The flavours of Summer

For the next while I suspect many of my posts will have a "flavours of summer" theme.  My cucumbers are going gangbusters, the tomatoes are colouring up, the soy beans are staring down the rest of the garden for dominance, the carrots still look good....  And then there's the produce at the farm stands and farmer's markets!  We've been gorging on blueberries and cherries, and peaches have begun too.  Let's not forget the corn as well.  We've had that 3 times in just over a week.

Yesterday afternoon I was looking at the zucchini and summer squash Little Miss (3) had chosen from the farmer's market on Saturday.  We don't eat a lot of either, but I had something ratatouille-esque in mind when she asked for them.  As I began looking at recipes, I realized that I had no eggplant.  Okay, time for plan B.  I had tomatoes, sweet onions and farm fresh garlic.  I chose the yellow squash and thought about what to make.  How about a "marmalade" of sorts (and for lack of a much better term)?  Something sweet and sour that would go well on a burger, or topping some crusty bread slices.  Okay fine, now to make it happen.

I began by lightly caramelizing the thinly sliced onions.  Then I added the garlic, the quartered squash slices and a few diced tomatoes.  Played with brown sugar and red wine vinegar.  I resisted the urge to add oregano, which in my mind always goes with anything having to do with cooked tomatoes (I blame my Italian fore-bearers) and opted instead for thyme.  Ah, a French-inspired creation.  Sounds good to me.  I let it cook until it was relatively thick.  In the end I got about 3 cups of... whatever it became.  LOL  And while I liked it well enough still warm on crusty bread, I'm sure it will be even better at room temperature.

Sweet and Sour Onion, Tomato & Summer Squash Spread

1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or a good, fruity olive oil if you have it)
2 sweet onions, quartered and thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large summer squash or zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
5-6 tomatoes (peeled if you're so inclined - I didn't, but should have)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp thyme (more if using fresh)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large enamel sauce pot heat the oil over medium and add the onions and a little salt and pepper. Cook until they begin to caramelize, then add the garlic.  When it's fragrant, add the squash and tomatoes and give it a good stir.  Add the thyme, vinegar and sugar, and keep them out to adjust the flavour as you go along.  Let it all bubble over medium-low heat until it starts to thicken and much of the liquid has evaporated away (this took over an hour in my pot).  Check for seasoning and adjust to taste, making sure to cook out any raw vinegar flavour.

Pack into clean canning jars and keep in the fridge (I froze some).  Use as a topping for crusty bread, burgers, chicken, fish... even meatloaf.

I bet this would be nice with a couple of dried chilies tucked into it while it simmers.

Got me a haul

I cannot say enough how much I love living here in Southern Ontario.  I am in the heart of the "fruit belt," which (quite happily) is also the heart of wine country.  Right now we have fruit coming out the wazoo.  There are a few lingering strawberries, and we're in the thick of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and cherries.  I don't do anything with currants or gooseberries, but they've been available too.  And the early peaches, apricots and plums are showing up on farm stand stalls.  And while it's not a fruit, I'll mention my delight last weekend at finding the first sweet corn of the season too.

But today I am going to focus on the 11lb pail of pitted, unsweetened, fresh tart cherries I picked up yesterday.  Plus the 1kg tub of dried tart cherries.  I got six 3-cup containers of the fresh cherries into the freezer, set aside a cup or so for just snacking and used the remaining 2 cups to make a recipe inspired by one I came across earlier this month at Autumn Makes and Does and have been anticipating enjoying ever since.

The original recipe for Hot Cherry Preserves calls for 3 dried chile de árbo, which I don't have.  It says to use cayenne if need be.  So I did.  I also added some of the dried cherries.

Spicy Cherry Sauce

2 cups pitted tart cherries
2/3 cup sugar
1/4-1tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your tolerance)
1 split vanilla bean (optional)
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions
Stir all ingredients except the dried cherries and lemon juice in a bowl or measuring cup.  Taste for heat and add more cayenne if necessary.  There should be more of a pleasant tingle than full on burn.  Cover and store in the fridge overnight.

Place the contents of the bowl in a small saucepan with the dried cherries and boil over medium-high  for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. The cherries will begin to break down a little and the liquid will become a bit thicker.

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Let cool to room temperature and store in a clean half-pint (250ml)  jar in the fridge.

Personally I think this is going to be awesome over some dark chocolate ice cream. I wonder if it would pair well with cheese?

