Goodnight Irene

Irene came and went and caused most of us to hibernate in our houses for most of the weekend. To our great disappointment, a member of The Crunchy Radish had their birthday festivities put on hold due to the storm. To make the best of things, we made a birthday dinner with some goods that we loaded up on the day before at the farmers’ market.

Grilled avocado was a unique spin on the traditional avocado and tomato salad. Marinating the avocado in lemon juice and then grilling the halves with a little olive oil for two minutes a side really brought an interesting complexity to the fruit and intensified the flavor. The avocado was layered with red onion, (which was also tossed in lemon juice), heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes, olive oil, some aged balsamic, salt, and pepper.

Usually not a potato person, I couldn't help myself at the farmers’ market. These little nuggets were calling out to me to be simply roasted to the point where their skins were crisp and finished with a garlicky dressing. Potatoes are underrated and do possess some essential nutrients, particularly in their skin. Potatoes are a complex carbohydrate and are naturally low in calories. Potatoes with the skin not only have fiber, but contain B Vitamins, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and potassium.

The petite blue and fingerling potatoes were roasted with rosemary and olive oil and then mixed with a "paste" of roasted garlic, rosemary, cayenne pepper, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

The birthday boy grilled himself up a  New York Strip steak, and we toasted with some bubbly.

For dessert I was able to utilize my bounty of peaches and Italian plums and made a crisp with whole wheat flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, currants, and some Earth Balance spread. The crisp wouldn't be complete without some organic vanilla bean ice cream.

We were able to have a pre-birthday celebration the night before at Fedora. We had a lovely meal filled with oysters, chicken liver on toast with pickled onions, sautéed chanterelles with a poached egg, and their take on a surf and turf which consisted of chicken meatballs and scallops. We finished the meal in style with a delicious ice cream sandwich-Van Leeuween ice cream sandwiched between chocolate cookies dipped in chopped peanuts!

Looking forward to continuing the birthday celebration with friends later this week at Roberta's.

Happy Birthday to the biggest Radish Head I know!

Simple Summer Supper

Heirloom lettuce salad with chickpeas, celery, local cherry tomatoes and white balsamic dressing, fresh New Jersey summer tomato sauce with yellow and red tomatoes, garlic, chili pepper, olive oil, and basil with Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Pasta, toasted sourdough with earth balance spread, diced garlic and basil. Raw cows milk Landoff cheese.

Keeping it simple is sometimes the best…especially when you have a three month pup on your hands! Please welcome the newest member of The Crunchy Radish, Henry Pepper!

Do The Cabbage Patch

On a recent sticky, tumultuously stormy evening, I was feeling like eating something with a spicy Asian flair, but decided against delivery…I always feel terrible for the delivery men when its pouring. So I slipped on my Wellies and braved the monsoon to head to Whole Foods to provision my meal. I am not always particularly enamored by the seafood selection or prices at Whole Foods. On quite a few occasions, I have had to augment my protein due to lack of selection or items being previously frozen. That evening was one of those occasions. I had originally envisioned grilling a steak of bloody red Yellowfin tuna, but compromised with some lovely plump fresh local diver sea scallops. I stuck with my original plan to make a spicy slaw, which would serve as the purple hued bed for the scallops. To start my slaw, I first made the vinaigrette that the slaw would be tossed in.

Vinaigrette:

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

4 chopped scallions

1 minced jalapeño (seeds removed)

Juice of 4 limes

1/4 of a cup of chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seeds

1/2 tablespoon of ground mustard powder

3/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup of sesame oil

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

black pepper

(Mix all the ingredients together and allow the flavors to meld. This makes a good amount of dressing and, depending on the amount of slaw that is made, you might have some leftover)

I then made the slaw:

Slaw:

1/4 head of red cabbage thinly sliced

1/4 head of green cabbage thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced              

1 medium sized red onion thinly sliced

1 cup carrots shredded

(Combine all ingredients in a large bowl)

The scallops should be cleaned and patted very dry, lightly salted and peppered.

I opted for grilling the scallops on a cast iron grill pan since I had originally wanted to grill the tuna steak, but pan searing would work just as well. I used an all natural canola oil grilling spray for the pan and grilled the scallops 2 minutes a side. Be sure that the pan is extremely hot-this will allow the scallops to get a lovely crisp brown top. Do not overcook the scallops or they will be very tough.

Once the scallops are almost done, toss enough dressing on the slaw to coat and flavor, but not to saturate. Plate as desired and ENJOY. The sweet, delicate mollusk paired deliciously with the spicy crunchy slaw. Sometimes last minute changes work extremely well.

Scallops are a delicious and delicate lean, low fat, low calorie protein that can be prepared exceptionally fast and with much ease. They are very high in Vitamin B12, selenium and potassium. B12 helps control homocysteine levels in the body, which reduce the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and stroke.

Cabbage, which some consider boring, is very versatile and can add a nice crunchy element to salads and sandwiches and is usually the star ingredient of slaws. Cabbage is a great inexpensive vegetable and is a member of the cruciferous family, which also includes broccoli, kale, and bok choy. Cabbage contains Vitamins K and C, fiber, folate and potassium and is believed to have cancer fighting properties.

I guess those cabbage patch kids had the right idea…

Have a lovely weekend Radish Heads! I’ll be in Sag Harbor celebrating my little Grammy’s 88^th birthday with lobster and chocolate cake! Happy Birthday Grams!

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced.....

