Cooking with Corky

Notes from the Box 113: Thanksgiving version -- 11/17/23

This week’s box really had what I need: cranberries, green beans, squash, so much. I need a few vegetarian dishes on Thursday’s table, things of “substance” more than “sides” so I found a recent Indian-ish recipe for green beans and potatoes, by Priya Krishna in the New York Times and of course, I modify…

Crispy Green Beans and Potato Sabzi

(I’ll double it for my table of 8)

1 Tb olive oil

1 large russet potato, scrubbed and diced into ½ inch pieces

Salt to taste

Half pound of green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp ground fenugreek

And if I’ve not mentioned it enough, our neighborhood has a wonderful spice shop, Curio, up Mass Ave…

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-inch ginger root, minced

Almond butter, about 2 Tb. (whirl blanched almonds in a processor until very fine and beginning to stick together, almost “butter”, and then mix with 1 Tb butter)

Juice of one lime

Chaat masala for garnishing (there’s a good Indian grocer opposite Pemberton Market for this)

Heat the oil in a lidded skillet, add potato and pinch of salt, let cook for 3-5 minutes so they crust on the bottom. Toss the potatoes, add green beans, a pinch of salt and 3 Tb of water. Cook covered for three minutes. Potatoes should be pierceable with a fork. Add all spices and garlic and ginger and cook until you really smell the spices. Turn heat to low, add the almond butter and toss with vegetables just to coat and dry out a little, pan uncovered.

In serving dish sprinkle with lime juice and chaat masala.

Notes from the Box 112: Green beans and potatoes, a reinterpretation of Priya Krishna -- 10/29/23

This appeared October 28 in the New York Times, but as ever, I made changes – and so can you!

2 TB olive oil

2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½ inch pieces

½ tsp kosher salt

3 cups of green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half

½ tsp each ground coriander, ground cumin, Aleppo chili flakes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch of fresh ginger, minced

Juice of two limes

And she recommends chaat masala and so do I, for sprinkling on top at serving time

(You can get this at an Indian grocer such as the one on Mass. Ave across from Pemberton Market)

Heat oil in large skillet, add potato and a little salt, cook til browned on bottoms (don’t stir). Toss the potatoes and add the green beans, a little salt and a bit of water. Cover and let steam for about 3 minutes until potatoes are pierce-able and beans still a bit crunchy. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, Aleppo flakes. Cook uncovered until everything begins to smell really good, about 2 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with chaat masala and lime juice – with basmati rice!

Notes from the Box 111: Were you also a bit surprised to find manioc/yuca/cassava in the Box? -- 10/20/23

And to find that it is so easy to make it delicious (and non-toxic) in spite of its reputation as containing cyanide?

And for the first time in these 111 weeks, I resorted to an online recipe for all the tips, so here it is, from The Spruce Eats.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/crispy-yuca-fries-3028822

Summary from me: I peeled the manioc easily, soaked in a bowl of water, and cut into thick chunks about 3 inches long. Boiled them in salted water until just tender through, and drained and let dry a little.

In a deepish skillet, I heated about two cups of canola oil. I cut the chunks into “fries” shapes, and put them in the oil in about three batches, browning on at least two sides. Drain on paper towels. Eat while warm.

Now this part is from me.

2 fresno chilis

3 cloves garlic

2 jalapenos

Juice of one lime

½ cup orange juice

Salt to taste

All in the blender or processor til smooth. You might want to add a little water.

That is a good dipping sauce.

Mystery of Manioc solved!

Notes from the Box 110: Late Summer edition, Elote with the wonderful corn we have! -- 8/25/23

This recipe is so easy it’s almost a non-recipe recipe. The only stipulation I have is that one must eat it immediately, wherever it falls in a meal or in the day.

In L.A. there are versions of this and they mostly use prepared (“bought”) ingredients such as chili powder, mayonnaise and grated queso fresco. In Mexico, frequently this is made with white orn but butter-and-sugar corn works just fine. I know a few people, perhaps more fastidious than I am, who like it cut off the cob and eaten in a cup with a spoon, but I love licking off all the cheese and mayo from my lips and wiping the cheeks; it’s a pleasurable wallow.

You can also boil the corn briefly ahead of time, chill and then before eating, fire up the grill and char them, before lavishing the other ingredients on them.

5 ears of corn, husked

3 Tb mayonnaise, use Kewpie if you can

3 Tb Mexican crema or sour cream

½ cup grated queso fresco or Cotija cheese

Tajin or chili powder (Tajin is a salt mixture of chilis, with lime, and sometimes you can find it called “Magic Salt”) (if you use this you don’t need any salt but if chili powder, then you might want salt)

2 limes, quartered

Freshly chopped cilantro

Boil corn for about 8 minutes, or brush with butter and grill to char it

Mix mayonnaise and crema or sour cream, spread all over corn. Rolling the corn on a platter coated with it works too)

Sprinkle corn with cheese, chili or tajin and a bit of crunchy sea salt

Eat with lime juice squeezed on it and roll on some cilantro.

IF you don’t want it on the cob, cut corn from cobs, stir in mayo-mixture, cheese, chili or tajin and lime juice, top with cilantro.

I’d say that and a couple shots of tequila = supper

Notes from the Box 109: Halloumi, Red Bell Peppers and Potatoes in red pepper sauce -- 7/7/23

Another bag of potatoes, another bag of red bell peppers and a message from a friend suggesting this Washington Post recipe, good timing!

I’m frankly not fond of green bell peppers – there are very very few things I don’t like in the realms of food, but this is one. Red bell peppers are sweeter and roast up very nicely, and the contrasts in this dish play up contrasts of color and texture in the cheese and vegetables to help spur appetite in these sultry days.

So with thanks to K for the recipe, I offer a version of it (always a VERSION) to you.

Vegetables and Cheese

2 Tb olive oil

1 pound tiny potatoes or cut larger ones to about 1 inch cubes

2 medium zucchini

8 ounces halloumi cheese, in 1-inch cubes

3 red bell peppers, halved, seeded and cut into 1-2 inch chunks

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

On a large rimmed baking sheet drizzle the oil and add all the vegetables and cheese and toss to coat. Roast for twenty minutes, toss everything again and roast for another twenty minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender and the other elements are browned.

Sauce

1 11-oz jar of piquillo peppers, drained

1 cup whole almonds, roasted

2 Tb olive oil

2 scallions, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 Tb sherry vinegar or balsamic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a blender, place all the sauce ingredients and puree until smooth.

Spread sauce on a platter and top with the roasted vegetables and cheese, sprinkle with parsley or oregano or thyme. Good at room temperature so it is a good dish to make ahead for a grill evening…

Notes from the Box 108: Sweet Potato Vichyssoise -- 6/23/23

Last week’s sweet potatoes are this week’s cold soup, in time for this muggy weather.

I suppose what makes this “vichyssoise” are the potatoes, though sweet, and the leeks and cream. But there’s a lot of difference – the soup is sweeter but with the zest of a lime, nicely balanced. The recipe is adapted from the first Silver Palate cookbook, which has been resting for decades on my shelf.

You can freeze it, so use up ALL those sweet potatoes.

6 tb unsalted butter

4 leeks, cleaned well and sliced

6 cups stock (whatever you have OR stock made from DADA Porcini cubes, Italian, available at Salumeria Italiana on Richmond St in the North End – or other stock base, I just really like those.

1 ½ cup white wine or 1 cup of dry white vermouth (which is easier to have on hand)

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly

Grated zest and juice of a lime

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Another lime, sliced for serving

Melt the butter in a large heavy pot and add leeks, saute and let cook to translucent.

Add stock, wine, and sweet potatoes and simmer until potatoes are soft, perhaps 15 minutes.

Let cool about ten minutes, then puree in food processor til smooth. Add lime zest, juice, milk and cream, salt and pepper. Let cool, then refrigerate or serve warm, perhaps with a dash of Aleppo red chili flakes. (Those who’ve been with me on this box adventure know I regularly add that to dishes; obtained at the Armenian grocers in Watertown.)

Served cold, you might strew some chopped chives on it.

Notes from the Box 107: a Kerala-style Vegetable Korma (adapted from Zainab Shah, New York Times) -- 6/9/23

I’m back, or almost, my head being confused by too many time zones – first Japan for a month, then a rapid 48-hour turnaround here, then Sweden for a week. Cooking helps settle me into home, so this week, I got The Box and am entertaining people with some Indian food. The cooking smells are great.

In the box were four ears of corn, some broccoli… and I added the rest. The recipe says any vegetables at all, but I think you need contrast of texture and color so I added carrots and cauliflower. I’ll get around to making some of the things I ate when I was away, but for now… the coastal state of Kerala!

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tsps black mustard seed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 Tb grated ginger

2 Tb finely chopped garlic

2 jalapeno, chopped fine

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 Tb red chile flakes, my usual Aleppo or Korean chile flakes

1 tsp turmeric

4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 Tb butter

All the vegetables: corn cut off the cob, cauliflower flowerets, broccoli florets, chopped green beans, carrots… totalling four or five cups

1 can full fat coconut milk (be sure it’s unsweetened)

1 tsp garam masala

2 Tb chopped cilantro

(Basmati rice)

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot, add mustard seed and heat til it pops. Add onion, ginger, garlic and jalapeno, stir until onion is translucent. Add black pepper, salt, chile, turmeric, tomatoes and butter. Stir and cook for about three minutes. Add the “hardest” vegetables, such as carrots, first, and cook for three minutes. Add the coconut milk, and simmer until vegetables are cooked, but still a bit crisp and retain their color.

Serve with basmati rice and sprinkle with garam masala and cilantro.

Notes from the Box 106: Lamb meatballs with grilled pineapple and harissa -- 4/7/23

Pineapple should not go on pizza. It goes almost everywhere else. The pineapple I got last week is finally ripe and I’ve grilled the slices on both sides to make those nice summery grill marks.

Now for its role in a wonderful middle-eastern-tinged lamb dish.

1 pineapple, cored and cut in slices or chunks

1 pound ground lamb

1 lemon, zest and juice

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp Aleppo pepper

½ tsp salt

2 Tb harissa

10 small onions, peeled and blanched in boiling water for 1 minute, drain

2 Tb olive oil

Chopped parsley

Lemon wedges for serving

Mix lamb with all the seasonings except for the harissa. Form into walnut-sized balls with your hands. Heat the oil in a deep skillet and brown the onions on all sides. Remove the onions and brown the lamb balls on all sides. Remove to a side platter. Add the harissa to the pan and stir in gradually a cup of water, mixing the harissa into the water so it forms a sauce. Add the lamb balls to the sauce and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, turning to coat the meat in the sauce. Cut the pineapple in one-inch chunks and add to the meatballs, turning to coat everything. Add the small onions and keep cooking the mixture for another ten minutes.

Serve with rice, parsley and lemon wedges.

Notes from the Box 105: Lemons, Asparagus = Risotto! -- 3/31/23

There were lemons, asparagus, it’s spring.. This is one of my favorite risottos/risotti.

And risotto shouldn’t scare anyone. It’s really not necessary to stand at the stove stirring for forty-five minutes or whatever amount of time alarmed you. It’s really about 15-20 minutes, listen to the radio or sing something.

Bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed

4 cups stock or broth, chicken or vegetable

2 Tb olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 cup arborio or other short-grain rice, and actually sushi rice is good for this too

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup grated parmesan

1 Tb lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

Parboil the asparagus for only five minutes. Drain and run cold water over the stalks, then cut in one-inch pieces.

Heat broth/stock in saucepan over medium heat and keep simmering.

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or small dutch oven. Add onion. Stir til translucent, about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in rice and keep stirring about five minutes until a little toasted. Add white wine, simmer to evaporate.

Stir in broth about half cup at a time, and continue stirring, repeat the process as the stock gets absorbed in the rice, until all the stock is used. Stir in asparagus, and remove from heat. Then stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and toss with parmesan.

There you are, ready and I hope you are singing.

Notes from the Box 104: Green beans, tofu in not-quite-Yushiang sauce -- 3/24/23

This week there was a large bag of greenbeans. (Also large bag of kale, but we’ll tend to that later). Green beans tend to go off rather quickly so, dividing the bag with a neighbor, I made a quick “Chinese” version. I’m wary of saying anything that would wrongly identify my version with a version a person with more experience would recognize… but this was quite good, alongside a broiled salmon with chili-bean-sauce glaze, and some steamed rice.

3 cups of topped-and-tailed green beans (leave whole)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tb minced or grated fresh ginger

Canola oil

4 scallions, chopped roughly

1 Tb.sweet bean sauce (Chinatown or possibly Star Market or H Mart)

1 tsp harissa or hot sauce or chili oil (IF you have chili crisp, use that!!)

1 tb soy sauce

1 pad firm tofu, cut into 12 cubes

1 tsp sesame oil

Heat a heavy skillet or wok, add 2 Tb canola oil. When quite hot, add green beans and let sear on one side before turning to sear again. Don’t overcook, they should be still a bit crisp. Remove from wok to a platter, spreading out so they stop cooking, leaving oil.

Reheat oil, fry tofu so cubes brown on at least two sides. A hot pan will keep them from sticking.

Add garlic and ginger and stir to cook without burning. Add sweet bean sauce, hot sauce or chili crisp, soy sauce, and toss to coat the tofu, while cooking at a lower heat. After two minutes, add green beans, toss with tofu and sauce for another two minutes and serve topped with scallions and drizzled sesame oil.

Notes from the Box 103: Cauliflower Shawarma -- 3/10/23

A nice tight fresh head of cauliflower leads to all kinds of thoughts. Soup in the cold winter. Raw with dips for a party. But this is a brave new day, a few hours after the time “sprang forward” and we are thinking bright brave new flavors. Melissa Clark’s recipe, from the New York Times with changes (of course) gives us just that edge on the season.

5 Tb olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp or to taste, sea salt

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground black pepper

Cayenne to taste

A head of cauliflower in small florets

Optional: 4 small potatoes in ½ inch chunks

1 large red onion in small wedges

Pita or flatbread or naan for serving

Cucumber/tomato/coriander “salsa” for serving

Spicy tahini sauce

1 tb fresh lemon juice

2 tsps harissa paste OR a good Tb of Aleppo chili pepper

2 garlic cloves chopped fine

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup of tahini (be sure to stir it up in the jar before measuring, the oils separate)

Ice water as needed

Preheat oven to 425.

Cauliflower:

Mix olive oil, all spices and salt and pepper in a big bowl. Add cauliflower and onion and potatoes if using and toss to coat. Spread mixture on baking sheet. Roast the vegetables until golden brown, a little crisp, 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and turning sheet around once. If they get dry, add more olive oil.

Tahini Sauce:

In a small bowl, stir garlic, lemon juice, harissa, salt together. Whisk in tahini. Whisk in tablespoons of ice water, a little at a time, til sauce is thin enough to drizzle. Set aside.

Warm the pita or flatbread or naan on the bottom oven rack while the vegetables roast, in the last five minutes.

Serve on a platter, drizzled with the sauce and with the side dish of cucumber/tomatoes. 

Notes from the Box Week 102: Taco Friday! -- 2/19/23

There have been some weeks with no recipe, but for the most part, we’ve been eating pretty steadily from The Box for almost a cookbook’s-ful of ways of eating from the box.

My granddaughter has come up with a whole meal from the most recent box and I think she’s nailed it for including as many items in the box as possible.

It’s a meal of tacos with two fillings, two salsas and a hint for dessert, something she very much likes to do when she’s here…

Taco Supper from the Box

12 corn or corn-and-wheat tortillas (I like Maria and Ricardo’s)

Filling 1:

4 chicken breasts

½ pound of queso blanco or cotija cheese

2 tb olive oil

1 tsp chili powder

Salt to taste

Poach chicken in water just to cover until firm – at a simmer for about ten minutes. Cool and shred chicken. Heat olive oil in skillet, add chicken and chili powder and saute briefly. Salt to taste. Shred cheese or slice very thin. Put chicken in one bowl, cheese in the other

Filling 2:

6 red potatoes, washed, skin on, cut in 1-inch pieces

4 eggs

1 Tb olive oil

4 scallions, chopped

Fresh basil or oregano or a mixture of herbs of choice, including coriander/cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

Steam or boil potatoes until JUST tender. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in skillet and brown the potatoes in the olive oil, then remove. If the pan is dry, add a little more olive oil. Beat eggs with a fork, lightly, add herbs and salt and pepper and cook as an omelet, flipping to cook both sides. Set on a plate to cool slightly.Then cut omelet in shreds. Put the potatoes back in the skillet and add the scallions to heat through, then toss with omelet shreds and put in a serving bowl.

Salsa 1:

2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced

2 cups chunks of fresh pineapple

2 scallions, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 T rice wine vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 serrano or fresno pepper, chopped fine

Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let sit for about a half hour, so flavors blend.

Salsa 2:

Half a cantaloupe in ½ inch cubes

4 clementines, segmented and cut in half

2 apples, skin on, cored and chopped in ½ inch cubes

Tajin (Mexican chili-lime-salt) to taste

Juice of one lime

Mix all ingredients together and let sit for about a half hour, so flavors blend.

At serving time, heat the tortillas on a dry griddle or pan, stack in a cloth-lined basket or bowl and keep them warm as people assemble their own taco combinations at the table!

And for my granddaughter’s favorite dessert in the neighborhood, walk to Thistle and Shamrock and pick out an ice cream treat from the freezer case! You’ll need the exercise anyway!!!

Notes from the Box 101: Kale with Caramelized Onion and Balsamic Vinegar -- 2/17/23

This week in the box there was so much kale I couldn’t fit it in the refrigerator, so I steamed it all and it was good for several meals. My daughter and granddaughter dreamed up this recipe as we walked Charlie to the playground stopping at Thistle and shamrock for a doggy treat.

1 large onion

2 tbs olive oil

Large bunch of kale, stemmed, shredded and lightly steamed

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

Mince onion finely and heat olive oil in heavy skillet. Sauté onion over low heat, siring occasionally until soft, brown, and caramelized. Spread kale on top of onions and toss to mix.

Sprinkle balsamic vinegar over everything and then serve.

Notes from the Box 100.5: A second recipe because we need SOUP: What You Have Minestrone -- 1/30/23

If you have tomatoes, if you have a red bell pepper, eggplant, if you have zucchini and onions, really whatever you have of greens too, you can make this minestrone. And thanks again for the inspiration, Yotam Ottolenghi…

4 Tb olive oil

2 zucchini, cut in wedge shapes

1 small eggplant, in 2-inch chunks

2 onions, cut in wedges

3 large tomatoes OR a small box of cherry tomatoes, cut in wedges or if cherry, in half

1 red (or green) bell pepper, in chunks

Salt and pepper

Vegetable stock, about a quart

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Thin egg noodles, angel hair pasta, or thin rice noodles

Pecorino cheese, coarsely grated (Pecorino medium-aged is best, but you could use aged for a bit more “bite”)

3 Tb fresh rosemary, “needles” removed from stems

Frozen peas, quickly defrosted (blanched) in boiling water, then drained

Herb oil: fresh basil and parsley, whirled in about 4 Tb of olive oil and used as garnish

Preheat oven to 400

Place chunked or wedged vegetables in a bowl with olive oil and toss with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet – or two if you have a lot, they should form one layer.

Roast for fifteen minutes, checking half-way to move them around and be sure they’re not over-browning. Add the garlic and rosemary for another five-six minutes

When the vegetables are tender, remove and keep warm in a large flat bowl, like a pasta bowl.

Heat the stock, to a boil, add the pasta. When just tender, pour the stock and pasta over the vegetables, top with peas. Serve in bowls topped with the pecorino and swirled with the herb oil.

Notes from the Box 100! : Kale/herb Dumplings in Vegetable Broth -- 1/30/23

If this isn’t soup weather, what is??? At the moment it is 10 degrees and sinking fast.

You have time to make soup I hope. Today and tomorrow. I will give two great soups, both and each capable of being vegetarian, to taste. Here’s the first one.

The box arrived with huge amounts of kale and maybe that’s collards; I’ve not opened that bag, but with the kale I’m making this, derived and changed from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe (you notice I use his work a lot).

Large bunch of kale, stem removed, leaves chopped roughly

1 small onion or two shallots, peeled and quartered

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 lemon, zest grated fine and lemon juiced, saved

Herbs: what you have – I have dill, tarragon and thyme, about 4 Tb chopped

½ cup ricotta

1/3 cup feta

1 egg, beaten

2 slices of bread made into breadcrumbs

1/3 cup flour

2 Tb olive oil

1 quart rich vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

Parmesan if wanted

Bring stock to a boil, blanch the kale in it for about four minutes. Drain the kale but SAVE the stock!

Bring stock back to boil, add shallot or onion and garlic to stock, simmer for 15 minutes, remove the alliums. Discard the garlic, or chop it finely and add to the next step’s mixture.

Chop the cooked kale finely. Add to it the lemon zest and juice, herbs, cheeses, egg, breadcrumbs, the onion (and garlic if using), and salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the flour on a plate. Make about a dozen balls with the kale mixture and set them on the floured plate. Coat them in flour.

Return stock to a medium high heat, turn down to a simmer, gently lower in the dumplings and poach for 5 minutes, gently, until they float to the top. (Those who make matzoh ball soup will recognize this).

Serve dumplings floating in stock. If you like, you can sprinkle parmesan cheese on the soup.

Notes from the Box 99: Acorn Squash, roasted in crescents -- 1/20/23

This could even be a snack food, it’s crispy and tasty. And very easy. If you dollop it with thick yoghurt and serve with a salad, it’s a meal.

1 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded

Zest of one large orange

1 tsp Aleppo chili pepper flakes or other (or tajin, a Mexican salt-chili mixture)

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 Tb pomegranate molasses

Olive oil

Pignoli or crushed almonds

Cut squash into 1/3 inch crescents, leaving skin on.

Mix orange zest, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, chili, pomegranate molasses and salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Rub the squash slices with the mixture and allow to sit at room temperature for about an hour.

Heat oven to 375.

