I visited my dear friend, Caroline Courtauld’s, English country house, Spencer’s and its gorgeous gardens www.spencersgarden.net at the height of mid-summer. The stunning 1 ½ -acre garden was at its peak and awash in a sea of vivid colors. It was spectacular!!

As we toured the grounds, Caroline explained that she prefers the French method of growing vegetables alongside flowers instead of the typical English design of keeping the two separate. The garden has an impressive variety of organic vegetables. We feasted that evening on a light spinach soup, steamed zucchini, and the first of the season’s broad beans and pan-seared salmon. All of the succulent vegetables were picked right before dinner.

In addition to her role as Mistress of Spencer’s, Caroline Courtauld is a distinguished author and photographer of a number of books on Burma, Hong Kong and China, as well as a documentary film producer. She is also a Director and passionately involved in Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, an organization established by her late friend, Maggie Keswick Jencks, (who was a respected author, landscape designer, and painter) with her husband Charles, the noted architect. The fourteen centers offer help for cancer patients and their families, including information, benefits, advice, psychological support, and courses in stress reducing strategies. No appointment or referrals are necessary and everything is free of charge.

Flavorings:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½  tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 ½ tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Trim the beet stems to 1- inch if necessary and scrub the beets. Arrange on a cookies sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil. Cover the top with the foil and roast the beets for 25 minutes. Let the beets cool enough to handle and rub off the skin.

2. Cut the beets in half, rearrange with the cut edge up on the cookie sheet and brush all part of the beets except the stem with the Flavorings. Return uncovered to the oven and continue roasting until they are very tender,

another 20 to 25 minutes. Arrange on a platter, cool slightly and serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

A good fire, a fresh vegetable, some garlic and you have most of the makings for a great vegetable stir-fry. This is one of my basic recipes that I use with all fresh vegetables including broccolini, but you could substitute any vegetable from baby cabbage hearts, green beans, snow peas, zucchini to spinach. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly. I cook a bunch and serve it with grilled seafood, chicken, or meat and some rice for an easy dinner. Make a bunch and reheat it, eat it at room temperature, or add it to soups and stews.

Enjoy!

Nina

1 teaspoon virgin olive oil

2 ½  tablespoons rice wine, sake, or very good quality dry sherry

1 ½  tablespoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

1.Trim away any tough leafy ends and peel away any tough skin from the stalk.  Cut the stalk on the diagonal into 1 ½-inch lengths. Separate any flowerets. Rinse the vegetable thoroughly and drain

2.Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot and add the stalky, tougher part of the vegetable. Cook about 2 minutes or until near tender. Add the leafy sections or flowerets and cook for another minute. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold, running water. Drain. (You can do this in advance.)

3.Heat a wok or a deep skillet until very hot, then pour in the oil, and heat until near smoking. (Don’t be afraid to get the pan too really. This will give the dish its special flavor.) Add the greens, rice wine, garlic, salt, and toss lightly over high heat for about a minute. Scoop out the vegetable, arranging it on a serving platter, and spoon the liquid on top. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Celebrity Chef Todd English has a new project!! In addition to his 24 restaurants, he’s now opened Food Halls underneath the Plaza Hotel. Todd took us on a personal tour.

Watch the Video 2:41
YouTube

Go to SpicesofLife for the recipe for Todd’s Tomato and Corn Salad

Enjoy!!

Nina

Nina’s Tip:

Tomatoes turn mushy in the fridge so keep them at room temperature.

3 beefsteak tomatoes, diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped scallion greens
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 to 2 anchovy fillets, minced
4 cups fresh corn kernels
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions:

• Place the tomatoes, basil, cilantro, onion, scallion greens, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large salad bowl.

• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook until they are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the corn kernels and mustard and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add to the tomato salad, toss, and serve immediately.

ToddEnglish.com

6 ears sweet corn

5 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 large garlic cloves peeled and chopped finely

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Break off the stem end of the corn ear and peel back the husks of the corn, but do not remove. Clean all the silk from around the inside of the ear and cover the exposed corn with the husk. Soak the corn in cold water for 10 minutes.

2. While the corn is soaking, heat the 4 tablespoons of the olive, sesame oil, and butter in a heavy sauce pan with a lid until hot, about 350 degrees. Turn the heat to low and keep warm.

