Stoner + Rosemary-Watermelon Gin in a Jar

A U G U S T

I've been reading voraciously this summer.  I'll be the first to admit that most of it has been on the low-brow-beach-pool-beach end of the spectrum, but gobbling up pages and pages is extremely satisfying and one of the best ways to past the time, no matter the season.  On the nearly desperate recommendation from a good friend that I must must must check out this book, I picked up Stoner, opened to page one and dipped my toe in the water.  After mysteries and murders, a book about an aging academic in the 1930s wasn't really the speed I was going for, but her insistence that this was one of the most moving books she had ever read convinced me to give it a shot.  I waded in slowly - the water was mild and comfortable - and as I sunk deeper and deeper I realized I never wanted to get out.

Stoner is a strange exceptional book in that you've probably never heard of it.  Written by John Williams and released to minor critical acclaim in 1965, it never made it to too many shelves nor classrooms.  It just existed out there for years and years, unread, under appreciated, just floating along.  In 2003 it was rereleased and had a bit of a bump in sales, but it wasn't until a few years ago that it was rediscovered and loudly lauded by some of the best literary minds in Europe.  Stoner is now receiving the critical attention it deserves and is reaching a readership in need.

This is a book about a man and his love of literature and the classroom and academia.  It is about his life, his family, his struggles with success.  It is about a small town.  The human existence is so perfectly portrayed that I found myself in absolute awe.  It is a quiet novel, but it moves mountains.

                  "And suddenly, after he said the words, it was not important.  For an
                   instant he felt the truth of what he said, and for the first time in months
                   he felt lift away from him the weight of a despair whose heaviness he
                   had not fully realized.  Nearly giddy, almost laughing, he said again,
                   'It really isn't important.'"

And what to drink while savoring William's fascinating prose?  Probably scotch, or whiskey, or even a dark ale, but none of that appealed to me on a temperate summer evening, so let's blend up some watermelon!  And it really isn't important.

ROSEMARY-WATERMELON GIN COCKTAIL
serves 1

1 oz rosemary simple syrup (recipe follows)
1 oz lemon juice
2 oz gin
2 - 4 cups of watermelon, cubed (depending on how strong you want this cocktail)
rosemary sprig for garnish

In a blender or food processor, blend watermelon with lemon juice.  Add rosemary simple syrup (adding more to taste).  Add gin and a few tablespoons of cold water if mixture is too thick.  Pour over ice and garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.

I suppose this could be served up as well - just cut back on the watermelon so you have a boozier version suitable for a dainty cocktail glass. 

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ROSEMARY SIMPLE SYRUP

4 sprigs rosemary
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat, add rosemary and let steep for at least an hour.  Strain.  Will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.  Use to flavor teas, ice creams, other wonderful cocktails. 

Spaghetti with Pesto, Zucchini, and Just Burst Tomatoes

J U L Y

Tomatoes.  Summer.  Basil.  Zucchini.

This is the time folks, this is the time to throw together a most excellent dinner with neither fuss nor planning.  Summer is for adventuring and swimming and walking barefoot and drinking delightful cocktails and sweating gracefully and it is not for slaving away in the kitchen.  Which is exactly how I stumbled upon this amazing new pasta dish.

Over plenty of early-evening wine, a friend and I discussed the merits of summer squash.  She is a farmer and an excellent cook and has the most gorgeous of produce, summer squash included.  However, despite its eccentric shapes and sizes, stripes and speckles, neither of us are that jazzed on it as something worth eating.  We revisited the most common preparations - roasted, grilled, squash "pasta", soups.  Their water content is very high, sogginess is expected.  Soggy is never good.

We both agreed that the best way to prepare summer squash, specifically zucchini, is to grate it and then saute with garlic, lemon juice, salt and plenty of black pepper.  Now it is a totally new vegetable - savory and juicy and versatile and disappears by the forkful.  After our conversation, I craved my sauteed zucchini and scored a few beauties at the farmers market.  It became the focus of the meal when mixed with just burst cherry tomatoes and pesto, then all tossed with spaghetti.  Finished with fresh basil and parmesan, this is my new favorite summertime pasta. 