Oil a baking sheet with about a Tb of oliveoil, and spread the squash slices evenly. They should be in one layer. Bake for about thirty minutes, turning once. Then sprinkle almonds or pignoli on them and bake for another ten minutes, watching to be sure the nuts do not burn. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes from the Box 97: Fennel, Lentils, and Lemon -- 1/6/23

Is it really true that we’ve been on this box adventure for 97 weeks? Actually longer, since I’ve been AWOL during this community project, a few weeks here and there. It doesn’t seem so long, as each week is its own thing and you never open the same box twice.

I saw fennel peeking out of the box when I picked it up yesterday, two big bulbs, stalks and fronds. My neighborhood friend V was walking her dog and inadvertently laid down a challenge: I like fennel but there are those who don’t. I said impetuously, I will find a recipe to convert those people!

Here it is, by courtesy of a London-based cook (boroughchef on Instagram) whose vegetarian recipes I’ve been following. Apologies to her for my changes.

2 fennel bulbs, washed. One should be sliced thinly, the other chopped in wedges and the fronds from both chopped too.

250g lentils, cooked til tender but not mushy

1 Tb fennel seed

1 lemon

Fresh thyme or oregano

2 cups of kale, stems stripped, chopped or torn roughly

4 Tb butter

Parmesan

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1.     Heat a Tb of olive oil in a large skillet. Over medium high heat sear the wedged fennel on all sides. Turn down the heat.

2.     Add 2 Tb of butter and thyme or oregano, cook gently until very tender. If you have only one large skillet, empty the seared wedges into a bowl and set aside and reheat the skillet as follows

3.     In this or another large skillet, in 1 Tb olive oil, saute the sliced fennel, and when soft, add fennel seeds and cook another four minutes or so. Stir in lentils, half a cup of water and the kale. Stir over medium heat to wilt the kale and allow the water to bubble off. Stir in 2 Tb butter, stir vigorously. Squeeze lemon over it. Taste for seasoning.

4.     Spread the lentil-fennel-kale mixture on a platter and top with seared fennel wedges and parmesan. 

Notes from the Box 96: Curried Cauliflower Soup -- 12/16/22

A head of cauliflower has so many uses. I like to char it, dusted with za’atar and salt, drizzle with olive oil. But this soup warmed a couple of nights.

One head cauliflower, washed, separated into small florets

One medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tb ground cumin

1 Tb ground coriander

1 tsp ground fenugreek

I tsp ground ginger

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

1 jalapeno pepper chopped fine

2 Tb canola oil

2 Tb butter (or more oil, if you want this to be vegan)

1 quart vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

Salt to taste

In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil and butter and slowly saute the onion til it is soft but not browned. Add garlic and cook until soft but not brown. Add all spices and jalapeno. Stir to cook the spices for about three minutes. Add the stock, and the cauliflower and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and cook until cauliflower is quite soft, about twenty minutes. Let cool for about fifteen minutes. Blend or process until smooth. Taste and add salt as desired. If it is too thick, you can add more stock or water.

This is good with a dollop of yoghurt, some fresh coriander, or some caramelized shreds of onion. Or all of those things.

Notes from the Box 95: Applesauce and a cake made from it -- 12/2/22

There were apples. And I had apples. So, the first thing was to make applesauce from some of them, the ones I wasn’t going to eat out of hand. I froze a good amount to save it for Hanukkah latkes, of which more when it becomes Hanukkah (at sundown December 19).

The remaining applesauce can be dosed with pear brandy (or any orange or apple brandy or liqueur that is hanging around). And then used to make this cake.

First off, the applesauce. Very very easy. You’ll never buy a jar of it again.

5 or 6 apples, peeled, cored and chunked.

2 Tablespoons sugar (or honey, or sweetener of choice)

Put the apples in a 2 quart saucepan, with a couple of spoonsful of water. Simmer til they begin to lose their shape, then stir, to encourage the apples to “melt” into a soft paste. Add water if it is too thick, to your taste. When all of the apples are more or less disintegrated, it’s done. If you want very smooth applesauce, let it cool for ten minutes and then whirl in a food processor.

Chocolate Apple Sauce Cake (much adapted from “Homespun Seasonal Living”)

1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed

1 1/3 cups milk

2/3 cup applesauce

½ cup salted butter, melted

4 eggs

2 tsps vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 1/3 cocoa (try to get Dutch processed)

2 tsps baking powder

2 tsps ground cinnamon

2 tsps ground ginger

Chocolate glaze

2 Tb butter

1 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 Tb cocoa powder

1 cup powdered (confectioners’) sugar

2 Tb whole milk (or cream)

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan

Sift dry ingredients together, except the brown sugar.

In another bowl, whisk together brown sugar, apple sauce, milk or cream, melted butter,eggs and vanilla. Add drys to wets and mix thoroughly. Pour into the bundt pan.

Bake for about forty minutes, until a straw or tester, or chopstick, comes out clean.

Cool for about twenty minutes and then turn cake out to finish cooling.

Glaze:

Melt butter and chocolate together. Whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add melted butter and chocolate, add milk and stir to combine. It should be thick but pour-able. Add more milk if needed.

Pour glaze over cake, evenly, to allow it to drip down the sides, unevenly.

Let cool for about two hours.

Notes from the Box 94: Just in time for Thanksgiving! -- 11/18/22

The box this week is HUGE, jammed with much of many things, especially potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, enough in each to feed the village.

I know, brussels sprouts…. but I really like them and have charred and caramelized and steamed and stir-fried, etc. BUT, in Wednesday’s New York Times, there was a recipe for them by Alexa Weibel that I am definitely doing, and here it is.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Honey, Almonds (or pignoli) and Chile

½ cup olive oil

3-4 TB honey

3 TB apple cider vinegar

2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved

1 small fresno or serrano chile, seeded and sliced thin

1 orange

1/3 cup chopped nuts – almonds in the recipe but you could use lightly toasted pignoli… the recipe suggests tossing with a bit of smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 425. Put a large sheet pan in the oven.

In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, 2 Tb honey, 1 Tb vinegar, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper

Add brussels sprouts to the dressing and toss to coat. (The recipe notes that you should keep the leaves that may have fallen off – they’ll get crisp in the roasting)

Put all the leaves and sprouts on the sheet pan, in an even layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, until just tender and they should char.

Prepare chile garnish: combine chile with 2 Tb vinegar, set aside.

Remove the sprouts from oven and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with 1 to 2 more TB honey, grate the zest of the orange over the sprouts. Top with nuts and spread the chile shreds over the sprouts (you can use the vinegar for a salad dressing or…)

Serve.

Notes from the Box 93: Chicken Lemon Soup (Avgolemono) with Rice -- 11/4/22

In the box, a welcome bag of lemons. In the past few days, a visit to Lavash Grill on New Street for the Rachel-Leah-Blumenthal-recommended Chicken Soup with Lemon. Rachel now writes for Boston Magazine and used to write for Eater, and I follow her anywhere.

This recipe is from Food and Wine, amended, as ever.

Chicken Lemon Soup with Rice

4 cups chicken stock or broth

Salt and pepper

2 cups cooked rice, at room temperature

3 large egg yolks

¼ cup or MORE freshly squeezed lemon juice

Leftover rotisserie or roast chicken, pulled and shredded

¼ cup fresh dill (but I used oregano that was still doing well on the deck)

Simmer the stock/broth and season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 cup of the hot stock to a blender or food processor. Add ½ of the rice, the egg yolks and lemon juice and puree til smooth. Stir the puree into the stock, add chicken and the rest of the rice and simmer carefully, not at a boil, until it just thickens – 5-8 minutes. Stir in the herbs. Serve.

NOTES from the Box 92: Fennel, pignoli, raisins and saffron: sicilian pasta -- 10/21/22

My big head of fennel and cool damp weather made me think pasta, this pasta.

Sicilian food shows Arab influences, and the combination of sweet raisins, pine nuts and saffron spells that out.

Sicilian fennel pasta

1/3 cup white wine or vermouth or sake

½ cup golden raisins

Large pinch saffron

4 Tb olive oil

1 tb fennel seed, pounded to release flavor

3 tb bread crumbs

Diced fennel, one large bulb, include the feathery leaves

1 medium onion, diced

4 anchovies, chopped

3 Tb pignoli, toasted lightly (watch: they burn quickly)

1 lb spaghetti or linguine

Heat wine in small saucepan, add raisins, saffron and set aside.

Heat half the olive oil in a skillet and add onion, fennel seed, cook til aromatic and then add fennel, anchovies. Cook spaghetti to taste, drain, saving ½ cup of cooking liquid. Add the cooking liquid to the skillet and simmer for about five minutes, then add spaghetti, remaining olive oil and stir to coat the pasta with the sauce ingredients. Serve with pignoli scattered on top.

Notes from the Box 91: A root vegetable soup with zing -- 10/14/22

Sometimes there are potatoes, sometimes sweet potatoes, sometimes leeks. I had saved up some of these but thought that I wanted a different sort of root soup – not heavy, not squashy, bright in taste. A friend sent me a recipe from the Sawyer Farm in Cummington, MA which seemed adaptable to my need for zing.

Very simple.

2 leeks, cleaned (there is often dirt between the leaves, so cut them almost through lengthwise, pull them open under running water, and feel for grit) chopped

3 Tb butter or oil

1 inch of ginger root (I used more; there is a lot in the box this week!)peel, dice small

3 medium white potatoes, peeled and diced

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 apples, peeled, cored, diced

2 quarts of stock or water

2 limes, grate the rind and squeeze juice

Salt and pepper

I tb cider vinegar

Chili flakes, the ones I use most often are Aleppo but you could use any, Korean, or Mexican tajin

Heat butter or oil in heavy kettle, add leeks and stir a little. Cook over medium heat til soft. You don’t want them to brown. Add ginger, stir in til you smell it. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples and stock or water. Simmer gently for about 40 minutes until everything is fork tender.

Cool about ten minutes. Then blend or process until smooth, in batches.

Stir in the lime rind and juice, and the vinegar.

Taste, add salt and pepper, add chili.

This is ready to eat but it is MUCH better sitting for a day in the fridge, or longer. And it freezes well.

Notes from the Box 90: Delicata Squash to Perfection -- 9/30/22

I love this squash, it is “delicate” but very great texture, especially when you roast the outside crisp and keep the inside creamy. I’m giving you the simplest recipe but you can imagine adding a bit of nutmeg, or a bit of chili flakes, or just keep it to pepper and salt. This is adapted from Serious Eats.

I had two delicata squash, so that’s what I’m using here.

2 medium delicata, washed and dried. Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out fibers and seeds and dry. Slice crosswise, in about 1-inch slices. For a vegan dish, use a vegetable oil instead of butter.

3 Tb butter, melted

2 Tb coconut milk

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix the squash slices with butter and coconut milk, salt and pepper. Toss carefully so that they don’t break.

Transfer to a sheet pan, leaving as much space as possible between the slices so that they caramelize instead of steaming.

Roast for about 12 minutes. Turn the slices with a pair of tongs and roast about ten minutes more, until they are browned.

Serve hot, room temperature or even cold. 

Notes from the Box 89: Melons in a Savory Mood -- 9/16/22

From last week I had a honeydew melon, this week a cantaloupe. Neither was very sweet. I’d saved half a honeydew, and took half the cantaloupe and thought, well, salad, and not my grandmother’s fruit salad.

