LindaK

Butternut squash and sage fritters A successful experiment from a new vegetarian cookbook I picked up recently, The Vibrant Table by Anya Kassoff. Her recipes offer really interesting flavor combinations, I’m looking forward to playing around with this book. This one: grated butternut squash with some sautéed onion, garlic, and herbs. I like the strong flavor of sage but she also suggests mint and/or dill as substitutes. Bound by an egg, almond flour, and a small amount of feta cheese. While I think the nut flour is there to make the recipe gluten-free, it also adds a nice bit of sweetness. Smoked paprika and nutmeg add depth of flavor. And they’re baked, not fried. Best of all, they are absolutely delicious. They made a great light supper with a green salad. They would also be a terrific side dish to poultry or pork.

Last year was the first year I gave a food gift and it was so well received (and envied by those who didn't get one) that I'm going to do it again this year for others too. For a few family members and friends who like to cook, I put together a "Mexican dinner party" package that included: - a big jar of roasted salsa verde (my go-to recipe is from Bayless's "Salsas that Cook") - a jar of red chile paste (guajillo/ancho combo), with a few easy recipes--beef chili, slow-roasted pork, enchillada sauce--to make use of it. - a bottle of tequila The only trick with this is making sure you have tomatillos for the salsa verde. In New England, not easy to find in December. Luckily, roasted tomatillos freeze beautifully, so I have about 20 lbs in my freezer now, most from my own garden. This was a big hit, and siblings that didn't get one demanded one this year. So I just hope I don't use all my tomatillos for this, I need some for myself to get through the winter.

Thanks for the report. That's a lovely menu, interesting and well priced. Did you try any of the Breton specialties?

Cakewalk, I hope you'll try it. This recipe produces a very mild brandade--no chunks to give bursts of fishy flavor, and the high proportion of potato, oil, and cream smooths the fishiness too. The only advice I'd add is not to overcook the cod. Most recipes call for too long a cooking time, imho. It's delicate like any fish and overcooking makes it tough and inedible. If your pieces are big, cut them in 2-3 smaller pieces so the outside doesn;t overcook before the inside is done. Don't bring it to a boil, just a simmer. Once it looks like the fish is just begining to flake, take it off the heat and let it sit for a little while. Test a chunk after 5 minutes--it should be tender and flake easily but not be falling apart. If it' s still slightly translucent at the center, that's perfect, take it out of the water and it will finish cooking as it cools. We'll look forward to seeing your results.

Here’s a long post for a simple recipe. But now that I’ve made a small batch of brandade with a stand mixer, I want to give it a BIG thumbs up and tell you why it’s so good. If you want a super light and fluffy brandade, the stand mixer is your friend. I began with a small piece of rehydrated salt cod, about 12 oz, cut into two pieces. Simmered for 5 minutes with a few cloves of garlic and bay leaf, rested off the heat for another 10 minutes, drained and cooled, broken into chunks. This was not a lot of salt cod! With the paddle, I beat the cod and garlic on med-low speed until it broke up a bit, then raised the speed to high for a few minutes. Scraped down the sides and beat on high for another few minutes. The results really did resemble those of the traditional mortal and pestle technique, which pulls the salt cod into long, fine shreds—more so than I’ve ever gotten using a food processor and my trusty wooden spoon. Here’s a close-up that hopefully shows what I mean: At this point, I slowly added the olive oil and warmed cream with the mixer at medium speed. The finely shredded cod holds the oil and cream well—here are before/after photos. You can see how the volume has increased, and I haven’t added the potato yet. Finally, the potato, cooked and riced. A minute or two on low speed to mix and it was done. Tasted for salt, added pepper and chopped parsley. Scooped into individual gratin dishes, run under the broiler to brown. Et voilà, the result: It was some of the best brandade I’ve made. Great texture. I’ll probably use the KitchenAid frequently now, though I may not always shred the salt cod quite so finely. I like some chunks, especially with fritters. One comment on the Serious Eats recipe: it calls for a lot of olive oil--1¼ cups olive oil for 1 lb cod (half that if you don’t use potatoes)! That high ratio is traditional but it’s too rich for me. I use a lot less. Though I didn’t measure, I’d guess I used a scant 1/2 cup olive oil with one medium potato. I use less cream too. For anyone making brandade for the first time with this recipe, follow directions and adjust ratios to your own taste if you want. Brandade is pretty forgiving. I can’t believe I never thought of using a stand mixer before. Many thanks to Cakewalk for sharing the Serious Eats article.

