~~~ day thirty ~~~
One of the great things about the seasons of the year is that each brings certain fruits and vegetables to eat. Late spring means fresh Bing cherries while August means fresh corn on the cob and homegrown tomatoes. I remember eating one tomato after another from the garden when I was a teenager. The taste was wonderful and my parents didn’t mind. It would cost less to feed me that day.
Who needs candy or ice cream anyway? I still feel the same way about fresh tomatoes today.
When a tomato, corn or any other vegetable is fresh from the garden, it needs no adornment. It is good just the way it is. If you pick corn yourself and cook it right away (now that is really fresh), it doesn’t need butter or salt; it’s perfection just as is, if it’s cooked right. This is true of so many fruits and vegetables. Did you ever eat sweet peas out of the pod fresh from the garden? There is nothing like it.
If you have a few fresh juicy tomatoes and the summer heat is wearing you down, why make a hot meal when you can fix this spaghetti dish and the only thing you have to cook is the macaroni.
Who said spaghetti sauce had to be hot to be good?
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summer spaghetti
serves 4
6 large tomatoes
3 tbsp dried basil
4 tbsp olive oil
fresh ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb thin spaghetti
½ cup green olives, chopped
Quarter each tomato and slice as thinly as possible.
Put into a glass bowl and add remaining ingredients, except for spaghetti. Toss well and store in a cool place for at least four hours, but not overnight.
Avoid the refrigerator as the tomatoes will lose flavor there. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and put into a large bowl. Pour tomato sauce over spaghetti and toss. Serve.
You can cook corn inside on the stove with fine results, if the corn is fresh. But you can also roast the corn on a fire in its own husk. That’s the way we did it as kids and it tasted so good. The corn has to soak a bit, and the cooking process actually involves steaming the corn. A wood fire is best and it takes a big fire. Pick the corn and soak it in a bucket of water for half an hour or so.
Once the fire is hot, remove the silk from the corn and place the ears (without shucking) on the fire. You will have to turn them every so often. The outer layer will be getting brown and before long the corn will be ready to eat. Just make sure you don’t burn it.
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corn on the cob
serves 6
water
12 ears of corn
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Shuck the corn and once water is boiling, place corn into the pot and return to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 3
more minutes. Remove corn and serve.
cole slaw
serves 6
1 small onion, thinly sliced ½ cup olive oil 6 cups cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp caraway seeds
2 carrots, grated
1 tbsp mustard seeds
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
Put onion, cabbage, carrots, and vinegar into a large bowl and toss well. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a small saucepan over moderate heat until oil is almost smoking. Add caraway seeds and mustard seeds and cook until mustard seeds are finished popping, about 2 minutes. Pour mustard mixture over cabbage and stir well. Refrigerate overnight.
Serve.
menu for day thirty
corn on the cob
summer spaghetti
tossed salad
cole slaw
onion rye bread
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~~~ day thirty-one ~~~
The last garden I had in Plainville was quite prolific. I bought some inexpensive seeds from the department store when they were on sale. Just because something is cheap doesn’t mean it isn’t good. I got green beans, carrots, beets and a few packets of cucumbers among others. I planted all the cucumbers and they really produced. I had more pickles than Heinz. There was a time when I was picking two eight-quart baskets every third day.
They were quite good, but what do you do with all those cucumbers? I ate as much as I could, made some gazpacho, gave some to my family, froze some and made a few crocks of dills. My neighbor was the beneficiary of this abundance of cucumbers.
That’s what he gets for plowing my garden.
Polish dill pickles
6 sprigs of dill
1 bay leaf
2 dozen cucumbers, washed
¼ cup sea salt
12 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups cider vinegar
10 peppercorns
boiling water
4 whole cloves
Place dill, cucumbers, garlic, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf and sea salt into a crock or large jar. Pour vinegar over the mixture. Fill jar to the top with boiling water and set aside. The pickles should be ready in 1 or 2 weeks. Once they are ready, remove pickles and put in a container in the refrigerator.
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beef and onions
serves 4
2 lbs London broil
water
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup dry sherry
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 large onions, sliced thin
egg noodles
Slice London broil into thin slivers and sprinkle 3
tablespoons of soy sauce on the meat. Marinate for 15 minutes. Heat oil in a wok over high heat and add the beef. Cook for 3 minutes. Add onions and cook 3 minutes more. Add the rest of the soy sauce, ½ cup of water and sherry and cook for 5 minutes.
