ode to joy

Music and cooking are a great culinary pairing.

A few years ago I catered a dinner party for a friend of my sister. Nelson is a portrait artist who lives in a painting- and sculpture-filled house outside of Philadelphia. His youngest children have inherited their father’s talent and have channeled it into music (and skateboarding, in the case of the youngest son). I spent the afternoon prepping the dinner, with Annalisa’s piano music making its way into the kitchen and filling the room – and my heart – with beautiful melodies. It made for one of my favorite cooking memories.

My sister and her husband hosted an engagement party for my niece just after I finished culinary school, and one of my classmates flew to Atlanta to help me cater the party. We had a great time doing our prep work to the inspiring songs of ABBA, the Swedish songsters doing a lot to help us channel our inner Dicing Queen. However, after about the twentieth replay of the cd, Anne begged us to find something new to play, so we moved onto Meatloaf. We had no choice.

This fall most of the cooking I’ve been doing has been in the kitchen of the house I’m sharing in upstate New York. One night last February I received a call from a high school friend who lives in Brooklyn. Maura and her husband Scott happened to be in my neighborhood, and I joined them for a beer. As our discussion continued, Maura mentioned that some friends of hers had a house for rent in a small town on the banks of the Hudson. The friends in question are two brothers from Charleston who have written a couple of cookbooks and have done a lot of travel and food-related writing. The more we talked about the house the more it became obvious that this was a no-brainer: the chance to cook in a kitchen owned by James Beard-award winners, and my share of the rent for a weekend house would be less than it was costing me to park my car in Manhattan?! Yes!

The upstate kitchen is a wonderful spot for cooking and listening to music. I open iTunes and turn to the classical radio station from Wyoming. They play a lot of the full rich sounds that I love, and it’s a real treat to hear the weather forecast “ten inches of snow tonight” and catch myself in a temporary state of confusion. The farmers markets right now are like a beautiful symphony, brimming over with gorgeous vegetables of every color and shape. I recently discovered the Long Island Cheese Squash, so named for its resemblance to a wheel of cheese. I used it in a curried soup; a butternut or kabocha squash would work just as well. I hope this recipe makes your tastebuds sing!

Harvest Squash Soup

Serves four

1 medium-sized squash, about 3 pounds

1 medium onion, cut into medium dice

4 to 6 cups vegetable stock

2-3 teaspoons curry powder

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Scrub squash clean and cut into quarters. Remove seeds and stringy innards. (Note: seeds can be reserved for garnish, see below.)

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper of lightly oil it. Place squash quarters on the pans and drizzle with olive oil and season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

3.. Roast squash in 400 degree oven approximately 30-40 minutes, or until cooked. (Test for doneness by inserting a fork or sharp knife into flesh. Squash is cooked when said utensil goes into flesh easily.)

4. Allow squash to cool enough for easy handling. Meanwhile, sauté diced onion in olive oil over medium high heat, until translucent. At the end of cooking, add the curry powder and stir to combine with onions; cook over heat for about a minute more. (This technique helps bring out the oils in the spices of the curry mix and enhances the flavor)

5. Scoop cooked squash out of the skin and put in the pan with the onions. Discard skins. Add about 3 cups of stock. Puree with an immersion blender. (Alternatively, moved cooked onions into a blender, add cooked squash there, cover with stock. Close blender tightly, covering the top with a dishtowel just in case of “explosion” during processing.) Once majority of squash/onion mixture is pureed, you can add more stock (and water as needed) to get soup to your desired thickness and consistency. Remember that the soup will thicken after the pureeing, so you’ll want to make it a little thinner than you think you want. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve soup warm, garnished with roasted seeds, a sprig of thyme (an ingredient in the stock), or a dollop of sour cream/crème fraiche.

Note: For squash seed garnish, separate seeds them from the stringy membranes, place on an oiled cookie sheet, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Toast in 250 degree oven for about an hour, until crispy.

magic

Maybe it’s the full moon that has appeared this week, or perhaps I’m still savoring a wonderful visit to Maine last weekend, but right now my mind is filled with awe and magic. I got these beautiful eggs from a favorite farmer this week, and they have had me entranced.

New York City has given me some pretty magical moments during our “courtship” of the past four years. One evening I was walking along Central Park South toward Fifth Avenue and as I approached the Plaza I heard beautiful music, almost like there was a real live soundtrack being played to accompany my perambulation. It was the hotel’s 100^th birthday and the Peter Duchin orchestra was set up for the festivities outside. I stood with a small group and listened for a few minutes, and as I started to leave, they began playing my favorite song, Begin the Beguine. I had a class uptown and I think I literally floated my way up Madison Avenue, Cole Porter humming through my head.

Earlier this week I stopped in at one of my favorite morning spots, Piccolo Café. The name is appropriate – it’s even smaller than my tiny apartment. But what it lacks in size it more than makes up in flavor! One of the owners is a tall Italian with an accent as thick as their espresso. As he steamed the milk for my coffee, Mr. Latte shared that their business is going very well right now, with a second spot in the works. Walking home up Third Avenue, I thought about our very pleasant exchange and about how wonderful it is to see their success. New York is sharing her magic in beautiful, subtle ways now.

The best way to experience the magic is to walk the city’s streets, but you can also enjoy a meal filled with flavor and goodness. This sandwich is my version of one of Piccolo’s tasty treats.

