I was going to take you on a tour of the newish Saturday farmer’s market in Concord, MA. But the rain forecast kept the farmers away, so now we are going to two of my favorite farms, both family farms with a long history here. Then we are having corn soup for lunch, my recipe inspired by the best corn soup ever at 80 Thoreau, with a swirl of my own.
Our first stop is McGrath farm, for corn and impulse vegetable shopping. Continue reading
I used to hate eggplant. My three brothers and I made a no-eggplant pact. We figured if we banded together we could convince my mom not to make it for us. Who could blame us? How about some bitter spongy slices sawed from those fat purple blobs, then coated in egg and bread crumbs and pan fried, for you?
The eggplant ban lasted for decades and then one day a thin, balsamic-roasted slice ended up in a roasted vegetable sandwich. Hmmmm. Pretty good. Then a friend made honey roasted eggplant and I started to rethink eggplant.
What clinched it was overhearing a recipe described a the farmer’s market: roasted eggplant slices, spread with goat cheese and pesto, rolled up and topped with fresh tomato sauce.
So, now that the eggplant ban is officially lifted, I’m making my favorite eggplant dish with my mom and dad, who always thought the ban was ridiculous but gave in to us because we ate everything else they put on our plates. This is a great dish to make for company because it’s vegetarian and easily made vegan, and you can do most prep ahead of time, which means more time to spend with your friends.
Menu
Artichoke and olive tapenade with crackers
Mixed greens with peaches, almonds, and peach vinaigrette
Eggplant rolatini with tomato sauce over linguini
Strawberry sorbet
Continue reading
I had asparagus on the brain after making Smitten Kitchen’s shaved asparagus pizza and having a lovely salad of local lettuces and shaved asparagus at AKA Bistro. 
I made the pizza one drizzly night a couple weeks back for some very enthusiastic friends who agreed that the thin crust, scant sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan, and grassy asparagus topped with scallions was a winning combination.
So what else could I do with shaved asparagus?
Spring is here, but the farms nearby are selling…pansies.
It’s so hard to be patient and wait for asparagus and other early spring vegetables. So I’m cooking more supermarket broccoli, but with a springy twist. It’s almost a pantry last-minute recipe, if you happen to have fresh or frozen broccoli on hand. Continue reading
With a day’s notice, I decided to go to Southern California to celebrate my dad’s 79th birthday. For the past week he’d been mostly at home, recovering from a leg injury, and I thought he could use some company and a fuss for his birthday. It’s also been awhile since my mom and I tore it up in the kitchen, and I was looking forward to that, too.
People who don’t live in California think that when I go to there for a visit with my vegan parents that we mostly eat avocados and oranges off the trees. We did have very sweet tangerines from my brother Chuck’s tree, and then dined at some lovely vegetarian cafes, and then got to work in honor of dad’s birthday.
My mom is a very skilled and quite fearless cook, which makes these cooking visits so enjoyable. She likes bold flavors and well-seasoned food, and has great ideas about what goes with what and encourages my crazy ideas (not represented in this particular post). She’s also tireless, and thinks nothing of cooking for hours at a stretch, so she was enthusiastic about making this menu together.
Moroccan chickpea cakes with walnut sauce
caponata
quinoa tabbouli
zucchini ribbons
fresh chickpeas
coconut ice cream
I’m a big fan of chickpeas in any preparation, and especially like them combined with zesty spices. We were inspired by the hummus cake recipe from Vegetarian Times, which morphed into this recipe. We served them with a walnut sauce and caponata, but they are a nice base for nearly anything.
While my parents and I were out shopping, we discovered fresh chickpeas at the Middle Eastern market (who knew? I thought chickpeas only came in a can! They cook up to a brilliant green and have a creamier texture than their dried version). Dad offered to peel them, and didn’t complain when his hands turned black, and so we also cooked those up.
Moroccan chickpea cakes
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 green onions, white and green parts chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup tahini
2 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp saffon
1 and 1/4 tsp salt
Heat oven to 350. Measure out 2 1/4 cups chickpeas (set the rest aside) and put in a food processor. Add green onions, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, spices, and salt, and process until coarsely chopped and combined. Move the mixture to a large bowl, and stir in the rest of the chickpeas. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings.
Lightly brush a baking sheet with oil or use a Silpat mat. Shape chickpeas into small patties. We made about 18. They don’t hold together if you make them burger size, so don’t make them that large. Put them on the pan and lightly brush the tops with oil. Bake for 30 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.
Moroccan chickpea cakes
The sauce for the chickpea cakes was adapted from a Georgian walnut sauce recipe in a lovely cookbook called Olive Trees and Honey:
Georgian walnut sauce
1 cup walnut pieces
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 TBS and 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
4 TBS chopped cilantro, divided
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 TBS olive oil
Put into food processor: walnuts, onion, garlic, salt, pomegranate molasses, half the cilantro, and the spices. Pulse mixture until well chopped, but still a bit chunky.
Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add mixture and cook, stirring, until darker in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add in remaining cilantro, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Zucchini ribbons
4 medium size zucchini
1 red or yellow bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Use a vegetable peeler to make thin strips out of the zucchini. It’s OK if the strips are not all exactly the same size or perfect looking. Cut the pepper into thin steps.
Heat a nonstick medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of water, and the zucchini and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes, but watch carefully so you don’t overcook them. Remove from the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
My brothers Chuck and Gregg came over for the dinner and then artfully presented Dad with all kinds of interesting gifts and garlic. We had ambitious plans for Dad’s birthday dessert. But after also making a quinoa tabbouli and spinach saute garnish, and another sauce that didn’t get a passing vote, we decided to indulge in the Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream that we picked up earlier that day. Happy birthday, dad!
cement truck kitchen 
