Give me s'more: the best (and by that I mean possibly the worst) discovery ever.

A couple of weeks ago, I made a few little impulse buys at the grocery store: a big bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, and (you guessed it) a bar of chocolate.  We were at the height of our grilling frenzy and I got to thinking what better possible dessert than that old campfire classic s'mores?  I mean, a kebab skewer isn't all that different from a twig or an unwound wire coat hanger (don't tell me that you've never used that trick in a pinch) and what is a gas grill but a contained and controlled open fire? 

It turns out that, at least when it comes to s'mores making, there are significant differences.  I would tell you about all of them in great detail, except that I only discovered one: it takes too long to roast a marshmallow over a standard gas grill. (That is, assuming that it can be done at all.  I gave up before I could either prove or debunk that theory.)

But lest you think this tale ends in tragedy, let me assure you that right on the heels of my failed "grilled s'mores" experiment came an even greater discovery: if you pop a marshmallow in the microwave for 15 seconds or so, it puffs up and gets perfectly s'mores soft.  Cue two pieces of graham cracker and a good sized chunk of chocolate to reign it all in and you are in business! 

Confession: we have been eating (at least) one of these a night for the past several nights.  But hey, at least we're getting eight grams of whole grains in the process.  It says so right on the box.
 

I never promised you an herb garden.

When all of the evidence is examined, I can't fairly lay claim to any kind of green thumb.  In fact, if I am coming clean, there was that incident about ten years back where I killed what began as a robust, healthy cactus.  It put up a fight but in the end, it was no match for my complete and utter inattention.  The irony is that I got the cactus because I thought, "Now here is a low maintenance plant."  But because it required water so rarely, I never got into any kind of routine.  At first, I must have watered it every week or so, but the next thing I knew, several weeks (or more) had gone by and, for the poor doomed succulent, self-help was just not an option.  The rainfall in that part of my room had never been very reliable. 

Have you ever seen a cactus die?  This one began to cave in on itself from the middle out, like it took a punch in the gut that then spread.  It was an awful sight (that I noticed far too late to remedy) and for years afterward I refused to even accept housewarming gifts of plants, too horrific was I sure their fate would be if left in my abysmal care. 

But when we moved down South, I decided that it was time to give plant raising a go again.  This time, I tackled herbs and other edibles that can be grown in containers.  Now, we've got a mini-garden out on our back porch providing us with a seemingly endless supply of mint, basil, parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme, jalapeno peppers, basil, and, for a while there, cherry tomatoes, too. 

What to do with all this bounty---especially the basil, which is growing so rampantly that it pops up repeatedly in sentences where only one mention would do?  Well, as a wise man once said, when life gives you too much basil, it is time to find yourself a good pesto recipe.  The one below is simple and delicious and has the added nostalgic bonus of being sourced from Parade Magazine, which seemed so sophisticated to me as a child.  For reasons I cannot now satisfactorily explain, I would rush to be the first to pull it out of the river of Sunday paper inserts.  I would think myself very grown up as I sat on the couch and considered its contents, most memorably the advice column by Marilyn Vos Savant, who was reported to have the highest IQ in the world (and put it to its best logical use, helping less intellectually endowed Parade readers wrestling with questions such as "Why can't we make pantyhose that don't run or snag?" and "Can you gain more than the weight of your food?").

Garden Pesto
(originally published in Parade Magazine, now available on epicurious.com)

2 cups fresh basil leaves
4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste

Chop the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil. Blend in the cheese, salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days.

Lightning fast Thai yellow curry. From scratch. No joke.

If you have a food processor, you can make this Thai yellow curry from scratch in roughly a half-hour.  It is a great (and delicious) way to use just about any type of vegetables that you happen to have lying around.  Tonight, we made it with Thai eggplant, long-stem green beans, and yellow squash, all from our CSA box (plus a cup of frozen broccoli florets tossed in for good measure).  It is particularly good with a couple cups of baby bok choy thrown in near the end of the cooking time. 

 

Thai Yellow Vegetable Curry
(from About.com, recipe by Darlene Schmidt)

For the sauce:
1-2 cans coconut milk
1/2 tsp. fenugreek
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1-2 yellow chilies (or green or red chilies, either de-seeded or with seeds if you like more heat)
1 tbsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
3 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece galangal or ginger, peeled and sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, sliced thinly (or 2 tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass)
1/2 onion
3 tbsp. fish sauce or 4 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup cilantro, including the stems
2 tbs. brown sugar
juice of 1/2 lime
2-3 kaffir lime leaves, fresh or frozen, cut into strips (or 1/2 tbsp. lime zest)

2 tbs. Canola oil

Vegetables:
Any combo of your choice, in any amount of your choice, but probably at least 6 cups of vegetables and legumes.  Some ideas: 1 can fava beans, broad beans, or chick peas; approximately 2 cups bok choy, baby bok choy, or Chinese cabbage, chopped; 4-6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced; 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced; 1 large carrot, sliced; 1 cup broccoli; 1 cup cauliflower.

Plus 1/2 to 1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if the leaves are large.

Directions:

Put 1/2 can of coconut milk (reserving the rest for later) with all of the other sauce ingredients in a food processor.  Process well. 

