My Garden

When I was a kid I helped my father in the garden every year--this is something I always looked forward to. It seemed like we were on a small farm. Getting excited about spreading manure now seems a little strange, but yes I was, and couldn't wait to put on my boots, and trudge through making sure all of the garden plot was covered.

I once grew peach trees from pits that my neighbor threw into his garden. Every year, waiting for the first fruit to ripen--almost 7 years. I never liked peaches prior to growing my own--I savored every bite from that first peach of the year.

My first business experience was selling vegetables from the end or our driveway....it was a great way to earn some cash at 12. Convenience was always good too--if I ran out of a product, I could run back to the garden and pick fresh.

As the years have passed, and the I think back to all the houses I have lived in, I have always tried to have a small garden. Herbs being the most prevalent. This year I grew some pole beans, tomatoes (my tomatoes did survive), and peppers.

The herbs that I grow are: basil, thai basil, cilantro, chives, french tarragon, thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, lavender, parsley, sage, mint (if anyone wants any let me know), bee balm, oregano, and woodruff.

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Natasha Came to Town

Although I did cancel my dinner this August, my friend Maggie--aka Natasha the naughty Russian waitress, we did some experimenting. Remember that it has been rescheduled for September 25 @ 6:30

I received a recipe for Gouvarlakia from a friend whose mom was visiting from Greece and I asked if he would share her recipe with me. The recipe below is what I received:

Gouvarlakia is a Greek/ Turkish food ....
Meatball with rice :
Beef ground meat with rice: Make small round meatballs about 3/4 of an inch and boil them with water just covering them. 60% meat-40 % rice, add a little parsley, salt and pepper. ( some people also add a little cumin (that makes it more Constantinople style)
When the meatballs (rice) are ready then take two or three eggs and beet them with 2-4 lemons.( Avgo lemono : egg-lemon sauce) Take a few spoonfuls of water from you meat balls and add to your egglemon sauce so it warms gradually and then start puring the egglemon into the pot with the meatballs.

The result--I will need some tips on the sauce and will be trying this recipe again. We all liked the meatballs, but thought there was a secret that was being kept about the recipe.

A Night of Food From the Old Country

July 24--second event

This was my second dinner event. I decided to cook all of the foods that I either ate as a child or ate while on my trip back to the village my grandfather came from. The cooking that we ate was very simple, but delicious. Made with care and, I think the best part of it was that most, if not all, came from the village itself.

Most of the ingredients that I used were locally grown and produced. I am finding that I am maybe serving so much food that folks can't finish what I give them....or maybe I need to be clear that they should come with empty stomachs.

The menu:

Zucchini flowers--these were battered and fried. my mother used to go out to our huge garden in the morning and pick the flowers, making sure to pick the males, as they do not produce zucchinis. she would make them and me and my three sisters would gobble them up.

Caprisi salad--i used heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with huge pieces of basil. One of the guests was allergic to basil so i substituted fresh oregano. I drizzled the salad with olive oil, salt, and pepper

Homemade pasta--with a fresh roma tomato sauce

Chicken--marinated with lemon, rosemary, garlic and olive oil. Frank the waiter did the honor of grilling the chicken.

Broccolini--steamed and dressed with a black olive dressing

Cannoli--i did purchase the shells, but made the filling with fresh sheep's milk ricotta.

Me with my helper.

An Unforgettable Four Course Meal from Crisp

June 24, 2009--the inaugural event.


As I love to cook food for folks and have been doing this for many years, I decided to invite friends to share in a restaurant-style experience. I being the chef, and with the help of my husband Mike (aka Frank the waiter) invited a handful of people to come and sit at my table while I cooked and served them, as if they were at a restaurant.

My first event was exciting and full of flavor. In preparation, I tested 4 different fishes, marinated and seasoned 8 different ways. Since I decided I would cook fish in banana leaves for my first event, and never had done it before, I did a little testing to come up with the perfect combination. With my husband and two friends (one visiting from Kansas), we tested and tasted all of the different combinations.

Here is what the final menu consisted of. If anyone is interested in any of the recipes you can email me.

Summer Rolls--veggie summer rolls with rice noodles and a reduced peanut sauce
Spinach Salad--with orange wedges and avocado served with a ginger dressing
Grouper Grilled in Banana Leaves--grouper, marinated in a coconut curry sauce served w/ a pineapple-mango-orange relish
Coconut Rice
Long Beans--sauteed in sesame oil and garlic
Lemon Pudding Cake--with fresh whipped cream and local strawberries and blueberries
Piave cheese and fresh fruit
Coffee & Tea



Folks were a bit confused, as they thought I would be joining them to eat. But, being the chef of the evening it is impossible to cook and serve the food as fresh as possible and sit and relax. It is more important for me to make sure the food is top quality. I do make many visits to the table to talk with everyone to ensure the food is good and ask if anyone has any questions.


