Soup and Pasta of Summer!

We have been cooking very seasonal food and we decided to make two more of our summer favorites!

We started with a cold Yellow Tomato Gazpacho Soup from Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook. This is a PERFECT soup for a hot day! It is absolutely one of my favorite recipes. I LOVE it! I published the recipe in our blog on: Sept 3 2007. Click the date and scroll to the recipe.

We then made one of favorite pastas: Spaghetti with Zucchini (Carbonara without the Bacon). This is an easy recipe and depends on getting fresh Zucchini. The recipe is from The Minimalist Cooks at Home by Mark Bittman. The previous time we were able to get heirloom zucchinis at the Farmers Market this time they didn’t have them. I published the recipe in our blog on: June 18, 2008. Click the date and scroll to the recipe.

Uses of Leftover Brisket

You can serve it again!
or
You can shred it and make a fabulous pasta Sauce! Cathy thought to add Fig Preserve to the sauce. It gave it a great crunch and offset the smoky taste! Yum!

Brisket on the Egg

Wine:

Quivira 2007 Sauvignon Blanc
Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Shotfire 2005 Barossa Shiraz
Frog’s Leap 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Vin Du Bugey-Cerdon “La Cueille”
Movia Sauvignon 2005


We had Bea, Billy and Kevin over for dinner. We wanted try a Smoked Brisket in our egg. We started cooking it (low and slow 200 degrees) at 10am. I had purchased the brisket, of course, from Harvey Guss. It was a giant slab. 12.8 pounds! When it was finished 10 hours later at 8pm surprisingly it was still a little tough. Oy! Bea reminded me to cut it across the grain and on the smaller end it was fine. We decided that we would then braise the brisket before we next served it. Two days later we braised it in beef stock with fresh tomatoes and it came out perfect! Moist, tender and retaining the smoky flavor. It was a good recovery! We still have a lot of left over brisket and plan to make a pasta sauce from it,

We started with Hummus and Pita Chips from Joan’s on Third. They are just great.

We then had a wonderful new soup. It is from the Moro East Cookbook. The soup is Tomato and Fig Soup. I would never had thought of putting those two ingredients together in a summer soup. It was fabulous! It is made with fresh and dried figs and the best summer tomatoes. Delicious!

With the Brisket we served the sinfully good Bacon-Potato Gratin from the Sunday Supper at Lucques Cookbook. Bacon is my favorite seasoning. We published the recipe in our July 8, 2008 Blog.

For dessert we made a Fig Upside Down Cake. Joy and Brenda gave us the recipe. It is easy to make and perfect! We published the recipe in our Aug 4, 2007 Blog.

Did I say we drank lots of great wine!




Tomato Soup with Cumin and Figs
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From Moro East by Sam & Sam Clark
This soup is based on a recipe from Fra Juan's restaurant in the monastery of Guadalupe. It is strictly a summer dish, an interesting Spanish twist on a classic tomato soup. While serving this soup at the restaurant, a waiter over¬heard a customer say it was the best tomato soup she had ever had. Of course, it was a moment when the ingredients did shine. It was at the beginning of August, after a heat wave, and British tomatoes tasted as good as they get. The allotment figs were superb, too. It's a thrill to find recipes that have been cooked for hundreds of years, but in the end this means nothing unless the ingredients are at their peak.

Serves 4

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 kg flavorful tomatoes, roughly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
150-300ml water
3 garlic cloves, chopped
a little caster sugar (optional) ^
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted in a pan, then crushed
5 or 6 ripe, plump fresh figs, finely diced
400g tin of chopped plum tomatoes, drained of juice (we used fresh tomatoes)
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to serve
lOOg dried figs, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and green pepper with a good pinch of salt and cook gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and continue cooking until sweet and golden brown. Add two-thirds of the cumin and cook for 1 minute more. Now add the tinned tomatoes and dried figs and simmer gently, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes, stirring now and then. When the mixture is rich and concentrated, put in the fresh tomatoes and increase the heat slightly, then simmer for 15 minutes more. With a handheld blender, whizz until smooth, then pour in enough of the water to achieve a consistency like double cream. Season well with salt, pepper and sugar if necessary.

