Flavors in Love » Fava bean spread

Fishy Feast

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:32:48 +0000

Luckily for me, my partner Michael loves to fish. A few weeks ago, he caught a huge (17 lb!) striped bass in Peconic Bay (the bay that flows between the North and South Forks of Long Island). We had to remove a few shelves from our freezer just to get it in!

Then on July 4th weekend, he went fishing in Alaska and came home with 25 pounds of King Salmon and some gorgeous Salmon Roe….what a great excuse to entertain some friends and get our Omega 3′s all at the same time!

We cooked like crazy on Saturday and although we wanted to eat outdoors, it was a rainy, sultry night…so I set the table inside and it was lovely..

For hors d’oeuvres I made my fava bean spread again, which everyone loves, and I served the Alaskan salmon roe with a sour cream dill and scallion sauce..

We had four great couples at our fish feast….Fred Devito and Elizabeth Halfpapp from Exhale Spa in Bridgehampton….actress Jacqueline Murphy and her husband Fred Stahl…..Swami Robin Cofer and her husband Dominick D’alleva….and Bob Roberts (owner of the Lucille Roberts health clubs for women) and his wife Lauren.

Fred and Elizabeth have a huge organic garden and brought us a basket of fresh kale…What a lovely gift!!I borrowed an idea from Jamie Oliver and cooked the kale in a foil packet on the grill with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper…

I stuffed the Striped Bass with fresh herbs and garlic..and drizzled it with lemon juice and olive oil, then sprinkled it with a generous amount of sea salt…I had never grilled such a big fish before, so it was an adventure…

We grilled this bad boy for about 30 minutes…then I served it with a green sauce made of fresh basil, parsley, garlic, and capers. It was absolutely scrumptious.

I covered the salmon with lots of dill and fennel fronds, then I grilled that as well and served it with a Tzatziki sauce (Greek yogurt, dill, cucumbers, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin).

I made a couple of summery salads…Heirloom cherry tomatoes with feta, olives, basil, and mint…..White bean salad with rosemary, thyme, olive oil, and garlic…..and a Green bean salad with zucchini and sweet corn.

I made a great pound cake trifle for dessert…but that’s a long story…lookout for my next blog so you can hear all about that one!

GRILLED STRIPED BASS WITH GREEN HERB-CAPER SAUCE

Preheat your grill and season your fish with thyme, oregano, or whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.

Drizzle fish with olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt.

Meanwhile, to make your sauce, combine in your food processor; fresh basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, anchovies, and sea salt to taste. Stir in capers. Amounts can vary widely depending on how much fish you are cooking, so experiment!

Grill your fish until opaque and cooked through…Generally 10 minutes per inch of thickness…

Serve with sauce and garnish with lemon wedges.

Fireworks and Flavor

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:56:32 +0000

Cooking with family and friends in the summer is high on my list of favorite activities, along with long walks on the beach and relaxing pool-side.

At our house, everyone gets an assignment…from cutting and chopping to setting the table and picking flowers. And of course, as an added bonus, I give out entertaining and cooking tips and tricks to anyone who wants them.

Some of my most memorable times are listening to music as I cook with friends, and drinking wine or summer mojitos with fresh mint from the garden. This is the time when guests who are staying at our house get to know each other, share jokes, and recipes….there is just nothing that connects people like getting them in the kitchen together.

When all the food is ready and everyone sits down to a beautiful, delicious meal, there is this special feeling that I have…I did this. I created this magic. I get instant gratification from the ooohs and ahhhs…and my guests feel wonderful too because they all participated.

There is no substitute for cooking at home. It’s a free therapy session….for the stomach and the soul.

This weekend, we created three fantastic meals…Two lunches and a dinner on the last night where we used all the left-overs and made an outstanding frittata.

Sally, my son Zach’s fabulous girlfriend, came up with the first lunch theme…Mexican! Grilled chicken and shrimp with Mexican spices and guacamole, warm tortillas, and a bean, corn, and tomato salad….lots of cilantro, jalapenos, lime juice, and ripe avocados….and summer margaritas too!!

We marinated the shrimp and the chicken in smoked paprika, lime juice, garlic, and a barbeque rub from Steve Raichlen.

We combined black beans with summer corn fresh off the cob, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and lime juice…a perfect accompaniment to tortillas and guacamole.

