Ninecooks

Digging for ginger, and beef-and-radish curry

Yesterday morning I braved the heat and humidity to visit the Cambridge garden of my friend Julia: chef, food blogger, and consultant to restaurants, farms, and businesses.

Yes, I was tempted by the delicious iced coffee, and fresh vegetable tartlets, and the promise of lively conversation, but what I really wanted to do was see a successful urban garden -- and dig ginger.

Julia had left a comment during Ginger Week on The Perfect Pantry about how she stores her ginger in the ground during the summer months.

This I had to see -- and in this photo, you can see it, too. That's Julia's hand holding a "hand" of fresh ginger, which has sent out new roots. In the front are three "fingers" of new ginger growth, brighter white than the old part, and with new green shoots coming out the top.

Buy a large "hand" of ginger at the supermarket -- look for one that's fresh, not one that is already completely dessicated and shriveled -- and bury it in your garden (or flower pot) in a sunny location. Eventually it will send down roots, and where there's a new "finger" forming, you'll start to see thin green shoots above the surface (a big help if you've forgotten where you planted the ginger!).

Whenever you want to use some ginger in your cooking, dig up the whole clump, break off as much as you need (old root or new growth -- the taste of the new is slightly milder and sweeter than the original part of the root), and return the rest to the ground.

It's weird and wonderful!

Julia grows a whole range of herbs, plus cauliflower, tomatoes, eggplant, scallions, and flowers in her small back yard garden. There's room for a compost bin, too.

BEEF AND RADISH CURRY
Instead of the typical sliced radishes eaten raw in salads, this recipe treats radishes like turnips, cut into chunks and stewed. A lovely recipe if you have radishes in your garden! Serves 6.
1 onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
3 Tbsp corn oil
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1-1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 lb stew beef or lamb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1-1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
2 Tbsp tomato puree
2 cups water
12 oz radishes, trimmed, cut in half

In a large frying pan, cook the onion, garlic, ginger, paprika and turmeric in the oil over medium-high heat. When the mixture is sizzling, add cumin and coriander, and then the meat; continue to sauté, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until the meat is browned. Add salt, tomato, water and radishes, and cook, covered, until the meat is tender and the radishes are cooked, approximately 30 minutes.

Please help farmers in the Midwest

Please, please please: read this post at The Inadvertent Gardener, and do what you can to help small farms devastated by the recent floods.

Thank you.

Tidbits: Asparagus love, cookbook love

Are you sick of asparagus yet?

Please say no.

And then, if you are within hailing distance of Oneco, Connecticut, get yourself to Falls Creek Farm before June 8, which is the last picking day of asparagus season. At the farm, owner Laura Pailthorpe will help you select your asparagus by size, from pencil thin to medium ($2.75/pound) up to super-fat ($3/pound), on the day they were picked. After June 8, call to check on availability: 860-564-5554.

Falls Creek Farm's farmstand is open all summer; you can find Laura and husband Mark also at the Danielson Farmers Market (Saturdays 9 am-12 noon, opening June 14) and New London, CT (Tuesdays 2:30-5:30 pm).

Looking for asparagus here in Rhode Island? Check at some of the local farmers markets that are open early in the season, including Pawtuxet Village in Cranston, where one of the more unusual farms is Pak Express, run by Laotian farmer Chang Xiong, who grows a wide range of Asian vegetables. Farm Fresh Rhode Island has the complete list of farmers market dates and locations.

If you've been watching Top Chef this season, you'll remember the famous pairing of asparagus with Boucheron, an orange-rinded goat's milk cheese from the Loire Valley. For suggestions of other cheeses that pair with asparagus, ask a cheesemonger like chef/owner Matt Jennings and his knowledgeable staff at Farmstead, now in two locations (Wayland Square and Westminster Street). Sign up for Farmstead's free mailing list, and find out about classes, new cheeses, wine events, and more.

I love thyme. In my herb garden, I have four English thyme and one lemon thyme. In fact, I often add a bit fresh from the garden when I'm making asparagus frittata.

