July 29, 2020

Dear friends,

The first corn of the season crashed smack-dab into a green bean glut at my house last week, leading to an overflowing refrigerator.

I picked up some bi-colored milk and honey corn at Graf Growers in Copley on Monday, then hightailed it to Seiberling Farm in Norton on Wednesday for its season opening. There’s no such thing as too much corn.

Meanwhile, I had been struggling to keep up with the 15 green bean bushes Tony planted in May, which are so heavy with bean pods they lounge spread-eagled on the watermelon vines.

My solution was to eat corn with almost every meal, roast some green beans with garlic and lemon, parboil and freeze a few quarts of beans, and then bring both beans and corn together in a knockout composed salad.

The big platter of shrimp salad with green beans and corn was summer on a plate. I scattered three ears’ worth of corn kernels (so tender I didn’t need to cook them) over torn romaine and arranged the shrimp and cooked green beans over the lettuce. Then I added sliced radishes, sliced avocado, tomato chunks and hard-cooked eggs and drizzled it with an addictive tarragon dressing.

To deepen the flavor, I tossed the green beans and corn with some of the dressing before arranging on the salad.

A big composed salad like this takes time to make because each element must be cooked/chopped/peeled/sliced in advance. I prepared each ingredient (boiled the eggs, peeled the shrimp, etc.) when I had time throughout the day, so it came together quickly when we were ready to eat. You could even start a day in advance. It looks glorious and tastes pretty good, too.

TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE
1 tbsp. minced shallot or onion
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. (packed) minced fresh tarragon leaves or 1 tsp. dried
Sea salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a custard cup and let stand at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, before using.

SHRIMP, CORN AND GREEN BEAN SALAD

1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and boiled until al dente
3 ears of corn
Salt, pepper
6 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves (1 big head)
4 eggs, cooked for 7 minutes, cooled and peeled, cut in halves
1 avocado, peeled and cut into slices
3 radishes, sliced thin
Tomato chunks or cherry tomatoes for garnish

Cook the shrimp briefly in boiling water, just until the meat is no longer translucent (one minute more or less, depending on size of shrimp). Shock with cold water until shrimp are room temperature. Peel and refrigerate.

Drain the green beans and toss with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Season with salt and refrigerate until needed. Cut the kernels from the cobs and toss with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Season with salt and refrigerate until needed.

When ready to serve, arrange the torn romaine on a platter. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter corn over lettuce. Pile the shrimp in the center. Arrange green beans, eggs and avocado in a pleasing pattern over the lettuce. Scatter radish slices over all. Garnish with tomato chunks. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Makes 4 servings.

TIDBIT
I didn’t mean to leave you hanging with my story about meeting and dining with Paul Prudhomme in New Orleans. At least a dozen of you, with varying degrees of urgency, wanted to know the question that got me kicked out of his restaurant.

First, I didn’t get kicked out. His icy demeanor told me the interview was over. I left on my own after trying a couple of more times to get an answer. I don’t give up easily.

So here’s the story: Prudhomme was one of the first celebrity chefs. He began to spend considerable time away from his restaurant, flying across the country for interviews and television appearances. I asked the question food critics had been whispering about for awhile: didn’t his absence affect the quality of the food at his restaurant?

That’s it. It was a big deal back then, not so much now when we don’t expect a celebrity chef to be in the kitchen every time we visit. Still, we always kind of hope, right?

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Avocado toast topped with scrambled egg; protein ice pops; blanched green beans for freezing; BLTs on toast; tofu and green bean stir fry with sticky chile sauce over rice; black raspberry tart; peach galette; poached chicken; cantaloupe and prosciutto; french toast; mojo-marinated grilled chicken, sliced tomatoes with pesto; roast green beans with lemon zest and garlic; microwaved corn on the cob (several times); shrimp, corn and green bean salad with tarragon vinaigrette; egg, tomato, feta and salsa on toast.

What I ate from restaurants, etc:
Chicken Cobb salad from Giant Eagle; a chili-cheese dog and fries from the Hot Dog Shoppe in East Liverpool; a vanilla cone from Dairy Queen.

THE MAILBAG
From Annie:
Time for a column on string beans. You know — green ones, and yellow and purple ones for that matter. They are coming out my ears and I am running out of ways to serve them. Plain steamed with butter, sautéed with bacon like my mom did them, with seasoned crumbs ala Cook’s Illustrated. I did try a new one from “The New Vegetarian Grill” with soy and sesame oil, not pretty but delish. The family is not one for bean salad, so what can I do next besides pickling them?