Stir half the fresh figs through the soup and use the rest to garnish each portion in the bowl, along with the remaining cumin and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Turkish Salad and Corn Pasta

Wine:

Sportoletti Assisi Grechetto 1999
Darioush Napa Valley Chardonnay

We started with drinks on the deck,it was a warm night. I had decided to make this the summer of chopped salad. Since all of the vegetables and greens smell so great at the Farmer’s Market we have been experimenting with various recipes. We really like this recipe for a Turkish Chopped Salad that we found in Casa Moro The Second Cookbook. I really liked it. It is topped with Yogurt and butter and then sprinkled with a Mid-Eastern spice: We will make it again!


Corn is at its peak at the Hollywood Farmer's Market. Every year we make Fresh Corn Pasta. We use the recipe from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. It is delicious and easy to make.

We followed with Brownies from Clementine. Great summer meal!



TURKISH CHOPPED SALAD
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Unlike most restaurant kitchens, the one at Mangal (our favorite Turkish cafe in Arcola Road, Stoke Newington) has an oblong charcoal grill that the chef sits in front of. When we go, we often order chopped salad, a refreshing, finely chopped mixture of tomatoes, peppers, cucumber and coriander offset with creamy yoghurt and nutty caramelized butter. Wonderful on its own, it is even better with some grilled or roast¬ed marinated lamb. Visiting Mangal before Moro opened made us determined to cook over real charcoal.
Serves 6-8 as a mezze, 4 for a starter or light meal

• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ Persian cucumber, peeled
• 1/4 small red onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, halved and seeded
• ½ green pepper, halved and seeded
• 2 heaped tablespoons each of roughly chopped fresh coriander and parsley
DRESSING
• 1/2 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper „
TO SERVE
• 200g Greek yoghurt thinned with 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 quantity caramelized
• 1 teaspoon Turkish chili flakes (kirmizi biber) warm Flatbread or pita bread
For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together and taste for seasoning.

Chop the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and red and green peppers very finely and place in a bowl. Do not be tempted to use a food processor. Add the herbs and dressing. Toss well and check for seasoning. Spread the chopped salad out on a large plate. Spoon the yoghurt over the centre of the salad, then drizzle the warm caramelized butter all over. Sprinkle with the chili flakes. Eat with bread or grilled meats.


PASTA with CORN, PANCETTA, BUTTER,AND SAGE
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ONCE THE FIRST LOCAL SWEET CORN ARRIVES IN JUNE, WE MAKE THIS PASTA, None form or another, a few times a week. My favorite version is whichever one we are making on a given day. The formula is delicious with or without the Parmigiano-Reggiano, with a little cream added at the end, with prosciutto in lieuof the pancetta, or without meat at all. An unmeasured scatter of sweet peas in addition to the corn is another pretty and delicious variation.
Buy fresh-picked corn, and when choosing ears, root around for the young ones with small kernels-you'11 get less corn per cob, but what you sacrifice in yield is inconsequential, given the difference in quality. Fat, full kernels tend to be tougher, dry, and starchy. Juicy, young kernels need less butter to make a succulent pasta dish. Otherwise, you can't skimp on butter without stripping the dish of succulence. (If less butter is your goal, reducing portion size makes more sense). I have tried this dish with various olive oils and found the flavor disappointing.
FOR 4 OR 5 SERVINGS:

• Salt
• 2 to 3 ounces pancetta, minced {1/3 to1/2 cup]
• 2-1/2 cups freshly scraped corn kernels and their milky juice - 5 to 10 small, young ears, depending on yield
• Up to 1/2 pound {2 sticks) unsalted butter
• A trickle of water
• 6 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
• Small chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 pound fettuccine, tagliarini, or other slender egg pasta
Cook the pancetta in a few tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Stir and scrape to make sure it cooks evenly. When the pancetta has browned slightly on the edges and is starting to sizzle, turn off the heat, add a few drops of water to cool the pan, and stir, then add another few tablespoons of butter, the sage, and a few grinds of black pepper. Swirl the pan, then leave the aromatics to infuse the melting butter.
Drop the pasta into 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water seasoned with a scant 2 tablespoons salt (a little more if using kosher salt). Stir, and cook until the pasta is al dente.
Meanwhile, turn the heat under the skillet to medium, and add another 6 to 8 tablespoons butter, sliced. Swirl the pan. When the butter is nearly melted, add the corn, stir, and cook until heated through. Taste for salt. If the corn seems dry, add a trickle of pasta water and some or all of the remaining butter, to taste. Reduce the heat to low. When the pasta is cooked, drain well, then toss with the corn, taste again for salt and serve. Offer freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Goan Shrimp

Once again we made the Goan Shrimp. This is a great recipe! We served it with Biryani Rice.