Last week at the Scituate Farmers Market, Rhode Island Soap Works, which has a lovely barn/shop on Joe Sarle Road in Glocester, RI, was selling herb plants from their greenhouse. I purchased lime thyme and carraway thyme, both new to me, and I don't think either will pair well with asparagus. Any suggestions for how to cook with them?

ASPARAGUS ON ASPARAGUS
This recipe for asparagus spears with an asparagus dip comes from Happy in the Kitchen, by Michel Richard. If you don't have it, check your local library, or look for a copy for your own happy kitchen at Eagle Trading Company in Assonet, Massachusetts, my favorite used cookbook store in all the land. Serves 4 as an appetizer; the dip could also be served with roasted potato wedges or as a spread on a chicken sandwich.

24 large asparagus (about 2 pounds)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Granulated sugar
Sea salt

Set aside 4 asparagus spears for the vinaigrette. Cut off the tough bottom ends of the asparagus spears and set those aside for the vinaigrette as well. With a vegetable peeler, peel the remaining asparagus spears from about an inch below the tip to the bottom of the spear.

Set a steamer basket in a pot over simmering water. Place the peeled asparagus in the basket, cover, and steam for about 5-6 minutes, or until the spears are just tender with pierced with the tip of a paring knife. Be careful not to overcook the asparagus.

Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice water. When the asparagus is cooked, lift the spears with a pair of tongs and submerge them in the ice bath to cool, then remove and roll them in a clean kitchen towel to dry.

For the vinaigrette, cut the reserved 4 asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Place in a small saucepan with the trimmed asparagus bottoms and add 1/4 cup water and the olive oil. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes, or until the asparagus is completely softened. The water should have evaporated, and the asparagus should be stewing in the oil.

Pour the asparagus into a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in the mustard, lemon juice, and a pinch each of sugar and salt. Serve the asparagus on a platter, with the vinaigrette in a small dish or ramekin on the side for dipping.

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Deal of the century: The absolutely best baking book ever is on sale from Jessica's Biscuit. If Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my home to yours isn't on your bookshelf, it should be. Ted's been working his way through it, and every recipe has been a winner: brioche, madeleines, World Peace Cookies. Published at $40, it's on sale for a staggeringly low $14.98 at Jessica's Biscuit.

There's always a great close-outs section on the Jessica's Biscuit web site, too. And if you spend $50 or more, you can get a free one-year magazine subscription to Gourmet, Bon Appetít, Condé Nast Traveler or Domino.

Time to get Sirius

Tune in to Sirius satellite radio channel 112 on Tuesday, May 20, at 1:00 PM Rhode Island time, when I'll be on the "Living Today" show on Martha Stewart Living Radio, with host Mario Bosquez. We'll be talking about my food blog, The Perfect Pantry, and taking calls from listeners. The call-in number is 866-675-6675. You can get a free three-day trial subscription to Sirius on their web site, www.sirius.com. Please join us!

Welcome, Tidbits readers!

Beginning in June 2008, Ninecooks' Tidbits newsletter is moving to this site.

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Two squash stews

If the picture tells the story, then this photo — yes, it's a pot of orange blobby-looking stuff with green things swimming in it, which is in fact a fantastic stew made this morning by the Wednesday Lunch Group — this photo is why I don't think pictures of food are the best way to tell the story of Ninecooks cooking groups.

It's not about the food.

it's about this:

and this:

and this:

and this.

Oh, I could tell you about the two stews we made, with butternut squash as the common denominator. One was Thai-inspired, with tofu in a coconut base; the other, a Native American adaptation, made with chile peppers and black beans, packed a bit more punch. Served over rice, either one could be the star of a dinner party, but each of these vegetarian stews came together in less than 45 minutes, so they'd be perfect for weekday cooking.

Because our menu was quick to prepare, we had time for a leisurely lunch: seven cooks, two stews, and one apple cake for dessert.

It doesn't get any better than that.

First stop: Senegal

Bonjour, and welcome to Senegal, World Cuisines Cooking Group style!

After our get-to-know-each-other cooking last Spring, we gathered this week for our first official group cooking adventure. On the menu, the cuisine of Senegal, a country whose food culture bears the strong influences of local tribal populations as well as the French, whose presence was strong until the mid 20th Century.

