This week, NPR's Kitchen Window series gives us some insight into the simple, wholesome recipes of the Shaker culture, in which food is carefully used and never wasted. They grew and prepared their own food, which was nutritious and well-rounded, and sat down to meals with often 300 at a table, everyone sharing in the bounty.
Here we get a few recipes adapted from "The Best of Shaker Cooking," including Peas and Potatoes in New Cream, Cream of Asparagus soup, and the 5-ingredient Shaker Lemon Pie. One Shaker chef explains the pie like this: "You've got to watch it, take care of it, pamper it...you can taste the difference."
A few weeks ago, my friends and I got together after work to play board games (yes yes I know - how very, um, exciting), and a friend and I were charged with providing food. We were meeting rather late, so there was no need to go with full dinner fare. I decided on a few Mediterranean dips and a salad because really now, is there anything better than ripping a pita loaf into shreds when you're caught up in the excitement of Jenga?!?! Tzatziki is one of my favorites, and though I do believe it's used more as a sauce or condiment in Greek cuisine, I love scooping it up with pita bread. My Sarah-ized version is written out after the jump:
After watching an episode of Chef at Home, I've been experimenting with chef Michael Smith's recipe for salmon and potato cakes. The Food Network Canada website has his recipe here, but it looks like they've jumbled a few of the steps around or perhaps left a step out. Step two reads, "Meanwhile heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and when it's hot, add oil." Step three: "Using a potato masher, mash them together." Obviously something is amiss. At any rate, if you have salmon leftovers (not to be confused with these guys), this is a good way to use them up. Let's assume we're starting from scratch, however. Smith suggests pan-frying a salmon fillet, which I did the first time I made this recipe. The second time, I broiled it, which I think is more convenient and I didn't notice too much of a difference in the taste of the final product. So, either pan-fry or broil a skinless 1 pound salmon fillet until it's just cooked through and flakes easily. When I broiled the salmon, this took between 15 and 20 minutes.
If, by chance, you're firing up the grill for game day, this corn salsa is too easy to not be on your menu. If you've made fresh corn on the grill before, you know how simple it is. Grilled corn is great on it's own, with some butter, salt and pepper, or better yet, mayo, Parmesan cheese, lime juice and chili powder (seriously, try it).
The ingredients in this salsa are easy to vary and I generally just eyeball the amounts as I make it. A good place to start is: 8 average-sized ears of corn 1 medium red onion, sliced into 1/2" to 1" thick rounds (A few tooth picks or skewers in each will help to hold them together on the grill.) the juice of 2-3 limes a good handful of cilantro, finely chopped olive oil
Husk the ears of corn, giving them a rinse to get any last bits of silk off and grill them over fairly high, direct heat, turning them until the kernels begin to blister and darken all over. Brush the onion slices with a little olive oil and grill them as well. Once the corn is done and cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp paring knife and put the kernels in a large bowl. When the onions have softened and taken on some color, pull them off the grill and chop them so they're about the same size as the corn kernels.
There have been plenty of California blood oranges in the markets lately, so this is the second week in a row that I've made this very simple blood orange salad. The basic version that I make at home and usually see in restaurants includes blood oranges and thinly sliced red onion, garnished with cracked pepper and good olive oil. I added some torn Italian parsley and, this time, some thinly sliced hearts of palm. If you're unfamiliar with hearts of palm, the flavor is mild and fresh, a bit like an artichoke, and the texture is similar to barely cooked asparagus. As the name implies, these are the edible cores of the cabbage palm. You'll generally find them canned, among the other canned vegetables. As they're fairly mild, they work well with the acidity of the oranges and the richness of the olive oil. This is a great way to start a number of different menus, but I think it works particularly well as foil to richer dishes like stews or braised meats.