Melon Salad

Half each a honeydew and cantaloupe, peeled and cubed

1 lemon, first zested, then juiced

2 Tb rice wine vinegar

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh herbs – what you have or still grow on your deck (mint, cilantro, tarragon, chives…)

Mix together lemon zest and juice, vinegar, chili flakes, sesame oil, sugar and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as you like.

Mix dressing with the cubed melon and garnish with lots of herbs.

Goes well with a broiled or roasted fish, or chicken.

Notes from the Box 88: Broccoli-rabe and sausage pasta -- 9/9/22

Getting to this late in the week, but very enthusiastic about this recipe. You can omit the sausage; it has a kick with lemon and red pepper flakes. Borrowed and changed from the New York Times recipe by Lidey Heuck. Serves 5.

1 ½ pounds of broccoli rabe chopped, tough stems thrown out

1 pound pasta, such as orecchiete

2 Tb olive oil

1 pound hot Italian sausage meat, or ground turkey (optional)

3 garlic cloves minced

½ cup dry white wine (or vermouth) or chicken stock

1 large can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 Tb butter

½ cup grated Parmesan and more for serving

1 lemon zested and juiced, use both

1 tb red pepper flakes

In a large pot of salted water at the boil, cook the broccoli rabe for three minutes, lift it out of the water immediately and run cold water over it to stop the cooking.

In the same pot of water, boiling again, cook the pasta as indicated on the package, drain, reserving one cup of pasta water.

In a large deep skillet heat the olive oil, add the sausage and stir, breaking it up, until browned. Add the garlic and cook a bit longer. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, a very short time.

Add broccoli rabe, chickpeas, red pepper flakes and salt to taste and cook for about three minutes. Add the pasta, the pasta water, and cook over low heat stirring for about two minutes. Remove from heat, add butter, Parmesan and lemon zest and juice. Serve in bowls with more Parmesan to sprinkle on top.

Notes from the Box 87: Labor Day Weekend 2022: Burmese Napa Recipes -- 9/2/22

This week’s box had a HUGE napa cabbage in it, so much that I thought first, “KIMCHI”! But then I thought of Naomi Duguid’s wonderful Burmese (Myanmar) cookbook, simply called “Burma” and remembered the wonderful dishes served by Lorna Chen and her husband, back in the late 1970s and early 1980s in their great restaurant, Mandalay, on Huntington Avenue.

Their Burmese fermented tea salad was super, and Chicken Khawsway and Mohinga and and and. The day after my son was born, Lorna had a huge Burmese banquet sent to the hospital, redolent with spices and garlic – the nurses were horrified – garlic! YOU cannot eat that, the baby will suffer! I did eat and no, he didn’t suffer unless you think a congenital love of garlic is a problem.

The napa recipes in Duguid’s book are many. I chose two, since there is a huge amount of napa in the box.

Cabbage-Shallot Refresher

A truly tangy refreshing salad to go with late summer grills. It’s more like a condiment

½ cup thinly sliced shallots

1 green chile, minced, could be jalapeno or stronger

1 tb fish sauce (I use Thai)

2 Tb fresh lime juice

2 cups really finely shredded napa

Combine first four ingredients and set aside for about an hour.

Add the cabbage and toss well. If it needs salt, add.

Smoky Napa Stir-fry

Very easy, very quick, a nice side dish with roast chicken or fish. Serves four.

¾ lb of napa, cut in 1-inch square pieces, put in a bowl of iced water to crisp and then drained

½ cup hot water

1 Tb oyster sauce

2 Tb peanut oil

¼ tsp turmeric

2 dried red chiles or about a Tb of chile flakes

1 medium shallot minced

1 Tb minced fresh ginger

Salt to taste

Add the oyster sauce to the hot water. Set aside.

In a large wok, heat the oil, and stir in the turmeric. Add chiles, shallot and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds. Raise heat to high, toss in chopped cabbage and salt, stirring to wilt the greens. After two minutes, add the oyster-sauce water. Boil for about 30 seconds to finish cooking the greens and to coat them with the other ingredients.

Can be served hot or at room temperature.

Notes from the Box 86: Elote, for when eating corn right out of the pot or off the grill is not enough. -- 8/12/22

Here it is August, mid-August though I don’t want to admit it. There was a strange paradox when I was up in Maine a week or so ago: I was in rural Maine where things grow, blueberries, corn, tomatoes, the things of August in my mind, but except for the top of Bald Mountain where they were copious, blueberries in the market were “from away” and not so great. Corn was miserable. Tomatoes were supermarket.

I get home and here they are, in an urban farmers’ market or in our Box, and they’re just great. I’ve eaten corn now almost every night that I’ve been home, right on the cob, no butter or salt, so good. But here are four more ears and I think, a recipe.

Elote is one of my favorite deeply messy things to eat – outdoors if possible. It’s a street food in L.A. and parts of Mexico and, taking a leaf from the recently departed Diana Kennedy’s books, I offer it to you and your porch, backyard or deck. Her versions often involve removing the kernels from the cobs and baking the elements together, topped with cheese. That's good too.

4 ears of corn, husked and silk removed

½ cup of Mexican crema OR Japanese Kewpie mayo, or crème fraiche

Tajin or “magic salt” or red chili flakes

Grated Monterey jack or medium cheddar

2 limes, cut in half

Heat your grill or a cast iron grill pan on the stove. Make sure eaters are nearby; these should be eaten as soon as they’re done.

Grill the corn, turning to char on all sides

Put the cream or mayo on a flat platter and roll the corn in it to coat. Roll in cheese, sprinkle with chili and squeeze lime over it all. Eat immediately!

Notes from the Box 85: Grilled Zucchini with Ottolenghi’s cardamom-tomato sauce -- 7/15/22

This is from the Sunday NYT – tomorrow’s!

I’m just back from a working holiday in France and England, when, in London, I had breakfast with Yotam Ottolenghi, always a favorite friend, cook and recipe conjurer. And as luck and the box would have it, there are zucchini (aren’t there almost always?) to use, subbing them into Yotam’s recipe of the week. He uses cucumbers. You could, but here are the zucchini! And I’ve changed things slightly.

First the sauce/dressing:

A cup of cherry tomatoes

5 TB olive oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 Tsp light/white miso paste

8 cardamom pods, seeds crushed roughly in mortar w pestle

1 tsp Aleppo or medium chili flakes

Salt and pepper

Lime to squeeze

Put all but the lime in a skillet with a lid. Heat over medium flame to bubbling. Turn down heat and cover, stirring occasionally as it cooks for about fifteen minutes. Stir in lime juice and set aside.

4 zucchini

1 Tb olive oil

Salt and pepper

Ball of mozzarella, torn roughly into shreds.

Parsley or coriander

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, then in half across. Put the slices in a bowl and toss with the oil and salt and pepper. Heat the grill very very hot. If you have a stove top grill pan, you can use that. What you want is intense heat that creates those grill marks but you don’t want to cook the zucchini til it’s too soft. Grill first on cut side, three minutes max, then 1-2 minutes on the skin side. Transfer to the tomato/sauce pan and stir so they get coated. Sprinkle the torn mozzarella and green herb on top and serve.

(serves four people as a side….)

Notes from the Box 84: Shishito Peppers, straight from the Izakaya Cookbook -- 6/17/22

That large bag of shishitos may have confounded people, but they’re an excellent snack for a bbq or a side dish for a grilled fish or … they are great in a lunchbox too. You could have them with scrambled eggs too…

These small peppers are usually very mild. I say “usually” as I don’t want to get in trouble if there’s one that makes your mouth tingle. They are really wonderful snacks with a beer, simply grilled and salted. And that’s all you need to do.

Shishitos, picked over. Don’t remove the stem.

Soy sauce (please use good shoyu – Kikkoman is just about everywhere and you can get other good shoyu at Maruichi in Arlington Heights or Coolidge Corner)

Kosher salt (you can get fancy salts, like Hawaiian red salt, or Japanese salt mixed with nori seaweed bits, but you don’t need them)

Bamboo skewers soaked for about an hour in water (keeps them from burning)

Skewer the shishitos, brush them with soy sauce and place on a medium hot grill. You can do this on the stove too, on a cast iron griddle or heavy pan, just make sure it’s very hot. Turn them to create grill marks on all sides. When they’re just beginning to collapse a bit remove them to a serving dish and toss with salt.

A bowl of these is a welcome snack at an izakaya (a bar featuring food along with the drinks), along with your cold beer. I’m grilling tonight outdoors, on this strangely cold evening.

But you could also make wonderful tempura with these shishito. Dip in tempura batter and fry, two or three at a time, in hot oil, drain on paper towels and eat, snacking or as a part of a larger tempura meal.

A link to a good batter recipe:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/tempura-batter-recipe-2031529 Paragraph

Notes from the Box 83: Kale Puree, derived from April Bloomfield -- 6/10/22

April Bloomfield is a chef in England who really knows her greens. (See her A Girl and Her Greens, a great cookbook especially for you who now have barrows full of garden greens)

I had not only a large bunch of kale but also green tops of hakurei turnips, green tops of carrots, and a huge armload of onion greens, so, ignoring the ingredient list as usual, I added all that to this very easy recipe. I froze a lot and used some immediately on penne pasta. This is like pesto but not. Smoother, more unctuous (in a good way).

5 cloves garlic, peeled

Lots of greens, as above, especially kale – minimum I’d say five or six cups worth (take the stems off the kale – Bloomfield says hold the end of the stem with one hand and using thumb and index finger of the other, swoop up the stem removing the leaves – but I used a sharp knife)

Flaky salt

½ cup olive oil (or adjust as you process the greens, you may want more or less)

Put the garlic in a large pot, fill to half with water, cover, bring to boil, add salt to taste, then all the greens, pushing them down to submerge. Cook uncovered until greens are tender but haven’t lost their brightness, about three minutes.

Drain in a colander, roughly chop the whole mixture, garlic too. Place in a food processor. Pulse, or stop and start, to push down the sides and stir occasionally. Add the oil and continue to process, to a smooth puree. Taste and salt.

There you are. Can keep in fridge for four or five days or freeze extra.

Tip for meat eaters: I sauteed a cup or so of sausage meat and added it to the pasta with the puree. MMMMMMM

Notes from the Box 82: Broccoli Rabe My Way -- 6/3/22

At first, I wasn’t sure that the very large bag of greens wasn’t a smooth-leaved kale or another “dark leafy green” but it showed itself in hidden flowerets. This is my favorite way of eating this, a little debittered by being blanched, and made powerfully aromatic with lemon and garlic.

Large bunch of broccoli rabe, trimmed, cut into two-inch pieces

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

One lemon in wedges

3 Tb olive oil – for this, I like the more pungent dark green kinds I can get at the Armenian shops in Watertown

½ tsp or MORE red pepper flakes(again, Watertown, Aleppo chili flakes)

½ tsp salt

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Plunge the broccoli rabe into the water, cook for one minute, lift into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Dry on sheets of paper or cloth towels.

In large skillet, heat oil and saute garlic til brown but not burned. Add red pepper flakes, cook another minute. Add the broccoli rabe and salt, toss and saute two or three minutes.

Serve with lemon.

This is a perfect side for a roast chicken or salmon.

Notes 'away' from the Box 81 -- 5/31/22

 I missed getting a box this busy week; graduations, paper deadlines and family visits. But I know there are blueberries everywhere and I expect there were in the box, or will be soon. So today, this clear coolish day, I have a blueberry pie in the oven. I know you have a recipe but I’ll give mine with some tweaks on the usual.