Too hot

What is the weather here today?  It's noon and it's already 31C, feels like 39C (that's 88 and 102 degrees American).  It's been this way pretty much since late last week.  And tomorrow it's supposed to be 36C before the humidex kicks in.  *insert melting emoticon here*

I gave the veggies an hour of water this morning. The raspberry canes have drooped and will need to be supported for the rest of the season, I fear.  Some may have snapped already, but I think overall most of the canes are just fine.  We've certainly gotten a lot of berries in the last week.  And this is only the first flush.  The big push comes next month when this years new canes start bearing along with the old ones.

In this heat it's too hot to even boil water. And grilling leaves the family with a meal and me seeking shelter in the nearest freezer, uninterested in eating.  So tonight I'm turning to my other favourite summer meal helper.  My crock pot.  It was a wedding gift from some thoughtful person nearly 14 years ago, and it has been well used ever since.  It, and it's smaller cousin, have been the source of stews, braises, soups, roasts, hams and even hot chocolate and lattes.  Today it is home to a couple of hot Italian sausages, some chicken drumsticks, onions, garlic, bay leaf and a bottle of beer.

I first created this meal many years ago while clearing out the fridge, and it became a favourite.  I love the sausage when it comes out and the chicken shreds into a beautiful, tasty pile.  But it's the broth that I look forward to the most.  The meat juices, aromatics and beer mingle together to create a liquid that is absolutely wonderful served with crusty bread and old cheddar.  Often I skip the meat altogether and just add a green salad or some pickles.  It's a, nourishing meal that doesn't heat the house (or the cook) and isn't salad, again.

Tomorrow we may just order in pizza, though.

Summer Eating

Wow, it took a while, but summer is definitely here.   My garden is slowly catching up after a cool, wet spring, and today I impatiently picked a few not-quite-ripe raspberries and some extra large snow peas that were hiding in the copious foliage of the 6 foot tall vines. 

The shift in weather brings with it a necessary shift in eating, too.  Although we have air conditioning and I close the curtains and blinds as the sun bursts through the kitchen windows around mid-day, the back of the house still gets hot quickly.  Obviously I limit the use of the oven as much as I can, baking only at night and roasting in the toaster oven if I can get away with it. Even just simmering a pot of soup or boiling water for pasta (or canning) on the stove can make the kitchen air thick and sticky.  I've found over the years that I use my crockpot more in the summer than in the cooler months.  It doesn't really heat up the kitchen, and there is minimal effort involved.  I also barbecue.  A lot.  And we eat lighter things like salads, or grilled pizzas.  Actually, I've made a lot of naan bread this summer, and that's just a topping or two away from do it yourself pizza.

I'm always on the look out for summer friendly meals that we'll all eat*.  Today I came across a post on Chow about playing with stuffed potato skins, changing up the fillings to make a variety of tasty treats.  I love potato skins!  The post (here) was put up in March, but I can see these being an easy go-to for a hot day.  A side of fresh salads and a cold drink would definitely round the meal out.  And even Little Mister, my 6 year old who eats a lot of things, but not ground meat and never cheese (except on pizza), said that he'd like to try them... with his own filling - black beans, corn and salsa.  Sure!  Sounds great!

* For more ideas, check out these two fabulous posts (and don't forget to follow their blogs for a wealth of inspiration throughout the year)  -
http://mixingbowlkids.typepad.com/family_bites/2011/07/meal-planning-monday.html
 - great summer meals for the whole week
http://www.simplebites.net/frozen-treats-cherry-limeade-popsicle-recipe/ - part of a week long series of posts about frozen treats (because dessert is part of dinner too!)

Our food as it grows

My husband and I have been married for nearly a decade in a half.  From that first year, when we planted upwards of 10 Roma tomatoes and a half dozen cayenne pepper plants, oblivious to the sheer volume that would result, we've always had a food garden.  We've made mistakes along the way (and still do), had some hits and misses (still do) and have found great delight in sharing it all with our two children.

There are some things that we plant every year.  Tomatoes are a must, though we plant fewer of them now than that first year (mind you, we've still got 6 plants going right now).  Peppers have never done well for us, but we continue to try, and this year it looks like we may have some success.  Green beans are popular "yard snacks" with the kids.  And our 6 year old son insists that we plant soy beans, which are a favourite of his.  We grew some lovely lemon cucumbers last year, and this year we're trying some conventional ones.  And I've had more success with lettuce as well this season.  Hooray for the cool, wet weather, I guess.