Egg Sandwich with Greens

1. Dress a handful of greens in a spoonful of a simple vinaigrette. (In the bottom of a bowl, use a fork to mix together one soup spoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of balsamic or sherry vinegar, add salt and pepper to taste. Lightly toss the greens in the dressing.)

2. Lightly toast two slices of bread.

3. Scramble two eggs in a pan with butter.

4. Place cooked eggs on one slice of bread, top with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese, top that with a handful of the dressed greens and sliced tomatoes, then the second slice of bread.

5. Enjoy!

nature and nurture

"The Hudson nurtures those who are attuned to its voice."

That sentence appears in the prologue to The Hudson: America's River, by Frances Dunwell. At the river's southern end, it can be hard to hear the river's voice amidst the cacophony of the city's traffic and inhabitants. Further upstream, it is hard not to hear the river's voice, whether in the gentle lapping of the waters on the shore, in the honking of barges heading up to Albany, or in the squawking of migrating geese stopping for a rest in one of the river's many bays. The river has inspired generations of artists and writers, and now the Hudson River Valley is home to a lot of the farmers and cooks who are part of our nation's growing locavore/eat local movement. And what inspiration there is!

Despite the heat and drought of this summer, it has been a great year for eating delicious treats grown in the valley - corn, beans, heirloom tomatoes. A fun discovery has been a number of orchards and farms with pick-your-own options. One morning as I was driving back to the city, I decided to pick some peaches. It was nice to see the smiles on faces of the men who work in my apartment building when I gave them a bag of the sweet treats, but the real gift was being in the orchard atop a ridge, under a bright blue sky with the stately Catskill mountains off to the west and the rolling hills of the Berkshires off to the east.

I returned to that same farm last week, to pick apples in one of their other orchards. This one sits lower on the hillside so the view isn't quite as dramatic, but the bright sky and the snaps of crisp autumn air made it just as nurturing. A friend from culinary school was up for a short visit and we quickly filled our bag with Jonagolds, Empires, Cortlands, and a few Honeycrisps for good measure. Most of the fruit went back to the city as gifts for friends, but a few of them found their way into delicious little cakes.

Natalia adapted a batter cake recipe that we found in the Once Upon a Tart cookbook. Enjoy!

Apple Tea Cakes

adapted from Once Upon a Tart

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (plus a tad more for buttering cake pans)

3-4 tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

zest of one lemon

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter/grease 3 small loaf pans.

2. Toss apples with cinnamon, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Set aside.

3. Whisk together sugar and flour in a mixing bowl, then whisk in the cooled melted butter, vanilla and egg until just combined. Stir in the walnuts and continue mixing until no flour is visible.

4. Place a layer of apples in the bottom of each pan. Cover with about a half-cup of the batter, then top with another layer of apples. Portion out the remaining batter evenly into each pan.

5. Bake in center rack of oven for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Remove cake from pan by turning it over onto a plate or simply slice from the pan. Cake can be enjoyed while warm or at room temperature. (And it makes a great breakfast treat the next day!)

serendipity

It was Wednesday. Food section day. I ventured into Hudson, New York, to one of my favorite little coffee places. Realizing I hadn't picked up a copy of the Times, I went inside, but unfortunately no one had a left a paper behind for my reading pleasure. I asked the gal behind the counter where I might find one. With a nice smile, she directed me up the street.

I went back in the shop, paper in hand. She greeted me with another great smile. “It’s Wednesday, the best day to read the paper,” I said. She nodded in agreement, “yes, it’s the food section day.” I commented that the Sunday paper usually has some good reading too. “I was in the Sunday paper five years ago. I was working in a bakery in Brooklyn and they did a little feature about me.” Given the positive energy she radiates, it wasn't hard to see why someone would want to write a story about her.

About a year ago I found a great granola recipe on a food blog; I can’t remember which website but I do remember the bakery that was the source. It turns she worked in that very same one. I told her how much I love their granola; it turns out it was her recipe. We talked about food and New York for a few minutes, and then I asked her how she got her culinary training. Of course - she was in the Navy! She joined when she was eighteen to become a cook, then known by the rating denominator Mess Specialist. ("Mess" being a reference to the area in which sailors eat; about five years ago the Navy changed the job title to Culinary Specialist to better reflect the professionalism of this cadre of Sailors.)

As if her having served in the Navy wasn’t enough of a coincidence, it turns out she served in the same maritime patrol squadron that was deployed in Puerto Rico when I was stationed there. Turns out she was giving sustenance to the group of rowdy pilots who used to keep me awake late at night in the Bachelor Officers Quarters! But I guess now that I have a great granola recipe, all is forgiven.

Over the course of the past year, I’ve tweaked the granola recipe I found a bit. Who knows, after having been revised by the bakery owners (who put together a prize winning cookbook), then by the writer of the blog where I found it, and then by me…well it may just be Keira’s original recipe. Except her energy and light is a secret ingredient that may be hard to match. My version of the recipe is below.

This granola is great in a parfait with homemade yogurt (more on that later), or simply plain when you’re in the mood for a little natural sweetness.

Easy Homemade Granola
adapted from an original recipe by Keira the Sailor

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder and a pinch of cinnamon (or just cinnamon)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (maple sugar crystals make a great substitute)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the oats with the spices and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the nuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins and cherries over the granola.