September 12, 2007
By Maggie Heyn Richardson
I keep hoping I'll wake up one morning and it won't be hot anymore. Then I can wear jeans, and the basil in my kitchen garden that seems to grow year-round will have wilted under a cold snap. Not that I don't love fresh basil. But at this point, I'd gladly trade caprese salad for the freedom to heat up my inefficient, frame house with a wintery, one-pot dish. I'm ready to change the seasonal repertoire.
vIn the meantime, here's what's been up at the stove top in what are hopefully the last days of sun and sweat.
Fish tacos: When an avid fisherman friend brought us fresh speckled trout, I dredged them in a combination of Panko bread crumbs, cornmeal, salt and garlic powder, and pan-fried them for fish tacos. The breading combo I learned in a cooking class taught by former San Francisco restaurateur Regina Charboneau, a Mississippi native who offers culinary lessons at her home and B&B, Twin Oaks plantation in Natchez. With Whole Foods 365 brand plain tortillas, tartar sauce, shredded cabbage, and crispy, hot fish, the tacos were perfect.
Roast chicken: The one roast I allow into the oven in the summer is a roast chicken, which I absolutely love all year. My favorite way is frango a Beira Alta (named for a region in northern Portugal), in which the cavity is stuffed with a combination of soft cheese, butter and ground pepper, and salty prosciutto is tucked under the skin. I've played around with the cheese, but I keep coming back to plain capricho de cabra from Whole Foods. Click here for San Francisco Chronicle cheese columnist Janet Fletcher's nice piece on it. The bird turns out golden and always moist.
Curried Chicken Salad: This time around, I turned the roast chicken leftovers into an Ina Garten-inspired curried chicken salad by combining chopped chicken with sliced red grapes, chopped celery, sliced almonds, and a combination of mayo (1 cup) and curry powder (1 tablespoon). It's great in lettuce cups.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream: About a month ago, I broke out the ol' utilitarian Rival ice cream maker -- great for big groups and less expensive than a boutique countertop design. The addition of mint extract (not peppermint), green food coloring mini chocolate chips made this batch of ice cream retro and fun. For the record, I think the smaller 4-quart batches turn out best, and they're ready faster. I've always scoffed at homemade ice cream the next day, but this actually kept well for a week.
Finally, my favorite drink of summer, which goes well with nearly everything, is Prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine. It's affordable, and many are just great. Even those of you who steer clear of Champagne because of its aftertaste would find Prosecco clean and easy on the palate.
Next week, more about Prosecco, including recommendations.
Comments
Posted by guyogden on September 13 at 6:21 a.m.
Fun article to read. I only wish she would share the recipes of the dishes she talks about.
Posted by sherishiqua on September 14 at 1:17 p.m.
try cabralles, I think, a spanish goat cheese, really tasty,and really cheap. Make your own curry powders, the stuff in the store has given curry a bad name. People even turn their noses up at thai curries because of it. Throw out some parsley seeds or plant some seedlings and use it instead or basil in the winter. Mine volunteers and reseeds itself, and it usually make it through 2 or 3 season as it is a bieninal. Parsley pesto made with fresh parsley, meyer lemon juice, garlic, and pecans, make a great pesto, and made with seasonal local ingredients. Maybe try Lovage too....
Lillette with soda and a twist of orange is pretty nice, or maybe Lillette with Prosecco with a twist of orange. I am partial to Compari also.
Posted by spatuladiaries on September 14 at 3:26 p.m.
Recipes, eh? I'll work on that. Check back soon. -MHR
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