I haven’t a camera,so think of this entry as the radio version of blogging:you’ll have to picture it.
On Tuesday I purchased a generous dozen ears of corn from Mike Sobol’s corn stand on Blue Ridge Rd. not a half mile from my house. Yesterday I stopped by the weekly farmer’s market held by Becki’s Bounty across from the Post Office in Black Mountain and purchased Wahoo. (They ship fish from the coast each Wednesday.) Today I pulled an arm load of carrots out of my plot at the Black Mountain Community Garden,hand picked a handful of bush beans,and selected one voluptuous tomato–probably a Mortgage Lifter.
Tonight I turned it all into dinner. I took the carrots,composted the tops,washed and chopped them into large chunks. I put them,1 pound in all, in a 1 quart pot with water to cover. I boiled them until they were fork tender. I drained them (saving the hot water in another 1 quart pot to use in the next phase on the green beans) and plopped them into my Cuisinart–a hardworking friend which has been my companion since I made off with it from my parents’house where it had been residing since my 6th Christmas. I added 2 Tbs. olive oil,a dash or two of cayenne,1/2 teaspoon cumin,a generous pinch of ginger,and some Celtic Sea Salt. I pureed it all,scraping down the sides between pulses to ensure an even puree. I scraped the puree into a glass container and placed it in the frig to cool until serving time.
Next I tipped and tailed the green beans,removing any tough strings,cut them into one-inch pieces and added them to the boiling leftover carrot water. I blanched these until bright green then drained them. Meanwhile,I sauteed a minced garlic clove and a finely diced shallot in olive oil. When golden and fragrant I added my large tomato chopped and seeded. When the tomato released it’s juices I added the green beans and a little sea salt and cooked the fragrant loveliness until the beans were tender.
This isn’t how it really happened,but in an ideal world. . . The kids shucked the corn at the back door to the kitchen and handed them in to plop into my ready and waiting pot of boiling water. Each cob was bedecked with my new corn nobs from Pampered Chef. (Which are so cool–you put them on before you cook the corn;they cool faster than the corn–no burnt fingers eating corn or putting the nobs on!) While the corn cooked I dredged the Wahoo (say it with me) Steaks in seasoned flour and pan fried them in equal parts butter and olive oil.
The result:mouth humming,finger licking goodness. The Wahoo Steaks had thick succulent chunks of flesh,firm enough for sopping up tomato juices and pools of olive oil and butter. I took cool,crisp slices of cucumber and dipped them into the carrot puree. I snapped Sobol’s corn under my teeth,sweet as candy. Only a thin veneer of butter needed. And not really even that. But butter,. . .well. I sank my teeth cleanly into each bite of the green beans which paired deliciously with the acid of the tomatoes,the pungency of the garlic and the sweetness of the shallots.
To finish,I sipped on a cool cup of nettle-licorice tea which I had brewed earlier and nibbled slowly an UliMana Hemp Nib Brownie. Mmmm,sigh.
This is the most awesome imagination of foods I have ever imagined. The way you described the style and way of cooking I thought anyone will be excited to have your food. I think the most satisfaction come from the tea which we take after the meal. Thank you for your post.