Cooking with Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

[Shelby]

Trust me.  Your fridge looks immaculate compared to mine.

[MetsFan5]

10 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

This is what remains today, after peeling off 4 big ribs for the braise and chopping several inches off the top for some tuna  tuna-flavored celery salad:

I am embarrassed to show my messy condiment-crammed fridge but it does demonstrate the size of that celery!

 

 

 Your fridge is full of my snacking dreams!!

[blue_dolphin]

Couscous with English Peas, Apricots and Lamb Meatballs from Six Seasons p 88. 

The sauce, couscous and meatballs all have mint and scallions and I was worried it would seem redundant but the other ingredients give each component unique flavors.

All the mint and scallions in the yogurt didn't exactly give me a drizzle-able sauce but it was still delicious - I think I ate 2 servings worth of that so next time, I will make extra.

The vinegar-marinated apricots and sweet peas make the couscous look very spring-like and the meatballs are nicely flavorful. I was short on English peas so I added some sliced up sugar snap peas and I think it worked fine.

[blue_dolphin]

Fava & Pistachio Pesto on Pasta from Six Seasons p 95.

The recipe has you blanch the basil and half the garlic. The other 2 cloves of garlic are gently cooked in olive oil with red chile flakes and are never called for again in the recipe. No worries, I just threw it in at the end. Half of the favas go into the pesto and the rest get tossed with the pasta.
The combination of blanched and cooked garlic plus the sweet, nutty favas and pistachios give this pesto a rich, mellow flavor that's quite different from the bracing sharpness I expect from traditional basil pesto. This is excellent as is and would be delicious with some shrimp or seared scallops on top. Two thumbs up.  

While I was prepping the fava beans, I noted the book has 6 fava bean recipes which call for a total of 16 pounds of fava beans (in their pods). Delicious as they may be, I can say for sure that I won't be shelling, blanching and peeling 16 lbs worth anytime soon. I needed a cocktail just to get through the ones for this recipe!

Edited April 28, 2018 by blue_dolphin (log)

[chromedome]

On 24/04/2018 at 4:33 PM, blue_dolphin said:

 

This is what remains today, after peeling off 4 big ribs for the braise and chopping several inches off the top for some tuna  tuna-flavored celery salad:

I am embarrassed to show my messy condiment-crammed fridge but it does demonstrate the size of that celery!

I actually picked up a second dorm-sized fridge to keep condiments in. Now both of them look like that. 

[blue_dolphin]

Not exactly "cooking with.." but I think I'll put this here anyway.  Last night, Six Seasons won the James Beard Foundation award in the Vegetable-Focused book category and today Joshua McFadden brought his medal along to a segment of CBS This Morning.

The segment is available online at this link along with several recipes from the book.

[blue_dolphin]

Today's breakfast was beans on toast.  Specifically the Smashed Fava Beans, Pecorino and Mint on Toast from Six Seasons p 91.

These are very nice.  I used a mortar & pestle instead of food processor since I only made small amount though I had to resort to a fork to smash some of the slippery little beans.

I would usually make a fava bean crostini by tossing the same ingredients used in this recipe (except for the green garlic), and piling them on garlic-rubbed toasts.  The smashed beans make for a more tidy eating experience.  Delicious either way.

[suzilightning]

He was the guest chef on CBS channel 2 in New York's The Dish.  Food looked wonderful but would have liked him to talk a bit more about the shrub......course Anthony Mason's had gin in it.

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, suzilightning said:

He was the guest chef on CBS channel 2 in New York's The Dish.  Food looked wonderful but would have liked him to talk a bit more about the shrub......course Anthony Mason's had gin in it.

 

The rhubarb drink recipe can be found in the link that I posted above!

[Okanagancook]

James Beard Award winner in the Vegetable-Focused category.

[kayb]

48 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

James Beard Award winner in the Vegetable-Focused category.

 

I think I may have to order the dead tree edition of this book.

[Anna N]

31 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

I think I may have to order the dead tree edition of this book.

Damn.  Saw a hardcopy in a thrift store last week. Damn it’s a big book. I’m still glad I have the Kindle edition. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, kayb said:

 

I think I may have to order the dead tree edition of this book.

 

I just did.  Summer's coming.

 

And after all I've purchased only one other cookbook this week -- hardback that is -- and $9.18 is far too expensive for a Kindle.

 

[blue_dolphin]

Lamb Ragu with Carrots & Green Garlic p 143 and Celery Puntarelle-Style p 146, both from Six Seasons.

Even though I love a good Ragu Bolognese, the photo of the lamb ragu in the book reminded me of Hamburger Helper and didn't really appeal to me but I had some lamb leftover from the meatballs so I figured I'd give it a try before we get into the summer. I used half the amount of lamb - going with 1 lb instead of 2 lbs for 4 servings - but kept the same amounts of everything else. I added a tablespoon or two of sun-dried tomato purée before adding the liquid and starting the simmer.  
Honestly, this is about as easy as Hamburger Helper but is much more flavorful!  
I don't usually serve pasta on a plate with the salad but this was crying out for something fresh and green so I tossed the celery salad together. It's certainly related to a Caesar salad with the anchovy, olive oil, Parmesan, lemon and croutons.  No egg, though.  This was another winner for me. Quick and easy with lots of flavor and texture from the crisp celery and crunchy torn croutons. 

[blue_dolphin]

Fava Beans, Cilantro, New Potatoes and Baked Eggs p 96 served with the Slightly Tangy Flatbreads p 48, both from Six Seasons.

