Spring Vegetable Risotto

While we were in Cambridge we took a break from the commencement proceedings and had a breezy lunch on a rooftop deck overlooking all the bustle. Molly ordered a Spring Vegetable Risotto that was so good we surrounded it like a pack of hungry jackals. We knew then and there we would have to recreate it at home, so between ravenous bites we tried to decipher the ingredients:  pesto, fresh corn, asparagus, tomato, some kind of sharp cheese, something creamy... it was hard because with four forks stabbing at it it was gone in a flash.  
This is fresher and lighter than most risottos, making it a perfect spring dinner.  Here's our rendition:

Spring Vegetable Risotto
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp butter
32 oz chicken stock
3 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry sherry
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 or 2 shallots, thinly sliced
bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 cups cherry tomatoes, diced
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
several sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 cup --3/4 cup pesto
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
salt and pepper to taste
pea shoots for garnish

Par cook the asparagus and corn for 3 minutes in the microwave in a covered dish with a splash of water, or blanch in boiling water for a minute or so.  Set aside.  Heat the stock and water in a pan on the stove or in the microwave. Saute the onion and shallot in the olive oil and butter until translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat, then cook for a minute or two.  

Add the wine or sherry and stir until absorbed.  Over medium heat, add a large ladle full of stock one at a time to the rice and stir until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next ladle.  

You will do this until the rice is tender---if you run out of liquid before the rice is cooked, add more hot water.  Toward the end, add in the veggies, tomatoes and thyme and continue cooking. When the rice is tender, (this will take around 30 minutes) add in the pesto, cheese and seasonings.  Heat through and serve hot.   

Graduation part 2

Graduation part 1

Instead of trying to construct a coherent post from the hectic whirlwind of graduation I'm just going to share a montage of photos...for friends and family who couldn't be there, I hope this will  give you a little sense of the event.  I won't post any photos of the 'big' morning ceremony because, even though we got there 2 hours early, went through the airport style security 

and found our way to our seats, they were so far back and around corners that we couldn't even see any of the large viewing screens that were set up in various places.  Didn't even get a glimpse of anyone or anything remotely near the main stage.  We took it in stride, settled in with our Starbucks and just listened to the whole event while watching the constantly swirling mass of humanity around us, kvetching with the other parents, and marveling at the hugeness of it all.  Lots of cymbals clashing, brilliantly colored saris and banners fluttering in the breeze, stands selling flowers, memorabilia, coffee and balloons. It felt like a day at the circus.  

I can't figure out how that Bichon got in!

We eventually found a spot at the top of the stone steps of a building where we could escape the crowd.  The weather was glorious, the choral music was moving, and the pomp and circumstance, amusing.  Even though we *heard* Clare officially graduate, we are looking forward to watching it on YouTube at some point!   

Luckily there's another more intimate ceremony back at Eliot afterward where Clare receives her diploma, so all is not lost. 
Rewinding to the night before--- Dick and Borgna hosted a lovely party in honor of the graduating nieces, and Dick entertained us all by trying on his academic regalia. 

We were off to a great start complete with champagne and presents, thanks Dick and Borgna!
Lots more photos to follow...I'll update later today because there's a lot to sift through.

Graduation!

 

We'll be in Cambridge for graduation festivities for a couple of days.

If you give a mom a cookie...

Now that I have one daughter home for the summer and another on the way, there's bound to be big changes in my kitchen.  It seems like once kids go off to college they become wild and crazy eating machines.  There's the freshman fifteen, pizza orgies in the middle of the night, and candy bars for breakfast.  And they come home expecting more of the same.  It's too bad, we were doing so well with our lean 'empty nester' grocery carts...a couple of tomatoes, a nice piece of fish, some asparagus, and a package of English muffins. Maybe the odd can of beer nuts. 

It's not going to be easy coping with all the extra calories these next few months.  With college kids in the house junk food will be lurking in the cupboards and baiting us from the kitchen counter.  The girls will be begging me to bake cakes, cookies and brownies at all hours of the day and night.  I'll wake up to those new peanut butter Oreos, down half a bag of Buffalo Wing Doritos by mid morning and move on to the S'Mores Pop-Tarts before dinner.   

