olive oil on both sides and place it on a baking sheet. Bake until the slices are crisp and golden, about 10 minutes, turning them halfway through. (Or toast the oil-painted bread on a grill.) Let the bread cool, and swipe each slice with a garlic clove. Break each slice into 2 or 3 pieces. Set aside.

2. To make the vinaigrette, macerate the shallot in the vinegar for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic paste and add the 1/2 cup olive oil. Add the anchovies, capers, and olives and stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Put the tomato cubes and cucumber slices in a medium bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables.

4. Assemble the salad on a deep platter or in a low, wide bowl. Layer half the bread slices on the platter or in the bowl and spoon over half of the tomato/cucumber mixture. Lay over the rest of the bread and top with the remaining tomatoes. Cover with a clean towel and let sit for about an hour at cool room temperature.

5. Just before serving, gently press down the salad with your hands to distribute the juices. Sprinkle generously with the basil and parsley. Spoon the salad onto plates lined with crisp lettuce leaves.