First, the crust is Julia Child’s pate brisee sucree, a sugar crust.

Second, the blueberries are scented with some fresh lavender and some grated lime rind. That part of the recipe is from Judy Rodgers’ wonderful Zuni Café Cookbook.

Blueberry Pie for a bright last day of May

2 cups flour

4 Tb sugar

1/8 tsp (two pinches) baking powder

7 Tb very cold butter or 4 butter, 3 vegetable shortening

1 egg beaten with a bit of water

Put flour, sugar, baking powder into food processor, add fats.

Whirl until the mixture is granular-lumpy, add egg and water and then gather into a ball on a piece of parchment paper. Roll out ¾ of it and place in a pie dish. Put in the freezer and chill the remaining dough. You can chill the dough for about thirty minutes before proceeding. Or so.

Preheat oven to 375.

4 cups blueberries

Grated rind of one lime

1 tsp chopped fresh lavender leaves if you have them, or mint, or nothing

½ cup sugar

2 Tb flour plus 1 Tb cornstarch

Mix sugar and cornstarch together and toss the blueberries in the mixture. Add lavender and lime.

Roll out remaining dough and cut into strips for a lattice topping.

Put blueberries in pie shell and top with strips in any design you like. You can now sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar OR, my preference, brush strips with egg beaten with a bit of water.

Bake for half hour at 375, then lower to 350 and if browned, cover with foil and bake at 350 for another 30 minutes until bubbly.

Let cool. I’m serving with Toscanini’s orange/saffron kulfi tonight. Now it’s time to take it out of the oven…

Notes from the Box 80 -- 5/20/22

I lost my computer at Rejklavik Airport and it’s not yet home, so I have lost track of where we are in weeks of boxes, but if this is my recipe #81 (note it is recipe 80, and changed by editor, me, but since I am not an editor I don't know proper notation), it comes very opportunely this weekend….

There was a large bag of limes today in my box, for which I am hugely grateful as we head into record-breaking heat this weekend. And what better use than for mojitos? You know them, you make them, so this is the time – and it takes me back to when I was 17 and having lunch with the freshly “minted” (pun intended) leader of the Cuban revolution. You’ll have to ask for that story. We didn’t have mojitos, it was the Harvard Faculty Club and I was underage.

Mojitos for Two

3 oz white rum (use whatever is on your shelf)

20 leaves of fresh mint (if you need some, write to me, it’s coming up in my deck box)

1 lime, cut into six wedges

4 Tb Simple syrup (sugar/water 1:1) cooled (or to taste)

Seltzer or soda water as needed

Using a muddler or just the handle of a wooden spoon, in a mortar or a sturdy bowl, mash the mint and 3 lime wedges to release all their flavor. Divide between two tall glasses, add 2 Tb simple syrup to each, the rest of the lime and 1/5 oz rum per glass and stir, mashing the added limes against the sides of the glass. Top up with the seltzer/soda. Sit back and forget the heat. Adelante!

Notes from the Box: Week 79, Garlic-lemon Kale Chips -- 4/15/22

Time for something that’s fun to make and eat. This comes with a dip but the dip isn’t necessary. This was derived from a Food Network recipe, by Nancy Fuller. It’s almost warm enough for drinks on the porch…. And this could be a #2 Passover Night treat too….

1 bunch kale, stemmed and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces

2 tsps grated lemon zest

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

2 tb olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Place kale on a baking sheet, spread out. Sprinkle on lemon, garlic, salt and pepper and oil. Toss to coat evenly. Bake for about twenty minutes or until crisp. Stir the chips around a bit in the middle of baking.

Cool chips.

Dip:

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup buttermilk or Greek yoghurt

1 tsp lemon juice

Cumin to taste, smoked paprika to taste, salt and pepper ditto

Mix all ingredients together and set aside for flavors to mingle, about an hour.

Notes from the Box Week 78: Asparagus with Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette -- 4/1/22

Back from meetings in Hawaii (yes, really, I was in meetings), I yearn for the flavors and so, when asparagus appeared in the box this week, I dressed it with something I’d had back there last week…

Asparagus with Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette (very freely adapted from J.Kenji Lopez-Alt)

1 pound asparagus (or bunch), tough ends trimmed

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup of diced sweet onion

2 tb soy sauce

1 tb rice wine vinegar

2 tb white miso paste

2 tb sesame oil

2 tb black sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet

1 tsp sugar

Steam asparagus til just tender enough. My test: hold the stem end of one to see how far the tip dips down, and if it tips to about two inches from your fingers, it’s ready. Still should be bright green and never mushy.

Mix all the vinaigrette ingredients well and pour over the asparagus. This is best at room temperature.

Notes from the Box 77: Asparagus soup with lemon and parmesan -- 3/18/22

Spring is here, really it is. Asparagus, strawberries (not in this box but available)! You could simply make a hollandaise, steam the asparagus and eat on buttered toast with good pepper and a glass of white, but why not soup for a cool spring evening?

This is derived, with some editing, from “Once Upon a Chef”, an online blog by Jenn Segal.

2 bunches of asparagus, about 2 pounds, trim off the ends

3 Tb butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed

6 cups of broth or stock, veg or not

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice from one large lemon (I would first grate the rind and use that too)

½ cup shredded parmesan

Fresh herbs for garnish, and they MIGHT just be coming up in the deck planter…

Melt the butter in a large heavy pot, add onions and garlic and stir occasionally, cooking over medium heat until soft and translucent. DO NOT BROWN.

Cut the tips off the asparagus and save. Chop the stalks into ½ in pieces.

Add chopped stalks to the pot, with broth or stock, some pepper. Bring to a simmer, turn heat down and simmer til asparagus is tender – 15-20 mins.

In a small sauce pot, heat water to boiling and add the tips, just for a minute or two, and drain and run cold water over them. They shouldn’t change color.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a food processor (remember not to cover the processor completely with hot liquid inside….) until smooth. Bring soup back to a simmer, taste for salt, stir in lemon rind, lemon juice and parmesan.Taste again.

Ladle into bowls, top with asparagus tips and some more parmesan and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

You can freeze this!

Notes from the Box 76 – Signs of Spring in the Snow: Strawberry Mousse -- 2/25/22

A quart of strawberries in the box yesterday and some cream in the fridge…something for the snow day, looking forward to better… Adapted from Silver Palate…

1 envelope gelatin

2 Tb cold water

Grated zest of lemon

Juice of same lemon

1 qt strawberries, cleaned, hulled and quartered

2 Tb cassis and or same of Cointreau or other orange liqueur

2 egg yolks

3 Tb sugar

2 cups heavy cream

Combine gelatin and water and set aside for at least 5 min

Mix berries and liqueur(s) and set aside for at least 5 mins

Stir lemon juice and zest into gelatin mixture.

Heat gelatin mixture to boil, then turn off, set to cool to room temp.

Combine egg yolks and sugar and whisk til pale and thick. Cook in double boiler or place in heatproof bowl over simmering water and whisk to thickened. Add gelatin mixture. Set aside to cool.

Whirl berries in processor to a puree, fold into cooled egg custard. 

Whip the cream to soft peaks, fold into the berry-custard mixture and put in individual wine glasses or a nice big glass bowl. Let set in refrigerator.

You could decorate with mint, but it’s very pretty as is.

Notes from the Box 75: Roasted smoky sweet potatoes in coconut milk -- 2/18/22

There are so many ways to roast sweet potatoes; their natural sweetness is heightened by roasting. I’ve borrowed/stolen some of this recipe from Melissa Clark at the New York Times, but I kept adding other things, and hers is coconut OIL not milk.

These are good with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and with a salad and some fruit could be supper. But with a grilled chicken this will be tomorrow’s supper here.

·        ½ cup canned, unsweetened coconut milk, or more if the potatoes dry out as they roast.

·        1 ¾ pounds sweet potatoes, washed, don’t peel, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

·        ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

·        ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp Baharat or curry powder

1 tsp fenugreek

1 tb smoked paprika

1.   Preheat oven to 350.

2.   Mix coconut milk and spices in a large bowl and toss the sweet potatoes to coat.

3.   Place on a baking sheet and roast for about an hour, or until the potatoes are pierce-able. They should be a little crisp on the outside, soft inside.

4.   Salt to taste.New Paragraph

Notes from the Box 74: Candied/crystalized citrus peel for now and later -- 2/11/22

This is definitely high citrus season. Variety as at no other time – blood oranges, kumquats, mandarins, clementines, grapefruit – so I’m eating maybe six a day, and saving the rind in a bag in the fridge until this weekend. In addition to what was in the box, I had a huge box sent from California, so this is what I am doing. Very very easy.

These keep a long time, but will be great just now when we want all the sun we can get! Some people dip them in chocolate. That’s good, but not necessary!

Candied Citrus Peel

The peel of four or more citrus fruit (using a variety right now) – amounting to about two cups of sliced peel, cut in thin strips, with membrane removed but not the white “lining”

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

½ cup sugar for coating

Boil sugar and water to dissolve. Add the peel and simmer for ten minutes or until translucent and tender. Allow to cool a while in syrup.

Drain on wire racks for at least an hour

Toss with ½ cup sugar and let dry further.

You can chop into a cake batter, dice and top ice cream with them, add to a vodka or gin drink…

Notes from the Box Week 73: Smashed Potatoes with Chili Crisp -- 2/4/22

This week’s recipe combines a stand-by, smashed roasted potatoes, good also with parmesan roasted onto them in the last step as Ina Garten does, but here I’m going to add the year’s favorite condiment, chili crisp. Make a lot of it as it keeps in a jar in the fridge for… weeks.

1 lb. small red potatoes, scrubbed

Ground black pepper, about 1 tsp

Kosher salt

3 tb olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.

Put potatoes into a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until you can pierce them easily. Drain and pat dry.

Cover a roasting sheet or pan with the olive oil. Put the potatoes on it and with a heavy mug or other heavy object or even just the heel of your hand, smash each one to make a nice round patty, rough-edged but coherent. Turn in the olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with black pepper and salt. Roast until they are crisp on the edges. Toss with a few tablespoons of chili crisp and put more on the table to add at will.

Chili Crisp

½ cup dried onion (I mince a large onion into ½ inch bits and dry it slowly in a 200 degree oven for an hour or so, until just barely browned and a little crisp. You can also buy dried shallot slices in jars in Vietnamese and Korean shops)

2 Tb canola oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced thin

½ tsp sugar

Salt to taste

4 tb dried chili flakes

4 cloves garlic, sliced thin

3 Tb sesame seeds

½ tsp Szechuan brown peppercorns, roughly pounded in mortar or in a spice mill – or leave whole.

Combine onion, garlic and oil in small saucepan and cook, stirring or at least watching carefully for a few minutes. The onion and garlic shouldn’t brown too much. Add sugar, chili, sesame seeds and Szechuan peppercorn and simmer at low heat for five minutes. Set aside to cool. Salt to taste. It’s best after a few hours, but it can be used right away. 

