More from the Garden
We've been harvesting more cucumbers. I think by this weekend we'll be making a chilled cucumber soup. call me naive, but I really didn't know one little plant would be producing so much! It's rather fun, because cucumbers are not something I've ever really thought about. I mean... sliced or cubed into a salad, but I've never had such an abundance of them that I had to think about what to do with them. Methinks I'm going to be thinking about what to do with them.
I didn't have to think, tonight - Victor made a cucumber salad. Thinly-sliced cucumber, red onion, and celery, minced garlic, fresh herbs from the garden, a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice - we're still using it up from the limoncello - and some S&P.
Simplicity.
The rest of the salads were from the 'fridge - a barley salad and an ancient grains salad I made a couple of days ago, eggs, tomatoes, grilled chicken, hot peppers...
The chicken was a whole roaster done on the grill like a beer can chicken - except I used a vertical roaster. I liberally doused the chicken with Penzey's Mitchell Street Steak Rub and it grilled to perfection.
Chicken is going to be on the menu for a couple of days, I think...
Maybe tacos tomorrow night...
Summertime Salads
Beans and cucumbers - and a couple of hot peppers - are the first to be harvested, this year. I'm liking the slow start - it's giving us a chance to plan a bit. We also staggered some of the plantings so everything isn't ripening at once.
If I can pick a handful of beans every day, we can just add them to lunch or dinner and stay on top of things. The cucumbers, on the other hand, are going to be out of control pretty quick. I'm working on a canning recipe.
The first of the beets are almost ready and tomatillos and tomatoes are not far behind. The eggplant is taking its time, but... I'm sure it will be going crazy in a few weeks. At least we got smart and only planted one.
And then there are the peppers... It's gonna be hot sauce heaven, this fall!
We're eating lots of produce nowadays and sharing one steak between the two of us where once upon a time we would each have our own. And making our own salad dressings.
I think I'm spending less time in the kitchen than I ever have - and we're eating better and enjoying it more.
I think there's a lesson in there for me, somewhere.....
Cucumber and Bean Salad
The garden is starting to produce! Beans and cucumbers abound, beets are almost ready, eggplants and tomatillos are starting to poke their heads out, peppers are coming in, and in a few weeks we're going to be inundated with tomatoes. We may even see a few leeks!
I love it!
Produce fresh from your own garden is so rewarding - and so good. The factory-farmed-picked-before-it-is-ripe produce of the grocery stores just can't compare.
After bringing in our haul, Victor jumped in and made a really good salad with the beans and cucumber.
He started by blanching the beans - those purple beans turn green the minute they hit the water - and then peeled and sliced the cuke. From there, he added thinly sliced radishes and thinly sliced onion. The dressing was lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. We had started a new batch of Limoncello earlier in the day, so we have lots of lemon juice! A sprinkling of feta finished it off.
Very simple and very refreshing!
I sliced up a pork tenderloin and marinated it in Pistachio Liqueur. I pan-fried it and added some mixed mushrooms and pine nuts along with another splash of pistachio liqueur. I would have added pistachios, but we were out. On the shopping list for tomorrow.
Really simple and really refreshing.
Pappardelle and Salmon
Ever have one of those Mary Poppins days that was practically perfect in every way?!?
For me, that was today.
It started off by heading to the garden store to pick up a few things and then we headed into the garden. Even though it was pretty windy, the sun was shining and it was warm...
We amended the soil, got the weed cover down, planted some tomatoes, eggplant, beets, beans, tomatillos, and lettuces in the main area and set up a separate area just for peppers. We still have more tomatoes, leeks, and melons to plant... all started from seed. And room for a few more things as we think of them...
Meanwhile... I was also making sourdough bread.
Our friend, Susan, was over on Tuesday and brought with her a plethora of goodies - from a pappardelle roller/cutter to salmon and halibut fresh-caught in Alaska by friends of hers, to her sourdough starter. A truly good friend shows up with food items.
I made one of the best loaves of bread I've made in a long time. I didn't follow a recipe for this one - i just took the starter, fed it, increased it, and after playing with it, baked it off.
When you've made enough loaves of bread, you just kinda know what to do... It's really about technique - not measurements. And this worked on every level. It's the perfect starter - and I'll be keeping this one going! Perfect sourdough using bread flour and sprouted wheat flour.
But the real hit of the evening was the Pappardelle with Salmon that Victor made.