SPAGHETTI with PESTO, ZUCCHINI, and JUST BURST TOMATOES
serves 2

1/2 pound dried spaghetti (I used whole wheat because I like it, but do as you will)
2 medium zucchini, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 pint cherry tomatoes
classic basil pesto
basil
parmesan

Heat your oven to 420 degrees. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook your spaghetti.  Reserve about a cup of pasta water. 

When pasta is cooked and still warm, toss with a few heaping spoonfuls of pesto until all of the pasta is coated.  Add a spoonful or two of pasta water to loosen the sauce (if necessary).

Meanwhile, toss the cherry tomatoes with a little olive oil and salt.  Spread on a tray and roast in oven until they just begin to burst - about ten minutes. 

Heat a little oil in a skillet and add the grated zucchini.  When starting to soften, add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper.  Continue to cook until the zucchini is soft and the liquid has almost completely evaporated.  

Toss the cooked zucchini, burst tomatoes, and fresh basil with the pesto pasta.  At this point if you wanted to add a bucket of parmesan cheese, I wouldn't stop you, but I opted to keep mine a little fresher.  Mix everything together to incorporate all of the ingredients.  Serve immediately, topped with more basil and grated parmesan.  


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BASIL PESTO

2 healthy bunches basil
1 - 2 garlic
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
salt

Combine the first five ingredients in a food processor and blend until a thick paste has formed.  While on, drizzle in the olive oil until you've reached the desired consistency.  More olive oil will make for a better dressing for pasta.  Adjust seasoning if needed. 

Beet Burgers

File this one under healthy, but indulgent.  Quick, yet impressive.  Cheap and extremely satisfying.

The lovelies at Green Kitchen Stories came up with a brilliant recipe for a new veggie burger.  It involves raw, grated beets, oats, herbs and cheese.  In about twenty minutes you'll have all of the ingredients resting in a bowl while you prep all of your wonderful toppings.  When cooked, these beet patties are sweet and savory and surprisingly meaty.  Texturally they are spookily similar to ground beef and the color is as bright pink as the most perfectly cooked medium-rare burger.  I only wish I had their photography skills - my pictures do not do this delightful meal justice.  Please just trust me - this veggie burger is exceptional.

Bonus!  The leftovers are fabulous the next day.  Daniel is surely kicking himself for not taking lunch in to work today, but more for me!  I like to serve the day two burgers (really they are more in the fritter family, but Beet Burger has a much Better sound...alliteration people, please) over mixed greens with a fried egg, more grilled onions, and few avocado slices.  Spoon a little pesto on the top and you have a swoon-worthy leftover lunch.

This is best enjoyed with a light bodied, fruity wine.  We went for one of our staples - Copain's Tous Ensemble Pinot Noir, but a glass of gamay or a zippy rosé would be excellent choices as well.  In fact, most boozy beverages would pair nicely here, so don't overthink it.  It's summertime, who cares?

BEET BURGERS
adapted from Green Kitchen Stories
serves 4

1 medium beet, grated (for about 2 cups of beets)
1/2 white onion, grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3/4 cup oats
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup mixed chopped herbs (tarragon, parsley and basil are my favorites)
1/2 cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese
salt 
pepper

buns, sourdough bread, or pita - toasted
pesto + aioli (or just mayonnaise if you prefer)
avocado
grilled onions
greens

other toppings to consider: sliced mango, roasted peppers, sprouts, tomatoes, fried egg, goat cheese spread (if you choose to omit the feta)

Combine grated beets, onions, garlic, oats, egg, and olive oil in a bowl.  Mix in herbs and cheese, season with salt and pepper.  Let this mixture sit for at least 30 minutes so the oats absorb the liquid and the patties are easier to shape. 