And then there's the ice cream.  It's a pity because I've gotten so good at averting my eyes as I push the cart down the freezer aisle...I even crane my neck a little bit further in the opposite direction as I pass the Dove Bars.  But this summer it'll all be for naught.  I'll bet the girls are going to want Ben and Jerry's.  Or haagen daz.  And at my age weight gain has serious consequences.  Probably the Vanilla Swiss Almond.   It can lead to skyrocketing cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure.  Or the Rum Raisin.  By the end of the summer I'll need a gastric bypass...oh God, I bet they'll want the Crème Brulée...

We had our first grocery run and yup, the bags were fuller.  Like a good mother I told her to go wild and pick out whatever she wanted, to stock up because there was really nothing for a college girl in our cupboards.  As I expected she was deep into the aisles before I even got to the onions.  At checked out I couldn't bring myself to look as the conveyor belt chugged along.  I would just have to muster some self control, and after all, it was only for the summer.  

On the drive home I couldn't help but feel a bit hungry in anticipation of all the tempting treats I'd managed to avoid for so long.  I held my breath as I unpacked the bags.  Ah hah!  There was a six pack of...organic ginger root beer, two containers of pomegranate and passion fruit...skyr, and...a box of chai tea.  Gosh, what kind of habits is she picking up at that college? 

Oh, and a pint of blackberries.  I knew it!  She's going to want muffins.

Mission accomplished

even though the same roommate who arrived early last fall and unilaterally claimed the best bed and by far bigger closet also left early along with irritated and completely useless dad who even after being nicely but directly asked only grudgingly helped to re-bunk the two 2-ton beds. They did not help with final clean up or the required reinstatement of the two 2-ton desks and chairs back into the room.  
But, we managed to get through it and even move on to enjoy the beautiful but bipolar rain/sun/rain/rainbow spring day in Williamstown. 

Molly ran around campus to say goodbye to her buddies and then we headed home.

On to the next college!

In search of some sun

Off to Williamstown to pick up Molly.  The college sent home a very official letter detailing exactly what has to be done to the student's dorm room upon leaving in order to avoid a $250 fine.  It's everything short of fumigation.  I think we have our work cut out for us. 

Maybe it'll be sunny there!

Generation gap

It's funny how some family recipes inspire intense loyalty, others skip a generation or two, and still others are forever lost to the ages.
My mom and dad grew up during the depression, and as a result they were not particularly attached to the food they grew up eating.  My mother remembered eating lots and lots of macaroni and cheese, so we never once had it in our house (although it's now a staple in my kitchen).  My dad described his mom thinly spreading raw hamburger meat on bread and then broiling it in the oven for their dinner.  Needless to say that dish is still skipping generations.

This cold casserole embraces the culinary ethos of the 1960's.  It uses canned tuna, lots of mayonnaise, straightforward salad veggies, and dried (not fresh!) herbs. Oh, and boiled eggs.

We had this on many a hot summer night while I was growing up, and it's proved to be a keeper. It's refreshing and satisfying.  Try it and you'll see.  

Just remember to add a backyard picnic table and lots of hot buttered corn on the cob for the full effect.  You'll have time for a game of Parcheesi while it's chilling in the fridge.

When you use tuna it's a perfect straight from the  pantry meal.  Bring it into the 21st century by using salmon, baby shrimp or lobster along with fresh herbs and more interesting veggies like fennel. 

Any other humble but enduring family recipes out there?  Sadly, neither daughter will touch this dish, so I guess it's destined to skip a generation after all. 

2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained and cooled

1 can solid white tuna in water, drained

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1/2 cucumber, finely diced (do not peel)

1 tomato, finely diced

a few inner stalks of celery and the leaves, finely diced

dill weed

salt and pepper

dash of vinegar

3 hard boiled eggs, quartered

Mix everything in a casserole, adding more mayo if it seems too dry, top with the eggs and chill well. This is even better the next day.

Vanilla bean almond scones

Rain, rain and more rain. The view from the big kitchen window is completely altered from just a week ago, and it's getting greener and lusher by the hour. The marsh is now entirely obscured, and the trees and shrubs are almost closing in on us.  I 'm already missing the long gray vistas, with the occasional flash of a scarlet cardinal, and being able to see turkeys roosting high in the pines.
We've become regular customers at Ceres Bakery since we arrived here last fall, and while we don't begrudge them one penny of what we've spent there, sometimes the challenge of making it yourself is fun, especially when the alternative is getting soaking wet.
This recipe is the same as the Maple Oat Nut Scones, which were a hit with all who tried them.  I switched out the maple extract and syrup for vanilla and almond extract, and replaced the pecans with almonds.  The vanilla beans and a dash of vanilla extract went into the glaze.  As I mentioned in the previous post, this time I upped the butter to 1/2 cup and added another tbsp of sugar.
Scones are traditionally on the dry side, and not too sweet.  It's part of their particular charm.  If you're looking for something moist and super sweet, these aren't for you.  But if you're feeling a bit peckish and have a nice cup of Earl Grey handy, these will do just fine.

