The chilled
soup season in Vermont is a short one, and this is it, I took advantage of it this
week with some local cucumbers and mint.
In a Cuisinart, start with a generous handful of mint, half a clove of
chopped garlic, a little chopped onion or white end of a scallion, and some
kosher salt. Pulse until finely
chopped. Skin and seed several cucumbers
and an avocado then add to the mix. With
your Cuisinart running drizzle in about a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil
like you would for a pesto so the oil emulsifies. Add the juice of a lime, a couple shakes of
Tabasco hot sauce, pulse, then salt and white pepper to taste. It’s best to chill for at least a couple of
hours before serving. Last week using
this same approach I wowed the family with a fruit soup using a couple of ripe
cantaloupes along with some basil, lemon, and honey….no olive oil on this one.
When
barbequing meats I often use a salt and garlic rub right before
grilling but decided to give anchovies a try after seeing them used this way on
a menu in New York at a recent trade show.
While my lamb chops were warming to room temperature I mashed together
eight anchovy fillets with a couple of cloves of minced garlic and a little bit
of kosher salt. A half hour before grilling
I rubbed the anchovy paste onto both sides of my lamb chops and grilled them
until medium rare. Wow, the flavor was
fantastic, salty but not fishy, really nice with the lamb. A great change of pace, can’t wait to try it
on some grilled fish.
You can’t
really go wrong with any combination of fresh vegetables this time of year but
this Asian chop salad was made especially amazing by some local Napa cabbage
and shitake mushrooms I was excited to find at the farmer’s market. Before chopping I started my vinaigrette by
grating some ginger into a bowl of lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy, with a
few splashes of chili, sesame, and olive oil.
While it sat I husked the corn and sliced off the kernels into my salad
bowl followed by the cabbage and mushrooms. I then chopped my cucumber, green
pepper, cilantro, and jalapeno, followed by some grated carrot. I added some
barbequed teriyaki marinated chicken breasts but definitely not necessary. I
rarely use dried Chinese noodles but they make for a great Asian crunch, make
sure to wait and add them at the end so they don’t get soggy along with kosher
salt and pepper to taste.
