In the Abode of the Dead they are known exclusively as moules, and, when served, Hades will eat them in breathtaking quantities. They are mussels — tiny, meaty, sweet little jewels that are revered like no other ingredient in these parts. I must admit, they are strangely beautiful. Their black and pearly shells contrast with the orange-yellow flesh inside, and a full pan of these yawning bivalves is quite striking indeed.
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Every so often you run across a recipe that begs to be made just as is, such as Spanish maestro José Andrés’s recipe for gazpacho. Not a more perfect dish than this can be found to send summer off into its nine month hiatus. Celebrate all that we are losing before the clock strikes 5:05 a.m. tomorrow. Well, perhaps this post is a bit late for that, but rustle up some of these ingredients this weekend for a quick, albeit belated, goodbye.
I used some gorgeous, juicy yellow tomatoes from a Green B.E.A.N. Delivery box along with peppers and cucumbers from my back yard. All gone now.
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
Playlist included Quiet Town, by Josh Rouse.
Food trends come and go. And ideas, ingredients, or dishes that you might think aren’t exactly cool, always seem to have a way of coming back around. Being thrifty and using offal and off cuts is fashionable. It’s hip to garden again. The values of my Gran are suddenly in vogue. How charming!
My friend John loves Columbus, loves food and thought it would be great to celebrate Johnny Marzetti with a collection of blog posts from local Columbus food bloggers. I was so pleased to be included in the crowd and to learn about this dish, not being a Columbus native. I assured John I’d never heard of or eaten this dish before. But now what truly fascinates me is that there is a version that made its way to the Rio Grande valley of Texas, a stone’s throw away from where I grew up. And as it turns out, it’s something that my Grandma often made for Sunday dinners and potlucks. I knew it as Macaroni Crunch, but many others knew it as Johnny Marzotti. Maybe this is the sort of unspoken influence that food has on our lives.
Here’s my version of this Ohio and South Texas classic. I’ve put my own spin on it by using heirloom tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and peppers from my back garden. The result is a fresh take on the already entirely delicious French’s-fried-onions-canned-mushroom-soup-and-canned-tomato version with which I grew up. And somehow, I think Grandma might be proud. Proud of my garden and my thriftiness and my comfort in the kitchen.
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Although summer corn here in Ohio is some of the sweetest and loveliest I’ve ever eaten, I still can’t help but occasionally add to an already great thing. Gilding the already golden lily, if you will. This is an easy, flavorful recipe that I’ve made countless times this summer, because it seems to go with everything. And left to my own devices, I would eat bowls of this all alone for dinner. It’s so delicious.
Maque Choux (say mock shoe) is a traditional Cajun dish of braised corn, along with
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The birth of this post comes from a piece of bony fish.
I had a lovely piece of sea bass that would have made a gorgeous steak all seared off and pretty, ready for it’s close up. But darn it if I couldn’t pry loose some stubborn pin bones. Many people wouldn’t bother with such a thing, but as it turns out, I have a thing. I really can’t stand bones in a fish. I know. Hush.
So, I poached it instead.
And after its warm bath, the fish easily gave up all those bones just with a bit of light flaking into a bowl. This salad is wonderful in its traditional forms: on a croissant (from Pistacia Vera?), over a salad of spring greens, on toast (from Omega Bakery?) or, as I did, in lettuce leaves that rolled up into little roulades. Add in a few strong, non-traditional ingredients (olives, capers, a brunoise of red bell pepper) and you’ve got something that a lady who lunches or a fish phobic person (I’m not fish phobic, I’m bone phobic) will really enjoy.
Sea Bass Salad Roulades, serves 2
2/3 pound sea bass (although salmon would also be just marvelous in this, come to think of it)
6 olives, sliced
1 T red bell pepper, minced
1 T capers, drained
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 T parsley, finely chopped
2 T olive oil, plus more to taste
1/2 lime, juice and zest
Salt, pepper
4 large lettuce leaves, washed and dried
In a small pot of simmering water add in the fish and cook at a gentle bubble for 10 to 12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Drain and let rest on a paper towel. While the fish is cooking, combine all other ingredients in a small bowl, except for the lettuce leaves. Flake in the fish with the dressing, gently stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper or olive oil to taste. Divide the salad amongst the four lettuce leaves.
Playlist included Second Chance, by PB&J (Peter, Bjorn and John).
I love salads for lunch. Not the dried iceberg-purple-cabbage-shredded-carrot kind. Salads with some personality: seasonal vegetables and a well paired salad dressing are the bare minimum of requirements. Today’s lunch was a take on an original recipe from Jamie Oliver. God love that man for all he’s doing to change the way people eat.
Since we had some beautiful purple bell peppers (love!!!) from Honeyrun Farm, it was easy to make them the star. The peppers were paired with a mix of greens from Honeyrun, too, and that were dressed with a simple vinaigrette that was spiked with cumin.
Warm Stuffed Peppers with Cumin Dressed Greens, Serves 2
2 small purple (or any color really) bell peppers, cored, seeds removed
1 large Roma tomato, chopped
Small handful of fresh parsley and basil, chopped
2 slices ten grain bread, toasted (or similar)
1 clove of garlic, paper removed
Three generous handfuls of fresh salad greens
Olive oil, salt and pepper, mustard, cumin, local honey
Heat oven to 350˚. Mix 1/2 to 3/4 of the chopped tomato with the chopped herbs. Reserving the rest for garnish. Sprinkle mixture with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Stuff each pepper with half the tomato mixture, place in a baking dish and drizzle with a bit more olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes.
Toast the bread slices. When done, give each slice of toast a quick rub with the garlic clove (toast acts as a nice grater). Mix the dressing with two to three tablespoons oil to one tablespoon of vinegar, whisk in a teaspoon of vinegar, a heaping teaspoon of cumin, and a drizzle of local honey. Salt and pepper to taste. Dress the greens.
Plate as shown above.
The only non-local ingredients in this dish, were the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. For complete sourcing see the Farms and Producers page.
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