Firehouse Demo Recipes

I had a fantastic time cooking fresh foods at the Slow Food Pittsburgh table on Saturday morning.  How could I not?  Slow Food unleashed me to shop for whatever ingredients I could use, then I got to cook up whatever I felt like making from the freshest food available!  I just hope we collected enough donations to make the day worthwhile for Slow Food—because if so, I hope that will increase the chances of my being invited back soon for another Saturday of fresh food demonstrations.

Several of the shoppers/ samplers asked me if I had recipes for what I was cooking.  The simple answer was no, I didn’t—because I had no idea what I was going to make until the ingredients presented themselves to me.  For instance, the first dish of the day was a total shocker: Mott Family Farm had yellow transparent apples available, and the early, sour apples make an excellent applesauce—so that’s exactly what I made with them.

Instructions follow for each of the dishes I made: applesauce, Grandma Tolley’s salad (with my own twists), sauteed sugar snap peas with kale, pan seared summer squash with parmesan, freshly made croutons and vinaigrette (to spice up any salad), and maple sugar salmon.  Whew!  That was a full morning of cooking.

Applesauce

Core as many apples as you want to cook.  Put them in a large pot with a small amount of water, a generous dusting of cinnamon, a shake of allspice, and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.  If the water gets too low, add a little more.  If the apples start to caramelize on the bottom of the pan, so long as they are just caramelized and not burnt they will add some extra flavor—scrape them up with a wooden spoon and stir them into the sauce (if burnt, you will need to transfer everything above them into a new pan without disturbing them).  As the apples cook, mash them against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon or crush them with a potato masher.  When the sauce reaches your desired texture, remove from heat and serve.  For an added treat, garnish the applesauce with a sprinkling of maple sugar.

Grandma Tolley’s Salad (with my own twists)

My Grandma Tolley was not much of a cook.  Which was doubly sad, because she lived on a farm and every summer when we visited she would take the freshest, most glorious ingredients and burn them or cook them to mush (Remember that episode of M*A*S*H when Father Mulcahy was so excited about his fresh corn on the cob?  Grandma Tolley was like the cook who turned it into creamed corn.)  That having been said, she did have one specialty: cucumbers and onion with salt and pepper, drenched in vinegar.  So simple, yet so good.

Grandma Tolley always limited the ingredients to those five, but there’s no reason that you have to.  The salad I made at Farmers@ the Firehouse featured heirloom cucumbers, onion, fennel, mint, and basil (with salt, pepper, and vinegar).  Later in the summer, try cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and stilton cheese.  Two tips: slice the onion as thinly as possible, and make the salad early in your dinner preparation timetable.  The longer the vegetables have to marinate in the vinegar, the better it gets.

Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas with Kale

Have you had peas with mint?  It’s a fantastic combination.  That was the idea that I was starting from when I cooked this dish, and the other ingredients just kind of jumped into the mix from there.

I started by heating a large, cast iron skillet and adding a thin layer of oil to the bottom.  I seasoned the oil with black pepper, cayenne pepper, and a touch of cinnamon, then added the sugar snap peas and a pinch of salt.  Stirred the peas well to get them coated, then sliced some fennel and some garlic (but don’t forget about the peas, they continue to need occasional attention).  As the peas started to soften, I added the garlic and fennel, and kept a pretty close eye on them as I cleaned and de-stemmed the kale.  Roll the kale the long way and slice it into ribbons.  Add it to the pan as the garlic and the fennel start to take on a lovely golden brown hue (which should coincide with the pea pods also having a roasted appearance to them).  The moisture that clings to the leaves will deglaze the pan, in effect, and halt the caramelization of the other vegetables–but have a bit of water on hand in case you need to sprinkle just a little more.  Stir the kale frequently as it steams, and serve as soon as the kale is just cooked—it should take on a brighter kelly green under the influence of the heat, but if you cook it too long, that will fade to more of an army camouflage hue).  [Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary]

Pan-Seared Summer Squash with Parmesan Cheese

I’ve been loving this flavor combination this summer.  So simple—yet so good.  I remain convinced that a key to good cooking is starting with fresh ingredients and treating them nicely.  If you tickle them too much; if you add too many flairs and flourishes—you run the risk of losing the identity of the ingredients that inspired you in the first place.

Heat a large cast iron skillet.  Cut the zucchini and yellow squash into half-inch thick planks.  Add a thin layer of oil to the bottom of the pan and once the oil is hot, arrange the squash neatly into the bottom of the pan.  The easiest way to do this is by hand, so be careful not to splash the hot oil onto your fingertips.  Work neatly so you can track which pieces went into the pan first, and don’t overcrowd the pan—if you have more squash than will fit in one layer, do a second batch.

Once you have finished adding the squash to the pan, season it with a sprinkle of salt and a couple grinds of the pepper mill.  Use tongs to check the first pieces you put into the pan, and the pieces in the center of the pan (watch out for hot spots).  When the squash takes on a golden brown, nicely seared appearance, flip them.  The second side will cook more quickly than the first.  When done, remove the squash to a serving plate and hit immediately with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, while the squash is still hot enough for the cheese to melt onto it.

Grilling method: Cut the squash, and season it with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Grill over medium coals until done, remove from heat and hit with parmesan cheese.

Croutons and Matching Vinaigrette

Croutons are so easy to make, it always astounds me when I visit a restaurant that serves bread but buys croutons.

Slice hearty bread into cubes.  I like mine thick, about 1/3 of an inch–but go with what works for you.  Mix together olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika and drizzle over the bread cubes (the easiest way I have found to do this is to put them in a large mixing bowl and toss them with the oil, though alternately, you could also brush bread slices on both sides with seasoned oil and then cube the bread after it’s already been oiled).  Just a touch of the oil for each piece of bread–you want the croutons seasoned, not greasy.

Toast the croutons in a 350 F oven for 12-14 minutes or until done, stirring halfway through.  OR, saute croutons in a large, hot cast iron skillet, stirring frequently until done—don’t overcrowd the pan or they will never toast.

Inevitably, there will be some of the spice mix left in the bottom of the measuring cup you used to make the seasoned olive oil.  Measure 1/3 cup vinegar into the spices, and transfer to a small mixing bowl.  Measure 1 cup extra virgin olive oil and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the vinegar as you whisk constantly. The oil and the vinegar will emulsify into a beautiful vinaigrette that will match perfectly with the croutons.

Maple Sugar Salmon

I know—salmon’s not local.  But the woman who sells salmon at the farmer’s market has family in Alaska who fish for salmon.  She coordinates the fish’s sale to us here in Pittsburgh.  And the sockeye that was available on Saturday was beautiful stuff.

Rub salmon skin with salt and oil.  Season flesh with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and maple sugar; then rub with oil.  Put salmon skin side down in a hot cast iron pan.  Flip when the fish releases from the pan (the task of flipping fish is made tremendously easier with a fish spatula, available at any kitchen supply retailer) and sear skin side in a similar manner.  As the skin cooks, sprinkle the salmon flesh with a very moderate amount of salt and a more generous amount of maple sugar.  Serve rare to medium rare to appreciative family members and/or guests.

_____________________________________________________________________

Many thanks to Slow Food Pittsburgh for inviting me to cook at the Firehouse.  Slow Food USA is a non-profit member organization that seeks to preserve, foster, and advance the traditions of dining from whole foods prepared according to time-honored methods (think the opposite of fast food).  If you support these aims, please consider joining the movement.

One Response to “Firehouse Demo Recipes”

  1. MIL Says:

    Sounds scrumptious!!

Leave a Reply