Speaking of which, that same lettuce loving weather has taken its toll on our beans, peas, radishes and beets (which are another crop I always try to grow and never seem to see success with).  Of the 20-30 snap peas I planted, only 4 came up, and those have been rather pathetic producers.  The snow peas are doing better, but the plants seem rather spindly and don't look terribly productive.  The green bush beans didn't germinate well, and are starting to look rather lace-like with their bug eaten leaves.  The soy beans look fairly resilient.  I have high hopes for them.

 

The one thing that does not struggle in our garden is raspberries.  Oh me, oh my do they do well!  I suspect they are plotting world domination.  We've dug out copious runners once already, and have twice as many to still remove.  They are an "ever bearing" variety, and this year's first flush looks like it's going to be a bumper crop.

We often try at least one new thing each year.  A few years ago (again at our son's request) we tried eggplant.  They did quite well, but we don't eat enough to really make having them worth it.  This year it's kale.  As with our tomatoes and hot pepper (and the seeds for our soy beans and sweet peppers) these lovely plants came from Tree and Twig.  OT, but you know how some people are in an animal shelter, when they want to take home every cute thing they see?  I get that way when I visit Linda's wonderful farm.  Hence the reason why I have 6 tomato plants, which will produce more fresh fruits than the kids and I will eat (no worries - I'll be roasting and freezing them, I'm sure).  Anyway, now I have four beautiful kale plants and no clue what to do with them.  LOL  I'm looking forward to trying some new recipes, and getting suggestions from the Twitterverse.

Of strawberries and artichokes

I am happy to say that strawberry season has arrived, pretty much right on time, in spite of the marked lack of a real Spring this year.  So far (this week) I've purchased and used/consumed nearly 5 quarts of these red jewels.  I've made strawberry sauce, strawberry vinegar, strawberry gelato and these lovely strawberry marshmallows...

I made them for a friend's bridal shower and they were quite a hit.  I'd made them once before, a few years ago, and when I saw the strawberries at the market, I knew what I had to do with them.  I'd considered strawberry cupcakes, but I think I really do prefer candy making to baking for events and holidays.  I adapted the recipe from an episode of Ricardo and Friends on Food Network Canada...

Ingredients

• 2 envelopes gelatin
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree*
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions

1. Line a 20-cm (8-inch) square dish with plastic wrap and oil lightly.
2. In a large bowl, sift the sugar and cornstarch together. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin on the strawberry purée. Let soften for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
4. Pour the strawberry mixture and corn syrup into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you could do it with a hand mixer, but your arm may fall off first).  Beat on high until the mixture has cooled to room temperature and forms stiff peaks, about 15 - 20 minutes, wiping the bowl occasionally with a damp cold cloth to help remove the heat. Spread evenly in the dish and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.
5. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
6. Lightly dust a clean surface with the icing sugar mixture. Unmould the marshmallow. Using a knife with a lightly oiled blade, cut the marshmallow into 4-cm (1 1/2-inch) squares. Roll each square in the icing sugar mixture in the bowl. Shake off any excess. Place the marshmallows on the cookie sheet and let warm to room temperature. If necessary, roll a second time in the icing sugar mixture.
7. The marshmallows can be stored for several days at room temperature, though excess icing sugar may crust on the bottoms.
8. * For 125 ml (1/2 cup) of strawberry purée, process and strain about 180 ml (3/4 cup) fresh strawberries. If desired, use raspberry or peach or mango purée instead (I'm contemplating cherry)

For some strange reason my father has requested that we all go to their house for Father's Day this year.  It's a bit odd, since we always just celebrate it in our own way.  But my dad's work schedule has been weird lately and dinners are out of the question.  So my darling husband agreed that we should go.  Mom asked me to bake a cake, but not chocolate because apparently my nephew doesn't like it (I saw him being born, so I know he's related to his mother and myself... must come from his dad's side).  I settled on a white cake, and decided to turn the leftover egg yolks into the aforementioned strawberry gelato.  I cranked out one batch last night and then my ice cream machine overheated while I tempted fate by trying to freeze the second batch right away.  At least it's not fried.  I'll toss the chamber back in the freezer today and make the rest tomorrow or Friday.

Are we tired of strawberries yet?  Nope.  This weekend I plan on making two batches of jam!  I made 8-10 jars last year and they were gone by December (Little Mister is a big fan).  So this year I'm making twice as much.  Hopefully that lasts until next June.  LOL

On a different (and, in my opinion less tasty) note, I saw some artichokes in the grocery store yesterday that looked nice.  They were big, and on impulse I bought two.  There are a few things that I've always wanted to try for myself but have yet to cook, like risotto.  And artichokes.  I've heard a lot of buzz about them and how wonderful they are and how they're totally worth the work.  I should have taken it as a sign when I went to put the bag on the scanner and one of the little spines cut my finger open.

