Eat Boutique

Put a medium-rare steak, hot pastrami sandwich or anything containing bacon in front of me and I’m a happy camper. But I love fruits and vegetables equally. When it comes to food, for me, anything goes. One thing I haven’t embraced though is the vegan/raw food movement.

Limiting so many categories of food outright just seems, well, sad. Like a morning without coffee really. That’s why when my husband’s cousin, Vanessa (also Maggie’s incidentally), opened a vegan restaurant in the East Village and had us in for a raw food dinner, I was a little apprehensive, not because I don’t like vegetables, but because on the menu was fettuccine alfredo. I don’t know much about vegan raw food, but I know this much: no cream, no cheese, no pasta. What else is fettuccine alfredo?

Vanessa is a great cook though, so I headed off to the dinner with an open mind. As it turns out, to raw foodies, “pasta” is zucchini put through a spiral slicer to give it an effect that is somewhat like noodles, but not really. As for the alfredo, I never did find out what was in Vanessa’s sauce, but I’m guessing nut milk because she does amazing things with nut milk. Vanessa’s fettuccine alfredo definitely wasn’t that, but no matter. It was delicious. The vegetables were crunchy, the sauce was rich and flavorful, and I happily chomped away until every last bite was gone.

To my surprise, I even found myself craving it later, but I felt daunted at the task of recreating it. Then I found a recipe for squash and zucchini “linguine” with goat cheese in Food & Wine. The farmer’s market is overflowing with chubby green zucchinis and baby yellow squash, and this seemed like the perfect way to use them. This “linguini” has become a new favorite of mine because it is easy, light and refreshing. I adapted the recipe, switching out parsley for dill among other things. I just peeled strips of zucchini and squash using a vegetable peeler, blanched them in boiling water for 30 seconds, then dropped them into a bowl of ice water before patting them dry.

When the whole thing is put together, the effect is pretty great. You can even twirl the strips around the prongs of your fork, and while it’s not linguine, it’s something else entirely. And that something is good.

Squash and Zucchini “Linguini”
(adapted from Food & Wine, August 2008)

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini
• 2 summer squash
• 1 tablespoon chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• 1 lemon for juice
• 1 chopped shallot
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• olive oil
• Fresh goat cheese

In a bowl, whisk the lemon juice with ¼ of a cup of olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the chives and dill. Sauté the shallot, garlic and red pepper in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until fragrant over medium heat. Add salt and pepper. Meanwhile, peel the zucchini and squash with a vegetable peeler, then peel off long thin strips until you reach the core. Blanch the strips in boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove them to a bowl of ice water to cool. Remove and pat dry. Put them in the bowl with the lemon juice and herbs. Add the garlic and shallot, and stir. Top with crumbled goat cheese.

Posted by Jessica Merrill

Today’s post was written by Jessica Merrill, a new contributor to EatBoutique.com. Jessica is a food and travel writer who has written for some big-time publications - check out the About page for more. Jessica and I are working on some very cool food stuff together. Promise to tell you more once it’s solidified.

As far as I’m concerned, cooking and summer are a bit like god and the devil; you can put the two in a room together but I don’t want to be there. And by cooking I mean pots and pans and a heat-powered indoor appliance, not grilling. I live in an apartment in Brooklyn, so words like “yard” and “garage” aren’t part of my vocabulary, and when the temperature soars past 80, I simply give in. I surrender to summer’s bounty, to the fruits and vegetables practically begging to be lightly dressed, gently touched and eaten at their crispest or ripest.

Stocking up on ingredients and inspiration means hitting the farmer’s market. A few weeks ago, it was a vibrant bunch of pink radishes that caught my attention. Socked in by greenery on all sides, they looked like little gems glinting in the sun. And I sighed. Because the truth is, I’ve never really liked radishes. But these were just lovely, and they reminded me of my grandfather who grew them in his garden and adored them sliced and sprinkled with nothing but a dash of salt. And so inevitably they ended up in my bag on their way home with me. I pickled slices of those little rubies quickly in red wine and sugar, which turned out to be tangy, spicy and delicious, perfectly good alone, but a real hit on salads where they were a yummy mouth-puckering addition.

This week it was baby bok choy. It looked so darling stowed away between lofty leaves of Swiss chard and beet greens. And long story short: it was the bok choy that got me thinking about summer rolls with peanut sauce, the Vietnamese specialty (like spring rolls but not fried). In case it isn’t obvious enough, these are named SUMMER rolls for a reason. They are cool, crisp and refreshing and require almost no cooking at all. It doesn’t matter that bok choy isn’t an ingredient in authentic summer rolls. I’d argue it should be. It’s true, too, you can order them easily enough in Asian restaurants, but I find those versions are too often overstuffed with clumpy vermicelli noodles and not enough shrimp and vegetables. Even the driest ones are delicious, of course, dunked in peanut sauce (really, you could pull leaves from a tree and dip them in peanut sauce and they would be delicious, right?) But I wanted a homemade adaptation crammed with ingredients from the market – including the peppery bok choy, mint, cilantro and cucumbers. I also bought plump shrimp from my seafood market and vermicelli noodles (vowing only to add a few). All these ingredients I tightly wrapped in rice paper and, tah dah, dipped in peanut sauce.