Notes from the Box: Week 72, the Lunar New Year is Broccoli, Tofu and Noodles -- 1/28/22

Writing from the blizzard but amply supplied with what’s needed. Glad Thistle decided to close today and keep the staff safe. The lunar new year is upon us, and I did get a freezer-load of frozen dumplings, and some fresh wheat noodles. And here’s broccoli in the box!

The classic thing is to sit with one’s family at a table folding and pinching dumplings with various fillings, but my “classic” is to buy them frozen and panfry-steam them and make a dipping sauce. (recipe available on request). My favorite source has been Mr. Wang’s on Broadway near Magoun Square, Somerville, but he’s closed for renovations and I’m crossing fingers that he reopens soon. But there are dumplings at H Mart, at Maruichi, and possibly at Qingdao on Mass. Ave.

And to have noodles is also a New Year’s requirement among some – the length of the noodle indicating “long life” and the various sauces, deliciousness. On Monday, I will make a ma po doufu style sauce for the noodles, remembering Joyce Chen’s “Peking Noodles” but for the Box, it will be the broccoli-tofu stir-fry to mingle with the noodles.

Note: I realize fully that my version is only my version, that I have no cultural ancestry to claim for authenticity, and that I might well be accused of cultural appropriation. We all now eat each other’s food, and love it, and adapt/adopt it. I tell my students that if it is their grandmother’s recipe, it has authority because we all respect our grandmothers, but food is and always has been changing… enough, already, as my grandmother would say.

新年好 !!!

Broccoli-Tofu Noodles

1 bag of fresh wheat noodles (often found frozen, you can get udon, soba or Chinese or Korean noodles)

1 large head broccoli, cut into small flowerets, peel thick stems and slice

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tb vegetable oil

Bell pepper, red or green, diced (I leave it out but it’s good for color)

1/3 cup vegetable or chicken stock

3 Tb soy sauce

1 Tb dry sherry, sake, or Chinese cooking wine

2 tsp cornstarch

1 pad firm tofu, cut into ½ inch dice

Dry roasted cashews, in pieces

Chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

Steam broccoli: stems first for three minutes, then add flowerets and steam another three minutes, set aside.

In a wok or large frying pan, fry the garlic in the olive oil til just turning color. Add bell pepper if using and fry for about four minutes.

Mix together broth, soy sauce, wine and cornstarch to dissolve.

Add to the skillet/wok and stir to coat all vegetables. Add tofu and toss lightly, not to break it up too much.

Serve with noodles and top with cashews. If you have fresh coriander, that can be added now

Notes from the Box 71: Harissa Roast Potatoes with Confit Garlic -- 1/14/22

Borrowed from Yotam Ottolenghi, Simple, a wonderful cookbook.

I borrowed but gave myself a lot of freedom to use what I have rather than strictly following the ingredient list. Today was a very very cold day; walked out at 3 degrees this morning and went out again only to mail a letter. But I’ve been cooking like this on warmer days during this difficult time, willing my substitutions in recipes to work. In this one, if you have harissa, use it, but I made a sweet-spicy mixture instead with the remains of a jar of chili-fig jam plus a bit of Sriracha and some olive oil. And I’d run out of caraway so I used Curio Spice Shop’s Kampot – a great mixture of herbs, Cambodian pepper and Maine salt. You get it.

2 large heads of garlic, cloves peeled

½ cup of oil or bacon fat or duck or goose fat if you have those wonderful things

Bunch of rosemary and thyme

7 yellow potatoes

2 tsp caraway seeds, lightly smashed

2 Tb harissa or make up your own spicy, herbaceous mixture as I did

Preheat oven to 350. In a small ovenproof pan put the garlic cloves, oil or fat, and herbs and cover it. Bake for about 30 minutes or until garlic is soft and caramelized. Remove and set aside.

Bring to a boil a pot of water and add the potatoes. Boil about ten minutes, til half-cooked. Drain and set aside.

Heat oven to 400.

Toss potatoes with some oil from the confit, the caraway seeds, the “harissa” and some salt as desired.

Tip the potatoes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for about 30 minutes until crispy-edged. Stir in the confit garlic mixture and put back in the oven to crisp for about 10 minutes.



Notes from the Box 70 and Happy New Year! Stuffed Acorn Squash or a meal-in-a-“bowl” -- 1/7/2022

Welcome to the 2022 Box and here’s to keeping the stove warm with good things! I have two small acorn squashes in my box today and thought, well, a warming and edible bowl would work. This recipe is very flexible: you can substitute almost any rice or couscous or other grain, add meat or not, add other vegetables or not.

Acorn Squash “Bowls”

Acorn squashes (2 if large will serve four, if small, two)

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 cup brown rice

4 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)

½ pound ground chicken or pork (optional)

2 cups shredded kale

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

3 Tb chopped preserved lemon OR 1 Tb grated lemon rind and the juice of one lemon

1 tsp Aleppo pepper (optional)

Olive oil

½ cup yoghurt

Preheat oven to 425.

Cut squashes in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds. Brush with olive oil and place open side down in roasting pan. Bake for thirty minutes. Remove and set aside. Cook rice in stock until “al dente” – it should be a little resistant to the teeth. Drain if there is remaining liquid.

In a skillet heat 2 Tb olive oil and saute garlic til golden, then add ground meat if being used and cook til color changes and add kale to cook until it wilts and is soft. Add cumin and salt and Aleppo pepper if you like. Remove from heat and add lemon. Lower oven heat to 350. Mix rice and the vegetable (and meat) mixture. Stuff each squash half with the stuffing and place in roasting pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the squash is tender. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt on top.

NOT from the Box: A cookie anyone can make! Butter nut cookies -- 12/24/21

These are simple and quite delicious. I used to make them for catered meals and they’re in my cookbook, Cooking for Crowds… They can be done last minute, so if you’ve got people coming between the holidays, these are perfect.

Nothing from the box, this time, but Happy Holidays!

2 C flour

½ C sugar

½ tsp salt

½ lb unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla

Medium-ground pecans and almonds (walnuts if you like)

Confectioner’s sugar for dipping

Pre-heat oven to 350

Mix everything but the confectioner’s sugar in a big bowl, best with your hands, til thoroughly mixed. Form small balls (walnut-sized) and place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper, about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake for about 15 minutes. They shouldn’t brown much. Take out of oven and let cool for ten minutes. Roll in confectioner’s sugar and let them cool. Keep in air-tight container.

Good with ice cream or fruit!



Notes from the Box 69 Sweet Potato Poutine (adapted from Food Network) -- 12/10/21

I know, poutine is not on the top of the healthy food list. But it could be the comfort food for a rainy day like today. And with sweet potatoes in abundance in this week’s box, and with a student paper in my food anthropology course focused on the culture and history of poutine, it felt like convergence. Apparently the dish has been vilified by Anglo Canadians and revered as identity food by Quebecois, and has no “official” version since, like nachos and pizza, virtually anything can go on top of the “fries”. This recipe bakes, not fries.

4 large or 6 small sweet potatoes, sliced into ¼ to ½ inch “fries” and soaked in ice water for one hour.

3 Tb unsalted butter

2 Tb flour

1 Tb olive oil

3 shallots chopped finely

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 cups stock (can be vegetable but usually beef)

2 Tb fresh thyme, chopped

Minced fresh parsley

3 Tb canola oil

2 cups cheese curds (or crumbled mild feta or crumbled queso fresco)

Heat a sauce pan and add butter, stir til melted and add flour. Whisk while the flour begins to brown to a dark amber. Remove from heat.

Saute shallots in olive oil in a different pan. Add salt and pepper.

Add stock and simmer to reduce for about 15 minutes.

Stir in the roux (butter/flour mixture) and whisk til smooth, cooking to thicken for about five more minutes.

Heat oven to 425. Dry the sweet potatoes on dishtowels. Place on baking sheets and toss with canola oil to cover each completely. Bake for fifteen minutes, watching so they don’t burn. They should be slightly browned. Remove from oven. Lower temperature to 350. Let the potatoes cool, then return to oven for 10 minutes to crisp. Taste to see if they’re cooked through. Reheat the gravy.

Put “fries” on a platter, top with cheese curds and drizzle with gravy. Sprinkle with parsley.

Notes from the Box 68: A recipe from a recent trip – kale and cannellini beans -- 12/3/21

First time on a plane since January 2020 took me to Philadelphia two days ago. Philadelphia! It was as exciting as going to Tokyo! Wow. My host at the University of Pennsylvania took me to amazing restaurants. One, last night, was Filippo Palizzi Social Club and there’s nothing like it anywhere except in Godfather movies. You have to be a member. There’s a hooked window in the door that they open when you knock and you prove that you’re a member in good standing (aka wise guy) and then they let you in. Sometimes you pay the host a little extra (he takes you to the alley next to the building to receive the tip) to get seated sooner. The food is fantastic. Italian American food in your dreams. My host gave me the club cookbook which is also sumptuous. So, fresh from Philly, here’s one of the dishes we had.

Escarole and Beans but made with Kale and suffering a few changes from the original

For six people

2 cans of cannellini beans, drained

2 Tb olive oil

½ onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves

1 carrot, 1 celery rib, chopped

1 chili, a dried arbol or other, chopped

1 bay leaf, fresh sage, fresh rosemary, parsley and oregano

“30 cracks of black pepper” (I like the direction – 30 twists of the mill)

Heat the olive oil in a large kettle. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery and the chili. Heat, stirring, over medium heat til everything browns and softens a bit. Add beans, herbs and pepper (and salt to taste) and a cup of water. Simmer for five minutes, then turn off heat and let cool to room temperature. Can be done day or two ahead.

5-6 cups of chopped fresh kale

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 chili, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 cups water

In a large skillet heat olive oil, add garlic and chili. Stir as garlic begins to brown a little, then add kale, salt and water. Cover the pot and cook til tender, 30 to 40 minutes, over low heat. Make sure there’s always water in the bottom of the pot and stir occasionally. .

For serving:

More olive oil

Red pepper flakes

Chopped parsley

Grated parmesan

Grilled bread (theirs was semolina-sesame).

Heat up the beans and the kale mixture together, with red pepper until soupy. Put in bowls and garnish with parmesan, chopped parsley and drizzle with olive oil. Scoop up with spoon and pieces of grilled bread. And don’t tell them I subbed kale for escarole….

Notes from the Box 67: Sugar Frosted Grapes! Friday before Thanksgiving 11/19/21

Since many of you are cooking this coming week, and doing some rather time-consuming dishes, you might want something really easy; something a five year old in your house might easily do. I am available for Thanksgiving advice if you want to write to me: corky@bu.edu

Décor for your Thanksgiving table, and fun for all.

At least 40 grapes, green or purple or both

1/3 cup egg whites, about 2 eggs worth

½ tsp lemon juice

1 cup granulated sugar, or enough sugar to coat the grapes you are using.

Freeze the grapes on a baking sheet for at least three hours, then put them in a Ziploc bag and keep in freezer til needed. You can keep them frozen for a week or so.

Beat the egg whites lightly. Mix with lemon juice. Add grapes to eggwhites and toss to cover completely. Drain and dry slightly on paper towels. Then place sugar in bowl and toss the grapes in that to coat. Shake off excess. You can refreeze them at this point, or serve in a glass bowl. I’ve done it just with a bit of water and lemon juice, if you’d rather not use raw egg white.