Following these instructions I prepped the thistles and discovered that I needed a bigger pot.  They were larger than they seemed in the store.  That problem solved, I set about preparing the rest of dinner, and some garlic butter to dip the cooked monster flowers in.  When they were ready, I pulled off a leaf and, careful to not drip butter on myself, scraped the meager flesh off between my teeth.  I was.... underwhelmed.  The flavour was a bit like a bitter potato, with a similar texture.  I ate some more.  Then I dipped some in Baba Ganouj.  Much better!  Probably because all I could taste was the garlicky eggplant dip.  I tore off the remaining leaves, scooped out the hairy choke and tried some of the heart.  Meh.  Boring, really.  Not worth the effort.

But I can say that I've cooked and eaten them, and cross them off my culinary bucket list.

I've now tried lobster...

A while back I heard about an exciting (to me) event happening in the area.  The very name set my heart a-flutter.  The Niagara Food and Wine Expo.  Such an event virtually on my doorstep?  No long drive to Toronto?  No outrageous Toronto prices?  I marked the date on the calendar without needing any more details.

And details there were.  A weekend long event featuring some of the most brilliant culinary minds in the region, preparing carefully selected morsels designed to showcase their talents and passion in a few bites at most.  Couple that with relatively inexpensive admission, a short drive and ample parking and I was counting down the days.

Then the Twitter contests began.  Various connected people had tickets and were giving them away.  Answer this question, win a pair.  Missed?  Try again tomorrow.  And on it went, until finally I was the one answering the question correctly and having two tickets left at the door for me.  Let me tell you, for someone on a bit of a budget, freeing up $20+ dollars to spend on a wide variety of culinary treats was such a huge bonus!

And $20 went a long way towards sampling the amazing bounty the evening offered.  Not only was there a dizzying array of wine to try, there were very interesting beers as well.  And a couple of "other" beverages like slushy Margaritas, Pina Coladas and a really nice cocktail made from sparkling wine and mango puree.  I can't even begin to describe the variety of food offerings.

My husband and I decided to wander around first, getting a sense of what was available.  The tickets were $1, sold in strips of $10 and most things were between 1 and 3 tickets, with a few things for 4 or even 6.  But nearly everything was only a ticket or so, which was pretty amazing.

As I said, my husband and I planned to walk around to get the lay of the land so to speak before trying anything.  Until we got only a little ways in and smelled the amazing Sliders being cooked by Syndicate Restaurant and Brewery.  It was like walking into a wall of beefy yum!  I don't think there was really a choice made.  We just stopped, my husband ordered a beer and we handed over tickets for a slider and a pulled pork sandwich, which was good, but paled in comparison to the richness of the burger.

Our hunger distracted, we continued on.  We saw fresh oysters being shucked, assorted foods in cones, on baguettes, topped with creams and leaves, sandwiches, cupcakes, cheesecakes, chocolates, seafood, game meat, cheese... There were familiar restaurants, and ones we'd never heard of.  And the food wasn't over the top fancy, either.  It was creative.  It was inspired.  But it wasn't fois gras stuffed truffled lobster dipped in the butter of virgin rare breed European mountain goats.  It wasn't pretentious at all, really.

After touring nearly the whole floor, and grabbing a glass of Konzelmann Reisling, we came upon the Maritime Lobster booth.  They were offering Digby Scallops in (I think) a creamy lemongrass sauce and half lobster tails in (again I think) an apricot and Ice Wine sauce.  Or maybe just wine.  It's a bit of a blur.  My husband and I don't eat "sea bugs" as we call them.  I'll tolerate a little shrimp in a Spring roll, if it's chopped finely enough.  But to actually eat seafood outright doesn't happen.  Largely because much of what I come across in the seafood department is mingled with an overwhelming un-fresh fishy smell.  And I don't know how appetizing a lobster lying limp in a scummy tank really would be anyway.  But this was really fresh.  And for $6 I could have a half lobster tail and a plump scallop.  I was still hungry enough to be feeling adventurous (though not so much that I felt drawn to the oyster bar), so I took the plunge.  Hubby and I sidled up to one of the many bar height tables scattered about and I struggled with the plastic fork to cut into the ample scallop.  It looked a little stringy in texture, which is exactly what it wasn't.  Instead I can only describe the texture as being like undercooked chicken with a good deal of chewiness to it.  It had a slightly raw quality to it, but it was also a bit rubbery.  It was strange.  The flavour was alright (I suspect that was mostly the sauce), but the texture was unappealing.