Dear Annie:
After you try the shrimp, corn and green bean salad above, gather a bunch of the raw beans and roast them. Roasting shrinks and sweetens green beans. They are delicious. Wash, dry, trim and spread on a couple of foil-lined baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, dot with slivers of garlic and mix with your hands. Season with chunky sea salt and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Toss, then continue roasting for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. You could season them in myriad ways before roasting. I like to add a tablespoon of grated lemon zest before roasting.

Last summer I made a ham and green bean soup that earned a spot in the rotation. After simmering (with cubed potatoes), I ladled it into bowls and stirred a spoonful of pesto into each portion. Just like that, the soup went from homespun Amish to perfumed Provencal.

I’m also feeding a lot of cooked green beans to the dog. Try it. Your dog could be the answer to your string-bean problem.

July 22, 2020

Dear friends,
The line snaked down the block and around the corner. K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen was the hottest restaurant in New Orleans in 1984, maybe in the country. I had an appointment with chef/owner Paul Prudhomme, but still felt threatened as I slinked past a hundred or more hungry diners on my way to the front of the line. I gave my name to the doorman and was whisked inside.

The chef was waiting for me at a two-top against the wall near the kitchen. He handed me a fork. He had maybe the most gorgeous eyes I’ve ever seen and they laughed up at me. Was he flirting? Yes, and he continued to flirt for an hour and we sampled a dozen or so dishes a woman was testing on a home stove back in the kitchen for the chef’s upcoming cookbook. Then came the tricky part of the interview. I asked a difficult question, Prudhomme looked betrayed and shut down the charm. His eyes turned flinty and silently told me to get out.

All that ran through my mind when I read this week that the legendary K-Paul’s had closed for good, a casualty of the pandemic. Chef Paul died in 2015 and the new owners couldn’t keep the 41-year-old restaurant afloat.

The restaurant I visited was not the two-level French Quarter luxe space Prudhomme ended up in. It was a humble room crammed with tables. No cloth tablecloths. Simple wooden chairs. While Prudhomme was not an unknown — he had been chef at Commander’s Palace — his restaurant was just gaining acclaim. I was the unknown. I was in town to cover an American food conference with chefs from across the country and a handful of reporters from big newspapers…. and me. From Akron, Ohio.

I remember standing on the rim of a bass drum at Preservation with my hero, the food critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer. With the help of the drum, we could almost see the musicians. I remember sipping Sazeracs in the Roosevelt Hotel, where they were invented. I remember dinner in a private dining room upstairs at Antoine’s with the owner. I remember a dory heaped with boiled crawfish, which we peeled and ate, sucking the heads, aboard a paddle wheeler on the Mississippi.

But after all these years, what I remember best is that lunch and interview with Paul Prudhomme at the hottest restaurant in town. We were digging into his signature dish, blackened redfish, when a corn muffin came sailing from across the room and almost hit Paul in the head.

“What’s wrong with these muffins? They’re dry,” yelled a woman I recognized as the restaurant critic of the Washington Post. Paul shrugged and turned back to me.

On the way out of the restaurant the woman stopped me as I passed her table. She wanted to know how I had anded an interview when the town was swarming with food reporters.

“I called ahead,” I said simply. The moment was almost as sweet as that blackened fish.

I made blackened cod last week in memory of K-Paul’s, and it was as delicious as I remembered. The spice mixture rubbed into the fish and the high-temperature method of cooking give the fish a juicy, almost steak-like flavor.

A few tips before you start: Choose fish fillets about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, and disconnect your smoke alarms. If you have a range hood vented to the outside, great. If not, open a few windows because it’s gonna get smoky.

K-PAUL’S BLACKENED FISH

1/2 lb. unsalted butter (less if cooking fewer fillets)
1 tbsp. sweet paprika
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. white pepper
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
6 (8-to 10-oz.) fish fillets (preferably redfish, pompano or tilefish), cut about 1/2 inch thick

Melt the butter in a medium skillet. Set aside. Heat a large cast-iron skillet (if you don’t have one, don’t make this recipe) over very high heat until it is beyond the smoking stage and you see white ash in the skillet bottom, at least 10 minutes.

Combine remaining ingredients except fish (all the spices) in a small bowl. Dip each fillet in the butter on both sides, then sprinkle both sides with the seasoning mix, patting it in by hand.