Eat them while they’re still frozen. They’d be nice alongside much richer desserts, or with a cheese platter. New Paragraph

Notes from the Box 66: Fennel Two Ways -- 11/12/21

Fennel is a wonderful upper for a salad and a great roast vegetable too. Here I’ll offer two salad ways of making it. It provides crunch and a light anise flavor. These would be good at a Thanksgiving dinner as a light option.

Fennel-apple salad

One large fennel bulb shredded very fine. If you have a mandoline, use that to make nearly translucent slices, or cut in slivers with a sharp knife. Save the fronds.

1 Tb kosher salt

3 Tb rice wine vinegar

2 Tb light flavored olive oil

1 tsp honey

2 Fuji apples or Galas, sliced in half, cored, and sliced thin, tossed with

2 Tb lemon juice

Mix fennel shreds with salt and set aside for one hour to wilt. Drain and rinse, and pat dry on a towel.

Mix vinegar, olive oil and honey together and toss fennel,apple slices and dressing together.

Garnish with some fennel fronds, and serve.

Fennel with ginger, golden beets and feta

One large fennel bulb, prepared as above salted as above and set aside

3 medium golden beets, roasted til just tender, cooled and peeled, cut in thin sticks.

1 Tb finely minced ginger root

1 Tb honey

3 Tb rice wine vinegar

½ cup crumbled feta

Mix ginger, vinegar and honey, salt to taste

Toss beets, fennel and dressing together, and sprinkle feta on top.

Notes from the Box 65: Grapefruit yoghurt cake -- 11/5/21

This is adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Ina Garten who… found it in the mists of history… You always give credit, but it can become your own, with only a small change. Recipes are not “owned” but merely passed on, like those fancy watches advertised in the New Yorker.

1 ½ cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup whole milk yoghurt

¾ cup sugar

3 large eggs

The zest of one large grapefruit

½ tsp vanilla

½ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup freshly squoze grapefruit juice

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tb freshly squoze grapefruit juice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease standard loaf pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, grease and flour again.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together yoghurt, eggs, sugar, zest of grapefruit, vanilla. Add dries to wets. Fold vegetable oil into the batter. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 40-50 mins, until a tester comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook together the 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and a TB of sugar to dissolve sugar, set aside.

Allow cake to rest in pan for ten minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack over a plate. Drizzle the grapefruit sugar mixture over it and allow to soak as the cake cools.

Make the glaze by combining powdered sugar and grapefruit juice and pour over cooled cake.

The cake is very good right away but even better the next day.

Notes from the Box 64: Thai Red Curry Butternut Squash Soup -- 10/29/21

All those adorable Shmoo-like butternut squashes in the box this week, led me to Joanne Chang’s and Chris Myers’ Myers and Chang Cookbook, and this recipe, tangy and spicy and coconutty and lovely for the next cool night.

Thai Red Curry Butternut Squash Soup

2 Tb butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 Tb fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine

1 Tb (or more!) Thai red curry paste (available at WF, at Pemberton, etc)

1 ½ lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch cubes

1 stalk lemongrass (a friend just sent me a photo of her freshly harvested lemongrass, so I will use this means to petition for some…), peeled and cut into 4 inch pieces.

1 can coconut milk

Grated zest of two limes

2 Tb freshly squeezed lime juice

1 Tb sugar (optional)

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander for garnish

Melt the butter in a large heavy pot, add onion, ginger and stir til onion is translucent. Add the squash and 2 C water, and cook about fifteen minutes. Add the lemongrass, coconut milk and lime zest. Simmer for about 20 minutes, then take out lemongrass and discard. Season with lime juice, sugar and salt. Puree in a food processor til smooth. Adjust to taste. Garnish with coriander. Can be frozen.

Notes from the Box 63: Eggplant, tomatoes and feta-compli! -- 10/22/21

This is one of those do-ahead and it-only-gets-better dishes. It can also be non-vegetarian but it’s hard to make it vegan and do without the feta, though maybe if you added some mushrooms…

1 large eggplant or two smaller ones, in one inch dice

2 lbs of Roma tomatoes, prepared as I almost always do, sliced lengthwise and the seed and pulp scooped out

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Fresh thyme

Balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup dry red wine

3 inch square of feta, crumbled (I get French feta at Sevan on Mt. Auburn in Watertown, though others will be fine too)

1 package fettuccine

1 cup chopped parsley

Line two large baking sheets with aluminum foil and preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with salt and pepper and olive oil, enough to coat it.

Place on one baking sheet and put in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, and about midway through, toss the eggplant so it cooks evenly.

In the same large bowl place the tomato halves and toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper as well. Place on the other baking sheet and add them to the oven.

When all are soft and browned, remove from oven.

In a large heavy casserole or dutch oven, put the garlic and a bit of olive oil and saute until slightly browned. Add tomatoes and eggplant, red wine and some balsamic vinegar and thyme. Cover and simmer slowly for about twenty minutes until flavors meld.

If serving right away, set aside while you boil the fettuccine according to package directions.

Drain, toss with vegetables and the crumbled feta, and top with chopped parsley.

Serves about four as a main dish.

Notes from the Box 62: Gan-bian Si-Ji-Dou (Dry-fried green beans) -- 10/15/21

From my all-time favorite Chinese cookbook, The Good Food of Szechwan, by Robert Delfs, with of course some emendations to conform to what I have in the house.

You too can make changes – or go to a good Chinese market and load up on the ingredients useful for so many dishes.

1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, topped and tailed, washed and dried. Cut into 2-3 inch pieces.

3-4 dried shrimp (or you can use shrimp paste or Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce – or none, if this will be vegetarian or vegan)

2 Tb Sichuan (Szechwan) pickled vegetables. Worth getting a jar and keeping it in the refrigerator for many other dishes, OR, but don’t tell, substituting kimchi.

¼ pound pork chopped fine (optional if making this vegetarian)

4 scallions, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

½ to 1 cup canola or other vegetable oil

For the “seasonings”:

3 Tb light soy sauce

2 Tb dry sherry or sake, or light vermouth

1 ½ tsps. Sugar

1 tsp salt

3 Tb water

2 Tb sesame oil

Mix the “seasonings” in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat ½ cup oil in a wok or large skillet until really hot. Add the green beans, a handful at a time so they brown, getting wrinkled and almost soft. Remove and repeat until all beans are browned. Reheat the wok and add the pork, stirring til it’s beginning to brown. Add the Szechwan pickled vegetable, the garlic and the chopped dried shrimp or other fermented fish product. Add the green beans back into the mixture and continue to cook over high heat, stirring. Add water if the mixture is too dry. Add the seasonings after about a minute. Keep stirring, and add in the scallion at the end. The seasonings should adhere to the beans and there should be no liquid at the bottom. Serve hot.

Notes from the Box 61: Cauliflower Mascarpone “mash” -- 10/8/21

I have made this three times this fall already. A friend recommended it and I’ve spun it several ways. Basically it is a blank slate – you can write anything on it, preferably with lots of mascarpone and butter, but then those are always good things for writing… You could sprinkle with my favorite Aleppo flaky chili, or lots and lots of fresh herbs beyond the chives this calls for, and then there are drizzles. Just olive oil will do, or maybe white balsamic…

1 head cauliflower, divided into small flowerets

4 Tb olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 Tb mascarpone, at room temp

3 Tb butter at room temperature also

Fresh chives, chopped or other herbs or drizzles or sprinkles as above.

Heat oven to 425 and toss the cauliflower with a couple of Tb of olive oil. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for about 39 minutes until lightly browned and soft enough. Put in a food processor with mascarpone and butter and whirl til smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Put in a serving dish and top with chosen toppings.

It is vegetarian, keto and just good.

4-5 servings depending on the size of the cauliflower.

Notes from the Box 60 Butternut Squash Risotto -- 10/1/21

Chilly morning – thinking soup. This one is easy, and there’s a perfect butternut squash in my box. I adapted this (I never leave anything alone) from the New York Times, from Martha Rose Shulman, whose stuff always works even if you mess with it!

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, chunked into 1 inch dice

2 Tb olive oil

Chicken or vegetable stock – about six cups

1 onion chopped

4 garlic cloves minced

Salt as wanted

1.5 cups Arborio or any short grain risotto-potential rice (you can also use sushi rice)

½ cup dry white wine (optional)

1 tsp mixed fresh herbs (sage is good but so are oregano, thyme and whatever is still out there on my deck)

2 oz grated parmesan, probably ½ cup

Parsley or more of the herbs you added earlier

Roast the squash on a baking sheet, having tossed them with one tbl of the olive oil, at 425 for about 40 mins until tender and browned.

Simmer the stock in a saucepan.

Heat the remaining oil in a large deep nonstick skillet or saucepan. Add onion, cook, stirring to soften and become translucent. Add garlic, salt and some of the squash, up to ½. Cook til everything is tender and the garlic smells good. Add the rice, and cook stirring to keep the grains from clumping. Stir in wine if using. When it’s evaporated, add a ladle of stock and stir, cooking til it evaporates, and keep repeating, stirring, adding the herbs along the way. This will take about 20 minutes, adding, stirring, evaporating, so play some stirring music. Taste, adjust seasonings, then add remaining squash and the last ½ cup of stock, stir in the parmesan and remove from heat. Serve in bowls with remaining herbs as garnish.w Paragraph

Notes from the Box 59: Teddy’s Apple Cake -- 9/24/21

Possibly I have sent this before, in the past year and a half, but it’s worth repeating now that it is apple season again. It’s my favorite use of apples. It came from the New York Times in the last millennium, sometime back there.

Teddy’s Apple Cake

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups of peeled roughly chopped apples

1 cup raisins

1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350.

Grease well a tube or bundt pan

Mix all drys together and set aside.

Put oil and sugar into a mixer, and beat for about five minutes.

Add eggs and beat until creamy.

Stir drys into wets.

Add vanilla, raisins and apples and mix thoroughly.

Put into pan, evening it out.

Bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick-clean

Cool in pan, and invert on serving platter.

You can sieve powdered sugar on it or make a glaze with powdered sugar and orange juice, or just eat as is.

It’s best the next day… w Paragraph

Notes from the Box 58 -- 9/17/21

I really cannot believe this is Week 58.

And that it is autumn. I do believe though in the roma tomatoes in the box. Last year I went to a farm and bought a HUGE box of romas. They are most excellent for making sauce, making sugo, making “gravy” or red sauce as they are meaty, less watery than slicing tomatoes, and flavorful especially when you roast them before they are made into red sauce. But there are as many, or more, recipes for this as/than there are Italian grandmothers, or Italian-American grandmothers.

Tomato Sauce, Red Sauce, Gravy or Sugo

2 lb roma or plum tomatoes

4 Tb olive oil

1 finely minced medium onion

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp sugar, but not if the tomatoes are really ripe.

Garlic, 2 cloves minced, optional

Preheat the oven to 225.

Slice the tomatoes longitudinally in half, scoop out seeds with your fingers and place on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, salt and pepper them. Roast for about an hour, watching occasionally. Some might cook faster near the edge of the pan, so move them around as they roast. When they’re browned a little and soft, scoop them into a heavy sauce pan. Add the onion, sugar and garlic, if used. Simmer as they soften further. You might need a little water if the mixture is too dry, or even some red wine if you have an open bottle. You could also add some fresh herbs if they’re handy – basil,oregano and thyme. Simmer til quite soft. Then it’s ready for pasta or other uses, and ready to freeze in small containers for another time. You could if you like let it cool a little and then whirl in a food processor, or put through a food mill for a smooth sauce. I like it chunky and lumpy, myself.