3. Brush the grill with the remaining olive oil and prepare a hot fire for grilling or preheat a gas grill and arrange the rack 3 to 4 inches from the heat. Heat the grill to about 425 degrees.

4. Turn the heat to medium, about 350 and place the corn, still covered by the husk.  Cook about 5 minutes and using prongs, turn to the other side. After about 5 minutes, turn the corn again. Turn the corn after 4 more minutes and remove from the heat. Peel the husk back and brush the corn with the seasoned oil.  Serve with salt and pepper.

Mid-summer is the most glorious time for enjoying local fruits and vegetables- especially berries, tomatoes and corn. Of course, I enjoy all the other fresh bounty from the garden and fields as well. But mid-July is an EXCRUCIATING time for me because I am impatiently waiting for local corn. I’m talking newly-picked-that-day-still-warm-and-moist-from-the-vine-corn. On the East Coast, we are getting corn from New Jersey and western Massachusetts, but that’s not FRESH ENOUGH for me.

Still, I see the ears of corn in the local farmer’s market and they call to me… “Nina, eat me!!”
So last week I bought some and developed a recipe for Smoky Grilled Sesame Corn for the new cookbook that I’m writing.. It was so good that I used the leftovers and created another new recipe for Smoky Corn and Red Pepper Salsa. I discovered that you can camouflage the flavor of “almost fresh enough” corn by grilling it!!  My friend, Jaime Dominguez, who is a great cook, was visiting from San Francisco with his family and  taught me the easiest way to grill corn on the cob. I previously thought I had it perfected, but Jaime showed me how to make it taste even smokier.

These two recipes are the first of many that I will share from the new book. The working title is “Simple Asian Meals” and the recipes are EASY, DELICIOUS, and ACCESSIBLE. They reflect the way I cook at home and how I deal with the daily dilemma of “What to make for dinner?”  Yes, even though I’m a cookbook author, I deal with this boring issue every day just like everyone else. Although, its so much easier  now when local products are so inspiring.

The majority of the recipes in the new book are meal-in-one dishes. Smoky Grilled Sesame Corn and the Smoky Corn and  Red Pepper Salsa are from the chapter titled “Easy Sides” which accompany the “Asian Grill” recipes. “Easy Side” dishes can also be served with pan-fried, stir-fried, grilled, or steamed foods and include  Spicy Fennel Slaw,  Sake-Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Roasted Cherry Tomato Cilantro  Salsa, and Vietnamese Cole Slaw with Dill.

Enjoy the recipes and celebrate my favorite time of year!!

Nina

Photo from: www.howstuffworks.com/corn.htm

6 ears grilled sesame sweet corn or 4 cups frozen, defrosted
2 roasted red bell peppers
3 scallions, ends trimmed
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼  teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Holding the corn upright with the cut stem edge on the cutting board, cut down each ear with a sharp knife to remove the kernels. Place in a bowl.
2. If necessary, remove the seeds and stem from the roasted peppers and discard. Cut the peppers into ½ -inch dice. Finely chop the scallions.
3. Place the red peppers and scallions in the bowl with the corn. Add the rice vinegar, sugar, toasted sesame oil, and salt and pepper. Mix together and season further to taste, if necessary.

FYI, the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010”, (a retooling of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966), passed the Senate with a $4.5 billion increase for school lunches over the next ten years. Sounds pretty good, huh? Unfortunately, it is shockingly short of the $10 billion over 10 years that the Obama Administration had suggested. Food advocates also agree that this amount is necessary for a true, healthy overhaul of the nation’s school lunch program.

It is time for change: Under the current requirements potatoes-even in the sorry form of soggy French fries- count as a vegetable. Your voice needs to be heard in order to make these reforms a reality. Here’s what you can do:

• Write or call your state representative and ask them to support greater increases to the school lunch reforms We’re hoping for an increase of 70 cents to $1. To contact your representative call the capitol switchboard at 1-800-815-3740 and ask for your state’s representative.

• Join Jamie Oliver’s revolutionary Food Revolution. Sign the petition here!

• Most importantly, make yourself aware of the issues. Check out the work

Renegade Lunch Lady, Ann Cooper, is doing: http://www.chefann.com/.

Let’s all help promote change and make it a reality.

Cheers,

Joanna