When the skillet is ready, place the fillets (as many as will comfortably fit) in the skillet and carefully pour 1 teaspoon of the melted butter over each fillet. Cook over high heat, uncovered, until the underside looks charred, about 2 minutes (the time will vary according to the fillets’ thickness and the heat of the skillet). Turn the fish over with a spatula and again drizzle each fillet with 1 teaspoon butter. Cook until fish is done, about 2 minutes more. Fish may have to be cooked in batches.

Drizzle more butter over fillets and serve piping hot.

From “Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen” by Paul Prudhomme.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Green bean, ham and potato soup with pesto; egg salad; blackened cod, sesame green beans, baked potatoes and chopped salad; pickled eggs; picadillo galette with sour cream squiggle and avocado; picadillo omelet; pan-grilled hamburger patties, green bean salad; jicama and red pepper strips with yogurt-salsa dip; BLTs with pesto on toast.

What I ate from restaurants, etc.:
Peanut butter cupcake from Marshallville Packing in Marshallville; chicken adobo with rice and pinto beans from Casa del Rio Express in Fairlawn.

THE MAILBAG
From Bill B.:
Your pico de gallo ice pops don’t sound too far from gazpacho. I would try making them with a tomato-cucumber base as a savory chiller. But they sound good any way. I may just have to go looking for these treats.

Dear Bill:
I think you will be delighted with the ice-pop shop, La Fresa, in the Ellet-Goodyear Heights area of Akron. It is on Darrow Road (Rt. 91) near the intersection of Newton Street.

From Linda C.:
I just discovered Tajin this year. Terrific on corn on the cob. I will try the ice pops. They are vegan!

Dear Linda:
Tajin on corn on the cob! Yes!

From Bob P.:
I’ve been using Tajin on lots of dishes as an experiment. My favorite so far is on fresh pineapple. It’s also great on popcorn.

Dear Bob:
At this rate I’m going to have to buy another bottle of the spice mix. I’ll definitely try your suggestions.

July 15, 2020

Dear friends,
I bet you figured I couldn’t let those pico de gallo ice pops go. No siree. Before I had licked the last bit of goodness from the stick in the parking lot at La Fresa in Akron, I was plotting how to make them at home.

Before we go any further I should warn you that the pops aren’t for everyone. Tony hated the bite he had at the Mexican ice cream shop, and said my version was “even worse.” But I am obsessed with pico de gallo ice pops. They are sweet and salty, fruity and savory. They are contradiction on a stick.

The name comes from the chunky fresh salsa — chopped tomatoes, onions, chilies, lime juice — served with tacos and such. The ice pops in the internet cooking videos I watched did not contain the condiment, though. In fact, they contained mostly watermelon juice, orange juice, water, chopped fruit and maybe jicama, plus salt. But to heck with them.

The pico de gallo ice pop I tasted and loved had hints of strawberries and bananas, so I included them in my recipe. I also added some chunky salsa because, what the heck: pico de gallo. I did make watermelon juice the backbone as the recipe videos advised, and splashed in some orange juice.

The crowning touch, in my opinion, is Tajin seasoning. If you haven’t tasted this wonder stuff, buy some immediately. I’ve seen it in the Spanish section of supermarkets, discount stores and, of course, Latin food stores. The orange-red powder is a mixture of dried chilies, salt and dehydrated lime zest. It features in an episode of the new “Queer Eye” where peeled mangoes are skewered on Popsicle sticks, rolled in Tajin and grilled. Gotta try that.

For the ice pops, you’ll need a blender or food processor to puree the frozen bananas and strawberries with the remaining ingredients. Then just pour into molds, freeze and enjoy. Or not, if you’re Tony. But what does he know?

PICO DE GALLO ICE POPS

1/2 cup watermelon juice (puree 1 cup of chunks and strain the juice)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup medium-hot chunky salsa
1 sliced and frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberry slices
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Tajin seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
Combine juices and salsa in a bowl and whisk to blend. Place frozen banana and strawberry slices in a blender or bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar, Tajin and salt. Add enough of the juice mixture to puree the frozen fruit. Pour into the bowl with the remaining juices and whisk to blend.

Pour or ladle mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze solid. Run under hot water briefly to remove from molds. Makes enough for four 1/2-cup molds.

TIDBITS
At least one thing has gone right this year. The local lavender harvest has been stupendous. Lisa Hartzler, who grows both decorative and culinary lavender on her Home Sweet Lavender Farm in Sterling, had such a huge crop she is selling directly to consumers for once.

