Today's Picks: Sotomayor and Corn

Corn Picks
Judge Picks

Court's in Session (and the market is open Wednesdays from 10-7 and Saturdays from 9-2)

peace, love and justice,
jane

Supreme and Corn Picks!

The Picks are

Supreme: Sotomayor!

Corn: Feta and Mint Spread and Corn and Vegetable Gratin!

I've tweaked the recipes for feta and mint spread, which is roll your eyes in your head amazing you have to make this and put it on hot corn now delicious and for the Corn and Vegetable Gratin. (Reporting for Corn Duty)

Here are some photos. See you at the market!

Feta and Mint spread on boiled corn on the cob

Corn and Vegetable Gratin

Watch this - then eat corn. It's important.

JImmy can't crack corn without health .. or health insurance.
À votre santé!
Peace and Love, Jane

A Corny Concerto

Corn is EVERYwhere now! How can you help it? Here's Elmer and the whythmic stwains. Then open your umbrella and get over to the farmers market and buy some corn and get cwackin'
peace and love,
jane

Reporting for Corn Duty

The market is resplendent with early corn, so I'm reporting for corn duty. Here are recipes for basic boiled and grilled on the cob and some stuff to slather all over it. And off the cob: a gratin, a roasted corn chowder and my friend Suvir Saran's phenomenal cornbread (you'll need Jiffy cornbread mix!)

n.b. if you've ever tried to post a comment and couldn't ... you should be able to do so now. so PLEASE DO. With over 2000 'hits', and not one comment, I feel like I'm being stalked. peace, love and free speech, jane

If you boil it: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, put yer shucked corn in and when the water, returns to the boil, turn the flame off, remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for about 10 to 12 minutes (less if the corn is tiny, young and just picked). Eat. Here's the beauty: you can leave it sitting in the hot water and it won't get soggy or overcooked. It'll just stay hot and crunchy.

Grilling corn: You can put them directly in their husks onto the grill, turning often. Or, husk the corn, put them in foil - butter, salt and pepper if you wish - and loosely wrap them and put them on the grill or directly into the coals. Turn often.

If you're uncomfortable cutting the kernels from the husks, Ace Hardware has an old-fashioned corn shucker.

Bottom line is: corn isn't only be for livestock. Why should the cows have all the fun?

Martha Rose Shulman, wrote on July 6th, 2009 in the NY Times: Corn is a good source of several nutrients, including thiamin (vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), folate,dietary fiber, vitamin C, phosphorus and manganese. A cup of corn supplies 19 percent of the recommended daily dose of folate and about a quarter of daily value for thiamin.

She says to cook corn for 5 or 6 minutes. What do I know?

Now that you've watched The Corny Concerto, here's a culinary corncerto.

Ingredients that are available at the Long Beach Farmers Market, NOW OPEN Saturdays from 9-1 (and Wednesdays from 10-7), are *asterisked.

Corn on the Cob with Mint-Feta Butter

adapted from Gourmet Magazine, August, 2009

Ingredients:

2 oz. European style, unsalted butter (Cabot or Plugra)

8 oz. Greek or French Feta, finely crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint*

8 large ears of corn*, shucked, each cob cut into four pieces

Procedure:

Stir together butter, feta and mint in a large bowl. If you're not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. (Note: this mixture can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. If you do, the flavors will meld nicely!)

Cook corn (see procedures above, or cook according to your favorite method).

Transfer, with tongs to butter mixture and toss until well coated.

Serves 6-8

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chipotle Mayonnaise

NY Times 7/6/09

6 to 12 ears corn*

2 large garlic cloves*, cut in half, green shoots removed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large or 2 small chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded

1 teaspoon sauce from the canned adobo chile

1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Hellman’s or Best Foods

1/2 cup thick plain low-fat yogurt

1. Light a medium-hot grill while you prepare your corn. Remove the outer leaves of the husk, leaving two layers. Gently pull down the remaining leaves, pull off the silk and fold the husks back up, covering the corn. Cut 12 to 24 pieces of butcher’s string about six inches long, and moisten them with water. Tie the cobs at the top and midway down with the wet string. Place in a bowl or a sink full of cold water, and soak for 15 to 30 minutes while you prepare the chipotle dip.

2. Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mash to a smooth paste. Add the chipotle, and mash together with the garlic. Stir in the chipotle sauce, mayonnaise and yogurt, and mix together well.