My ingredients are the best quality I can find--and I do try to purchase as much locally produced food available.


A good time was had....as you can see below.

snowy saturday eve

moroccan it was.....not sure what the inspiration for this complex seasoned food was... a bit sweet and savory. you will find cumin and cinnamon combinations. the evenings menu was:

since mike and i went for a drive to saratoga for the day, i stopped at putnam market and picked up some pate champagne, raw milk manchego, and bucheron to start with.

roasted moroccan spiced root veggies with quinoa
lentils with pan seared scallops

and for dessert, a lime curd tart, recipe compliments of ina garten

Feast of the Seven Fishes

last evening was a feast of fishes. the menu consisted the following:

stuffed calamari

3 lbs calamari

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups homemade bread crumbs

3/4 cup pine nuts

2 eggs

olive oil

salt & pepper

sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cans crushed tomatoes (i use san marzano tomatoes)

1 bay leaf

2 tbls dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

place in heavy sauce pan and simmer for 1 hour, or more.

stuff each calamari body and place in baking dish. cover with sauce and some parmesan cheese. bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

this dish was my favorite.

octopus

this past summer we had a spanish man named pablo stay with us for a couple of days. the last evening of his stay him and his crew made a typical Spanish meal. he cooked the octopus in my kitchen as i wanted to learn how this galacian dish is prepared. he boiled water and placed the octopus in the water. i tried to repeat this dish and what ended up happening was that we were having contests to see how long we could chew and swallow. many of us gave up and had to spit it out. i guess i need to go back to octopus cooking school.

baccala

salted cod fish

black and green olives,chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

pepper

overnight, soak the fish in cold water. place fish in boiling water until fish turns white in color. break pieces up and ad the olives, garlic, olive oil, and pepper. this dish is served cold.

eel

cleaned eel

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbls dried oregano

1 tbls dried basil

3 bay leaves, crumbled

cut eel in 3 inch pieces. marinate for 2 hours. cook on grill.

this dish was better than i thought it would be. i have to tell you that i have prepared many dishes and cutting these snake like pieces gave me the chills. i thought to myself, this better be tasty and worth it, and i was pleasantly surprised. dylan was the grill master for this dish.

shrimp cocktail

this one is the easiest to prepare, as i choose to buy the cooked, frozen shrimp.

cocktail sauce

ketchup

horseradish

worcestershire sauce

lemon juice

depending on how hot you like your sauce you can adjust all of the quantities above. give it a taste and add more of what you like.

smelt

cleaned smelt

flour

salt & pepper
eggs

olive oil

in a skillet, heat up olive oil. dip smelt in egg and then in to the flour (add the salt and pepper to the flour). fry until golden and crispy. my friend jess helped to fry these tasty treats.

pasta with tuna fish sauce

olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large can of tomato paste

1 large can tomato puree

1 bay leaf

2 tbls dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cups, or more of water

2 cans tuna fish, in water

2 lbs angel hair pasta

saute the garlic in the olive oil. add the other ingredients and simmer for at least an hour or more. before serving, add the two cans of tuna. put on top of cooked pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

additional dishes

in addition to the above i made a few antipasto plates that included: roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, black and green olives, lupine beans, pepperincini, marinated anchovies

broccoli rabi sauteed with garlic and olive oil

tossed salad

dessert

pizzelle

ewand

grandma theresa's cookies

brownies

wines served

la crema chardonnay

mark west pinot noir

Pre Christmas Eve

Tomorrow is the big day. I am preparing a Feast of the Seven Fishes. I haven't created this meal ever and am recreating the recipes based on my childhood memory. I have asked family for recollections of any of these recipes and have been given some food advice, but we will see what I can whip up. I visited the fish market to day and have purchased eel, smelt, octopus, calamari, shrimp, baccala, and tuna. My son is home from Chicago and will help me prepare all the dishes. Today we have done the shopping and have purchased the flowers for the table. I am excited mostly to share this meal with the friends that have invited. There will be 14 of us and it has been many years since I have celebrated Christmas Eve in this way. I am looking forward to the buzz and excitement of the day.