Sic Transit Gloria: changing of the seasons

As the seasons begin to change, our diets need to do that as well so we stay in harmony with our world. Otherwise dis-ease. There's so much piled so high just now at farmers' markets--the tomatoes and eggplants of summer, the cabbages and delicata squashes of winter, apples, raspberries and plums.

Here are a few ideas for transitional eating based on what's in the markets as September starts to fade and we can now some days use some heat from the stove or oven.

Spanish style crisp cauliflower

1 sm cauliflower, cored and broken into florets
1/4 c chickpea flour or thin cornmeal
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika (flavor choice)
2-3 c sunflower or corn or peanut oil for deep frying
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp small capers
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the cauliflower florets in salted boiling water 5-8 minutes until tender.
While it's cooking, in a sm/med bowl, combine the flour, spices and a pinch of salt plus a good grind of pepper.
Drain the cauliflower carefully and while it's still hot, roll it in the flour mix until all florets are covered.
In a deep fryer or very deep pot, heat the oil to the sizzle point. (That's when you sprinkle a tiny drop of water on it and it sizzles like mad.) Fry the cauliflower in batches if you have to until it's golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

 Pile the cauliflower on a serving plate.
Sprinkle the vinegar over it.
Toss the capers and parsley over it.
Add a pinch of salt and serve hot.









Cherry Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced very thinly
2 ½ lbs cherry tomatoes, cut in half
½ tsp sugar (or a bit more or less, depending on the tomatoes’ sweetness)
optionally: 2 dried ancho chillies, roughly torn
Salt
4 sprigs of large basil leaves, shredded plus 1 extra, finely chopped just before serving, to garnish

Put the oil in a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and fry for up to a minute, stirring a few times, until it’s just starting to caramelize. Add the tomatoes (be gentle, or the oil may spit), sugar, chilies and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 1 cup water and stir through for 4 minutes, until the tomatoes are starting to break down and the liquid is bubbling. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook for an hour, stirring every once in a while, until the tomatoes have completely broken down and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the shredded basil and keep warm til ready to serve. Once on the pasta, add the finely chopped basil as colorful garnish.

Late September Salad
for 8 (half the recipe for 4)

4 Hakurei/salad turnips, stems and root off and washed
1 lg cucumber, skinned
2-3 sm fresh red onions, roots and skin removed
1 sm red, orange or yellow bell pepper, washed and seeded
1 head butter lettuce, washed, leaves separated
1 head red leaf lettuce, washed, leaves separated
8 dates, remove pits or buy pitted
1 sprig fresh mint, leaves only, minced
2 tbsp toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 c (2 oz) grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dressing: 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 6 tbsp (1/3 c) best quality olive oil, 1 sm garlic clove minced

Get out a large wooden bowl or trencher.
Half the turnips, then thinly slice each half 4-5 times. Put cut turnips in the bowl.
Cut the cucumber in half across the middle, then cut each half in three equal strips lengthwise. Slice across each strip to make bite-sized chunks and put them in the bowl.
Cut the onions into very thin disks and break them apart into rings as you put them in the bowl.
Cut the pepper lengthwise into the thinnest possible strips, then cut each strip in half and add to the bowl.
Cut each date in half, slice each half in 2-3 strips and cut the strips in half crosswise. Add to the bowl.
Tear the lettuces into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl.
Add the mint, seeds and cheese. Season to your taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Combine the three dressing ingredients in a small jar or bowl and blend thoroughly.
When ready to serve, pour the dressing on the salad and toss it.

Chinese Cabbage
for 2 (double it for 4)

2 tbsp corn or sunflower oil
3 tsp  Szechuan peppercorns
4 med garlic cloves, smashed then thinly sliced
3 scallions, chopped
1 sm green chili, minced
4 dried red chilies, crumbled or 1 heaping tsp crushed chili pepper flakes
1 med Savoy or pointed (aka sweetheart) cabbage, torn into 2 1/2" pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp sugar

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the peppercorns and fry them about 30 seconds until they turn brown. With a skimmer or strainer, remove them. Add the garlic, chilies and scallions and stir fry a few seconds before adding the cabbage. Stir fry just until it becomes tender. Add soy sauce and sugar, stir to blend and stir fry 20 seconds to heat everything. Serve immediately.

Corn Pudding
This is from the book, How To Fix a Leek....
serves 8-10

½ c all purpose flour 1 tsp ground chipotle chili powder 
10-12 ears corn, husked 
 Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6 lg eggs at room temperature 
 1 tsp ground nutmeg 
2 c half and half 4 tbsp soft butter, cut in bits 
1 tbsp light brown sugar

Butter a pie or baking dish 2½” deep and 10” round. Preheat oven to 350º.

Scraping upwards with a small, sharp knife, cut the corn kernels into a bowl. Using the back of the knife scrap downward to catch remaining kernels and corn milk. Put the corn in a food processor with eggs, half and half, flour, salt, pepper, chili powder and sugar. Process 3-4 seconds to blend. Pour mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle top with nutmeg and butter bits.

   Place baking dish in a large baking pan, put into the hot oven and fill the bottom pan with water halfway up the sides of the pudding container. Bake 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Serve hot.

Provencal Tomato Soup

This recipe, which I included in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking, was given to me by a housewife in Brittany, France who told me she brought it with her as her mother's gift to her marriage when she left her home in sunny Provence.

Serves 4-5

 2 lbs. fresh tomatoes, skinned (optional) and chopped

2 lg. onions, peeled and finely chopped

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

1 mildly hot small pepper, whole

2 tbsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp. salt

freshly ground black pepper to your taste

2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley for garnish (5-6 sprigs)

Optional garnish: buttered garlic croutons

In a medium sized heavy gauge casserole, heat butter and olive oil together until butter melts. Stir in thyme and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add onions, bay leaf and a pinch of ground black pepper. Stir to blend and sauté over medium low heat until the onions are soft and glistening.

Add the tomatoes and mix well. Drop in the whole pepper. If the tomatoes aren’t juicy, add ½ cup water to avoid burning. Cover and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes, until the tomatoes become soupy. (If the soup is too thick and pasty, add either another ¼ cup of water or dry sherry if you’d like.)

Remove the bay leaf and whole pepper. Stir in the parsley. Remove from heat. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste and serve with or without garlic croutons.

Because this freezes very well, it’s an excellent way to preserve summer’s bounty.