Mix cornstarch in ¼ cup of water and place in wok, while stirring. Cook until sauce thickens. Serve over boiled egg noodles.
steamed green beans serves 4
1 lb green beans
1 tbsp butter or margarine
Snap ends off the beans and wash. Place beans in a vegetable steamer and cook until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Place beans in a serving dish and add butter or margarine. Serve.
menu for day thirty-one
beef and onions
egg noodles
Polish dill pickles
steamed green beans
corn on the cob
basil tomatoes
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~~~ day thirty-two ~~~
You can make creamy mustard dressing for salads by mixing mustard, mayonnaise and olive oil in a blender. I also throw in an extra ingredient or two for some added flavor. You can try different spices and seasonings in your recipe.
creamy mustard dressing makes 1 cup 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup olive oil
Put ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. Refrigerate.
This next recipe combines the flavor of Polish sausage with the sauerkraut, wine and mustard of German cooking.
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Viennese rice
serves 4
1 small onion, minced 3 cups water 2 tbsp olive oil
¼ lb smoked Polish sliced
2 cups white rice
sausage
½ cup sauerkraut
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp caraway seed
fresh ground pepper
½ cup white wine
Sauté onion in oil in a large iron skillet over medium heat. Add rice and cook for 1 minute. Add sauerkraut and cook for 2 minutes. Add caraway, wine, water, sausage and mustard and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until rice is cooked and water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Season with pepper and serve.
menu day thirty-two
Viennese rice
tossed salad with
cooked broccoli
creamy mustard dressing
fresh bread
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~~~ day thirty-three ~~~
I mentioned that you can freeze cucumbers, particularly those referred to as “bread and butter”
pickles. You can even use glass jars for freezing; just make sure that you don’t fill the jar all the way to the top. Plastic containers are fine too.
bread and butter pickles
2 quarts of cucumbers
½ cup vinegar
1 onion, thinly sliced
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 cup sugar
Slice the cucumbers very thin, 1/8 of an inch or less.
Combine with the onion and salt and let stand overnight. The next day rinse the mixture and drain in a colander. Put remaining ingredients into a Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and continue stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.
Add cucumber mixture to the Dutch oven and stir to blend. Let stand for 15 minutes. Put cucumbers into containers and freeze. The pickles can be thawed and eaten whenever you desire.
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When I was young, I didn’t care for mushrooms at all. Over the years, I have gotten to like them. I still am not a big fan of raw mushrooms in salads or on vegetable trays. This next recipe shows off that famous fungus in fine fashion.
chicken with mushrooms serves 4
1 chicken, cut up
1 cup dry white wine
5 tbsp of flour
½ tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp dried tarragon
1 onion, chopped
fresh ground pepper
½ lb sliced mushrooms
Dredge the chicken in flour. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven and brown the chicken a few pieces at a time. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2
minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 40 minutes. Serve over rice.
menu for day thirty-three
chicken with mushrooms rice pilaf basil tomatoes
corn on the cob
cooked beets
bread and butter pickles
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~~~ day thirty-four ~~~
I mentioned in chapter 1 that you can use ground turkey in place of ground beef in the recipe for chili. You could also use ground pork, or a combination of pork, beef and turkey. If you leave out the ground meat, you will have meatless chili and will hardly miss the meat.
three bean salad
1 can cut wax beans
½ cup sugar
1 can cut green beans
⅔ cup vinegar
1 can red kidney beans
½ cup olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
fresh ground pepper
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
Drain the wax and green beans and put into a large glass bowl. Thoroughly wash the juice off the kidney beans and drain. Add kidney beans, onion and green pepper to the wax and green beans. In a small bowl, mix sugar and vinegar until sugar is dissolved. Add oil and stir in thoroughly. Add liquid and ground pepper to the beans and stir. Marinate for 24 hours. Serve.
menu for day thirty-four
meatless Chili
Cuban bread
tossed Salad
three bean salad
beer boiled
rice
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~~~ day thirty-five ~~~
There are many types of fish that fall into different classes of taste and texture. Haddock and cod are similar in composition and taste. So are mussels and clams. Some fish are unique, such as tuna and salmon. Another fish in the same category as salmon and tuna is smelt. Despite the horrible sounding name (you could imply the same about scrod), smelts are delicious and easy to fix.