So this could be a put-away-for-the-winter enterprise, if you go to a farmers’ market and get a large box of them… the only caution is: don’t ever tell an Italian grandmother that this is The Authentic Version. It’s very good and very simple, like hers, but hers is “authentic.” New Paragraph

Notes from the Box 57: Mango Slaw -- 9/10/21

This week I found a bag of cilantro, two firm mangoes and a cabbage – among other lovely things.

This spoke “slaw” to go with an outdoor grill of chili-marinated chicken and sausages.

So…

Mango Slaw, with a nod at the New York Times’ Millie Peartree

2 large mangoes, firm, peeled, sliced and shredded

3 cups thinly shredded cabbage

1 cup chopped cilantro

2 limes, zest grated and pulp juiced

1 tb honey

½ tsp Korean or Aleppo chili flakes

½ tsp salt

1 inch of ginger, grated (optional)

Combine everything. Toss with your hands.

Refrigerate for about an hour.

Notes from the Box 56 -- 9/3/21

Zucchini Noodles, or “Zoodles” in garlic, parmesan and chili flakes

I tried giving my son the “gift” of zucchini this week but… they already have plenty. I like the stuff, and now am trying the julienned zucchini that is literally on everyone’s lips.

Probably you have in your kitchen utensil drawer a vegetable peeler that already has the julienne feature. If not, it’s very cheap, and you might go to Tags and get it. This makes zucchini into noodles, very quickly. Or if you have a mandoline. Or “spiralizer” but I don’t have that.

The important thing is only to heat the zucchini noodles briefly or they go to mush. Barely cooked, and even raw is good.

2 large zucchini, washed (you don’t need to peel)

4 cloves garlic

2 Tb olive oil

1 Tb butter

½ cup grated parmesan

Red pepper flakes or my standby Aleppo pepper flakes

S and P to taste.

Julienne the zucchini whichever way you can, and put in ice water while you make up the “dressing”. 

Chop the garlic fine, heat the olive oil and butter, and saute the garlic briefly until it turns color. Add the chili flakes.

Set a pot of water to boil, and throw in the zucchini noodles, count to thirty and drain them, again putting them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

Drain noodles, toss with the garlic mixture and the grated parmesan, add salt and pepper to taste, and there you are, gluten free and delicious.New Paragraph

Notes from the Box 55 -- 8/27/21

Zucchini with Honey-Chili Drizzle

Adapted from several places but especially from Yotam Ottolenghi. You could use the drizzle with the Turkish Zucchini Fritters we had some moons ago, but it is just as good this way, on grilled slices of zucchini – and easier.

For the honey-chili drizzle:

2 tbsp honey

½ tsp pul biber, Aleppo or urfa or other chili flakes

2 lemons, grate the zest and squeeze the juice

Heat the honey gently, add the chili and lemon (zest and juice) and set aside.

3 large zucchini

2 Tb olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Slice the zucchini lengthwise, pat dry and brush with 2 tb olive oil

Preheat grill to medium hot. Grill the zucchini on both sides; they should still be rather firm but have pronounced grill marks on them. Place on serving platter.

Brush with the drizzle. – or drizzle it! This is quite good at room temperature.

Notes from the Box 54: Green Beans on the Grill - 8/20/21

Charred and Spicy Grilled Green Beans

A bag of green beans and a sultry evening = Grill Time. I borrowed/adapted this recipe from Lauren Miyashiro.

Green beans can use some heat of the flavor kind too, so chili garlic paste works well.

You don’t want them to fall through the grate so first spread a piece of foil over the grate. (This can also be done in a heavy cast iron skillet on the stove or a “grillet” which is what I call the skillet with raised ridges making grill marks)

1 bag/pound of green beans, washed, trimmed

3 Tb olive oil

2 Tb soy sauce

1 Tb chili garlic paste (or more to taste)

2 tsp honey

1 tsp red pepper flakes (I use Korean)

Salt

For garnish:

Black sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet

3 scallions, chopped

Chopped roasted peanuts

Heat the grill or pan. If on the grill, put foil on top. Mix oil, soy sauce, chili garlic paste, honey and red pepper flakes and toss the green beans in the mixture.

Cook green beans until charred all over, about 8 minutes total, depending on heat of grill or pan.

Garnish with sesame seeds, green onion, peanuts and salt to taste. Can be eaten at room temperature and excellent for a picnic.New Paragraph

NOTES from the Box 53:  Melon and cucumber salad with Thai dressing -- 8/13/21

There was a lovely honeydew melon, quite sweet, in the box this week and because it is so sweet, I wanted to counter it with savory and sour tastes, and, since a barbecue was coming up, I adapted this recipe that appears in many forms online. I did say I was avoiding online recipes, to pay respect to the many cookbooks in my kitchen? Oh well.

This can be made best a few hours before serving.

1 melon (honeydew in this case but could be cantaloupe) cut into 1 inch chunks

4 small cucumbers, washed and cut into 1 inch chunks (don’t peel)

1 avocado, in small chunks

Handful of fresh mint

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Dressing:

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tsp fish sauce (Thai, Vietnamese, or other) (optional)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 jalapeno, chopped fine

Mix all dressing ingredients and toss with melon, cucumber and avocado.

Just before serving, toss with mint and sprinkle with peanuts.Paragraph

Notes from the Box 52 Eggplant agrodolce -- 8/6/21

Yes, 52. Fifty-two weeks of opening the box, discovering surprises (and sometimes groaning over another bag of kale) and conjuring up something to do with something in it. This neighborhood pulled together, thanks to all of us and thanks to the box, Jennifer and Jackson, we have been fed and sometimes healthfully distracted by the process of feeding ourselves.

With this box, I’m in Maine but by the magic of media, I have seen into a box and am sharing a version of a dish I made up here using the same purple eggplant you’d have gotten in your box.

Here’s to a better year and to more discoveries.

 Melanzane Agrodolce (Sweet and sour eggplant)

This could be a condiment, served with a grilled fish or chicken, or a topping for a bowl of farro, perhaps with some yoghurt with that. Or a topping for a piece of toasted bread, a tapa.

3-4 cups of eggplant in ½ inch cubes

1 sweet onion, chopped medium fine

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tb olive oil

2 Tb balsamic vinegar

1 Tb sugar

1 tsp red chili flakes (I use Aleppo – with just about everything)

Salt and pepper

2 Tb capers – if salted, rinsed and drained.

2 Tb yellow raisins

Salt the eggplant cubes and rub gently. Then set in a colander to drain for thirty minutes. Rinse off salt and dry on paper towels.

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet, add onion and saute on medium heat til just caramelizing. Add garlic, stir and don't let it burn. Remove this mixture and set aside. Add the eggplant to the skillet and toss to coat in oil. Add more olive oil if needed, as you saute the eggplant. It should brown on at least two sides and take about eight minutes. Add the onion-garlic mixture, the vinegar, sugar and chili. Stir and simmer until the eggplant is tender and coated with a syrupy glaze. Salt and pepper to taste. Add capers and raisins, turn off heat and let sit til cool. This is best the next day and served at room temperature.

Notes from the Box 51 -- 7/30/21

I picked up my box on Friday and stuffed everything into a big cooler – off to a Maine lake – where tonight I made a very good dish, very simple, of the bag of four yellow squash. And I look forward to using all the rest of the “imported-from-Cambridge” items while I am here. This recipe adapted from an on-line source, “Love and Lemons.”

P.S. Next week, it’ll be a year’s worth of recipes/boxes we’ve shared….

Cheesed and Crumbed Yellow Squash

4 yellow squash, cut in 1/3 inch slices

Olive oil, to cover bottom of large skillet

Fresh herbs, oregano, basil, thyme, parsley?

Herb oil

1 Tb lemon juice

1 Tb olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tb parsley

¼ tsp salt

Black pepper

Bread crumb topping

1/3 cup panko crumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan

1 Tb minced herbs

½ tsp salt.

Saute squash until just cooked, browned a bit, in olive oil and toss with herbs.

Mix all herb oil ingredients and toss the squash in the mixture.

Mix all the topping ingredients and toss the herbed squash mixture with half of the topping and “top” it with the rest.

Notes from the Box 49: Poppin’ Poblanos

This week’s box had a most welcome bag of poblano peppers. Weather or not (pun intentional) I plan to grill things this Sunday. The box also had a large eggplant, which I’ll slice into “steaks” and brush with olive oil and soy sauce and grill as well, probably to acquire the grill marks and finish in the oven. Poblanos are really good when they’re grilled and then sliced into thin shreds, salted and tossed with garlic and red chili flakes. But you could go a step farther and make into a creamy sauce for eating with a grilled steak and some fresh tortillas.

Here’s that version, adapted from my favorite Mexican cookbook, Food from My Heart, by Zarela Martinez.

6-8 fresh poblanos

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TB olive oil (in Mexico it would be manteca, lard)

1 tsp (or to taste) red chili flakes

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz mozzarella, shredded

1 cup half-and-half cream

Grill or roast the poblanos until charred on all sides. Cool a bit, then peel most of the skin off, remove the seeds, and slice into strips about 1/3 inch wide.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add garlic and cook and stir for two minutes. Add chili strips and cook for two minutes. Add the chili flakes, mozzarella and gradually stir in the cream after the cheese is melted, over a medium-low flame. Never let it boil. You can serve it right away or let cool to room temperature to be reheated, gently, before serving. It could also be lathered over a pile of tortilla chips, nacho style.

Notes from the Box 48: Zucchini dip – an Ottolenghi spin on “baba ghanoush”

There’s always zucchini. A good thing because there are always good things to do with it. You can go back to an earlier recipe we posted, for the Turkish zucchini fritters, for example. Or try this rich and amazing zucchini dip in an over-the-top Ottolenghi recipe which will definitely spoil or become your supper.

5 medium zucchini (or 2 pounds)

1/3 cup goat yoghurt (or full fat cow milk yoghurt)

2 Tb Roquefort or other blue cheese, crumbled

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tb butter

3 Tb pine nuts

large pinch chili flakes

1 tsp lemon juice (I also added the grated rind of a lemon)

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp za’atar (you can get in Watertown at Sevan, Massis or Arax, or up Mass Ave at Curio Spice)

salt and pepper

Preheat the broiler. Place zucchini on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil until browned and crisp. Turn during broiling for even cooking. Let cool just until you can peel comfortably. Remove skin, put zucchini in colander to drain. Mash in the colander with a fork and set aside.

Melt butter in small sauté pan, heat pine nuts to golden brown. Watch them! They burn quickly. Put in a small bowl with chile flakes and lemon, set aside.

Put the yoghurt, Roquefort and egg in the sauté pan and heat, stirring, very gently, just heat, don’t cook.

Put the mashed zucchini in a bowl, add garlic, salt and pepper. Mash well, place on a serving platter, and spoon the yoghurt mixture on top. Add the pine nuts, sprinkle with za’atar and there you are. Good with pita bread or maybe tortilla chips!