I knew that our recent day trip to Fire Island would be the ideal opportunity to re-create the ultimate hiker sandwich that I had been bragging about for years. The first incarnation of this sandwich was ten years ago after I had seen it made on a cooking show. Ten years later, I stepped it up a few notches and, instead of using all prepared and packaged goods, I made the pesto from scratch and grilled a few veggies to create a multitude of colorful layers and flavors. What was packed inside this Grandaisy rustic whole wheat loaf you ask? Pesto (basil, olive oil, walnuts, sans cheese), provolone, organic all natural Applegate Farms smoked turkey breast, roasted red bell peppers, arugula, grilled zucchini, squash, banana peppers, and jalapeño.

Once you have all your ingredients ready to go, this compact sandwich is very simple. To start, cut a hole on top of the loaf in order to be able to scoop out all the innards and to layer all the components of the sandwich. By creating an access through the top of the loaf instead of simply slicing the bread in two, you are creating an environment for all the elements to stay compacted and meld together - perfect for transporting on a long journey.  I made the pesto without cheese since I was using a salty moist provolone, yet I sill wanted the garlicky, basil layer to my sandwich. I put the pesto down first as the foundation for the sandwich to create a boundary from bread to fillers and also so with each bite you got garlicky pesto. Next, I layered provolone, which got a little melted with the travel, but added a great salty gooeyness to the sandwich. After that, smoked turkey, arugula, the roasted and grilled veggies and a final layer of cheese was added to seal together the layers. When constructing this sandwich, it is essential to get into all the corners of the bread so that each bite is inundated with flavor.

Once we arrived at the beach, the sandwich was “ripe” and ready for the taking. We brought along a handy serrated knife and, with the sand in our toes and the waves lapping in the background, we enjoyed layer upon layer of this multidimensional sandwich. The sandwich was made the night before and, with the proper layering technique and bread type, it should not get soggy. The components of this sandwich are totally up for interpretation. Next time, I am going to add artichoke hearts, eggplant and, jalepeno jack cheese. Whatever you decide to stuff in your hiker, it is the perfect treat for a day of hiking or lounging on the beach. 

Aubergine is that you?

Sauteed Broccoli rabe with slivered garlic and chili flakes

Despite the time consuming steps of this dish, eggplant rollatini provides a just reward for the patient cook. This dish might seem a little on the heavy side for summer, but the local Jersey eggplant was calling my name and I could not resist. Being a purist, I had to make my tomato sauce from scratch, but it you wanted to cut a corner or two, you could use a good quality jarred sauce.

Since the eggplant has a very high moisture content, it needs to be salted and “sit” for an hour. The eggplant should be sliced about 1/3 of an inch thick.  As the eggplant “rests", you will notice moisture collecting on the surface of the eggplant slices. After an hour, wipe the moisture and excess salt off. This process also tenderizes the flesh of the eggplant. While the eggplant “sits”, the sauce can be prepared.

Serves 4 plus leftovers (The sauce only gets better with age)

Sauce:

Olive oil

1 chopped Spanish onion

5 diced cloves of garlic

1 chopped green bell pepper

1 diced jalapeño

1 can San Marzano crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tbsp oregano

2 tbsp torn fresh basil, plus additional for garnish and rolling

salt and pepper

2 medium eggplants sliced (1/3 of an inch thick)

1 thinly sliced fresh mozzarella ball

grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté the garlic and onion in a hot pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Once slightly colored, add the green bell pepper and jalapeño and allow to cook for around 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and deglaze the pan, scrapping up any ingredients that have started to stick. Add the San Marzano tomatoes, oregano, basil, and a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper. Cook at a simmer for at least an hour, allowing the flavors to meld together. For a smoother and more homogeneous texture, use an immersion blender and puree the sauce. You can continue to allow the sauce to cook while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Heat up a grill or grill pan and lightly oil the eggplant. Grill the eggplant slices until they soften, but are still a little firm, about 4 minutes a side. Allow to cool slightly, just enough to be able to handle.

Preheat oven to 400

Lightly oil a roasting pan and ladle enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan.

To make the rolling a little easier, create little stations with each ingredient. Lay the eggplant flat and pour about a tablespoon of sauce on one third of the eggplant. Top it with a slice of mozzarella, some basil leaves and roll the eggplant into a parcel. Place all the eggplant rolls into the pan, spoon a little additional sauce over each one and finish with some grated parmesan cheese. Bake the rollies for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.

Serve with additional sauce, some freshly torn basil and a little dusting of parmesan cheese.

The eggplant rollatini can be viewed as a healthful version of eggplant parmesan. The elimination of breading and pan frying creates a more low fat dish and by creating parcels with the eggplant, you are bolstering a single eggplant slice instead of having to layer upon layer fried eggplant, cheese, and sauce.

Not only does this dish provide the diner with the benefits of lycopene  that comes from the tomato sauce, but also eggplants have anthocyanins, which generate its purple hue. Anthocyanins reduce the risk for cancer, aid with memory and urinary track health as well as providing anti-aging benefits. Eggplants are an antioxidant and contain fiber and potassium (Bananas are not the only food to posses this nutrient). Potassium is an essential mineral and helps with fluid balance and the maintenance of blood pressure as well as muscle functionality.

A simple sauté of peppery, bittery broccoli rabe with slivered garlic and chili flakes offered an excellent crunch along side the rollatini. 

Eggplant is at its peak from August to October, so enjoy this purple parcel while it is at its best!

Check back soon for the ultimate hiking sandwich!