"A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables."

Gertrude Stein

     Never a busier spring have I seen! An upcoming trip abroad and three weddings in September have given me little time to think, let alone write. Then the garden started producing lovely, little beans and I remembered why I love writing about food; it's fleeting, it's mysterious, and it's currently exploding in the backyard. This is less a recipe and more a decision to eat as many fresh beans as I can in the coming weeks. Feel free to substitute a different vegetable for the beets. 

              String Beans with Beets, Mustard, and Mint

     I added beets to the beans because I had already roasted them the day before. To do so, peel and roughly chop the beets, coat them in olive oil, season them with salt and pepper and cook for about 45 minutes at 350 F. 

     Make sure your beans are clean before you trim the stem and then add them to a shallow pan with a few tablespoons of water. Cook over high heat until the water evaporates and add the beets to the pan. 

     Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, vinegar (I used raspberry), stone-ground mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and spices and pour over vegetables. Stir to evenly coat and sprinkle with mint. Serve warm or room temperature. 

Recipe

1/4 lb string beans

2 medium beets, chopped and roasted 

1/4 c olive oil (more for roasting)

2 tbsp vinegar 

1 rounded tbsp stone-ground mustard 

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp thinly sliced mint 

salt and pepper to taste 

    “This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb, has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint. It leaves a legacy. To eat with reckless abandon, without conscience, without knowledge; folks, this ain’t normal.” – Joel Salatin

     Typically, I'm not really into leftovers. Sorry. I have to pretend I'm in the Chopped kitchen just to get through the revamping process. The only time I don't mind doing this is when all of your ingredients actually make a cohesive or even familiar dish. Food diaspora has always been so interesting to me; different cultures having a variant of the same dish across oceans is just rad. That's what happened when I had leftover rice flavored with cilantro. I was just going to eat it with an egg (#putaneggonit), but decided it deserved better. The dish Mujadara came to mind. It's just rice, lentils, fried onions, and parsley. The dish actually began in India (and actually made it all the way to Africa) but is mainly considered Middle Eastern by modern standards. To riff on this recipe even more, I mixed the ingredients together and fried them like falafel, served with flat bread and vegetables. Remember, cooking is fluid, just go with it.

Mujadara Fritters

    This recipe, like so many of mine, is very quick and relatively easy. To start, soak the lentils in water for 6 hours to overnight. Discard water and pulse lentils in a food processor until they resemble coarse sand. Next, mix the lentils, egg, seasonings, and breadcrumbs together with the rice (day-old rice will fry better since it is dryer). Form into flat patties and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan and fry patties on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper and season with extra salt. I served mine with flat bread, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, strained yogurt, and hot sauce. Feel free to switch it up.

Recipe

1 c green lentils

2 1/2 c rice

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp coriander 

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste 

oil for frying 

     I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees

 Henry David Thoreau

     Spring has finally begun to peek its emerald little head out and that means a few things: reinstating groundhog surveillance, awkward early-season burns, and camping. If that last one seems a bit premature, that really depends on your tolerance for camping in less than ideal conditions. Spring camping can lead to some whacky adventures; glamping it is not. If you can brave the cold, damp nights, the season will reward you with beautiful, green days and cool evenings, perfect for s'more parties. Here are some tips we've gathered over the years for camping in the great outdoors. 

1. Always bring extras of everything. Whether that means paper towels, batteries, or underwear, you'll be glad you packed a few spares when you run out in the middle of the trip. As a contingency plan, always have an idea of where the nearest general store is.
2. Keep your gear stored in groups. It makes packing a lot easier and makes finding items while camping a breeze, especially for big groups. We keep all of our paper supplies in one area, while the food items are kept apart from everything else. 
3. Bring clothes for four-season weather. Especially in spring, it's a smart idea to bring rain gear as well as warmer weather clothing as the forecast can change very quickly. Always bring separate clothes to sleep in (including socks) to keep you dry and warm during colder nights. 
4. Consider comfort. For years we didn't bring extra chairs because we always sat at the picnic tables. Bringing additional seating allows for more comfortable meals and socializing. Also, if you have room, bring extra blankets to cushion the ground beneath you. The difference is noticeable. 
5. Stay clean. Most camping sites have a central garbage dump to deter critters from visiting your campsite. Bring an ample supply of trash bags, paper towels, and soap to keep your site clean during and after your visit. Remember, never leave food unattended at your site. Either stash it in your car or toss it before you go. 

HAPPY CAMPERS!

     When in doubt, knock em' around the dasher boards, eh?

     I recently lead a small invasion (read: two of us Yankees) into Montreal to explore our neighbors to the North and eat all of their food. Even though Customs asked me if I worked in illegal retail, we made it into the city pretty easily. We stayed with a lovely Airbnb host downtown and had easy access to the metro and buses, which made exploring the city a breeze. Two notable places we visited were the Old Port (which I imagine would be nicer in warmer weather) and Notre Dame. Montreal's version is completely built with wood in its interior and is worth your time for a paid visit. On our way home, we stopped in Vermont to visit Palmer's Sugar House and Lake Champlain. We tried to visit Magic Hat Brewery, but an area-wide power outage soiled our plans. Good thing we drank so much beer in Canada! 

MONTREAL

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     First we went to Chinatown and ate ALL of the food. We had lunch (a crazy-good banh mi from Hoang Oanh and dumplings), went to Notre Dame, and went back to Chinatown to eat scallion pancakes and shrimp dumplings. 

Afterwords, we had to consider dessert so we selected six or so mochi (the yellow filling is grapefruit!).