A very good question. there's no agreement on this or consistency across recipes, at least that I can find. I've come to prefer the dryer potatoes for recipes like brandade or fritters where the potato is mashed, I think the results are lighter and fluffier. The waxy potatoes are good for recipes when you want potatoes to keep their shape, such as gratins or salads with sliced potatoes. But I've used whatever I have on hand. The one bit of advice I'd give is to let the cooked potatoes dry out a bit before using them, and if you need to mash them, do it while they're still hot so they don't turn gummy.

TJ's is offering a new naan: Paneer Masala. Filled with a very thin later of warm spices, garlic, and ginger but it has a lot of flavor. I really like it. TJ puff pastry is back! It’s one of the few frozen puff pastries made with butter. Nice to have in the freezer for quick appetizers or desserts. The only problem is that TJ only sells it seasonally, so I try to stock up around the holidays before it disappears. It’s a bargain at $3.99 for 2 10” sheets. By contrast, a month ago I needed some and didn’t have time to make it myself—the only brand I found with butter was from Dufour, $11.99 for one 20” sheet. TJ's has changed the packaging this year, it’s now in rolls instead of flat packs.

Cakewalk, I hope you’ll give it a try and let us know how it goes. Thanks for the heads up re: the article in Serious Eats. It's a pretty straightforward brandade recipe. I’m very interested in his suggestion to use the paddle blade of a stand mixer to approximate the texture of pounding the salt cod in a mortar and pestle. Doing it by hand is a bit of a pain but I like the texture better than using a food processor (I don't use a mortar and pestle, just a bowl and a big wooden spoon). If I need to make a lot, I’ll start in a food processor and finish by hand. I’m going to try the stand mixer this time. Btw, brandade is definitely a good starter recipe, as it’s easy and if you're uncertain about the flavor being too strong, you can adjust the strength by adding more/less potatoes.

David, that looks very tempting. I actually like leftover salt cod gratin for breakfast so that close-up photo is making me really hungry. I haven’t done anything new with salt cod for a while, but your photo convinced me to take a big piece out of the freezer. Any ideas for something different? The guys at Portugalia (see above) were adamant that when freezing salt cod it should not be soaked first, so mine won’t be ready to use for a couple of days. I’m not convinced, though. I’ve been soaking-then-freezing for a few years now and have been happy with the results. It certainly makes it more convenient to use. If I don’t see a difference with this piece, I’ll go back to my old ways.

For anyone in the Boston area, on November 2 Boston University is hosting an event with JP in honor of his 80th birthday and new cookbook. A who’s who of local chefs (including some all-stars) will be cooking and a signed copy of JP’s new cookbook is included. Pricy at $150 but perhaps worth it to meet the man himself. www.bu.edu/foodandwine/seminars/special-events/

Rotuts and Anna, you're right, the parchment wouldn't prevent browning. I don't know what I was thinking, I also use parchment for cookies and other baked goods and the bottoms brown just fine. Per rotuts' comment, buttering the parchment that covers the potatoes may be the key. I think some fat is necessary. I will give this a try soon.

