The Bounties of Summer

It's still summer despite the fact that many are falling forward in time. We can still grill outdoors. We still can enjoy fresh veggies. This is the time to take advantage of both in flavorful exotic dishes..

Both Melissa Clark and David Tanis did just so in their individual columns in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Ms. Clark wrote about Mexican street corn in her A Good Appetite column. This is a great recipe for those ho love corn but are tired of the traditional boiled then slathered with butter or margarine. The corn is first grilled for only seven to ten minutes, giving it a subtle smoky flavor.The ears can be grilled longer for a deeper, almost charred flavor.It also increases the crunch. They're then slathered with a mixture of mayonnaise blended with lime zest, ancho chili powder salt and pepper. You could sub in butter for the mayo if you want or to appease those purists. The Mexican cotija cheese is then crumbled over it .Feta or ricotta salata cheese can be subbed in if the first can't be found .(although Amazon and Walmart do carry it. also look in any nearby Latin American grocery).Chopped cilantro is also sprinkled on. Ms. Clark suggests that guests slather on their own mayo and toppings, adjusting the recipe to individual tastesThe kernels can also be sliced off and served in a bowl with the spiced mayo and toppings.

It's not just corn that's in abundance right now.There are still tomatoes and peppers along with squash and okra. David Tanis turns to North Africa in his A City Kitchen column, He actually adds corn to couscous along with butter and saffron,cinnamon and turmeric. The stew is a tasty melange of the traditional such as chickpeas,along with two kinds of onions, the red and the small yellow kind. Zucchini,  okra, tomatoes and a variety of different peppers round it out.Home chefs can use any kind , from the colorful bells, cubanelle, gypsy or corno del toro. Cumin and coriander are added as well as paprika and pepper flakes to give it a Moroccan flair,There is also a non traditional  pesto to be drizzled on later. It's not basil but chopped cilantro mixed with serrano chiles also spiced with more cumin and garlic cloves. Lime juice is added for some more zing,The trick to a tasty couscous is cooking it slowly, until they're soft to eat with a spoon, It's cooked in a Dutch oven for fifteen minutes which give home chefs time to create the pesto. Mr. Tanis recommends serving in large wide bowls or deep plates. Have a rose alongside this exotic dish or for more authenticity iced mint tea.

It may be September but it's still summer, ripe with harvests. Take advantage of what the garden and farmer's markets have to offer.They can be turned into exotic and delicious dishes.

Rediscovering Old Grains

We  think our ancestors had limited ingredients and dishes but surprisingly they didn't. Theirs were a variety of different wheat prototypes that gave them better nutrition than all those foraged nuts and berries.Now these ancient grains are making their way into  our modern dishes, boosting their flavor and nutritional value.

Melissa Clark wrote about a wide range of these grains in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Her  Good Appetite column described the array of them as well as including recipes. There is also a helpful guide included to decipher what they are. South American grain quinoa is the moat popular and most often eaten.However there is also einkorn which is the oldest grain, cultivated a whopping 120,000 years ago.It is tiny and ricelike with a nice nutty taste. Emmer is the direct ancestor of Durham wheat.They;re sort of like spelt but with a richer, earthier flavor.Use it when making homemade pasta. For soups try freekah, which immature green wheat kernals that have been smoked. which gives them a marked flavor. Of course there is barley, long a standard in soups and wheat berries. These are whole kernals with the bran intact which gives it anything from mineral and earthy taste to a mild and starchy one.

Ancient grains are exciting. There are so many different recipes that are easy to make. Ms. Clark includes some along with some suggestions . There is a whole grain granola , rich with kamut, a golden wheat like grain that has other good ingredients like dark honey,olive oil and pepitas or pumpkin seeds. This recipe can be varied subbing in rolled oats and spelt along with rye for the kamut. a tasty main dish is spelt and lamb meatballs.Spelt is a large pale colored wheat ancestor, stsrchy with a gentle flavor of both nuts and herbs. It goes well in meatballs, especially with a meat that's been around since Biblical times lamb. However you can also try it as an alternative to polenta or pilaf if you're serving kabobs. Ms. Clark also includes a grains and beans recipe.It's a mélange of the ancients , blending barley, wheat , emmer, einkorn along with rye, spelt and wheat berries cooked in chicken stock. Kidney beans and bacon are then added along with vegetables such as onions and green peppers. It's a good stew to make on a chilly Spring evening.

Everything old is new again given time and distance. This also applies to the ancient grains our ancestors ate. Discover them and their rich , nutty flavors. They're delicious and versatile.,

Home Baking Amp It Up!

Everybody bakes in January. It's a great way  of relieving those winter doldrums along with providing yummy treats to the family.However brownies and snickerdoodles can get boring , being made with the same old recipes time after time. It's time to amp up those treats! Make them a little more livelier,a  more sophisticated for a different kind of dessert or snack.

Melissa Clark realized this and wrote about zesting up her family's recipe for lemon bars in Wednesday's New York Times Food A Good Appetite section. Lemon bars are nice, easy to make and again a quiet way to end a dinner. They're also a bake sale staple , made by countless moms and tween bakers.. However Ms. Clark gives them a sophisticated turn by creating the filling with olive oil add to the traditional eggs, lemon and sugar.It not only adds flavor but makes the curds glossy and silky.Lemon zest is also added to both it and the crust. For the top there is always confectioners sugar sprinkled on but she adds flaky sea salt. It's an interesting mix of tangy and sweet, silky and salty.Home bakers do have to get a good olive oil.preferably something with fruity undertones to compliment the lemon The sea salt should be flaky. It melts perfectly with the sugar upon biting  whereas a more granulated sea salt may not perfectly mesh.

Other baked treats that you can zing up are brownies and cupcakes. Try turning  them into mole flavor by adding ancho chli powder or a drop or two of hot sauce (for this I'd heartily recommend Tabanero's Hot Sauce because it has agave in it and no vinegar)You can also make chocolate cake  this way too.Add just a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar on top .Icing would be too much however you can whip up a  frosting with it. Again add just a tiny amount. Alcohol is another good add in. Of course there are rum cakes, They've been made for centuries. However bakers , both professional and home, are tossing in other spirits to liven up their baking treats. Gin and tonic, that English classic, can be turned into a tasty sweet dessert thanks to adding a good dash of gin and a cup of tonic to the batter .It gives the cake an earthy , green flavor while the added tonic gives the cake's texture a bubbly airy consistency. Stout is also an add, favored by hipsters these days.Again this works best with chocolate because of the drink's dark notes and robust flavor (it would completely overpower vanilla).

Baking is a good pastime during snowy days . However it can be boring.Liven it up with a dash of the unexpected, whether it be olive oil or stout. Those lemon bars and cupcakes will have a life of their own!