On to the lobster...  The texture was better.  Only slightly chewy.  And a little fluffy.  No discernible "seafood" flavour.  I imagine I'd try it again, if I could find it that fresh.  But only in a very small amount.  I doubt I'd want a meal of it.  But I did it.  As did hubby (he tried bites of mine).  He was far less impressed and did not take a second bite of either.  And while I don't know a lot about wine and food pairings, I can say that I did not like the lobster with the Riesling.

Having conquered that culinary mountain, we moved on and found ourselves at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel booth.  Where the chef was deftly sauteing some beef.  But not just any beef.  Tender strips of what claimed to be Kobe rib eye.  I doubt it was authentic Kobe (think "Champagne" and the trademark on the name... ditto for authentic Kobe beef).  Probably more like "Kobe-style" beef.  Nevertheless, I was eager to try it.  The rib eye was piled on a mini biscuit with fried onions and mayonnaise.  I picked a bit of meat off the plate which had fallen from the slider and was immediately in awe.  The taste was so intense, so beefy and nothing like anything I've had in recent history.  Maybe, way back when I was a kid, before cattle was so intensively farmed and it still had flavour?  I don't know.  This was just... better.  Richer, with a deeper beef flavour and a silky texture.  Fat that would normally be gristly on your average cut was meltingly tender.  I ate most of the sandwich before realizing that the biscuit was just in the way.  It was too sweet and it took away from the savoriness of the beef, rather than compliment it.  It was also too heavy.  Later in the evening I went back to the Seneca Casino booth and asked for just a plate with beef and a little salt.  The chef laughed, piled the plate high and happily sprinkled a little salt on top before handing it over.  All for only $1.  Yes, only one single ticket for a plate of this amazing beef.

And so the evening went on.  Hubby sampled a very strong maple infused beer that would make an excellent barbecue mop sauce.  He also tried an apple ale beer float.  I tried some strawberry beer, the aforementioned mango and sparkling wine cocktail and a Margarita.  We had some Spring Rolls, some grilled pineapple and sausage, a slice of duck confit pizza (I didn't know you could dry out duck confit), chocolates, chocolate dipped strawberries, cheesecake on a stick, cheesecake in a container...  We even tried another incarnation of "Kobe" beef.  This time in a flat iron steak.  It was decidedly less flavourful than the rib eye, and it was on a cold puddle of pureed Sunchoke, which was really quite unappealing, both in texture and temperature.  We sat in on a cooking demonstration and got free samples of rice balls, eggplant parmesan and cannolis.

Another absolute highlight came when we wandered past the Niagara Fallsview Casino booth.  It had multiple stations, and one featured cured salmon with fruit "caviar."  Little beads of pure passionfruit, strawberry and lychee juice, coagulated via the magic of molecular gastronomy, so that they retained their liquid centres but popped in the mouth like beads of caviar.  Neither hubby nor I are fans of salmon, and we were pretty much nearing the end of our desire for savoury food, but I really wanted to try these fruit beads.  So I asked the chef if we could have a few and he happily obliged.  As each bead burst open in my mouth a flood of passionfruit flooded my tongue.  It was extraordinary.  I must find sodium alginate and calcium chloride in order to replicate this at home!

I hope I haven't forgotten anything.  The jazz music was lovely in the background, there was ample space to move and meander, everyone was very friendly and the whole place was well suited to the event, with stations dotted here and there with taps to rinse out glasses (and, as many did, to get much needed free water to stay hydrated) and tables all around to make eating more involved items a bit easier.  Even the parking was painless, unlike for the home show hosted at the convention centre earlier this Spring (what a nightmare that was).

Even though I won our tickets, I will absolutely go again, even if I have to pay admission.  I hope this event is here to stay.  I've done food for ticket/token events at places like the Grape and Wine Fest (sorry, "Niagara Wine Festival") and this was hands down worlds better.  The food, wine and beer was not only wonderful, but a far cry more reasonably priced!  My husband said it would have been nice if someone was offering coffee or other alcohol free beverages (aside from the $2.50 pop and water cart outside the hall), especially for those driving.  There were some free samples (including a cheese booth manned by someone who wouldn't actually offer us any... he just stared at us.  Only odd thing all night), but at $1 and $2 for most items, abundant freebies weren't missed.  I'm already looking forward to next year.

so What! Jazz finishing up the evening (sorry about the pic quality -iPhone).