3. When the coals of your grill are medium-hot, remove the corn from the water and pat dry. Place on the grill, and grill until the corn is uniformly charred, turning the ears often. This could take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the heat. Remove from the grill and, holding onto the ears with a kitchen towel, cut away the strings and remove the leaves. Wrap the corn in a kitchen towel to keep warm.

4. Serve with the chipotle dip. Place a generous spoonful on a plate, and roll the corn in it or spread it on the corn with a knife.

Yield: Makes 1 cup of dip.

Advance preparation: You can prepare the corn for grilling hours ahead. The dip will keep for a day in the refrigerator.

Corn and Vegetable Gratin with Cumin

Adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen from the NY Times 7/6/09

This pretty gratin is not as rich as it tastes. I blend the kernels from one of the ears of corn with eggs and milk for a sweet, rich custard that holds it all together. Cumin seeds accent the mixture and give it a Southwestern twist.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion*, finely chopped [I omitted the onion because I can't eat onions and it was fine!]

2 medium sized potatoes*, sliced 1/8" thin (Yukon Gold are a good choice)

1 medium red bell pepper*, diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 large garlic* clove, minced

1/2 pound zucchini*, thinly sliced or diced

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Kernels from 2 ears sweet corn* (about 2 cups)

3 large eggs*

1/2 cup milk [I used 2% and it was fine, but whole milk will render a richer custard]

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground in a spice mill. You will be astonished when you perform toasted/untoasted sniff comparison.[Heat the seeds in a small cast iron pan until they are just aromatic, taking care to not let them get to the 'smoking' stage. Buy your cumin at an Indian grocery store. You can get other spices, almonds, raisins and so many other wonderful provisions at Patel Brothers. They have several locations.]

2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1/2 cup, tightly packed) [I used a sheep's milk Gouda cheese. You can use any sharp, semi-hard to hard, grating cheese ... Romano or a combination of Parmesan and Romano would work. Gruyère is the classic gratin cheese, but with the addition of the toasted cumin, you can think outside the classic gratin cheesebox.]

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Set aside the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add the garlic and red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are tender, about five minutes. Add the sliced potatoes and corn from one of the cobs, stir together and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the potatoes begin to lose their raw quality and the corn begins to brown. Add zucchini and cook until it begins to turn bright green. Stir together for a minute or two, and remove from the heat. Scrape into a large bowl. This may be prepared ahead of time and set aside until you are ready to assemble the gratin. Or, you may cover and refrigerate it the day before.

2. Place the remaining corn kernels in a blender jar, and add the eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon (or to taste) salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into the bowl with the vegetables. Add the cumin and the cheese, and stir everything together. Scrape into the gratin dish.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the gratin is firm to the touch. Serve hot or warm.

Yield: Serves six as a side dish.

Roasted Corn Chowder

adapted from Fresh from the Farmers' Market by Janet Fletcher

This recipe is adapted by Janet Fletcher from Mary Evely, the chef at Simi Winery in Healdsburg, CA. Fletcher writes that roasting the corn first imparts a nuttiness, substituting the often overly sweet taste that corn has been cultivated to produce. Potato and cornmeal add body to the soup. She suggests a drizzle of basil oil or crème fraîche, but it's lovely on its own.

Ingredients:

6 ears (or is it "ear"?) of corn*

3 large cloves of garlic*, unpeeled

2 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 large potato* (about 1/2 pound), peeled, in 6 pieces

1 Tbsp. cornmeal (not coarsely ground)

1/2 cup heavy cream (you can substitute 1/2 and 1/2 or even whole milk, but it will be a much lighter chowder. If you're lactose intolerant ... or just intolerant, try soy milk.)

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

pinch of sugar, optional

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 450º F.. Put unhusked corn and unpeeled garlic on a baking sheet and roast until corn is fragrant and husks are lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

Let cool, and remove husks and silks. Cut kernels away from cobs. Cut 4 cobs in half crosswise with a heavy knife or cleaver. Discard remaining 2 cobs. Peel the garlic. Set corn kernels and garlic cloves aside.

In a saucepan, combine broth, potato, the halved corn cobs and 3 cups of water. Cover partially, bring to a simmer over moderate heat and adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until potato pieces are tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the cobs.

In a food processor, combine corn kernels, garlic cloves, potatoes (lift them from the broth with a slotted spoon) and cornmeal. Puree, adding the potato broth gradually, through the feed tube.