The parchment paper technique here is interesting, I like it. There's a French technique of using parchment paper to cover braises or other dishes to control evaporation. Although the moisture from a covered pan will condense on the lid and drip down, it does result in evaporation, and the parchment minimizes that as it's right on top of the food. For braises, it prevents a skin from forming and protects pieces of meat that might be poking above the liquid from drying out. It's also very handy to know if your pot doesn't have a lid. I learned to make a "cartouche", which is a circular piece of parchment with a small central vent. Very easy, just fold a square of parchment into quarters, then fold diagonally from the center into a pie shape--do that a few times until you have a narrow pie shape. Then trim the end on a slight curve so that it will be circular when unfolded. As the folded parchment is half the diameter of the pot you're using, I usually hold the parchment over the pot I'm using to better estimate where to trim. If you want a center vent, cut a small bit off the tip. The whole business takes 15 seconds--less time than it took me to type this. I found an old eG topic on this, but it doesn't go into much detail: Parchment and Braising I use the same principle to keep fish or chicken moist when I saute them but don't want to use a lid, which would steam them. So I often cover them with a square of parchment. The idea of putting parchment on the bottom is new to me. I'm guessing it protects the fish from browning while it cooks. I'll give it a try sometime, I like the idea. Where I'm puzzled: I'm not sure how the potato crust would brown unless it's cooked directly on the pan, in fat. Or run under the broiler. So while I also thought at first that the parchment would keep the potatoes in place, I don't think they would brown if turned without removing the parchment. I'd love to know the technique here.

The Boston Globe has picked this up: Chef shortage leaves restaurants vying for help One of the recruitment incentives mentioned is assistance with paying back student loans from culinary school. MattyC, is that you who is quoted in the article? Nice shout-out for the new restaurant, maybe it will help attract some staff. Best of luck!

Last summer I picked up a jar of blueberry-onion compote from a vendor at a local farmers market. It was delicious, with a bit of vinegar and some herbs, I think thyme and tarragon, that emphasized the savory. It was a great topping for grilled chicken, pork, and fish. I have not tried to replicated it, but I don't think it would he hard. It's nice to have something that can be made ahead. I recently had a corn-blueberry salsa, with red onion, cilantro, and habanero. Served with shrimp and scallops. If you decide you want some type of dessert that isn't very sweet, I like to add blueberries to rice pudding or bread pudding.

It seems that the series is also airing in Spain and France on Fox network channels. Hopefully that means that Fox can bring it to the States, too. In the meantime, I found a longer trailer for the show:

Understood, and I didn't mean to imply otherwise. No apology necessary. As I tried to say, I truly appreciate all you and Kerry do.

Anna and Kerry, your annual adventures in Manitoulin are always a joy to read. So much good food, drink, and friendship is enviable and the glimpses into Kerry's work are inspiring and humbling. Thanks for taking us along with you! That said, the above comment took my breath away. Suicide by any means seems to me sad beyond words. My only connection with the issue has come from comforting friends who have experienced it within their own families. So complex, and certainly quality of life can be an issue, but I can't imagine joking about it. That so many members liked this post tells me that I'm being oversensitive here. There have been some good topics on eGullet about cooking for seniors. My take away from this is to remember that good food and friendship at the table aren't a luxury but one of life's simple necessary pleasures, perhaps more so for those whose daily lives are limited to a nursing home or otherwise overwhelmed by illness or other troubles. Sorry to be Debbie Downer here. I truly have nothing but admiration and respect for how generous you are with your cooking talents!

I like to stir fry or just steam the scapes, cut into 2-4" pieces. They're also good pureed with some olive oil and grated parm cheese for a pesto of sorts, nice on pasta or crostini. Lots of recipes for the latter on the net. When faced with a glut of scapes. I toss them in the freezer. While never as tender as fresh from the garden, the hit of garlicy goodness in January will make you very happy. Good to know, thanks. While clearly different types of garlic, the scapes were equally tasty.

That's a lot of garlic! I'm jealous. I've been growing garlic for a few years now and have found it to be pretty foolproof, even when I've planted as late as December. My gardening is limited to a small community garden plot, so the area devoted to garlic is small compared to yours. Last year I noticed that I had quite a few volunteer garlic or onion (I couldn't tell which) plants coming up along one of my garden borders, likely thanks to a neighboring gardener letting his/her plants go to seed. They never got very big and I just left them alone. They came back this year and are maturing along with the rest of my garlic. My volunteers are clearly a different strain of garlic--look at the difference between the scapes. I'll be interested to see what kind of garlic it is. In the meantime, one of the joys of growing garlic is a bounty of scapes!

