blog archive for September 2009

I brought home some lobsters from our photo shoot on Friday and as I had 3 ears of fresh corn, set my sights on making corn chowder with lobster over the weekend. I found a recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food that I had saved and made it Sunday night. Of course I used the recipe only as a guide and when it was all said and done, I really hadn't followed the recipe at all--just the procedure. Instead of bacon I started with country ham, that a friend of mine makes--it's good stuff. In the drippings, I sauteed onion, and potatoes, and added a bit of butter, as the ham didn't have as much fat as bacon. Then I immersed the corn cobs, and the lobster shells and a bit of thyme in the 3 cups of milk--I used 2% instead of whole as that's what I had--and simmered for about 15 minutes to extract all the good corn and lobster flavor. (You can do the same thing with shrimp and shrimp shells.) I added that with the fresh corn to the potato/onion mixture that had a tablespoon of flour mixed in. That was simmered for about 15 minutes until thick and fragrant. In went the chopped lobster meat, the reserved country ham, some parsley and basil, and a handful of slivered greens that were also leftover from photo. A great ending to a fine weekend. Yum. Here's the recipe:

Fresh Corn and Lobster Chowder

4 ounces country ham or bacon

1/2 onion chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon butter (depending on the drippings from the ham or bacon)

1 heaping tablespoon flour

3 ears fresh corn

4 cooked lobster tails, or 1 pound shrimp

3 cups 2% milk

pinch thyme

salt and pepper

fresh chopped parsley

fresh chopped basil

handful of chopped greens (such as mustard or collard) or spinach 

1. Place ham or bacon in a Dutch Oven or large saucepan. Saute 10 minutes or until ham or bacon is crisp. Remove ham, add onion and potato to drippings in pan and saute 10 minutes. Add butter, melt. Add flour, cook 5 minutes. 

2. Place corn cobs and lobster shells and thyme in a large skillet. Add milk; bring to a boil and simmer on medium low about 15 minutes. Strain milk into potato onion mixture. Add corn. Simmer 20 minutes until fragrant and creamy. Add reserved ham, lobster meat, parsley, basil and greens Season with salt and pepper.   

This past Sunday I went to one of the most delightful dinners of my life. It was put on by a group called Outstanding In The Field. The group’s founder is Jim Denevan, who while working as a chef back in 1996, started doing farmer dinners at his restaurant to connect the folks who eat food with the farmers who grow the food.  They were so well received, that a few years later he decided to take the dinners out into the field—literally. He has now done 163 dinners with the purpose of “re-connecting diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.”

Our dinner was at a farm just south of Nashville, called Arugula’s Star Farm, in Columbia TN. After drinks (a lovely prosecco tea), and a tour of the farm, we marched down a path by the stream to a long white table-cloth-draped table. As we proceeded in, we grabbed a plate from a stack of mismatched dinnerware, and sat down.

For me, the meal was lovely not because it was set outside on a farm, or because the food was delicious (I’ve had lots of fabulous meals), or even because the food was local (lots of chefs source local ingredients), but because of the folks I shared it with—a group who not only wanted to be there, but who love food, appreciate the earth where it comes from, and love the community it brings together. The meal was served family-style among the 8 people sitting closest to me. As we passed the serving bowls, we talked about the food, our kids, our jobs, the evening, our pasts, and our futures. As the night wore on, cards and emails were exchanged. Not surprisingly, phones were used for photos of the food, each other, the hosts, the servers, and the table—but surprisingly only for the occasional call home.

You can go to their website, http://www.outstandinginthefield.com/about.html, for a schedule of dinners for the rest of the year. However don’t delay, ours was sold out.

Here’s what we ate, which was prepared by Nashville chef Martha Stamps.

When the summer starts waning, but tomatoes are still bursting our of boxes at the farmers market, and we’ve tired of caprese salad, and sliced tomato sandwiches, I fire up the oven and roast them. There really are no hard and fast rules to this, but here’s what I’ve found to work. Gather tomatoes.  I often ask for “seconds” (imperfect tomatoes) at the farmers market, which they’ll gladly unload for next to nothing. These are perfect for roasting.

Although I didn't personally know Sheila Lukins, I feel like I did, as I have been cooking out of her cookbook, The Silver Palate since 1984, when my parents gave me a copy for college graduation. Sheila Lukins died a couple days ago from brain cancer. I heard it in the morning on NPR. They interviewed Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of the radio show, The Splendid Table about Sheila and why her book, written with Julee Rosso had been so groundbreaking. Lynne said it was the new Joy of Cooking to a whole generation of cooks who were exploring ethnic foods. Indeed I had many "firsts" through the Silver Palate—my first pesto, my first pizza, and my first chili.

I also had many seconds and thirds and fourths. So many, in fact that that original copy is now in 4 pieces with no binding and I’m onto my second copy. It’s also riddled with notes about bake times, when I served it, who liked it, why it wasn’t good, how I modified it and what it needed more of. I’ve always felt like a cookbook should be a diary of sorts— I love the thought of my kids pulling it out to find a note about the brownies we had on their 4^th birthday. The book isn't without flaws.  The Glazed Lemon Cake has an editor's omission mark through it, and the words "fell, don't make again."  But these are outweighed by notes to the effect of that on the Banana Cake, marked with a "great!" and the Peach Cake, marked with an "excellent!" The chili and molasses cookies and Spicy Tomato Sauce are conspicuously missing, because they're in my “master” recipe folder reserved for regulars. Indeed my kids have grown up on their molasses cookies, and they’re still my gold standard—thin, crisp and chewy with just the right amount of spice.

But as I sit here paging through the book, I'm reminded of how absolutely timeless it is. I happen upon Lentil and Walnut Salad, one I never made, and prop the book open in my cookbook stand.........destined to be a new classic no doubt.  Thank you Sheila--you've provided us with the best legacy possible--a lifetime of delicious memories. You indeed had a silver palate.

Here is the Chicken Marbella recipe, which I came to later in life, but love just as well. It’s possibly the recipe she’s known best for.

Chicken Marbella

This was the first main-course dish to be offered at The Silver Palate shop, in New York City, and the distinctive flavors of the prunes, olives and capers kept it a favorite for years. It's good hot or at room temperature.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 dried bay leaves
1 head garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 chickens (2 1/2 pounds each), quartered
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, finely chopped

1. In a large bowl, combine olives oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large shallow baking dishes and spoon marinade over top evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
4. Bake 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at the thickest part, yield a clear yellow (rather than pink) liquid.
5. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle with parsley. Pour remaining pan juices into a sauce boat.
Note: To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring pieces to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerated, reheat it in juices, then allow it to come to room temperture before serving. Spoon some reserved juice over chicken. Serves 10 to 12.

Recipe courtesy of The Silver Palate Cookbook, 25th Anniversary Edition, by Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins (Workman Publishing, March 2007.)