Meanwhile, toast your bread, mix your pesto spread if using, slice some avocado and sauté onions.  Prep any additional toppings.

Scoop out a handful of the beet mixture, squeezing out excess liquid and shaping into a round patty.  Do so with all of the beets - you should have enough for 4 - 5 patties.  The smaller they are the better, so when I'm using pita bread I prefer making them half that size - think falafel.  If you're using buns, shape them like you would a hamburger patty.  

To cook, heat some oil in a sauté pan.  Add the patties carefully, making sure not to crowd the pan.  It is MUCH easier to do two rounds than to attempt them all at once.  Press the patties into the pan to flatten them a little.  I find this helps them stick together and browns the underside nicely.  Using a spatula, flip the burgers and cook on the other side until browned and heated through, about 4 minutes per side.  

Pile everything on your bun and serve with a little green salad, pickles, fries....

Oh hi there again.

Hi friends and family and dearest, beloved fans.  I know you've missed me just as much as I've missed you.  And really I HAVE missed you all and this silly little blog and it's not that I haven't had things to SAY, it's just that, well, this whole internet thing takes quite a bit of time and I had plenty of other really fun things to do all summer long like swimming in rivers and going to weddings and eating my weight in the freshest salmon I've ever had. 

While waiting for my (much anticipated, surely) return, I do hope you've all been enjoying the bounty of summer's sun and have been cooking up your own storms.  Please stick with me as I slowly ease back into making this little slip of a blog a bigger part of my life, something that I attend to more than a few times a year.  To make it more manageable and fun (because that's the point, right?), I'm again breaking the rules and throwing format out the blogspot window and going rogue.  I'll write some stuff about some stuff when I feel like it.

So today I'm going to write a little about figs.  These gorgeous gems are like a very good dream.  The kind that sneaks up on you, but lingers throughout your day and leaves you with a subtle, healthy smile.  A simple fig, delicate and soft, has one of the prettiest of flavors.  It's all sorts of floral and perfume and breezy fruitiness.  They ripen quickly and must be eaten as soon as possible - do not waste a single one!  An easy task, as they are incredibly versatile.

Think savory or sweet.  Broiled, pickled, raw, grilled.  In salads or spreads, jams or breads. 

Last night I managed to convince my skeptical brother of their worth by using fresh figs as a topping on pizza.  Of course, I wasn't anticipating writing this post so I failed to document said pizza, but believe me it was quite pretty.  And simple:

CARAMELIZED ONION, FIG, AND GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

2 red onions
olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar
a good handful of fresh, ripe figs, cut into quarters
fresh goat cheese
3 tbsp (more or less depending on your taste) fresh thyme
pizza dough
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven as high as it will go.  If you have a pizza stone, be sure to put it in the oven while preheating - you want it as hot as possible.

Slice the red onion into thin rounds.  Caramelize them in oil and balsamic vinegar until quite browned and very soft.  

Roll out your pizza dough onto parchment paper.  Top with onions and dot with figs.  Slide pizza onto your stone and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crust is cooked and starting to brown.  Remove from oven and spoon goat cheese over pizza.  Top with fresh thyme and a good sprinkling of salt and black pepper.  

Slice.  Enjoy. 

You know what else would be good?  Maybe adding some prosciutto or arugula.  Rosemary?  Variations are really quite endless when it comes to pizza, and I highly encourage you all to get a move on with your experimenting.  Fig season is very short and it would be a shame to miss it.  

I'll keep you all updated with spoonfuls of my life, and promise a few more photos in the future. 

Beginnings

It's September.  Autumn.

Anytime the seasons begin to change, I feel inspired by the newness of it all.  The fresh colors, smells.  Ideas take root and grow; some flourish, others wither, tired and forgotten.  As is with any whisper of seasonal life, which can't survive the full year.