We followed the dinner by watching a Bollywood movie. A very Indian night!


Goan-Style Shrimp Curry
======================
Adapted from Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur, Devi
Time: 25 minutes
1 1/3pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/8teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4cup canola oil
4 dried red chilies
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
1. Place shrimp in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and refrigerate.
2. In a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine oil and chilies and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Add ginger, onion, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, ground coriander and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes. Stir, scraping sides and bottom of pot, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and add shrimp. Bring to a simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro. If desired, serve with rice.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

Expatriate Chicken with Diva

Wine:
Domaine du Mas Blanc Banyul’s Blanc 2005
2 Wiv\ves Sauvignon blanc 2007

We just purchased a new cookbook: Moro East. It is from one of our favorite restaurants in London. This is their 3rd cookbook. Since Tomatoes are in season we made an unusual Tomato Salad with Cumin. The Salad is topped with Roasted Cumin that we crushed in mortal and pestle. We also crushed fresh black pepper and sprinkled it on the on the salad. The recipe calls for the onion slices to be soaked in milk with ice cubes to make the onions both crisper and less strong. After about 30 minutes they are drained, patted dry and added to the salad. We add crumbled feta to the salad.

We had Bea over for one of our favorite Chicken recipes:
Expatriate Roast Chicken with Lemon and Olives from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. This is a very easy chicken to cook and the Moroccan flavors are exceptional. You need Preserved Lemons which you can either buy or preserve yourself.

With the chicken we made Cous-Cous, the traditional side for this dish. It absorbs all of the great sauce that the Chicken recipe creates.

Once again, dessert was Ginger Cookies from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.



Expatriate Roast Chicken with Lemon and Olives
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This super-moist Moroccan roast chicken is first stuffed with a lavish amount of preserved lemon and a bit of hot pepper, scented with ginger and black pepper, and flavored with garlic and good extra virgin olive oil. The bird is then roasted over onion and spices. These subtle and elementary flavors remind me of Morocco—in other words, it is an expatriate's delight.
SERVES 4 TO 6
One 4-pound chicken, preferably free-range or kosher
Salt
Pinch of saffron threads
1 preserved lemon, rinsed and quartered, pulp and skin reserved
1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long
1 small onion, grated
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon sugar
Pinch or cayenne
1cup green olives (about 5 ounces), such as picholine, rinsed
Freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Early in the day, rinse the chicken inside and out; thoroughly pat dry. In a bowl, combine the pulp of the preserved lemon with the ginger, cayenne, ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper, the garlic, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place this mixture in the cavity of the bird. Tuck the wings under the chicken and tie the legs together. Cover with paper towels and refrigerate until 3 hours before serving. Let the chicken return to room temperature before roasting.

2. About 2 hours before serving, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Rub the chicken with salt and black pepper. Lightly oil a shallow roasting pan, set an oiled V-shaped rack in it, and put the chicken on the rack, breast side up. Set the pan in a cold oven and pour the 4 cups boiling water into the pan under the chicken. Add the saffron, cinnamon stick, onion, and sugar to the hot water. Turn
the oven temperature to 55O°F and roast until the breast of the chicken is golden brown, about 45 minutes.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F. Turn the chicken on one of its sides, brush with olive oil, and roast for 2O minutes. Turn the bird onto its other side, baste again with olive oil, and continue to roast for another 20 minutes. Finally, turn the chicken upside down to brown the back; roast for about 10 minutes. Test for doneness: an instant-read .thermometer inserted in ie thigh should register 160° to 165°.

4. Leaving the oven on, remove the chicken on its rack to a carving board, cover with foil, and rest for 20 minutes. (The internal temperature will rise to 170°F.) Meanwhile, skim the fat off the pan juices. Add the olives and half the cilantro; mix and return the pan to the oven to reduce for 2O minutes.

5. Carve the chicken and arrange in a heatproof serving dish. Spoon the olives around the chicken. Season the pan juices with additional salt and pepper and pour over the meat. Arrange preserved lemon peels on top. Garnish with the remaining chopped cilantro.