Summer rolls are easy to make, and when you’re done, they look pretty spectacular. I doused the shrimp in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them for five minutes earlier in the day, before chilling them. When I was ready to eat, I simply chopped a few bok choy leaves, sliced cucumber, and pulled sprigs of mint and cilantro from their stems. The rice vermicelli noodles only take three minutes to cook! To assemble, simply soak a spring roll wrapper in a bowl of room temperature water for about 30 seconds, then gently place it on a work surface. Put about three to four shrimp down first, then layer bok choy, mint, cilantro, cucumbers and a few noodles. Lastly, wrap the rolls like an itty bitty burrito, bundling the goodies inside and tucking the ends under. As for the essential peanut sauce, I make a couple of different versions, but for this, I used a quick recipe from Cooks Illustrated’s “The Best Recipe” cookbook, a version that is packed with flavor and thick enough to make a good dipping sauce.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)

Combine the ingredients in a food processor and blend.

I set to cook on the morning of July 4th with so many meals in mind. So. Many. Meals. While I knew I was serving blue cheese filled all-natural burgers for the holiday barbecue, I had a two-pound piece of pork from the rear of the piggy that I wanted to smoke. It was a holiday and I had the time so the smoking commenced.

First, I prepared the meat. For any other occasion, I would typically marinate the meat 24 hours ahead of time. I’d use a dry and a wet rub to help tenderize the meat. As I decided to make this pork butt at the last minute, there was little time to tenderize so I had to put lots of flavor into both the meat and the smoking liquid.

Now, the smoking liquid goes into a pot in the bottom of your smoker. We have three different smokers. Yes, we’re a tad bit obsessed. Being that it was a holiday and we were also feeling a tad bit lazy, we decided to use the gas-powered smoker so that the temperature was regulated without us having to monitor the fire all morning. Don’t hate us because we have a gas-powered smoker.

Our smoking liquid starts with water and is peppered with goodies. I needed to pack in a lot of flavor in a short period of time, so I layered in multiple items. First, I added some classic flavors like bay leaf, cinnamon, dried thyme branches (from a friend’s organic garden in France, she snuck them on the plane) and juniper berries. Then I turned up the heat with Thai dried chilies and garlic cloves. Lastly, I tossed in a large chunk of ginger for spice just before pouring in a small splash (err, river) of whiskey. You may choose to omit the liquor, but I must ask - why? Seriously, the alcohol burns out and the hint of flavor is amazing.

The meat was equally inundated with flavor. I rubbed these small slabs with olive oil, salt and pepper, and added some fennel seeds, black peppercorns and a little more of that Thai chili, chopped coarsely. Isn’t it pretty?

After a quick rub, we put the pork into the 225 degree smoker and waited. (I didn’t really wait. I got on with the rest of my cooking and didn’t have to think about the pork.) Pork cooks at about 1.5 hours per pound. As this meat was a mere two pounds, we didn’t have to wait long. Around lunch time, we pulled the meat out and admired it’s crusty goodness. But we’re not done yet!

I set the kitchen oven to a low 225 degrees and before wrapping the pork in some aluminum foil, tossed in a few splashes of malt vinegar. Malt vinegar and pork just marry well, especially with ginger and chili. I popped in the wrapped pork into the oven for a short while, less than an hour. When the meat emerged, it still had that crusty goodness, but with a little shine.

I grabbed two forks and proceeded to pull the pork apart. This meat was tender to the bite, but a touch snug to the touch of the fork. Snug meat reminds you to always plan ahead and marinate the meat 24 hours ahead of time. Still, the meat was succulent and shiny. The pink smoke ring was perfect and so mesmerizing that two vegetarians at my table had to sneak a bite.

In case you can’t see that smoke ring or the luscious shine, look a bit closer. I chose to not serve this for our barbecue. This succulent meat adorned some toasted buns as pulled pork sandwiches, and the flavors that lingered long after each bite were rich, tangy, sharp and filling. I am in love with the rear of the pig, and so were my guests.

My husband loves potatoes. It’s a true love that began when he was a wee one fed piles of the mashed kind by his grandmother and mother at every meal. Every. Single. Meal.

I’ve always been wary of attempting his family’s mashed recipe. I’m equally shy of his family’s potato salad recipe, a dish his aunt always brought to my home for special summer events, sweetly covering for my fear of the notorious creamy potato goodness. I’m not scared of potatoes or mayonnaise. I’m more scared of not getting it right in front of his gigantic Irish-American family.