I recall a spring night when I was on the shore of Lake Erie with friends and the smelts were in season. The fish came out of the lake, onto the fire, and from there, into our mouths and stomachs.
Add a beer or two and a little sauce, and it was quite a treat. I have bought frozen smelts and cooked them under the broiler and although you know they couldn’t be quite as good as fresh out of the lake, they weren’t bad. The bones are tiny so you can eat them or else the fish comes off the bones easily enough. Cooking time under the broiler is short indeed. Don’t be turned off by the name “smelts.”
broiled smelts
serves 2
1 lb smelts
fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp butter, melted
Turn the oven broiler on. Place smelts in a shallow pan and brush with melted butter. Season with fresh ground pepper. Place the pan under the broiler until smelts are done, about 5 minutes. Make sure that they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and serve.
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German potato salad
serves 6
3 lbs potatoes
½ cup white wine
¼ lb bacon, sliced
3 Tbsp prepared mustard
2 large onions, chopped sea salt to taste 1 cup cider vinegar
fresh ground pepper
Wash potatoes and cut into quarters. Place them into a large Dutch oven, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until potatoes are 80% cooked, about 10 minutes or so. Drain potatoes and cool. Fry bacon and onions in a large iron skillet until onions are slightly soft and brown. Add vinegar, wine and mustard to the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. When the potatoes have cooled down, slice them. In an ovenproof dish layer the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and put a layer of bacon and onion mix on top. Continue the layering process until the potatoes and onion/bacon mixture are gone. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 325° for 1 hour. Remove from oven and serve.
menu for day thirty-five
broiled smelts
German potato salad
basil tomatoes
corn on the cob
raisin rye bread
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A few years ago I had my annual corn roast in Plainville. Early in the morning on the day before the roast, I went out to check on the corn. From all indications, it seemed that it would be perfect and there would be plenty for everyone.
The next morning I went out to the garden and noticed many corn stalks sprawled out on the ground. The raccoons knew when the corn was to be ready and they had a feast. The year before I didn’t have a problem because the farmer had planted corn behind my property and the raccoons had plenty and didn’t have to attack my corn. This year he didn’t plant corn as he let the land rest. I figure the raccoons were on the land before me so there wasn’t too much I could do about it.
Fortunately, I was able to pick enough corn for everyone to get a taste.
Now that we have some more new recipes and all those vegetables from the garden, we’re ready for our second party: a corn roast.
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party number two (corn roast) gazpacho stuffed
mushrooms
corn on the cob
grilled Italian sausage
hot dogs and hamburgers raisin rye bread basil tomatoes
three-bean salad
German potato salad
summer spaghetti
tossed salad
Hong Kong chicken
Cajun beans and rice
bread and butter pickles
Polish dill pickles
During the last week of Lent, one of the songs that they use in the church is the Latin “Pange Lingua,” which literally means, “Sing my tongue.”
During one such time, I attended the Holy Thursday celebration in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Just before the procession, the lector said,
“our song will be found on page 343. It is ‘Pange Linguini’.” I thought to myself that that wasn’t right. Then I realized it was. After all, it was the
“Last Supper!”
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6. The Gulf Coast: brunch time I left upstate New York and moved to sunny Tampa, Florida. I didn’t spend a great length of time there and missed out on the grueling summer heat. This was not my first trip to the Sunshine state. My first time was during Easter vacation of my first or second year of teaching. Two of my friends and I drove down to Tampa / St. Petersburg and stayed with one of their relatives. We eventually made our way to Pompano Beach and camped out for a few days. Since then I have been in the state on numerous vacation trips.
What better place to have brunch than in sunny Florida? If you miss breakfast and it’s close to lunchtime, why not brunch? Of course, you shouldn’t miss breakfast, as it is the most important meal of the day. Nothing compares to steak and eggs, even though it may not be good for you. You can have it on occasion and the same can be said for eggs served by themselves or with bacon, sausage or ham. Moderation is the key to good health and happiness.
There is nothing wrong with cereal, toast and juice for your morning meal. I use low-fat milk on my cereal and avoid cereals with sugar and high-sodium content. Shredded wheat and puffed wheat are virtually salt-free, sodium-free and good for you. You can add fruit such as bananas or fresh strawberries for excitement. As far as toast, I prefer a rye or wheat bread with orange marmalade or some type of jam. Butter or margarine as an occasional indulgence is fine.