Our menu began with a West African peanut soup, made with sweet potatoes, carrots and peanut butter. (See the recipe at the end of this post.) After the vegetables simmered for 15 minutes or so, we pureed the soup base — an opportunity for some of our group members to have their first encounter with an immersion blender. Then the peanut butter, vegetable juice, and seasonings went in. We enjoyed our first course while the main dish finished cooking.

Poulet Yassa, a stewed chicken and rice dish often served to special guests, was our main course. It starts with 9 pounds of onions, peeled, sliced, and sauteéd. By the time we got those onions into the pot, we were all in tears! But the onions cooked, the chicken pieces got their start on the grill, and the rice boiled in another pot. At the end, we combined the three elements into a beautiful, garlicky stew.

Usually it would be the host's duty to pick the chicken off the bones (with the right hand only — the left hand is used for personal hygiene, and never for eating), and assemble the serving platter. Instead, we all worked together, picking the chicken and piling the meat atop the rice. Then we ladled onions from the pot onto the chicken. A beautiful presentation.

In traditional Senegalese fashion, we gathered around the large platter of Poulet Yassa and, with our right hands only, each scooped a small bit of chicken, onion and rice, forming it into a ball against the side of the platter. And that's how we ate, with our hands....well, at the beginning, until some people decided to use their forks. It was delicious. Perhaps a little more hot pepper next time, we all agreed. (We'll have to find our mutual heat tolerance as we continue to cook together. That's the fun of group cooking!) We also decided it would be a great dish for entertaining, because it benefits from overnight cooking and longer marination.

Just before sitting down to dinner, we chose our next culinary destination. We decided to let random selection guide our travels. I wrote 25 countries and regional cuisines on little pieces of paper. Lee did the honors, and our next stop is:

For homework, we all agreed to watch Dr. Zhivago again — no arm twisting was necessary! And I'll be working on a menu of Russian foods that can be made in less than three hours, using ingredients available to us, and that we might want to incorporate into our home cooking repertoires.

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP
Adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant. Serves 8.

2 cups chopped onions
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cayenne, or more to taste
1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger root
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
4 cups chopped sweet potatoes
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups V8 juice
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 Tbsp sugar or honey, if needed
1 cup chopped scallions or chives

Saute the onions in the oil until just translucent. Stir in the cayenne and fresh ginger. Add the carrots and sauté a few more minutes. Mix in the potatoes and stock or water, bring the soup to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. With an immersion blender, if you have one, purée the vegetables with the cooking liquid and tomato juice. Return the purée to a soup pot. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Taste the soup. Its sweetness will depend on the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potatoes. If it’s not there naturally, add just a tiny bit of sugar to enhance the other flavors. Reheat the soup gently, using a heat diffuser if needed to prevent scorching. Add more water, stock or tomato juice for a thinner soup. Serve topped with plenty of chopped scallions or chives.

Let them eat cakes

For the very first time, The #1 Cooking Group ate dessert first.

Well, okay, we didn't exactly eat it, but we tasted....

and we tasted...

and we tasted...

(How could we not taste? See our role model in the painting? She's licking the spoon, too!)

As a rule, we haven't done much baking in Ninecooks group cooking, because we plan to cook and eat, and clean the kitchen, within three hours. However, the #1 group meets on weekends, so we have a bit more time for the actual cooking. And Mary, whom we all ask to bake our birthday cakes, volunteered to teach us how to make a basic cake, and to tweak the recipe ever so slightly to create a delicious variation.

We started with a Light Chocolate Cake, made with Dutch cocoa and a touch of cognac. Half of the group worked on that recipe while, at the same time, the others converted the recipe to a spice cake, by replacing the cocoa with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (and an extra third of a cup of cake flour).

Though both cakes could be baked in a tube pan, we opted to make them layer cakes, in part because the cakes themselves would bake more quickly...but really because we figured out that we'd be able to use more frosting.