Here in New England, there are two that I'd suggest: steamed brown bread and anadama bread. Both are made with molasses, once a staple sweetener in the region and memorialized in local history by Boston's molasses flood in 1919, when a tank of molasses exploded and 2+ millions of gallons flooded the North End neighborhood, crushing buildings and killing many. There are some wonderful breads to be found in New England communities with Portuguese populations, some sweet, others not. While not from New England, I hope the MC crew is looking at brioche and comparing the many different techniques that are used for this bread, some traditional, some more recent. I'd love to have a better understanding of the merits of each.

Nice write-up and photos, thanks. P-town is a lovely place that's changed a lot in the last couple of decades. Back when I was a kid and my family would rent a cottage down the Cape for a couple of weeks, we always made time for a daytrip there, climbing the amazing sand dunes on the town's outskirts as well as the monument that you can see in your photo. Food was always part of the attraction, not just seafood but the Portuguese bakeries that sold meat pies as well as sweets. It was a culturally diverse place then, as it is now, but it was more low-key. These days it's too crowded and crazy for me, at least during peak season, and definitely more high-end food and shops. For better or worse. I do still go to the outer Cape though, for the beaches and the bike trails, some of the most beautiful in New England. Truro especially. Your family's shop is great to know about. The outer Cape is a long drive from Boston, but the ferry will take you to Provincetown in under 90 minutes. I bring my bike and pick up something for lunch before heading to the beach. I will stop by Pop + Dutch next time I'm there, it sounds terrific.

I thought folks here would be interested in this: A recent post on Andrea Nguyen's blog Viet World Kitchen describes her collaboration on a new project: a biographical cookbook of Paula Wolfert, currently titled "UNFORGETTABLE: Bold Flavors from a Renegade Life." As many of us here probably know, Paula Wolfert wrote some of our most influential cookbooks on the food of the Mediterranean region. If you've never read any of them, they're brilliant, both for the recipes and for her personal, immersive approach to researching her subject. Paula is also a Society member, and was very active here for a long time. Search for some of her topics and posts, they're good reads. To the point: several years ago, Paula was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. A group of food writers, editors, and photographers is collaborating with Paula on a book that is both biography and a collection of her recipes. It's being funded by a Kickstarter campaign, which has already exceeded its funding goals, so additional contributions will let them double the print run, with anything more donated to Alzheimer's research. If you're interested, you can read more on Andrea's blog and the Kickstarter page: I have no affiliation, except being a great admirer of her work, and hoping all the best for her--and looking forward to this book!

Yes, Summer Shack definitely serves whole belly fried clams. They also have wonderful grilled littlenecks, topped with lots of garlicky butter. I think they have calamari too, but can't remember for sure. I keep ordering the clams.

Add another egg. The ratio in the recipe I use calls for 1.5lb zucchini, grated/3 eggs/1 cup flour. No weight equivalents, unfortunately. A trick I've adopted in similar recipes is to separate the eggs, mix in the yolks as usual, then whip the egg white(s) and fold them into the mixture before frying them up. It definitely lightens the final cake/fritter.

The Cape Ann CSF is really good, and there are a couple of other CSF's around here. I buy from Cape Cod based Red's Best, which sells at local farmer's markets and often has skate and the best scallops I've ever bought. They're not cheap but worth the occasional splurge. Both supply local restaurants, so it's possible to find sustainable "local" seafood in area restaurants. Because prices are higher, you're more likely to find it at higher end places, though. It's worth asking before you order. One Fish, Two fish, Red’s Fish, Bluefish: A Morning With Seafood Purveyor Red’s Best And I concur, Jasper's pan-roasted lobster is excellent.