I think this is as close to shakshuka as Six Seasons gets .  I can't say this dish does the most to show off the charm of fresh fava beans.  They're nice and all and it's fun to see them used in a different way from the other recipes in the book but I think this could be made with most any bean. 

The flatbreads are made with half whole wheat and half all purpose flour and the "slightly tangy" part comes from the yogurt used to make the dough. 

Edited May 1, 2018 by blue_dolphin (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Potato and Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Olives, Feta and Arugula from Six Seasons p 163.  This is an excellent salad, about half and half potato and cauliflower.

 

I knew I wanted this salad to be a meal and debated between adding an egg or some nice tuna belly. I went with the egg but will try tuna with the leftovers.

I mostly followed the recipe but instead of using the food processor to whip the feta and olive oil into a creamy dressing,  I just crumbled some feta over the potatoes and cauliflower while they were still warm. That pretty much melted into them and I crumbled a little more over the salad just before serving.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Making my way through Six Seasons after some recent litero-cullinary diversions.  Rant One:  "Super hot" as applied to flat bread (p 48).  Is "super hot" how McFadden instructs his baking staff?  Assuming one just wandered in from the Oort cloud, what is "super hot" in Celsius?

 

[blue_dolphin]

Sautéed Turnips with Prunes and Radicchio from Six Seasons p 168

Nice flavor contrasts between the sweet, earthy turnips, sweet-tart prunes (they are marinated briefly in balsamic vinegar) and slightly bitter radicchio and turnip greens. 

 

On 5/18/2018 at 9:53 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Rant One:  "Super hot" as applied to flat bread (p 48).  Is "super hot" how McFadden instructs his baking staff?  Assuming one just wandered in from the Oort cloud, what is "super hot" in Celsius?

 

Is your rant because there is no temperature given for the pan in which the flatbread is cooked?  I don't think I've seen pan temperatures given in cookbooks aimed at the home cook.  I'd suspect that most home cooks, present company excepted , don't have a way to either set or measure the temperature of a pan.   Is pan temp commonly specified in your cookbooks?

[heidih]

@blue_dolphin  I like that turnip dish. Saw some little turnips with lively greens at Farmers Market on Sunday - so think I'll try to replicate. They were those little very white ones that Vivian Howard was touting. Plus I like sweet/sour/savory.....and the perfect egg!

Edited May 25, 2018 by heidih (log)

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

@blue_dolphin  I like that turnip dish. Saw some little turnips with lively greens at Farmers Market on Sunday - so think I'll try to replicate. They were those little very white ones that Vivian Howard was touting. Plus I like sweet/sour/savory.....and the perfect egg!

 

I picked up these turnips at my local farmers market yesterday and figured I should use them while the greens were still perky!

[blue_dolphin]

Sugar Snap Peas with Pickled Cherries and Peanuts from Six Seasons p 119

Another one of Joshua McFadden's combinations that I never would have come up with on my own but which combine to make an interesting salad.

The pickled cherries are the star of the show, and the main source of tartness so it's good to have a piece in almost every bite. 

Edited to add that the pickled cherries are also from Six Seasons  p 58. I mentioned them over here in the preserving topic and gave them a week in brine before using them.

Edited May 26, 2018 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Anna N]

3 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Sautéed Turnips with Prunes and Radicchio from Six Seasons p 168

 

 I am very jealous. There are some things that one just knows require top-notch ingredients and I don’t think I’m likely to find them around here.  But I can certainly enjoy them vicariously.

(That’s not to say we do not have superb produce in Ontario but one would have to travel to find it.)

[Anna N]

Wow!   That’s as articulate as I am able to be. 

Edited May 25, 2018 by Anna N
To include the photograph so my post makes sense (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Is your rant because there is no temperature given for the pan in which the flatbread is cooked?  I don't think I've seen pan temperatures given in cookbooks aimed at the home cook.  I'd suspect that most home cooks, present company excepted , don't have a way to either set or measure the temperature of a pan.   Is pan temp commonly specified in your cookbooks?

 

Pan temperature is not commonly specified in my cookbooks.  Though Kenji is pretty good about specifying pan temperatures.  Oddly Modernist Bread seems inconsistent.  Some recipes specify a pan temperature, other recipes say only "medium" or somesuch.

 

My annoyance with McFadden is that as a professional restaurant chef he probably has an exact temperature for that recipe -- which he does not share because he believes his audience has no way to measure it.  Same thinking that has most American cookbook authors calling out for cups of flour in place of grams.  Not to mention British books of not too long ago specifying temperature by gas marks.

 

[blue_dolphin]

One more recipe from the sugar snap pea section in Six Seasons.   Sugar Snap Pea and New Potato Salad with Crumbled Egg and Sardines p 121.

Very delicious, lemony, pleasantly fishy dish along the lines of a Niçoise salad. The radishes weren't called for in the recipe but did appear in the photo in the book AND in my crisper drawer so I threw one in.  

 

My sardines were packed in olive oil so I used some of that.  As is my custom, I used half the specified amount of salt and less olive oil.  Since the recipe calls for soft boiled eggs, I didn't try to "crumble" them but used a knife.

The portion above is one serving per the recipe. I'd say that's generous for a first course but not quite enough for a main. 

 

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

My annoyance with McFadden is that as a professional restaurant chef he probably has an exact temperature for that recipe -- which he does not share because he believes his audience has no way to measure it.

Thanks for taking the time to explain your rant.  I've never seen pan temps indicated in any of my cookbooks, whether written by professional chefs or not,  so I wasn't sure that was your gripe.