Heat oil in wok or large frying pan over medium to high heat.  Add the curry paste and gently stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

Add the reserved 1/2 can of coconut milk and stir.  Then add those vegetables that require the longest cooking time, such as carrots, mushrooms, and cauliflower.  Stir well and bring to a simmering boil.  Turn down heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Depending on how much sauce you prefer, plus how many vegetables you are cooking, add 1/2 to 1 can more of coconut milk.  Then add the rest of the vegetables.  Stir well and cover, allowing to cook for another 5 minutes until vegetables are tender.  (NOTE: Add bok choy/Chinese cabbage last, as these only take a minute or two and you want them still slightly crunchy.)

Remove from heat and do a taste test.  Add more salt or fish sauce/soy sauce if not salty enough.  If too bitter, add 1-2 tbsp. more brown sugar.  If it's too sweet, add more lime juice.

Sprinkle the curry with fresh basil and serve with plenty of rice.*

*We like black forbidden rice, but use whatever you like.  There are no rules here.

A little slice of domestic wisdom.

ME:  How do you know when the hard boiled eggs are done?

HUSBAND:  When I get tired of standing here waiting for them, plus one or two minutes, they're done.

Grill, baby, grill.

Maybe it’s the looming proximity of (my favorite holiday) the Fourth of July, but we seem unable to make a meal these days without schlepping out to the grill. It has gotten so that I am not sure that I would necessarily recognize something as “food” unless it is all gussied up with the delicious criss-cross char of grill marks. But in my book, this is not a problem. A few of our favorites (new and old), follow.

If I could, I think I would eat these fish tacos twice a week at least:

Fish Tacos
(Bobby Flay, sir, my stomach thanks you and the Food Network)

1 pound white flaky fish, such as mahi mahi or orata (*we have also used tilapia and it is delicious!)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder (*”chili powder” unmodified by “ancho” also works fine)
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8 flour tortillas

Optional garnishes: shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, chopped red or green onions, hot sauce, salsa, sriracha, crema or sour cream

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, chili powder, jalapeno, and cilantro and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and place onto a hot grill, flesh side down. Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.

Place the tortillas on the grill and grill for 20 seconds. Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.

* * *

Lest you think I've forgotten those CSA roots (pun intended, mwah ha ha!), we’ve also been grilling the bejeezus out of all stripes of vegetables.  Some recent surprise favorites have been okra and tomatoes.  The recipe we used follows, along with a ridiculously good preparation for scrumptious grilled yellowneck squash.

Grilled Tomatoes and Okra
(modified from epicurious.com recipe for Steak, Tomato and Okra Kebabs)

3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
As many cherry, roma, or campari tomatoes as you can eat
Ditto as to the fresh okra

Whisk together shallots, vinegar, mustard, sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

Toss tomatoes and okra with vinaigrette in a bowl. Let sit for at 20 minutes minutes. Thread tomatoes onto skewers. Thread okra crosswise onto pairs of parallel skewers, leaving small spaces between pieces. (*If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak for at least 20 minutes before.)

Grill skewers (covered only if using a gas grill), turning occasionally, until tomatoes just begin to wilt and okra is tender, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to platter and serve with any remaining vinaigrette.

Grilled Yellowneck Squash
(modified ever so slightly from allrecipes.com)

4 medium yellow squash
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or squeezed through a garlic press
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat grill to medium heat.  Cut the squash horizontally into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick slices.  Heat olive oil in a small pan and add garlic cloves (or garlic squeezy goodness).  Cook over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle and become fragrant.  Brush the slices of squash with the garlic oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Grill squash for 5 to 10 minutes per side, until slices reach the desired tenderness.  During cooking, you may brush with additional garlic oil and turn occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.

Glorious cucumber salad.

Being raised in lands decidedly North of the Mason Dixon line, there are many things about Southern cuisine that I do not pretend to understand.  For example: pimento cheese.  I want to love it, really, I do.  But it just doesn't ring my bell.  If we're going to be putting strange cheese stuff onto Ritz crackers, I'm perfectly happy with my pressurized can of Easy Cheese, thank you very much.  (Thanks to Wikipedia, I now know that Easy Cheese is "a descendant of squeeze cheese."  So goes the circle of life, I guess, with each generation taking the dreams of their forebearers into new and, sometimes, unsettling places.) 

But one Southern staple that I always have room for on my plate is a chilled cucumber salad.  Particularly refreshing in the summertime, I have come to believe that no barbecue is complete without a bowl of this vinegary and yet subtly sweet goodness on the table.  There are a lot of variations on the theme out there, but the simple recipe below (adapted from Adrienne's Cucumber Salad on allrecipes.com) is my favorite. 

Chilled Cucumber Salad

4 large cucumbers, thinly sliced and partially peeled

Kosher sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

Toss the cucumbers with the sea salt and pepper in a bowl. Combine the vinegar, water, and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then pour over the cucumbers so that they are fully submerged below at least an extra inch of liquid.   Refrigerate at least 12 hours (may be refrigerated up to 24 hours).  When ready to serve, drain what is left of the liquid from the bowl (a lot of it will have been absorbed by the cucumbers). 

The salad can be eaten cold or at room temperature.