Tuesday, July 14, 2009

My No. 1 summer essential.

Last Friday, my house was a flurry as my three roommates packed and readied for jaunts abroad: Jason to Greece, and Michael and Greg to Spain (expect a guest post from Michael upon return). Not wanting to add to the confusion, I planned to spend most of the day out of the house. Instead, I spent the late morning and early afternoon at our kitchen table, a big old farm-style table we salvaged off Craigslist from some guy in the East Village years ago. It's the center of our home, and from my seat on Friday I enjoyed watching my friends pack their bags, exchange travel tips and leave me detailed instructions on how to care for our many plants. Around 1 p.m., we were all a little hungry, and Jason wondered aloud if he should leave early to have lunch out. Knowing we had more food than I could possibly eat myself, I told him to go out for some beer and that I would make lunch.

Lettuce

Quick and easy lunches are almost as good as long leisurely ones; they certainly can be as restorative and satisfying. As always, I like to seek inspiration from my favorites: Chez Panisse in Berkley (love the new Web site), Le Languedoc on Nantucket, Mass., and Blaue Gans here in New York. Friday, I prepared for ours by boiling a few eggs and putting together a cheese platter with some aged cheddar and feta. Next, I washed some lettuce from our CSA share, chopped a garlic scape and a handful of raw almonds, and mixed an oil and vinegar dressing. Finally, I tossed some leftover spaghetti with marina (I didn't even bother reheating it) with some extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes. So it was a little more Italian than French or German, it was still delicious and a nice way to say "bon voyage."

While recounting the afternoon to a friend yesterday, I realized none of it would've been possible without a few staples, the things I can't cook without. My list of must haves is short: good coffee, extra virgin olive oil, a handful of vinegars (I like this white wine vinegar from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Mich.) and lemons. With these four things in my possession, I feel like I can conquer the world, or at the very least entertain a few hungry stomachs. Of course, actual food is required to do the latter, and what's in the house varies depending on season. For now, it's loads of gorgeous produce from Garden of Eve Farm, like bok choy, frisée, kale, lettuces, cucumbers, dill, garlic scapes, summer squash and this thing:

Kohlrabi

That's kohlrabi, and it's not as scary as it looks. But until I decide what to do with it, I'm sticking to what I know best.

The only salad dressing you'll ever need (really)

So fresh and simple, a nice oil and vinegar salad dressing will allow for quality produce to speak for itself. And the best part is, variations abound: olive oils and vinegars range from sweet to spicy, and fresh-squeezed grapefruit or lime juice can easily replace the lemon. Chopped herbs or cheese (a crumbly blue or feta works well) can be added for texture.

Ingredients

2 parts extra-virgin olive oil
1 part white wine vinegar
1 part lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large boil, whisk together above ingredients. Add desired produce. Delicately mix by hand.

4 comments:

A.D. said...

Kohlrabi makes the best cole slaw ever! Shred 2 kolhrabi + 2 large carrots in the food processor (or on a mandoline, but I am a sucker for the convenience of the food processor in cases like these). You can throw in an apple if you've got one, too. Or a red onion for extra kick. In a medium- sized bowl, whisk together a couple of tablespoons apple cider, 1 1/2 tbsp good mayo, 1 tbsp sugar, plus freshly ground salt & pepper to taste. Dump in the food processor contents and mix everything together. Takes less than 10 mins, delicious and refreshing. Our favorite way to eat it is on adouille sausage in a bun. It's the perfect compliment to spicy sausage.

JJN said...

Thanks for the tip! I would've never thought to use kohlrabi for slaw. I can't wait to try it!

A.D. said...

I meant to say that you should peel the tough outer skin off the kohlrabi first. I got the slaw suggestion from someone in my CSA the first time I got kohlrabi in my share. It's really good. (These comments are from Amber at Worth My Salt, by the way--couldn't figure out how to log in that way!)

JJN said...

Amber -- I kind of thought that might be you! Thanks for both tips, now. I actually did know to peel the woody skin from the kohlrabi. I made the slaw yesterday, in less than 10 minutes! I've almost finished the whole batch, it's so good in the heat.

Thanks again, and I hope you are well.