Today, with his family no where in sight, I wanted potato salad, damn it, so I decided to make up my own recipe. As I boiled and chopped and mixed, my husband inquired as to the whereabouts of the mayonnaise. I reassured him, “No mayo. No problem. You’ll love it.” He buried his head in his coffee mug and muttered something about his grandmother, but I simply said, “I can’t hear any mumbling right now!” He shuffled out to the barn and left me to my mission.

I created this recipe on the fly and really adore it. I can actually taste potato, two kinds, red and purple. I lick my lips to the lemony flavor absorbed into the salad due to loads of lemon zest and juice. The chopped vidalia onions are soft and sweet, while the chopped garlic scapes provide a snappy crunch. After much internal debate about basil or cilantro, I decided my tomato bruschetta would swim in basil, so these potatoes deserved some of that fresh cilantro.

You can really mix these ingredients together to your taste. I’ve provided some guidelines and what I did, but it’s fun to add and taste as you go along.

My husband enjoyed this side dish very much. He easily got past the no-mayo thing. Alas, he couldn’t get past why I wouldn’t think to add crumbled bacon to the dish. He’s right; I bet that would taste great. But while bacon is pleasing even to many vegetarians I know, the sort coming to dinner today were “real” vegetarians who couldn’t be bothered with pork products. He feels there’s something intrinsically wrong with anyone who won’t eat bacon, but that’s another post for another day.

Try this dish; it’s delicious.

Lemon Cilantro Potato Salad

• 3-4 lbs potatoes, both purple and red
• 4 garlic scapes, chopped
• 1 large vidalia onion, finely chopped
• 1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
• Lemon zest, from 2 lemons
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon, dijon mustard
• 6 pours, olive oil (about 6 tablespoons)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender to a fork. These took different times as the purple potatoes were much smaller. In general, the potatoes were fork-tender within 15-25 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander. As they cool, make the vinagrette.

Put the lemon juice, dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper in a little jar that has a lid. I used about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake until well combined.

Chop or slice the potatoes into your desired shape. I cut them into quarters. In a large bowl, place the potatoes, scapes, onion, cilantro and lemon zest. Pour the vinaigrette over the top and watch as the warm potatoes suck up the tangy dressing. Toss everything very well and leave to marinate at room temperature until the rest of your meal is ready to be served. Taste just before serving and re-season, as needed, with salt and pepper.

A few weeks ago, I had a small event to celebrate the release of a small NYC movie. In addition to all those luscious cosmopolitans (recipe to come shortly), I decided to grill some pizzas before we buzzed up to the movie theater. I’ve always grilled my pizzas and am constantly surprised to hear of so few people who do. Since Deb at Smitten Kitchen presented several pizza recipes last week, I was inspired to share mine.

Grilling pizzas is as easy as (pardon me, folks) pie, especially if you don’t have to make the dough. I know how to make dough but why make it when there are so many fabulous pizza parlors near my house? I buy a few balls of dough and keep them in the freezer for last minute parties. These were made from fresh dough so required just a little kneading and rolling to make a good shape on which to pile my goodies.

Know that pizza goodies come in all shapes and sizes. I often make these grilled pies with whatever leftovers I have in the fridge. If we made zucchini the night before, I chop a little of that up to dress the dough. If we had tomatoes, corn or asparagus, I sprinkle that on the pie. It truly is up to you and whatever is sitting in your fridge. I happened to have some wild mushrooms and briny olives, and they happen to go nicely together, lucky me!

But before piling on the toppings, I brushed olive oil on one side of my flattened pizza dough and placed that oiled side directly on the grates of my gas grill, preheated to about 400 degrees. (Gas is not my first choice, but it’s quick and we hand to rush to squeeze into long lines at the theater.) Close the grill lid for 4-5 minutes while crispy grill marks form on the underside of the dough. Brush a little olive oil on the non-grilled side and turn the pizza with tongs and gusto (and quickly, so you don’t burn your hands).

I really don’t love tomato sauce on my pizzas. I think it has something to do with growing up in New Jersey around the corner from the best little Neapolitan pizza parlor and overdosing on their pepperoni pie at a very young age. I matured into a white pizza gal and, in this case, a green pizza gal. I had made some vibrant basil pesto the day before and spread a thin layer on the dough.

On top of the pesto, I layered some pre-sauteed wild mushrooms, pitted kalamata olives and mozzarella cheese. With a quick drizzle of olive oil, I closed the lid on the grill for another 4-5 minutes while the cheese oozed into melty goodness.

I made two pizzas for this little party. One had olives and one did not, because while my husband was not celebrating the release of this little movie, he was indeed celebrating pizza and cannot stand the brininess of olives on anything. So I threw him a bone, and a pie, with extra mozzarella and a little goat cheese.

Once the pizza is melty and gooey, I slid it onto a big white platter and sliced it up into 4-bite slivers. Before serving, I quickly dressed a few pea sprouts with lemon juice and olive oil. A little pile of pea sprouts on top delivers a nice fresh zing against the rich pie.

Thank you to my dear friend Lise for taking such nice photos!