“I have 208 plants and about two-thirds of it is culinary and I’m excited to share,” she says. She usually sells only to stores but this year individuals may call and arrange to buy the lavender at the farm. A bundle of long stems — they appear to contain a couple dozen stems in the photo she sent — is $10.

For more information, visit Hartzler’s website at homesweetlavender.com. The phone is 330-466-4971.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Chipotle chicken, spicy tomato rice and fresh-picked green beans with sesame oil; hamburgers, sautéed mushrooms, corn on the cob; scrambled tofu with turmeric and cumin; grilled top sirloin steak, corn on the cob, green beans with olive oil and feta, mint iced tea; shrimp cocktail, chopped salad and watermelon; pico de gallo ice pops; coconut-curry pork and roast vegetables over rice.

What I ate from restaurants, etc.:
Grilled chicken chef’s salad from Giant Eagle; fried liver and onions, mashed potatoes with gravy, coleslaw and wedding soup from Alexandri’s in Wadsworth.

THE MAILBAG
From Chris D.
Your microwave peach crisp sounds great! I may try it with my stash of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios instead of vanilla wafers since I need to avoid gluten.

Dear Chris:
Good idea. Cheerios may stand up to the bubbling peaches long enough to provide some crunch. It’s worth a try. Those who don’t have a problem with gluten may substitute any crisp cookie. I think gingersnaps would be terrific with peaches.

From Martha:
You asked how we are using up Peach Truck peaches. Uses are delicious, swift and easy. Hand eaten. Ice cream or sorbet. Jam. Smoothies. Pie and cobbler (cookouts galore). Grilled for dessert with ricotta or ice cream and balsamic. Sliced on a salad with feta and almonds. They actually go pretty quickly even for a single like me!

The trucks usually make a second round in about a month. I’ll get another box. These I slice, toss with a tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice, and parcel out into quart freezer bags and freeze flat. One bag makes a small pie. Two for a larger. Two for a family or party-sized cobbler. Peach pie in the middle of winter is a marvelous treat. Or cobbler for Easter. Or the aforementioned ice cream. Peaches smell and taste of summer — just the recipe in cold, dark winter.

Dear Martha:
You convinced me. When the Ohio peaches ripen, I’ll take a meandering drive along the back roads of Columbiana County and buy enough peaches to freeze. I’ll also try your idea for the peach, feta and almond salad. Thanks.

From C.T.:
Regarding ingredients search, I just put all the ingredients in a Google search line. For example, “chicken breasts, dill, mushrooms and sour cream” elicited a nice Taste of Home recipe plus a number of others.

Dear C.T.:
Simplest is sometimes best. Thanks.

July 8, 2020

Dear friends,

Do you really want to cook in this weather? I don’t, which is why I made a microwave peach crisp on Saturday. The kitchen remained cool and I had a nice dessert to go with the spicy lacquered Chinese-y pork ribs I smoked on the Weber.

I wish I could share the ribs recipe because the sauce was spectacular. I didn’t write down amounts, though. But I did keep track of how I made the peach crisp, and especially the streusel topping. Finding the right ingredients and amounts for a crumbly topping isn’t easy when you’re dealing with a microwave. Almost everything you put on fruit in a microwave softens and sinks. The usual flour-oats-butter-sugar mixture not only sinks, it becomes unpleasantly doughy.

I solved the problem by STARTING with crunchy stuff — chopped almonds and crushed vanilla wafers. I added uncooked oats and bound it all with melted butter. Then I waited until the peach mixture was half cooked to add the topping. Voila — a fruit crisp with a topping that stays on top and that actually is crisp.

You can make this with The Peach Truck peaches everyone is rushing to buy (thanks to saturation ads, trucked-in peaches are the pumpkin spice latte of 2020), or wait for juicy Ohio peaches that will be ready later this month. I’m waiting, although I bought a few supermarket peaches for a trial run of this recipe. It’s so easy to make you could do both. Now tell me, what are you doing with all those peach-truck peaches?

