The Official OT Food Porn

[Maryanne]

Everyone's stuff looks great. Taking pictures of my cooking has turned out to be handy for when people ask for recipes. I insert the pix right in and people love that.

Here is a dish of fresh tomatoes, about to be slow-roasted for hours....


Then mixed with diced pancetta, onion, and hand-cut spaghetti...



I used garlic scapes to make the bean dip, but my picture came out blurry. Here it is anyway.... the scapes make great garnish.



I used the scapes again to make pesto with asiago and parm cheeses, which we had over grilled lemon chicken.



There was way too much chicken, so I made a salad with the cold leftovers the next night. Warm olive oil, shallot, and balsamic vinegar vinaigrette. Fresh mozzarella from the farmer's market.


Mini empanadas, getting layered in tupperware, before going into the freezer to await the next party...

[LysaC]

You know that sound that Homer Simpson makes when he drools? Well, I'm doing that right now and I don't care what my cubicle neighbors think.

[liamsaunt]

Yum Maryanne! I'd like the recipe for the garlic scape sauce on the chicken. I still have some scapes left from the garlic menu a couple of weeks ago (and yes, they are still fresh!).

Did you get the mozzarella from the lady at the Siena Farms booth? It's the best mozzarella I've had in a while.

[martini girl]

What are garlic scapes?

[Maryanne]

Yes, from the Siena Farms lady. That is my favorite booth at the Farmer's Market, although last year they had more little spreads and things from Oleanna. That's where I got the scapes. I'm going into Boston right now and I'm mad at myself---in summer I try to time appointments for market days. Maybe I can stop in Brookline on the way home...

My friend Lisa made up the pesto recipe. Here it is.

7-8 scapes coursely chopped
1/2 cup parm reg
1/2 cup Asiago
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine or walnuts
S and P to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix all in food processor, drizzle olive oil. Serve over pasta with grilled chix or use as a sauce on pizza.

[Maryanne]

Here's a blurb from Washington Post describing the scape:

Here's the anatomy lesson: Garlic and its relatives in the allium family, (leeks, chives, onions) grows underground, where the bulb begins its journey, soft and onion-like. As the bulb gets harder (and more like the garlic we know), a shoot pokes its way through the ground. Chlorophyll- green like a scallion (maybe even greener), the shoot is long and thin and pliable enough to curl into gorgeous tendrils.

This stage of growth is the garlic scape, folks. If left unattended, the scape will harden and transform from green to the familiar opaque white/beige color of garlic peel. Keeping the shoot attached will also curtail further growth of the bulb. So, in an effort to allow the garlic to keep growing, the farmer is getting a two-fer with this edible delectable that cooks are just beginning to discover.

[Xislandgirl]

I have jars of scape pesto that I have been putting on everything for the paste 3 weeks.
Thank goodness we both like garlic

[liamsaunt]

Some photos from last week.

Friday's farmers market haul (including some of that yummy mozzarella):

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2682704002/" title="farmers market 7-19 by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/268 ... e68518.jpg" width="500" height="394" alt="farmers market 7-19"></a>


A sort of ratatouille with chicken sausage and pesto:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2677092822/" title="ratatouille by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/267 ... 686e9a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="ratatouille"></a>


Grilled honey-spiced chicken, from this month's Fine Cooking magazine:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2670404297/" title="grilled honey chicken by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/267 ... 7f7086.jpg" width="500" height="357" alt="grilled honey chicken"></a>


Caprese salad with arugula:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2681886217/" title="tomato stack by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/268 ... 01a86c.jpg" width="500" height="353" alt="tomato stack"></a>


I stopped at a farm on the way to my inlaws yesterday and bought three dozen ears of corn. If anyone wants to share their favorite corn recipes with me, I'd love to hear them. I'm planning on making chowder, but the rest of it is up in the air (obviously I'll be freezing some of it).

[mbw1024]

Becky, I saw this recipe over the weekend and thought it looked good. A possible use for some of your corn.

http://pinchmysalt.com/

[waterguy]

I you making homemade cream corn I'll shoot you the recipe when I get home.

[Jo Ann - VA]

There is a good sounding corn recipe in the Southern Living Magazine that arrived today. I will post it if you want me to.

[silverheels]

Tell me what you did with the squash flowers. I make a batter and then fry them.

[sailorgirl]

Tell me what you did with the squash flowers. I make a batter and then fry them.

Good I love those! Grandpa used to grow a whole section of zuccinni just for the flowers. He always said if you take the flowers you don't get the zuccinni.

Becky, my mom used to make corn fritters with the same batter used for the zuccini flowers. A nice aioli dipping sauce perhaps.

[liamsaunt]

Silverheels, I took the pistils out, then stuffed them with a mixture of goat cheese, parmesean cheese, and basil, and then battered and fried them. I have a photo but it's just of them sitting on a paper towel since we ate them right away, so it's not particularly interesting. The flavor was terrific though. I am going to buy some more on Friday and try a ricotta stuffing.

Sailorgirl, I like corn fritters, especially with maple syrup.

Waterguy, I love creamed corn. I make mine with cream, basil, chicken stock, and parmesean cheese. It's a Martha Stewart recipe, IIRC. Please share your recipe, I'd like to try something different.

[Maryanne]

Help. I am away and I do not have my great marinade recipe for flank steak. Does anyone have a good one??

Thanks !