Transfer soup to a sieve set over a bowl and press mixture through sieve with a rubber spatula, leaving corn skins behind. If you have a Mouli food mill, you can pass the soup through the medium or large disc.

Transfer soup to a clean saucepan. Stir in cream (1/2 and 1/2, whole milk or soy milk if you must) and reheat. Season to taste with salt and white pepper and a pinch of sugar, if desired.

Yield: approx. 7 1/2 c. - to serve 6 as a first course

Grandma Hayes's Corn Bread

adapted from Suvir Saran's American Masala

Besides Suvir being one of the sweetest, biggest-hearted men I know, he is a culinary genius. If you haven't looked at any of his cookbooks, do.

If you haven't eaten at his extraordinary restaurant, dèvi, on 18th Street, get on the telephone and make a reservation right now! It's included in restaurant week! When you go, say hello to Chef Hemant. Tell him Suvir's friend, Jane sent you! Your eyes will roll into your head when you taste his prawns, his tandoori lamb chops, his fried chicken (yup!), his fried quail and his fried okra.

Here's Suvir's recipe for cornbread. You've never tasted anything like it. I make it every year for Thanksgiving. But don't wait until November. Suvir suggests roasting the corn over a high flame on the stovetop or on a baking sheet under the broiler before combining the kernels with the other ingredients. (I concur.)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. (4 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from about 5 medium ear of corn*

1 small onion*

8 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (approx. 1 1/2 c.)

1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro*

1 jalapeño* (cored and seeded if you prefer a milder flavor), sliced into rings

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. ground black peppercorns

1 egg*, size large, lightly beaten

2/3 c. fat-free Greek plain yogurt

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400º F and set an oven rack at the lowest position.

Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted, reduce the heat to low.

Place the corn, onion, cheese, corn muffin mix, flour, cilantro, jalapeño, salt, cayenne pepper, and ground peppercorns in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together the egg and yogurt, then add it to the corn mixture, stirring until just combined and some dry patches remain (the consistency will be thick).

Pour the corn bread batter into the hot skillet and use a rubber spatula to press the batter into the pan. The butter will rise up the sides of the skillet and over the top of the batter. Tilt the skillet toward you, and then rotate it away from you to coat the top of the batter evenly with melted butter.

Bake the corn bread until its top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (some butter will still be bubbling around the edges of the skillet).

Remove the skillet from the oven and set it aside to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

s'all

(s'enuf)

peace, love and maize,

jane

Cherry Cake and our very own Tricky Dick!

Cherry Cake

Local cherries are at the farmer's market! I used Red Jacket Orchard's red cherries for this simple, buttery, fresh tasting Cherry Cake. If you check out their site, find recipes from the pull down menu. There are some great looking recipes as well as a couple of links to my own. This is a perfect ending to a summer lunch or dinner. Serve it plain or dress it up with some ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream (don't sweeten your whipped cream, or sweeten it ever so slightly with confectioner's (10X) sugar.

Cherry Cake

Adapted from The Provence Cookbook by Patricia Wells

(you can buy this book on Amazon - follow the link - for about $6.00)

Equipment: a 9-inch springform cake pan; whisk attachment for electric mixer

Ingredients:

2 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 c. or 5 oz. sugar

4 Tbsp.or 2 oz. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 c. whole milk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ c. or 7.1 oz. all purpose flour (unbleached is best)

1 tsp. baking powder

Generous pinch of kosher salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

grated zest of 1 orange

1 pound fresh cherries, rinsed, stemmed and pitted

Additional butter and flour for pan preparation

Powdered (10X) sugar for dusting

Procedure:

Preheat over to 425º F. Generously butter and flour the springform pan. Tap out excess flour. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Toss grated zests into the mixture and whisk to incorporate. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 2 minutes.

Add melted butter, olive oil, milk and vanilla and mix just to blend.

Remove bowl from electric mixer and add flour mixture, all at once. Mix gently with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow flour to absorb liquids.

Stir about ¾ of the stemmed and pitted cherries into the batter and spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top if needed.

Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining cherries,

LOWER the oven temperature to 350º F. and bake approximated 45 to 50 minutes more, until cake is golden and feels firm.

Cool on rack and after 10 minutes, if needed, run a sharp knife around the edges and remove side of springform pan to cool cake.