MICROWAVE PEACH CRISP

Topping:
5 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup quick or old-fashioned (not instant) oats
1/4 cup coarsely crushed almonds
1/2 cup crushed (not pulverized) vanilla wafer cookies
Pinch of salt

Filling:
5 cups peeled and sliced peaches
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar to taste
3 tbsp. flour

Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt on high power in a microwave. Place about 1/3 cup whole almonds in a quart-size plastic bag. Close and crush (I used a smooth meat pounder) until almonds are in coarse pieces. Measure out 1/4 cup. Place oats and almonds in bowl with melted butter and stir. Place a big handful of cookies in the same bag and crush. Measure out 1/2 cup and stir into topping mixture with salt and set aside.

Peel peaches with a sharp vegetable peeler and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place in a medium-size bowl with sugar and flour and stir well, using less sugar for very sweet peaches. Pour into a shallow, buttered 1-quart microwave-safe dish or a buttered deep glass pie pan.

Microwave on high power for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and scatter topping over peaches. Return to oven and microwave 4 to 6 minutes longer, until peaches are bubbly and soft. Let stand at least 2 minutes before serving. May be served warm or cold. Top with whipped cream if desired.

TIDBITS
This may be old news to you, but I just found out West Point Market’s Killer Brownies are available at Pandora’s Cupcakes on Brookwall Drive near Regal Theater in the Montrose area of Copley Township.

Th legendary Akron treats have been renamed “West Point Market’s Original Triple Layer Brownie,” according to Rick Vernon, who owned West Point and supplies the brownies. They are available in a rotating array of flavors including original (caramel), raspberry, no nut, peanut butter, blondie, Bourbon pecan and cherry amaretto.

The brownies are a steep $5 each, but they’re huge. They aren’t available at the Pandora’s location in Tallmadge, so Eastsiders will have to drive across town to get their fix.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Roasted bell peppers with lemon-herb ricotta; steamed asparagus; Sonoran shrimp ceviche; open-face sandwich with ham, melted feta, pesto and arugula; baked tofu with peanut sauce over arugula and coconut-lime rice; jalapeno popper chicken, sautéed green beans and corn; sautéed chicken breasts with herbs over arugula; microwave peach crisp; smoked ribs with a Sichuan barbecue sauce, chopped salad; avocado toast and scrambled eggs with ketchup on toast.

What I ate from restaurants:
Pepperoni pizza from DiCarlo’s Pizza on Portage Trail in Akron. The small chain originated in the Ohio Valley and its pizza tastes like the pizza of my childhood in East Liverpool — ultra-creamy mozzarella and salty, high-quality pepperoni on crisp-crusted squares with a kick-butt tomato sauce. It isn’t Orlando’s, my hometown fave, but it’s close.

THE MAILBAG
From Kathy:
In response to your request for websites, have your readers try myfridgefood.com. I love reading what you eat and cook every week.

Dear Kathy:
This is what Mary D. was searching for, although the pop-up ads on the site are beyond annoying and the selection of recipes I was shown (after I punched in ingredients) was kind of calorie-intensive.

From Sandy H.:
After reading your latest newsletter, in response to Mary D.’s question about findIng recipes by way of the ingredients you have, Weight Watchers offers this feature in its app. You may need to be a member to use it.

Dear Sandy:
The basic Weight Watchers app is $3.99 a month. Add-ons can push the cost to $10. That’s less expensive than the traditional program but still may not be worth for those interested only in the recipe-finder function.

From Susan R.:
When it comes to looking for recipes with specific ingredients, I use EatYourBooks.com.
I do have a membership and have entered most of my cookbook collection, and find I’m using my cookbooks a lot more. They also index magazines, blogs, and newspaper columnists such as Diana Henry and Nigel Slater.

Dear Susan:
Thanks for steering us to this interesting site. Users type in a list of the cookbooks they own and an index of recipes is automatically created. Recipes may then be searched by ingredient, ethnicity, etc. The site also allows you to search food magazines and blogs to which you subscribe. A limited free membership allows you to search five of your cookbooks and magazines. A premium membership with unlimited searches is $3 a month or $30 a year.

From Sandy D.:
In response to Mary D. asking about websites to search by ingredients, I’ve long been a fan of allrecipes.com and they have a recipe by ingredient feature on the website.

Dear Sandy:
Alas, there are no recipes that include pickles, chicken and garlic, the ingredients I typed into the search engine. I didn’t leave disappointed, though, because the site kindly showed me recipes for stuffed chicken breast, Mexican quinoa and zucchini noodle shrimp scampi. What the latter two have to do with my ingredients is a mystery. The search function is easy to use, though, and has a handy feature that allows you specify ingredients you DON’T want. For example, yes to beef, red wine and onions, hold the squirrel.