In the spirit of beginnings and innovation and an escape from that stagnant feeling that lingers after a hot and sweaty summer, I've decided to venture out yet again in this blogging word world to entertain all of you with my musings on food, drink, and fun.  Hopefully I won't be bored with it by the time winter sneaks in.  The idea isn't novel, to say the least, but I was encouraged to step it up a notch when the boy (DS) sheepishly admitted to pairing his movies with his meals.  Nerdy?  Totally.  But super awesome as well?  Definitely.  Thus, I thought about recording our adventures in the perfect pairings.  What is more exciting than celebrating things that belong together?  Given our combined talents in the kitchen and behind the bar, and our devotion to the finest things in life, this will be a delight.

And so, for my premier post I've decided to bid farewell to a blissful summer and welcome fall with open arms.

Fork.  The farmer's market in my neighborhood in Brooklyn is always bustling on Sunday mornings.  I need to get my tired ass out of bed earlier to snatch up the last of the season tomatoes and beat the crowds to my favorite salad greens.  I always have to work at noon, so sometimes the rushing stresses me out and I end up making impulsive decisions and spending way too much money.  This past Sunday was no different, and although I missed out on my prized cherry tomatoes, I scored big with long beans.  Long beans?  These things look funny.  Aquatic even.  I had to buy them.

I'm not a LOVER of green beans.  Fresh, they are sweet and satisfying, but too often they turn into a forgettable mush.  Long beans are similar in flavor, but a bit more subtle.  Fun facts: they are also known as snake beans, are a variety of the cowpea, and are great sources of all sorts of good nutrition.  Thanks wikipedia!  Though typically used in Asian dishes, I decided to sing of summer and went for a bright and colorful bean salad.  When served with grilled chicken and roasted tomatoes, it made for a tasty meal.

SO LONG SUMMER SALAD

long beans, corn, olives, lemon, dill

Vinaigrette
3 lemons, juice and zest
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 heaping tbsp mustard
lots and lots of dill
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.  I used my immersion blender for faster emulsification, but a whisk will do just fine.

Salad
long beans
green beans
corn
kalamata olives
cheese*

After blanching the beans and chopping them into bite-size pieces, combine with cooked corn, chopped olives and cheese.  *I wanted to use feta, but didn't have any at home, so instead went for the nutty, butterscotchy Roomano, a super aged gouda.  It worked very nicely with the salty olives and the citrusy dressing.  Pour vinaigrette over and mix thoroughly.  Garnish with more dill. 

Glass.  I can't help it, I love those light, fruity red wines.  With a slight chill, they become refreshing and vibrant.  To pair with the brightness of this summer salad, we decided to drink a 2009 wine from Passetoutgrain, Burgundy from the producer, Fontaine-Gagnard.  Sometimes hyphenated (Passe-Tout-Grains), this appellation is unique in that all PTG wines must be blended.  For reds, that means a mixture of Pinot Noir and Gamay.  This particular domaine, run by Richard Fontaine, focuses on traditional methods to produce a smooth and structured wine, which whispers of ripe cherry and plum, thyme, lavender.  Casual drinking perhaps, but certainly thoughtful and intriguing.

Play.  End of summer.  What better way to celebrate the transition into colder, less friendly weather than with the final match of the U.S. Open?  I'm a sucker for sporting events of most kinds (not golf), and especially love ones that involve international rivalries and beg you to look your finest when in the stands.  Last night was the ultimate match between a previously unrivaled Rafael Nadal and newcomer hotshot, Novik Djokovic.  What tennis!  What strength!  What speed!  The whole match was a shocking display of ability, deftness, and athleticism.  Truly incredible and altogether impressive.  When everyone in the room ooos and aaahs and gasps with disbelief, you know you're witnessing something outstanding. 

VICTORY

Although my step-brother and I were quietly rooting the win for Djokovic, we were vocal in our support of Nadal, hoping for a long and hard match.  He rallied in the third set, but was dominated in the end.   Check out the highlights, thank you YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHF9z0v9Y0Y

Alas, another season over.   New beginnings.