Almost Forgot

Of course, this was the thing I sat down to write about yesterday and I left it out completely. I made up this dip one day for cold veggies and the little ones scarfed it down. If you prefer, reduce the ratio of sour cream to silken tofu, or use fat-free sour cream.

Tamara's Blue Cheese Dip for Veggies
1/2 c sour cream, regular or fat free
1/2 c silken tofu
+/- 2 oz crumbled blue cheese (I like Buttermilk Blue)

The best way to blend this is with a stick blender, right in the bowl, but you can also do it in a food processor or blender. Blend just until smooth. If you have neither, use a fork and do the best you can. You can either blend everything together until smooth, or blend the tofu and sour cream until creamy and crumble in the blue cheese if you want to leave it chunky.

Cut an orange, yellow, or red bell pepper in half lengthwise, remove the stem and seeds and any extra white pith. Cut crosswise and then into one-inch sections. The curved ends of the pepper make nice little scoops. White Belgian endive also makes a nice little scoop (sometimes I use it with tuna salad made with grapes for lunch, yum), and also carrot and cucumber sticks.

This was my favorite suggestion from "Feeding the Kids": putting cut vegetables out with something to dip them in as an afternoon snack. Hungry people will munch on veggies!

Cold Suppers for Hot Nights

Why am I reading "Feeding the Kids"? I picked it up on impulse at the grocery store, because it promised a no-hassle, simple, flexible way to eat healthier. I thought, if it is simple enough for busy parents, and friendly enough for kids, then maybe Mike and I can manage it. So far, it's been pretty smart. I read the first two chapters and skimmed the rest before I loaned it to a friend (who DOES have a kid).

The first chapter, among other things, simply asks you to try to eat fruit three times a day. The second adds vegetables, three times a day, whenever it works for you, to try to make a habit of it. This alone is going to make you feel healthier and more energetic, and whether you buy the book or not, it's worth trying. It's easy. Especially now that it's summer and there are beautiful fruits and vegetables everywhere. The book also contains easy to incorporate strategies for decoding labels and categorizing the foods you eat.

Last night and tonight, it was just too hot to cook, so the sliced and pre-prepped vegetables and fruits hit the spot. Although the air-conditioner was on inside, it still felt withering every time we walked out the door. It's nice to have some cold vegetables, something to dip them in, and a few cold salads alongside. If I had some sliced meats, like prosciutto or salami, that would have been tasty too. Last night, it was big marinated beans (see Italian Antipasto, below, and if you can find Corona beans, buy them), hummus with raw peppers to dip, blanched green beans and endive and some leftover ribs. Tonight, we had a grilled skirt steak with a big cold crunchy romaine salad, with tomatoes, more green beans, egg and a little grated cheese.

It is also too hot to sit in front of the computer, so I'm going to keep it brief. Here are some past summer favorites from the blog to inspire your hot-weather antipasto cooking (or not cooking, as the case may be): Blue Cheese Dip with Vegetables, Two Bean Salad, Italian Antipasto, Basic Gazpacho, Three Good Cold Salads, Hummus and Return of the Hummus (great to serve pre-meal to kids or grown-ups with carrot and cucumber sticks, sliced sweet bell peppers, endive and anything else you can think of). Try Turkish White Bean Dip, too. Pretty soon, it's going to be time for Ratatouille as well. In case you think of that as something hot that can only be served with pasta, don't forget how delicious it is cold or ambient, spread on flatbread with a sprinkling of feta cheese, or cold on a sandwich or in a quesadilla...that should be enough to get you started.

On the way home, I also picked up two dozen beautiful, fragrant purple plums (I promise to always stop for handmade cardboard signs advertising fruit for sale from now on). These are soon going to be transformed into Plum Upside-Down Cake. If you have an abundance of fruit, you could also try this terrific cobbler dough. Lou Lane, if you're out there: zip THIS!

Happy Summer!

Pointless Drama

Summer Evening

All photos copyright Tamara Landre, 2009. All rights reserved.

Pickled Shrimp for Fathers Day

All photos copyright Tamara Landre 2009. All rights reserved.

The first time I saw this dish pictured in Frank Stitt's Southern Table, I knew I had to make it. I don't eat shrimp at all these days, because of the dangers to the ocean from farming and drag-netting, but as Jane Smiley so sagely put it, I still "harbor a fondness for the sins of my ignorant past": I LOVE shrimp. (You can use Kauai shrimp if you can get them, but no shrimp farming or fishing is without environmental impact.) Once a year, I suppose I can justify it.

They made a delicious appetizer, but also a very nice cold dinner on a hot night, with a variety of crunchy fresh vegetables on the side. I made enough to take a Mason jar full to my dad and grandfather today. (Shhhhh, don't tell!) Not too much that they can't polish them off before they head home in a couple of days. The pickled onions in the jar are delicious too.

Here's the recipe. By the way, if you get a chance to look at this cookbook, it is beautifully photographed, well and thoughtfully written, and full of inspiring, imaginative recipes. I hear from a very talented chef friend that the recipes all work, too.

Pickled Shrimp
Another Lowcountry classic, pickled shrimp is a favorite hors d'oeuvre for entertaining. and it gets even better after a couple of days' marinating. A nonreactive container, such as a glass canning jar, is best for holding the shrimp in the refrigerator. If you plan on keeping the shrimp more than a few days, however, it's best to sterilize your (heatproof) container first by boiling it in water for five minutes.

Serves 15 to 20 as an hors d'oeuvre

• 3 pounds Boiled Shrimp
• 2 medium onions, quartered and very thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 14 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 4 dried hot chile peppers
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss thoroughly. Pack everything into a large glass jar, cover, and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to come together. Serve with toothpicks and napkins.

Note: To cook shrimp, fill a large pot with water and add 1 onion, quartered, 1 celery stalk, cut into pieces, 1 lemon, sliced, and 4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Add a tablespooon of salt and the shrimp. As soon as the water returns to a simmer, remove from the heat. The shrimp will have just begun to curl and have turned a bright pink. Do NOT allow the water to boil, or the shrimp will be tough. Drain, but do not rinse the shrimp, or the flavor will go right down the drain. Reserve the broth, if desired. Allow the shrimp to cool and proceed with the recipe as directed above.

I'll post a picture of my jars of shrimp too if I get a chance.
HAPPY FATHERS DAY, DADS AND GRANDPAS.

I was browsing for June birthday cards when I this one caught my eye. I was so moved by the text that I cried in the store. It still makes me cry, and yet, it is so beautiful. I hope that it is so. And in the case of my Grandma, it feels true. I miss her so much.

(From The Gentle Path, card photo by Rick Fuller)