Scones are pretty much instant gratification...they only bake for 13 minutes!  Everything about them is easy if you use a food processor to cut in the butter and briefly mix the dough till it comes together.  I always feel very thatched cottage on the Outer Hebrides when I slice the sturdy oat speckled dough into 8 wedges. 

Congratulations Johnny!

St John's College 2011

Foraging in the front yard

I've been eyeing a bunch of greens growing in an old barrel by the kitchen door.  There are also clumps of them growing randomly in the front yard.  They look like chives.  Finally I picked some and took a sniff...they smell nice and oniony.  

With tonight's chowder calling for chives I decided to go for it.   Normally I'm not one to taste mystery greens.  But I looked up how to identify wild chives online and I think we have a match.  Even down to the little onion shaped buds that will turn into purple clover-like blossoms.  They're the smallest member of the onion family (Allium schoenoprasum) and they're also called onion grass.  You probably have some in your yard, too.  I also read that they can easily be confused with their cousin, a plant called death camas (yes, you read that right).  Luckily death camas, which is poison, doesn't smell like onions, so that's pretty straightforward. 
I love chives and I hardly ever think to buy them.  You can use them so many ways...in omelets, frittatas, quiche, sour cream and baked potatoes, soups, salads, dips.  I'm very happy to have them about.  
Here's the chowder, chives and all.  It's better to snip chives with kitchen scissors than to chop them, which can crush them.

New camera/old soup

Somehow between Mother's Day and our anniversary I managed to snag a new camera. 

 

I got the Nikon D3100, the entry level SLR and an obvious choice from what I could learn from reviews. etc.

So, if I haven't managed to thoroughly annoy you with my endless photos of the minutia of life here, I'm sure I will in the coming days.  Even on the auto mode, which is all I've used so far, I can really tell a difference.  I've never had anything other than small point and shoot cameras, so this is a real treat.

I came across fresh corn in the store yesterday, and since it's a rainy weekend I'm going to make an old favorite: Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder from The Vegetarian Epicure.

This and the companion book two are such great cookbooks.  Published in 1972, they introduced me to the culinary arts and their simple earthy approach to food has inspired me ever since.  I love the whimsical pen and ink drawings scattered throughout the book---a refreshing change from the photo heavy world of recipes today.
This soup is a little bit of a dilemma because, as a hearty chowder you'd be inclined to make it in cold weather.  But it uses fresh corn kernels, so it makes sense to make it in the spring and summer when the corn is freshest.  I've tried it with frozen corn and it isn't the same.

You can get the original recipe online, but I've made it so many times that I do it from memory, with some minor changes.

Vegetarian Epicure Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder

3 or 4 white (not baking) potatoes, diced.  No need to peel

1 white or yellow onion, diced

3-4 tbs butter

1 tsp of flour

kernels from 2 ears of corn

bay leaf

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground sage

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese (I've always wanted to try Gruyere)

freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

a splash of dry white wine

chives or parsley

Saute the onions in the butter till translucent.  Add cold water just to cover the potatoes, add the bay leaf, cumin and sage and simmer until just tender.  About 2 minutes before they are done add the corn.  Add the flour to the onions and stir for a minute.  Do not brown.  Add in the potatoes, corn and water and stir well.  Add the milk and cream and heat through.  Season with salt and pepper.  At this point you can set it aside, or refrigerate until you are ready to eat.  Most soups benefit from a resting period so the flavors can mingle and develop.

Just before you want to eat, reheat the soup and check seasonings.  Add in the cheese, wine, a dusting of nutmeg, parsley or chives and stir until smooth.  Do not heat to boiling once you have put in the cheese or it might curdle. 

Serve with great bread.

I'll update with a photo of the finished product later today.

I didn't realize that Anna Thomas published another cookbook recently---Love Soup in 2009.  I can't wait to check it out.