When cooled, dust with powdered sugar.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

If you're wondering about Dick Cheney,

Here's the cherry on top:

The NY Times just reported:

Cheney Is Linked to C.I.A. Concealment of Terror Program.

s'all.

peace, justice and love,

jane

Beet It!

In memory of Michael Jackson...

Baked Beets are in the oven at Blue Heron Kitchen.

peace and love,
jane

Beet It

Beets and Corn have arrived at the Farmer's Market!

Look for organic beets that are grown in chemical-free soil. Eat the beet greens. Sauté them with olive oil or olive oil and garlic. Add them to things. My colleague, Andrea, told me that she chops them fine, drizzle lemon juice vinaigrette on them and adds them to salad .. yum!

I bake my beets en papillote (in America, that's in  heavy duty Reynold's Wrap). Coat (spray!) each beet lightly with some extra virgin olive oil and then, roll them in herbs, fresh or dried. I used fresh tarragon from the garden, freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt. Make a little package of each beet:

and bake them, on a cookie sheet for about an hour at 325º F. Beets are done when you can insert a sharp knife and it feels soft enough to slice.

Cool the beets and slice them and serve warm or at room temperature.

Or dice them and toss them with some freshly boiled or grilled corn and plenty of freshly chopped herbs and/or parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Food, Inc. and Saturday at the Farmer's Market

Watch the trailer and go see it! Then come back to the Kennedy Plaza Farmer's Market this Saturday, open from 9-1!

Summer Vegetable Soup

Mixed Bouquet from the fields of Osip's Farm

Inspired by today's beauty and bounty at the Long Beach Farmer's Market, I'm sharing this recipe for summer vegetable soup from today's Times. My friend Marsha always has a hankering for soup when the thermometer tips 80º. She grew up on a farm, and she knows about these things.

Hot stuff cools you down (baby).

Be sure to pick up a bunch of fresh flowers from the Osip's. Fresh flowers in your home is a quality of life thing. For a small investment, they make a huge difference - try it.

Hurry to the market before it closes at 6. And stay tuned (sign up for the listserve at the Market Manager's Table) ... maybe, just maybe, the market will go to two days - Wednesdays and SATURDAYS!!!

Just look at all the asterisks in this recipe (*). These are ingredients found all over the market now. Don't miss Dan Madura's new string beans and Yukon Gold and small new red potatoes. Fresh peas at the Osip's ... and tons of herbs everywhere. There's fresh ricotta at Papa Pasquale's and a perfect baguette at Bread Alone. And the wine? I found a GREAT wine for the summer. It's reasonable (around $10), and was given three and a half stars in a wine column months ago in the Times. It drinks like a wine twice its price. Pop's in Island Park carries it: BV Coastal Estates Sauvignon Blanc 2007. Find it. Buy a bottle. Try it. You'll go buy more.

Summer Vegetables in Saffron Broth With Ricotta and Toasted Baguette

Adapted from Christopher Lee, Aureole

Time: 35 minutes

FOR THE VEGETABLES AND BROTH:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

12 whole peeled baby carrots*, preferably with an inch of green tops left on

2 fennel bulbs*, trimmed of green tops, quartered

2 shallots* or 1 sweet onion*, thinly sliced

8 scallions*, roots trimmed, cut into thirds

8 fingerling potatoes*, cut into thirds

1 cup fresh corn kernels*

1 cup white wine

1 large pinch saffron

1 small pinch cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme*

1 cup haricots verts or green beans*

1 cup fresh* or frozen green peas

1 pint cherry tomatoes*, each halved

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 sprigs tarragon*

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE BAGUETTE AND RICOTTA:

4 slices baguette*, 1/2-inch thick

1/4 pound fresh ricotta*.

1. For vegetables and broth: Place a 6-quart saucepan over high heat. When pan is hot, add olive oil, carrots, fennel, shallots or sweet onion, scallions, potatoes and corn. Reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté 2 minutes, then add 4 cups water, wine, saffron, cayenne, bay leaves and thyme.

2. Bring to a simmer and cook until carrots and potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Add haricots verts or green beans, peas, tomatoes, butter and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove and discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Simmer for another 5 minutes before serving, or remove from heat for up to 20 minutes, then reheat.

3. For baguette and ricotta: Grill or toast baguette slices, then spread each with ricotta.

4. To serve: Divide vegetables and broth equally among 4 bowls. Garnish each with a slice of baguette and ricotta.

Yield: 4 servings.

peace and love, jane