For the frosting recipes, we turned to the King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion and used their recipes for Easy Buttercream (for the spice cake), and Easy Chocolate Buttercream (for the light chocolate cake). We made both frostings while the cakes cooled, and observed that the white buttercream stayed more moist, while the chocolate one needed to be loosened a bit (with a touch of brandy, which seemed to do the trick). Our guess? The white frosting contained some vegetable shortening, the chocolate one only butter.

After the frosting, we decorated simply with nasturtiums from the garden.

The rest of our dinner came together quickly: grilled salmon and haddock with peach and tomato salsa; grilled squash from Cathy's garden; salad greens and feta from Glocester Greens and Goats, with pears from my trees; corn on the cob; and grilled garlic bread.

It was all prelude, however, to the cakes. Both light and delicious, both beautiful. Both gone!

It was warm enough to enjoy our meal on the porch — a real treat before Fall really settles in. And for the #1 Cooking Group, Fall promises to be fun; two more members of this group have offered to lead our next cooking sessions. Look for Jessica's Korean barbecue and Jennifer's Mardi Gras/cajun menus in the months ahead as we continue our fifth year of cooking together.

Put it on pasta

Pasta, pasta everywhere, and not a drop of room left on the stove! All six burners were cooking with gas as the Family Cooking Group tackled pasta sauces in their first cooking session after summer vacation.

In fact, we were so busy making sauces and running back and forth to the herb garden for more fresh basil, parsley and mint, that I forgot to take photos while we were cooking!

With our pasta boiling away, we easily created four sauces, two of which were suggested by our readers:

• Penne bruschetta, with tomatoes, garlic and basil  — gutsy and full-flavored
• Sausage, pepper and onion — like a great Italian sandwich, without the bread
• Lemon cream with asparagus — elegant and delicate
• Chicken lo mein — spaghetti with a Chinese twist

Then, with time to spare and some odds and ends of squiggly pastas in the "junk jar", we decided to improvise one more sauce. Actually, it was the kids who invented this, by rummaging through the fridge and pantry, tasting and testing. They named it "The Autumn Leftovers", and it's a winner.

While we're relaxing over dinner, I always ask the group what they'd like to cook the next time. In November I want to teach latkes, and maybe have a bit of a dreidl game just for fun (we always play with chocolate coins, so it's kind of dessert, too). But for October's menu, they've chosen meatloaf. And apples or pears.

Meatloaf with an apple side dish? Or maybe meatloaf with apples inside. And, you know me... I'm thinking we should make two different kinds of meatloaf, done in mini size so they'll cook in the time we have.

Favorite recipes, anyone?

THE AUTUMN LEFTOVERS
Serves 4.

1/2 lb pasta of your choice: rotini, gemelli, macaroni, or a mix from your pasta "junk jar"
A few tsps of olive oil
2-3 roasted piquillo peppers, or any roasted red peppers from a jar
A handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
2-3 Tbsp goat cheese
2-3 Tbsp feta cheese
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 tsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
1-2 Tbsp pine nuts
A few Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed
A few Tbsp bruschetta topping, or fresh chopped tomatoes, or roasted tomatoes with a bit of the roasting oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil, and add the peppers and basil. Stir for one minute, and add the goat cheese and feta. When the cheese begins to melt, add lemon zest and juice, mint, pine nuts and parsley. Stir for 2-3 minutes, then add the mozzarella and bruschetta topping or tomatoes. Stir for one minute, then add the cooked pasta. Continue stirring until the cheeses are melted and everything is well combined. Serve hot.

Another opening, another show

Only one more day until the start of the Fall season for all Ninecooks cooking groups.

First up, the Family Cooking Group takes on pasta sauces. Then The #1 Cooking Group takes the cake — well, two cakes, actually. Next, our World Cuisines Cooking Group travels to Senegal for a taste of West African cooking. And the Wednesday Lunch Group travels to the local farmstand for a supply of butternut squash, the key ingredient in two potluck vegetarian stew dishes.

Two weeks prior to cooking day, each group receives a shopping list, parcelled out so everyone brings a share of the groceries. I've stocked the pantry with spices, flours, sugar and salt. The herb garden still promises plenty of fresh herbs, though the cold snap may do in the basil. The knives are sharp and the stove's got gas.

So, let's get cooking!