That night we had lobster poutine at Garde Manger. I have to say... I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be. I like the concept of poutine, but the execution makes for some soggy spuds. Thumbs up for some lobstah, though. 

The third day in Montreal was dedicated to finding the best bagels of their kind. After wandering a bit, we managed to find St. Viateur Bagel and purchased an everything (shown here) bagel and sesame, which is traditional. These bagels are less chewy than their NY counterparts and are also sweeter due to the addition of honey to the recipe. 

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The last thing to sample in Montreal was their beer! We technically drank beer our first night in town, but we wanted to find local brews. We were rewarded when we stumbled into a shop that only sold Quebecoise beer. We went with a wickedly hopped dram and a sour beer. Later that night, our host shared some of his favorite beer with us and it was an excellent end to our stay.

     When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

     For the last two St. Patrick's Days, I've been out of the country for the verdant holiday. I've had the pleasure and unique learning experience of viewing the holiday played out in four different counties. As many already know, St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is nothing like it is in the states. The holiday as we know it is largely made up. One thing that does translate is soda bread...kind of. Proper soda bread is very simple and lacks embellishments like citrus zest of raisins (although I do like to think currents are at home in an Irish bread). My family really likes raisins so I included them, but feel free to omit them for a more "authentic" recipe.


Irish Soda Bread

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     Soda bread is so easy to make, the Irish make it all year long. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl and form a well in the middle. Slowly add in the buttermilk and fold in the flour with your hands into the center of the bowl. At this point you can add raisins if you'd like. Only use all of the buttermilk if your dough seems too dry; adding too much liquid can make for a tough bread. After the buttermilk has been incorporated into the dough, turn it out onto a floured surface and gently knead for a minute. Form the dough into a disk, score the top with an "X", and place on a lined baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 F and then lower the temperature to 400 F and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with plenty of good butter. 

Recipe

450 F/ 15 min - 400 F/ 30 min

Adapted from NYT Diner's Journal 

3 1/2 c flour 

1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 c raisins (optional) 

     Creole Lady Marmalade

     
     I probably should have given this recipe earlier, you know, to facilitate making last week's cake, but I like making you werk for your sweets. This recipe is very simple to make and keeps for a good amount of time when refrigerated. I used tangelos because they are more tart than a navel orange. 
     First, scrub your citrus and add the whole fruit to a pot filled with 8 cups of water and simmer for 90 minutes. Remove the tangelos and cool slightly. Once they become manageable, slice into very slender strips. Add all of the pulp and peel back to the pot along with the sugar. I added half a packet of pectin and a pinch of salt at this point, but if you like a looser consistency, leave it out. Simmer for up to half an hour until the mixture thickens to your liking (pectin will further stiffen the mixture, so don't go overboard). Cool and store in the fridge for up to two months. 

Recipe

6 tangelos

8 c water

6 c sugar

1/2 envelope pectin

pinch of salt

     

    When life hands you oranges, do as the Scots do...

     When I think of citrus fruit, abundant and at its peak in the doldrums of winter, I do not think of the UK. However, orange marmalade was popularized in Scotland (specifically Dundee) in the 18th century. A shipment of Seville oranges was offloaded to a local grocer, where his wife then turned the tart fruit into batches of sweet marmalade. Although Dundee has other treats, like its cake that it was and is known for, marmalade has reached international fame. 
      My roommate's mother makes the best marmalade around, so I decided to try to recreate it stateside. There were two things I wanted to get right: it shouldn't be too sweet, and there should be large strips of peel in the marmalade. To be considered marmalade, peel should be present in the spread. All too often this is not the case. If you want the real deal, it's gonna be a kick in the pants. I made this cake because I had just made some marmalade, so feel free to do so with a prepared version, particularly Mackays. 

Citrus Cake with Vanilla Honey Frosting 

My grandma's birthday was last week and she doesn't like chocolate cake. Although she is an inferior human for this character flaw, it is my duty to make birthday cakes for this clan. Since I had just made some luscious marmalade, I decided to go with a citrus cake. The cake is very simple to make, as is the icing. Plan to make the icing the same day you want to serve the cake. 

To begin, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat the eggs in until well incorporated. Add vanilla, vanilla seeds, and orange zest and mix. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add about a third of the dry mixture into the wet and mix gently. Now add a third of the buttermilk and continue this dry-to-wet pattern until both are fully incorporated. Pour the batter into two greased cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes; you aren't looking for a golden color. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack and then cover for later use.

To make the icing, combine the flour, vanilla, and milk over medium heat until a paste forms. Cool completely. Next, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the flour paste, vanilla seeds, and honey and beat for around five minutes on high. It will take a while for the sugar crystals to dissolve completely. Add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness of this frosting. 

To assemble the cake, place the first layer of your cake onto your serving platter and top with the marmalade. Add the second layer and frost the cake. I reserved some peels to decorate the top of the cake with, but you can go wild and do whatever you wish. This cake is really nice with black tea and some ridiculous grandparents. 

Recipe

Cake Adapted from Wonky Wonderful

375 F 20-25 minutes, 2 8-inch cake pans

Cake

1/2 c butter, softened 

1 c sugar

2 eggs

2 c unbleached cake flour

3 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 c buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla

seeds from two vanilla pods

1 tbsp orange zest
Filling
1 c orange marmalade
Frosting
1 c milk
1/4 c plus 1 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
vanilla seed from two pods
1/4 c orange blossom or wildflower honey
1 c butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar