itinerant foodies

Some people spend a three-day weekend being productive, catching up on chores, housework, errands. Some travel (*sob*), some explore their environs, some just chill out.

The less-sane among us decide, spur of the moment, that the backyard has been underused this summer and cook a boatload of food for a few friends. A seasonal Last Hurrah, if you will.

Most of the dishes I picked came straight from Gourmet magazine’s American Idyll menu, and they certainly lived up to their billing.

Eggplant and sun-dried tomato spread, seasoned with a whole head of roasted garlic and freshened with lemon juice, basil and parsley, started off the day. The toasted baguette slices (above) were a bit dry on their own, but the oil in the dip eventually soaked in and remedied matters. I didn’t have much of this—to be honest, I’m kind of tired of eggplant—but it seemed to be well-received.

The shrimp (courtesy of Martha Stewart Living) were a different story. Grilled with shells on, then tossed with fresh cilantro and lime juice, these were an unquestionable success. I couldn’t stop eating them, but thankfully, though quite a few were sacrificed to the fire gods, we wound up with more than enough to go around. A friendly word of advice: Don’t forget the napkins.

I’d had my eye on this recipe for spicy macaroni and cheese for the longest time but never had an excuse to make it. The sauce, a combination of cheddar and chipotle chiles, could very well be the grown-up cousin of that Velveeta-Rotel dip oh-so-popular back in the day—you know the one I’m talking about, Southerners. The smoky chipotles elevate it above that processed-food standard, though; I also used a mixture of Swiss and cheddar cheeses to give it added depth. A sprinkling of both cheeses went on top before baking, but I missed the toasted breadcrumbs common to the dish—I’ll add them next time.

This corn-and-tomato scramble is the epitome of summer and, really, provoked this whole Labor Day get-together idea in the first place. I went a little bit overboard at the farmers market on Saturday, resulting in a countertop covered with too many quickly ripening tomatoes (they were $1/pound!) and an entire crisper drawer full of ears of corn. I came across this recipe while flipping through the past few months of Gourmet for inspiration, quickly dog-eared the page, and decided that adding more mouths to the table would be the best way to get through the excess.

Once I decided on the corn salad, it was hardly a leap to include the ribs from the same menu. With adjectives like “sticky,” “garlicky,” and “falling-off-the-bone tender,” and nouns like “balsamic vinegar,” “rosemary,” and “brown sugar,” it was a no-brainer. After nearly two hours roasting in the oven and a quick finish on the grill, these baby-backs were spectacular. I don’t repeat recipes often, but this is one for the permanent files.

Also on the plate above, two salads. One, simple greens: wild rocket and plain old leaf lettuce with a mustard vinaigrette; the second, potato: a twist on the same-old, same-old, lightly flavored with lemon and chives.

And, for dessert, I made my first-ever from-scratch pie: nectarine and berry, with a buttery streusel topping. I was a bit apprehensive, to say the least: As you could probably tell from my grandmother’s blueberry pie recipe, the dough-making gene is one that my family doesn’t seem to possess. Even my father, who was in charge of the Thanksgiving pies for as long as I can remember, used store-bought frozen crust, so I was fairly certain that my first attempt would be disastrous as well. Nothing like experimentation on unwitting guests, eh?

Miracle of miracles, the end result was edible. Tasty, even. It follows, then, that this recipe must be pretty close to foolproof if I did all right with it on my first try. It disappeared quickly, but I managed to squirrel away a slice or two at the end of the night; I recommend you do the same.

Leftover pie makes a great breakfast.

Eggplant and Sun-dried Tomato Spread
By Ian Knauer, from Gourmet, July 2009

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

2. Cut off and discard top of garlic head to expose cloves. Brush top of head with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Wrap garlic in foil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool to warm, then squeeze garlic cloves from skins into a small bowl, discarding skins.

3. Meanwhile, cut eggplant into 1/2-inch pieces and toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large colander. Let drain 30 minutes. Squeeze eggplant in a kitchen towel to remove liquid.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté one third of eggplant until browned and tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cook remaining eggplant in olive oil in same manner (in 2 batches), transferring to bowl.

5. Add 1 cup cooked eggplant to garlic and coarsely mash together. Stir into remaining eggplant with sun-dried tomatoes (without tomato oil), parsley, basil, lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Season with salt and drizzle with tomato oil. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

Cooks’ note:
Spread, without herbs, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature and stir in herbs before serving.

Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro, Lime and Peanuts
From Martha Stewart Living, August 2009

2 limes
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 pound (about 15) jumbo shrimp, shells on
2 teaspoons safflower oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped

1. Zest limes into a bowl. Squeeze in juice from 1 lime, and whisk in fish sauce and sugar.

2. Preheat grill to high. Brush shrimp with oil on both sides, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Grill until pink and firm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3. Toss shrimp with fish-sauce mixture, cilantro, peanuts, and scallions. Juice remaining lime over shrimp.

Corn-and-Tomato Scramble
By Ian Knauer, from Gourmet, July 2009

1. Whisk together oil, vinegar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss tomatoes with dressing.

2. While tomatoes marinate, cook white parts of scallions in butter with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add corn and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool.

3. Stir together corn, tomatoes, and scallion greens.

Cooks’ note:
Corn can be cooked 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.

Lemony Potato Salad
By Ian Knauer, from Gourmet, July 2009

1. Cover potatoes with water in a large pot and season well with salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, 12 to 20 minutes.

2. While potatoes cook, stir together celery, mayonnaise, chives, lemon zest and juice, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

3. Drain potatoes and cool completely, then halve or quarter. Add to dressing and toss to coat.

Cooks’ note:
Potato salad can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Spicy Mac and Cheese
Adapted from Purple Palm restaurant, via the Los Angeles Times

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream [I used 2 cups of milk instead of 1 cup each of milk and cream.]
2 to 4 tablespoons puréed canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (puréed using a food processor or blender), or to taste
1 pound grated medium cheddar cheese (about 5 cups), divided [I used half Swiss, half cheddar.]
Salt and pepper
1 pound macaroni

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil to cook the macaroni. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until it makes a smooth paste.

3. Whisk in the milk and cream, making sure there are no lumps, then whisk in the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.

4. Stir in all but one-half cup of the grated cheese, a little at a time, until all the cheese is melted and incorporated. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Remove from heat and set aside in a warm place.

5. Cook the macaroni according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Drain the cooked macaroni and stir the noodles in with the cheese mixture.

6. Place the macaroni and cheese into a greased 8-inch square baking dish and sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese.

7. Place the baking dish in the oven and cook until the top is golden brown and the cheese is melted through, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly before serving.

Sticky Balsamic Ribs
By Ian Knauer, from Gourmet, July 2009

Marinate and roast ribs:

1. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together with rosemary, brown sugar, vinegar, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Rub evenly all over ribs and transfer to roasting pans. Marinate, chilled, 8 to 24 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

3. Pour 1/2 cup water into each roasting pan and tightly cover pans with foil. Roast ribs, switching position of pans halfway through, until meat is very tender, about 1 3/4 hours. Remove pans from oven and transfer ribs to a platter.

Make glaze and grill ribs:

1. Add 1 cup hot water to each roasting pan and scrape up brown bits. Skim off and discard fat, then transfer liquid to a 10-inch skillet. Add vinegar and brown sugar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil until reduced to about 1 cup, about 15 minutes.

2. Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas).

3. Brush some of glaze onto both sides of racks of ribs. Grill, turning occasionally, until ribs are hot and grill marks appear, about 6 minutes.

4. Brush ribs with more glaze and serve remaining glaze on the side.

Cooks’ notes:
•If you can only get larger ribs (4 racks), you will need more glaze; use 12 large garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary, 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.
•Ribs can be roasted and glaze can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately (covered once cool). Bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before glazing and grilling.
•Ribs can be broiled 3 to 4 inches from heat (instead of grilled) about 8 minutes.

Plum-Blackberry Streusel Pie
By Ian Knauer, from Gourmet, July 2009