Without a doubt, the most striking thing about this photo of the Winemaker's Cake from Lex Culinaria is the whipped cream. Its astonishing whiteness is evocative of the lightest cloud, but a cloud that will simply melt away to nothing but satisfaction in your mouth. In short, the feelings inspired by the whipped cream almost overshadow the cake, which is lovely in and of itself. The cake is very grapey, made with fresh grapes, and uses both butter and olive oil in the batter. The finished dessert is a bit dense and almost clafoutis-like, although the description notes that it is reminiscent of a very moist coffee cake. If grapes aren't your favorite choice for dessert, berries or cherries can also be used to sweeten up this simple, not-too-sweet cake. And don't forget the whipped cream.
The 'ole silicone whisk and the collapsible calendar. How are these two seemingly unrelated kitchen tools similar? The silicone whisk doesn't rust and get gooey where the tines splay from the handle; the other is useful and saves space. And I expect neither hurts as badly when hurled by a surly cook, or mother.
Now, I don't cook on non-stick cookware except at friend's homes, but sometimes Teflon is necessary. Take care not to scrape and scratch the surface of the pans and you don't have to worry too much about Teflon-related health issues. There are a good set of such whisks here, and I saw some at wallyworld...take your pick.
This collapsible colander is multi-use. These colanders from Chef'n save space and don't fall out of the cupboard when you're trying to get a baking sheet out. They're also great for egg tosses in the backyard.
One piece in the New York Times' food section this week summed up a thought that has probably been on the minds of foodies since offal and rather less conventional cuts of meat became the "It"- foods of the last few years in fine dining. Namely, it put a voice to the sentiment that peasant food isn't simple if you aren't a peasant.
The writer explains her experiences cooking for her family, when she says they view just about anything that is made entirely from scratch with some degree of suspicion because it is unfamiliar. Cooking using some preprepared ingredients, like store-bought taco shells for tacos, seems simpler because it takes far less time to prepare than many "from scratch" dishes, especially when you consider you don't need to have spent any time developing a culinary foundation to use them. Everyone has taco shells at their local store. Tarte tatin, on the other hand, is not something that all people have ever eaten, let alone know how to make.
So is "simple" food stuff that is borne from necessity or does it consist of things that are easily and widely available? The answer is both and, to many, the answer is somewhere in between. Simple foods are those that seem uncomplicated to the chef who is preparing them, whether they take skill, experience or a trip to the store to make.
Since tomatoes seem to ripen all at the same time, those who grow their own in summer often struggle with ways to use them up quickly. Sauces and salads are very nice, as are fresh tomatoes when eaten out of hand, but a simple open-faced tomato sandwich, as Dawna from Always in the Kitchen made, might be an even better application. Her sandwich starts with a piece of toasted, crusty bread (sourdough might work very well here) and is topped with slices of red onion, tomato, mozzarella cheese and a few sprigs of fresh basil. She also added a generous amount of salt and pepper. Simple though it seems, a sandwich like this one is guaranteed to be one fantastic lunch.
"Some women, it is said, like to cook. This book is not for them."
If you have any interest at all in cooking or history, you must get your hands on a copy of Peg Bracken's I
Hate To Cook Book. Published in 1960, Peg Bracken was the forerunner to women like Sandra Lee, taking a
semi-homemade approach to things that she felt obligated to do, like cooking for her husband. Peg's strategy was to get
away from the stove and onto another cocktail as quickly as possibly. Her writing is clever and witty, downright
hilarious at times. Even without considering that it is a cookbook, it makes a great read.
The 'ole silicone whisk and the collapsible calendar. How are these two seemingly unrelated kitchen tools similar? The silicone whisk doesn't rust and get gooey where the tines splay from the handle; the other is useful and saves space. And I expect neither hurts as badly when hurled by a surly cook, or mother.
One piece in the New York Times' food section this week summed up a thought that has probably been on the minds of foodies since offal and rather less conventional cuts of meat became the "It"- foods of the last few years in fine dining. Namely, it put a voice to the sentiment that 
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