It's an egg pasta and the eggs were fresh eggs from Jimmy. The pappardelle roller was a gift from Susan...
As was the salmon...
Our entire dinner had its roots in friends. Life does not get much better than that.
The dish was salmon poached in white wine and lemon, and the sauce was fennel, artichoke hearts, clam broth, fresh tomatoes, dried pepper flakes and dried oregano from our garden... very simple but bursting with flavor.
Everything about it worked. A perfect meal to top a perfect day.
Eggplant Parmigiana
I'm almost getting to see the back of the freezer! Almost. This time around, it has been fuller for longer. Somehow, we did a really good job of filling it up since Summer.
Tonight, I used the last of the eggplant from the garden that we breaded, fried, and froze, and I pulled out the last of the fried hot peppers. Fortunately, we still have a couple of jars that I canned, but the fried peppers are my favorite. We just use them for everything. I also pulled out the last of the sausage. I really need to get down to Martin's at Reading Terminal Market - soon.
It's difficult to think of gardens right now, since it's snowing like a bat outta hell. The prediction is 5"-8". It's that nice heavy, wet snow that tends to bring down trees and power lines. My only concern is losing power. Personally, I could not care less - I can always build a fire and put on a sweater - but when there's a 93 year old in the house, heat takes on a whole new meaning. Fingers crossed.
Our out-of-the-freezer dinner tonight was breaded eggplant slices heated in the oven, topped with Mancini's sweet peppers and onions, and quattro formaggio - an Italian four-cheese blend - along with Victor's pasta sauce and spicy Italian sausage.
About as simple as simple can be. I dirtied one small pot and a sheet pan. Clean-up was a breeze.
With the big unknown about snow amounts, we switched our Monday morning gym workout to Tuesday morning. That means we have nothing to do but sit back and watch the snow fall.
I've made a biga - an Italian bread starter - and will bake bread tomorrow while watching the snow melt.
Retirement really rocks.
Cranberry Pepper Jam
I headed out this morning to see about putting the garden to bed for the season - and found another six pounds of peppers. The tomatoes were pretty bad this year - but the peppers just keep on giving!
It's rather amazing how many we've gotten. I really do love them, but I think I mentioned the lack of freezer space... what to do... what to do...
First step was to make a quick cranberry pepper jam. I had picked up a bag of cranberries, yesterday with no real plan for them other than something fairly savory - or to use with something savory. As soon as I came in with the peppers, I knew what to do!
Cranberry Pepper Jam
- 12 oz bag cranberries
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 4 hot peppers, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup Limoncello - optional
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- pinch salt & pepper
Lightly sauté onion, peppers, and garlic in a drizzle of oil. Add the sugar, water, and limoncello, if using, and bring to a boil. (You can add a bit of fresh citrus - orange, lemon, or lime in place of the limoncello to add a bit of freshness!)
Stir in cranberries and a pinch of salt & pepper.
Cook until it achieves a nice, thick consistency - about 10-12 minutes.
Cool and refrigerate.
I wanted a nice and spicy jam so I added for peppers - unseeded. Adjust the peppers to your own liking.
It came out really good. Not too sweet and just hot enough!
I think I'm going to see about frying the rest of the peppers and then canning them.
Wish me luck.
Stuffed Eggplant
The eggplants are coming in fast and furious. It's amazing what less rain and more sun will do for a garden! I brought in two this morning - with a lot more out there - and Victor volunteered to make stuffed eggplant for dinner!
I will pretty much never argue when he says he'll cook dinner - I am no fool! (at least in this instance...)
He took the smaller of the two - yes, that's a small eggplant - and created a great clean-out-the-refrigerator stuffing:
- ground beef
- mushrooms
- broccoli
- shallots
- bread crumbs
- tomato sauce
- hot pepper
- zucchini
- parmesan cheese
- garlic
- salt & pepper
- the eggplant inards
He cooked everything, seasoned it to perfection, stuffed the eggplant, and popped it - covered - into a 350°F/180°C oven for about 35 minutes. He uncovered it, added more cheese to the top, and placed it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown and finish off.
The end result was nothing short of perfection! And to make it even better, there's leftover stuffing that will be reworked into tomorrow's dinner!
My stomach is smiling!
And to make it all even better, better, he took the larger eggplant and made Little Grandma's Eggplant Appetizer!
We're set in the food department for a while! It really does not suck to be us!
Tomato Sauce
It seems the weather has finally started cooperating - we're getting tomatoes! We went out to do some yard cleanup and a bit of harvesting - and the bit of harvesting was 20 pints of tomato sauce - 16 canned and down stairs, 4 in the refrigerator. I can only can 16 pints at a time...
The sauce is just a plain tomato sauce - a bit of red wine and a bit of salt and pepper - but nothing else. We will be able to use it for anything we want!
It was really a simple process - i pureed all of the tomatoes in the blender and then cooked them down a bit...
Whenever I break out the big blue pot, I always think of Macbeth... Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and caldron bubble. The pressure canner is just slightly larger - double the pleasure, double the fun... I think I'll stop, now...
I'm thinking this will be making some good soups and stews, this winter...
Fried Peppers
The weather - the torrential rains - have pretty much destroyed the tomato crop, this year. It's pretty sad how poorly they have done - literally rotting on the vines.
Today, it rained so much so hard so fast, that we had to turn around on our way to the gym. Roads were closed, the street we were driving on looked like a raging river - complete with boulders rolling into the street. It was down-pouring when we left, but had no idea of the extent of the damage. We were less than half a mile from home and literally could not drive in the road. After turning around, we headed up through a raging river coming towards us. It scared the bejezus out of me. Our carport - always dry no matter what - had several inches of water in it. And the shopping center where I once worked - exactly 2 miles from our front door?!? Totally flooded, roads washed away... A total mess.
Freeways are closed, towns under water.
We have water in the basement. Not a lot, but I think every rainfall from here on out is going to seep in and add to the fun.
And while we have record amounts of water falling - more water than we can the earth can deal with and more rain predicted for tonight and tomorrow - California is parched and has the largest wildfires in their history. Climate Change is real, boys and girls. This is the New Normal. And in November, we have to vote the climate change deniers out of office. We have to.
I want my tomatoes back - and I want to be able to leave my house. After the torrents stopped, I went out to the garden to assess damage. There are scores of tomatoes out there - and just about anything with some color is mush. I grabbed a few that looked hopeful, but I don't know about the rest.
In the meantime, the peppers seem to be loving the water! There are hundreds of them out there! I grabbed a few to fry up as the rain started, again... Mother Nature is not going to get the upper hand with everything, dammit!
Fried peppers are a basic condiment in our house. They go on everything from sandwiches to salads, in sauces, on burgers or steaks, stuffed into pitas, or my favorite - on a hot dog with mustard!
We generally don't seed them - we want 'em hot. I just cut off the stems and place them in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and salt. Cover, and them let them steam and fry over low heat until soft. I then uncover, turn up the heat to boil off most of the liquid that accumulated in the pan. Then the fun - add a couple of minced garlic cloves and a couple of minced anchovies! Mix it all in, check for seasoning, and add some salt and pepper, if desired.
The anchovies are fun - you don't really know they're there, but they add a nice back flavor!
Let them cool and place in the 'fridge for a rainy day.
First Tomato From the Garden
Finally. Our first tomato has arrived! Well - the first we could eat, that is... Critters have gotten to a few of the ripe low-hangers. It's kinda what the hell - they need to eat, too.
The plants are really full of green ones - and they should all be ripe when we get back from our mini-vacation. Four days without going to the gym. I'm looking forward to this!
Today, during a stretching exercise, our trainer finally realized that I really can't touch my toes - as in not even close. The only time in my life I ever recall getting close was when I was 19 years old and in Boot Camp. I can't touch my toes. Knees, almost. Toes... not a chance. So he got me down on the floor and into positions a contortionist - or an expensive sex worker - would have envied, pushing and stretching every muscle my legs had to stretch - and in directions I didn't know existed. I was a good boy - I only cried Uncle, once. And then it was Victor's turn... It's rather amazing that one can actually feel good after being tortured like that. But I really do feel good. Sore, but good.
We're headed back tomorrow, since we're taking off on Friday. No rest for the wicked - or weary.
The garden... The eggplant has been doing well, as have the hot peppers. Victor picked a slew of them and fried them up, today. They went right on the salads, as well. Freshly roasted beets, marinated in olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and oregano, hard cooked eggs, and a single strip steak shared between us - and a homemade vinaigrette, of course!
Salads... It's a good thing we actually like them - we've been eating a lot of them, lately. And, we've even managed to drop a few pounds. Nothing dramatic, but less is always better than more. We're in it for the long haul - and plan on losing weight and being able to touch my toes by this time next year.
Summertime eating is really easy but we're already planning for colder-weather vittles. I'm seeing lots of soups - I love making soups - and plan on reworking bread and roll recipes for both smaller quantities and to make them more whole grain.
Slow and steady wins the race.
And we're going to win!
Ratatouille From The Garden
We have achieved vegetables!
Not a whole lot, but the zucchini and eggplant are looking good. Well... the eggplant is. The zucchini has some issues - I had to get rid of half of the plant - but it's still producing as only a squash plant can!
The tomatoes are slow, the peppers are starting to come on strong... I'm sure everything will be in abundance just as we head north for a few days...
A nice-sized eggplant and several small zucchini definitely call for ratatouille - and a NY Times recipe suggested serving it over farro and topping it with an egg. Works for me!
Ratatouille is another one of those basic clean-out-the-refrigerator dishes. All recipes are pretty much the same - eggplant, zucchini, onions, bell peppers, garlic, and tomatoes - with a few variations on herbs and spices. But it's still put it in a pot and make it hot. And then serve it hot or cold. I added an assortment of wild mushrooms and some baby broccoli because I wanted to use them up. Plus fresh basil and oregano we dried. When it was all done I added a splash of Sangiovese just to brighten it a bit.
I served it over wheat berries and topped it with a perfectly poached egg, a chiffonade of basil, and freshly-grated pecorino.
Not bad, at all.
And I even got the portions down right!
Baba Ghanoush
Yesterday's it's just allergies acting up turned into today's shit, I have a cold. A doozy of a cold. I'll spare you the details of a non-stop running nose with a moustache and beard. Yes, a doozy of a cold.
I tried staying in bed but lying prone does not help the aforementioned issue. Against my protesting body's wishes, I got up.
We all know that I'm not a great patient. Victor has learned to just let me be. When I'm ready to be civil, I'm civil. So after a cup of coffee and a check of the email, I was bordering civility. We decided to head out to the garden and see if there was anything worth salvaging since we're pulling it all out tomorrow.
The tomatoes were pretty worthless, we had a dozen bell peppers, a big handful of tabasco peppers, a few jalapeños, and a dozen eggplants. Twelve more flippin' eggplants. I like eggplant. I like eggplant a lot. I just wasn't ready to see another dozen of them after the season we've had. I'm reasonably certain that had I felt better, seeing a dozen eggplants on a glorious sunny day would have made my culinary heart swell. Today, it was @#$%& eggplants...
But I also wasn't about to let them go to waste.
I knew that with this many eggplants, whatever I made had to be something that I could can. As I already have my caponata and other eggplant things downstairs, I needed something different. I hadn't made baba ghanoush in a while, so baba, it was.
The USDA does not recommend canning baba ghanoush because it's too thick and there are dangers of it not reaching temperature. I did find a site where a woman regularly cans hers at 10 lbs pressure for 45 minutes with no problems.
I decided to go for it.
The recipe is fairly basic, except I like some spice in mine so I added some tabasco peppers. I had to have Victor keep tasting it since the aforementioned cold was blocking my ability to taste properly.
Baba Ghanoush
- 10 lbs eggplant
- 1 full head garlic
- 1 cup tahini
- 8 tabasco peppers
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp sumac
- 2/3 cup lemon juice
- salt & pepper
Roast eggplants on grill until collapsing. Cool slightly and then place pulp in a colander to drain for about 30 minutes.
Process in batches with food processor, adding bits of the various ingredients as you go. Mix everything well and place in 8 oz jars.
Process at 10 lbs pressure for 45 minutes.
It came out just fine. A dozen 12 oz jars now await some chips...
Part of the fun of making these things is creating labels for them. I usually do a Google search for different antique labels and then manipulate them for my own use. They're old, public domain images that usually have no relation to what it is I change them to. Plus, I'm not selling anything, not making any money from any of this. It's all fun.
Sadly, I can't use a stick-on label on textured jars, so these have a label tied to them. I had thought of doing a round label on the metal lid, but decided I didn't want to cut out circles. Maybe I'll buy some round labels one of these days and see how they work...
In the meantime, though, the baba ghanoush came out great - even with my limited tasting ability.
Now... if I could only stop coughing...