Broccolini with tofu, sesame and coriander

adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook.  The original version of this recipe can be seen at this link.

• 1 lb. firm tofu, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 6 tbsp. tamari
• 8 tbsp. garlic chilli sauce
• 4 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 bunches broccolini or rapini, coarsely choppe
• 1 tbsp. sesame seed
• 1 tbsp. peanut oil
• 3 tbsp. cilantro

1. Marinate the tofu in a mix of the tamari, chili paste, and sesame oil.
2. Blanch the broccolini for 2 minutes. Drain and run at once under a cold tap to stop further cooking.
3. Toast the sesame seeds over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Lift the tofu from the marinade and fry the pieces in a wok until they are lightly browned on all sides.
5. Add the remaining marinade to the pan, plus the cooked broccolini.  Stir gently together.
6. Remove from heat, stir in the cilantro and sesame seed, and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Okra with Tomatoes

adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian who adapts it from the Indian Muslim’s in Uganda.  She suggests it be topped with scrambled eggs or an omelet, or served plain with flatbreads, yogurt relish, and fresh chutney.

1/4 cup peanut oil

1 lb. fresh okra, tops and tails removed, cut crosswise in 1/4 inch thick rounds

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cumim

1/4 tsp. tumeric

3/4 tsp. salt

fresh ground black pepper

Stir fry okra in oil 7-10 minutes.  When the okra starts to brown, turn heat down and stir fry 3-4 more minutes.  Turn heat down again and stir fry 2-3 additional minutes or until okra is almost tender.

Add all the remaining ingredients and cook gently on low heat 4-5 minutes until the flavors have merged and the tomatoes have dried a bit.

 

Photos from the melon (sic) workshop

melon (sic) workshop menu

French orange melon grown by Harmony Valley served with red and black sea salts.

Local melons purchased yesterday at the farmer’s market, harvest-themed napkins and souvenir melon baller in souvenir bag.

Two kinds of pickles: momofuku-style canteloupe and watermelon in sweetened rice vinegar, honeydew in soured garlic dill brine

Wisconsin musk melons chips air dried on premises.

White tea flavored with melons.

Melon soda.

Guest picked radish grown adjacent to melon.

Melon mint chewing gum.

Egusi Stew.

Fresh salsa made from locally grown cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, red onion, and our homegrown jalapeno peppers.

Watermelon sorbet with a bit of melon vodka added for consistency.

Thinly sliced Italian ham wrapped around Wisconsin muskmelon

RP’s winter squash ravioli served with a cantaloupe cream sauce.

Cataloupe and nori tempura served with wasabi yogurt sauce.

Watermelon “belly” grilled, sous vide, and sauteed in duck fat served along side tuna sashimi

Chilled soup with honeydew, cucumber and coconut milk.

an adapted version of Katrina Forest’s watermelon salad made with honeydew, cucumbers, peanuts, parsley and hazelnut oil.

Melon Sangria.

Bitter melon Stir Fry withFajita Pork and Shitake Mushrooms.

Grilled Muskmelon.

Mesclun greens and local sheep feta with a cantaloupe dressing.

Cantaloupe Quick Bread baked in a melon mold.

Midori Cocktails.

 

melon (sic) workshop

Spatula and Barcode invite you to join us for a melon (sic) workshop.  As part of a Mellon Workshop on Aesthetic Relations funded by the Center for Humanities at the University of Wisconsin, Spatula and Barcode will host a workshop to celebrate the last days of melon season.

You are invited to help us think about all sorts of aesthetic relations while tasting dishes prepared from all sorts of melons*: bitter, canary, cantaloupe, cassava, crenshaw, hami, honeydew, musk, pepino, persian, sugar, yubari, and water melon, along with some of melons’ close relatives: cucumbers, gourds, pumpkins, and squashes.  (*Please note that not all melon varieties are seasonally or regionally available).

The event will take place on Sunday, 18 September at starting promptly at 5 PM.
At exactly 7 PM, we’ll end by toasting the big melon setting in the west with a midori cocktail.

Contact spatulaandbarcode@gmail.com for reservations.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Attendance at this event is limited to twenty-four pre-registered guests. Reserve now because spaces will fill quickly.

Once our guest list is confirmed, registered participants will receive directions to the event and instructions about how to prepare.

excerpted from from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melon

Melon is a name given to various members of the plant family cucurbitaceae with sweet flavored, fleshy fruit.  Melon can refer to the plant or the fruit.  The plant grows as a vine.  Although the melon is a fruit, some varieties may be considered “culinary vegetables”.

Humankind has been eating melons for more than 4,000 years. Surprisingly, melons have never been found growing in the wild—other than escapees from someone’s garden. Melons are believed to have originated in the hot valleys of southwest Asia—specifically Iran (Persia) and India. Early American settlers grew cultivars of honeydew and casaba melons back in the 1600s. Yet, only in recent times, many more varieties are available, often out of season in grocery stores.

The word melon derives from Latin (melopepo)which is the latinization of the Greek (mēlopepon).  The first documented use of the word “melon” was about 1395. John Ayto’s Dictionary of Word Origins suggests that the word is derived from Melos (the Greek Cyclades Islands, best known for the Venus de Milo). Melons wend their way into literature. According to one hadith, Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said: “Whenever you eat fruit, eat melon, because it is the fruit of Paradise and contains a thousand blessings and a thousand mercies. The eating of it cures every disease.”

Cornichons

Adapted from Trunch and Kipp, who’ve adapted it from The Joy of Pickling.

1. Buy a pickle jar’s worth of tiny cucumbers (it works well to buy a lot cukes and sort them, using the larger ones for garlic-dill pickles and the tiny ones for cornichons). Wash the cucumbers gently. In a bowl, mix the cucumbers with a cup or so of Kosher salt. Let  stand 24 hours.

2. Drain, rinse in cold water, and place in your sterile pickle jar. Add some cut up shallots, bay leaves, fresh tarragon, peppercorns, and a couple of small chile peppers, and leaving at least 1 inch headspace. Fill the jar to the brim with vinegar. Cover the jar tightly with a nonreactive cap, preferably one that is all plastic. Store the jar in a cool, dry, dark place.  (We put ours in the refrigerator.)

3. The cornichons will be ready to eat in 1 month, and will keep well, unopened, for about 1 year.

Joyce’s Dill Pickles

Thanks to Douglas Rosenberg.

Clean a 5 gallon crock.

Gently scrub cucumbers.

Chop garlic coarsely (12 bulbs).

Chop dill coarsely (8 large bunches).

Boil water, kosher salt (one tbsp. per quart), white vinegar (3 tbsp. per quart), pickling spices (peppercorns, bay leaves, coriander seeds, mustard seeds).

Layer cucumbers, garlic, and dill into crock.

Pour liquid into crock until full.

Place plate on top. Place weight on plate.

Store in a cool dark place.

Pickles will be ready in three to ten days.

(For sweet pickles, eliminate garlic and dill and replace spices above with allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, cardamon seeds, cloves, juniper, and crushed mace).

See also Volume 4 / Issue 1 – ‘On Cooking’ – pub. Spring 1999