The past couple of weeks we have had lovely weather and high temperatures in New York. With this summer heat I notice a pattern of ordering from my guests - obviously items like oysters or chilled soups are at the top of the list during this time. A delicious strawberry gazpacho has been a stand out - it was a product of having an excess of juicy, overly ripe local strawberries. I’ve also brought back a winner from the past few years -- chilled green pea soup with shavings of sheep’s milk which we serve in frozen soup bowls – for sure refreshing. Guests are also tending to order appetizer salads as main courses. One particular salad hit was white asparagus with cooked then chilled calamari and a few slivers of paper thin prosciutto strewn over it – very good!
(white strawberry gazpacho) (chilled green pea soup)
A trans-seasonal exception
To my astonishment a 24-hour tender braised lamb roll-up, a text book winter menu dish which did not make it onto a recent menu change had many of my regular restaurant guests protesting, needless to say it has a comfortable spot on the summer menu now.
(mini lobster roll)
I love me a roll
Lobster rolls, clam rolls, crab meat rolls anything in a roll I find delicious and representative of summer. Eating a roll is like being on vacation. I love not needing to use a fork and knife and digging into food with my bare hands, it makes a totally joyous eating experience. A few days ago I prepared soft-shell crab rolls for my family with bacon and tomatoes and it was delicious indeed.
(soft-shell crab in a roll)
She promised for my First Father’s Day …
I hope some people can relate to me -- I find raw vegetables as my entrée not so satisfying, it makes me leave the table hungry most of the time and they don’t really taste good. But if you want to include vegetables in your summer dishes (other than salad greens) you can cook then simply chill them before you serve with your entrée or in a salad. I have also been tooling around with different versions of summer vegetable stews.
Following is a recipe for a chilled Provencal vegetable stew. Vegetables such as onions, peppers, and zucchini are chopped and skillet roasted for flavor and some cubed tomatoes are tossed in at the end.
Ratatouille with Saffron
(makes enough for four portions if served with steak or fish, or cous cous if you want a vegetarian option)
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 green zucchini (5-inch long)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil such as canola or grape seed oil
1 pinch saffron (optional)
Salt such as Baline (to taste)
10 grindings black pepper
1 tomato
5-8 leaves of basil
1. Cut pepper in half and remove all white parts and seeds then cut into strips (1/8-inch). Peel onion and cut in half then cut into strips (1/8-inch thick). Cut zucchini in half then cut in half a second time. Turn zucchini over (green side down) then remove seeds with a small knife by cutting across the whole length of the zucchini. Cut zucchini in similar sized strips like the onion and pepper.
2. In a skillet heat vegetable oil and cook cut onions on medium heat setting (15 minutes, stir with wooden spoon to prevent burning). Season onions with salt, pepper and saffron then add red pepper strips and continue to cook (5 minutes). Add cut zucchini and cook (3 minutes). Transfer vegetables onto a plate and let cool.
3. Cut tomato in half (horizontally). Squeeze tomato halves with hands this way the seeds will be removed from tomato. Flatten tomato on cutting board then cut into strips.
4. Cut basil leaves into fine strips and toss with tomatoes and cooled cooked vegetables.
Chef’s Tip: BBQ steak can be thinly sliced and draped over this chilled vegetable stew. You may toss some chopped salad such as endive or Romaine under it if you like, which will give the dish some textural crunch.
… So I hope my spouse is reading this Chef’s recipe!