The following day’s lunch had a Mediterranean theme…I made my fava bean spread from my cookbook with grilled bread, and my friend Sharon helped me out by shelling the beans.

Then we made a gorgeous summer salad with cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes, green beans, olives, and feta, and served it with a tangy vinaigrette. We grilled shrimp and scallops, marinated in garlic, lemon, olive oil, and oregano, and kept it nice and light.

Dessert was a perfectly refreshing watermelon with lime juice and fresh mint.

Perfect summer days.

Who Doesn’t Love The Start Of Spring?

admin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:04:36 +0000

If you are a New Yorker…then you know how long it takes for spring
to REALLY arrive. Too often on the east coast we get tastes or hints of spring days in late March and early April, only to be followed by more snow, and more cold. However, this past weekend, I feel that spring REALLY arrived and my New York world started smiling again after a long winter, and many false starts to the much awaited spring.

As we all know, pollen is not the only thing in the spring air…and with the cherry blossoms, spring dresses, muscle tee shirts and crocus comes a rejuvenated spring bloom of aliveness amongst the minds and hearts of all New Yorkers. AND, for the food lover, that aliveness is coupled by an excitement for Spring Vegetables!

When I don’t know exactly what I want to cook, I use the grocery store for inspiration. This past Sunday was such an occasion, and although I knew I wanted the meal to have the pinks and greens colors of spring, I wasn’t sure exactly what it would be. However, as I was perusing the Whole Foods isles I came across some very good looking ”fat leeks” as they are called. They made me think about one of the best meals I had in Paris last year as we started that meal off with a leeks vinagrette. I also found some fresh beets and put together a very simple dish of roasted beets and leeks vinaigrette. I seriously can’t believe I don’t make this more often…it is so good and so so simple. Beets are one of my favorite vegetables and when you roast them, they get even sweeter. Add the tartness of the vinaigrette to the leeks which get soft and soak up all the juices, and you have yourself a perfect spring side dish or first course that virtually anybody can make. Plus, the colors are sensational too

In addition to this perfect first course, I also found some fava beans at Gourmet Garage. I was excited because fava beans and fresh Pecorino is a typical combination found in Italy in the spring and thus, inspired me to make my first fava bean spread of the season…one of my best recipes. It’s really an appetizer, very similar to pesto as it’s a puree made with basil, mint, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and garlic. I have been making this fava bean spread for years and I serve it with some toasted or grilled sour dough bread brushed with a little olive oil. This is always on of the first things that friends and family ask me to make when they visit and with a refreshing glass of Italian Pinot Grigio, it makes another perfect spring appetizer . And what a gorgeous spring color!!!

Here are the recipes:

Fava Bean Spread

Serve 4-6

This recipe is adapted from Marcella Hazan.

Unlike her, I like to cook the beans for a very few minutes, because they are easier to digest.

This recipe is one of my favorites and never fails to impress!!

1 pound fresh fava beans in the pod

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/3 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons mint

3 tablespoons finely chopped basil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

Remove the beans from the pods: you should have 1 ½ cups beans.

Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Add the beans and cook for 3 minutes.

Drain, rinse with cold water and cool to room temperature.

In a food processor, combine the beans, cheese, oil, mint, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times until smooth. You may want to add extra olive oil for a smoother consistency.

Adjust the seasoning.

Serve immediately with toasted or grilled Tuscan sourdough bread.

From Pamela Morgan’s Flavors

Published by Viking/ Penguin Putnam

Leeks and Roasted Beets Vinaigrette

Serves 4

8 large leeks

2 bunches beets

1 bunch parsley, stems removed and chopped finely

Viniagrette

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 shallot, chopped finely

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For leeks:

Cut off dark green tops of leeks and trim root ends. Halve each leek lengthwise to within 2 inches of root end. Rinse well under cold running water to wash away sand. Place leeks in a heavy skillet and cover leeks with cold water. Add salt and simmer leeks, uncovered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water. Drain again and cover with vinaigrette.

For beets:

Wash beets well. Cut off beet stems and place beets in foil and wrap tightly.

Place in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Remove beets from the oven. Let cool. You should be able to peel beets easily.

Cut into small squares, place in a bowl and cover with vinaigrette, salt and freshly ground pepper.

To serve, place beets in center of platter and arrange leeks in a circle around them. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.