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Another good option is fresh grapefruit, and juice is loaded with plenty of vitamins, no matter what your preference. I enjoy a cup of fresh brewed coffee every so often with neither sugar nor cream.
You can add a half-teaspoon of cinnamon to the coffee as it is brewing for a pleasant change of pace.
There are quite a few choices of exotic blends of coffee at your local supermarket, such as raspberry chocolate or amaretto decaf.
There is no reason why you have to limit your breakfast to the usual fare of the morning. I know many people who love cold pizza for breakfast or leftover Chinese courses. If you really consider it, the largest meal of the day should be breakfast, with lunch a bit less and dinner the lightest meal of the day. And yet, we all know people who have their largest meal of the day at nine o’clock at night.
Brunch makes a lot of sense. The kind that doesn’t emphasize bacon, sausage, ham and eggs is best. In other words, a buffet is the way to go, with the less fat and cholesterol, the better. When I was younger, my mother always prepared the largest meal of the day on Sunday at one in the afternoon.
Many people still do this and we should all do the same not only on the Sabbath but also on the other days of the week.
Speaking of days past, I recall summers as a teenager working on a farm not far from my parents’ home. My lunch was prepared by my mother, and it was huge. As far as I can recall it consisted of two sandwiches, some cookies and / or cake, a can of pop (soda if you’re from New York 120
City or close by), a banana, orange, tomato, pear and a candy bar. That was a heck of a lunch. I always finished it, though.
Currently I fix my own lunch and it consists mainly of fruit and vegetables, with an occasional cookie, dried fruit or sandwich. Occasionally, I would even use the microwave at work to heat a leftover soup or casserole. My lunch can be quite large at times but never unhealthy. Of course, I do go out to lunch every so often.
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~~~ day thirty-six ~~~
Chicken dishes are great for parties because you can make them a day ahead and just warm up when needed. The day in the refrigerator may even help blend the flavors better. You can even freeze them far in advance, once they’re cooked. This chicken dish features a rum and soy sauce marinade. You can simmer it on top of the stove if you prefer, rather than baking in the oven.
rum chicken
serves 4
1 chicken, cut up
4 tbsp flour
2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp olive oil
⅓ cup soy sauce
3 large onions, chopped
½ cup rum
¼ tsp dried tarragon
Marinate chicken pieces in lime juice, soy sauce and rum overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and reserve marinade. Place flour into a plastic bag and dredge chicken with the flour. Heat olive oil in a heavy iron skillet and brown the chicken, a few pieces at a time. Remove the browned pieces to a large ovenproof casserole dish. Add chopped onions, tarragon and marinade, cover and bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
Serve over egg noodles or boiled rice.
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boiled brussels sprouts
serves 4
1 pint brussels sprouts
2 tbsp butter
1 cup water
fresh ground pepper
Clean the sprouts and place in a small saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain brussels sprouts; add the butter and season with fresh ground pepper. Serve.
I have made the following dressing on numerous occasions and it seems that it tastes slightly different each time. This has to do with the sesame seeds, which can be toasted lightly or used as is. Keep an eye on the sesame seeds as you brown them, since they tend to burn rather easily.
Burnt sesame dressing won’t be a hit with too many people. I have also used this dressing as a dip for raw vegetables.
sesame dressing
makes 2 cups
1 cup canola oil
fresh grated ginger
½ tsp sugar
½ stalk of celery
2 tbsp chopped onion ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds ¼ tsp celery seeds
¼ cup soy sauce
fresh ground pepper
⅓ cup white vinegar
Place all ingredients except soy sauce and vinegar into a blender and blend for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce and vinegar and blend for 30 seconds more.
Store in the refrigerator.
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A frequent diet of bacon is not recommended but bacon does add a zest to many foods, even a small amount. As I mentioned earlier, store bacon in the freezer for easier slicing. You’ll also forget about it and eat less of it as well.
horseradish mushrooms serves 4
3 slices bacon
snipped fresh chives
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp horseradish
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb mushrooms
If the bacon is frozen, slice off the equivalent of 3
slices of bacon into ¼-inch pieces or smaller.
Sau