Summer Meals

Sweet Corn Risotto

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Well folks, I am running out of things to be grateful about this summer.  This has everything to do with the fact that we just broke the record for the number of days over 100 yesterday.  The heat is literally erasing summer’s previous amazingness from my memory. The fond memories of Lake Austin, walking Town Lake, tennis, pool parties, cook outs, warm summer nights on a patio, melons, strawberries, and corn are fading away as we slowly disintegrate from the heat. Basically, unless you are physically submerged in water – cold water at that – you have to stay inside. On the bright side, inside we have stoves and central air. So, as I find myself seeking the familiar, I find myself day-dreaming about corn. This was a risotto that I had been wanting to try out for a while, and I am so glad I did. It was superb and made this record-breaking summer a bit more bearable for a little while. You can pair this with whatever you like or serve it on its own with a simple salad. I chose to make a dish of the risotto, U-10 scallops, a lovely Bacon-Corn Ragu, and Crispy Leeks.

Risotto can be tricky and can make you think it is a feat, but really it just takes effort and knowledge. NEVER add cream to your risotto, risotto gains its creamy texture from the breakdown of proteins around the rice. Every step of making risotto is vital in breaking these down (toasting, stirring, warm liquid being added in small amounts, more stirring, etc). So be patient, and cook with love. The end result of risotto is a rich, creamy, comfort food that is hard not to want to make every night. A good risotto will expand on your plate when you spoon it down. Just FYI.

Note: I made a corn stock and added in corn puree to really capture the corn flavor (in addition to incorporating corn kernels). Both ingredients can be made ahead and used within a couple of days. Alternately, you can make do without either. Risotto will take some time, so be prepared. This is a better dish to make on the weekends, and the leftovers are fantastic.

Sweet Corn Risotto

For the Broth:

Two Quarts Chicken or Vegetable Broth (or water)
One large white onion, quartered
Six Roasted Corn cobs, halved
Three Corn Husks
Five cloves garlic, gently smushed
One tablespoon thyme leaves

Place corn into an oven heated to 350 F and roast for approximately 30 minutes (a little under won’t hurt). Peel down the husks and allow to cool so that the corn can be handled. Remove the kernels from the cob (trying to get as much milk as the cob has to give). Reserve the kernels and milk in a bowl and set aside. In a large stock pot, boil 2 quarts of chicken or vegetable stock or water. Once boiling, add the roasted cobs, about half of the husks, a large onion, 5 cloves garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme. Reduce heat and simmer for a few hours to make stock. Once done, strain well and reserve liquid.

For the risotto:

One cup Arborio Rice
One cup White wine
Two quarts corn stock (or chicken stock)
One slice of pancetta (about 1/8 inch thick), cut into small dice
One white onion, finely diced (can also use shallots or yellow onion)
Four cloves garlic, minced (optional)
Three tablespoons butter
One cup Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese
One cup Sweet Corn Puree
Squeeze of lemon (optional)
Black Pepper
Pinch Salt

Heat a bit of oil in a large pan or dutch oven. Once a high heat is achieved, throw in the pancetta and cook until fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove pancetta to a napkin lined plate, reduce heat and after a few minutes add the butter to the pan. Once melted, add garlic and onion (season with a pinch of salt) and cook a few minutes, then add risotto and allow to toast (make sure that the risotto is spread over the pan surface to toast evenly). Toast for a minute or two, then stir and toast for a minute or two more. Hit the pan with one cup of the wine.

Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm. Heat a bit of oil in a large pan or dutch oven. Once a high heat is achieved, throw in the pancetta and cook until fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove pancetta to a napkin lined plate, reduce heat to medium and after a few minutes add the butter to the pan.  Add onion (or shallots) and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. then add risotto and allow to toast (make sure that the risotto is spread over the pan surface to toast evenly). Toast for a minute or two, then stir and toast for a minute or two more. Hit the pan with one cup of the wine.  Add one cup of wine and stir until evaporated. Once most liquid is absorbed, add about three-quarters of a cup of broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently to constantly. Repeat until broth is gone and risotto is creamy and tender; you may need to warm more broth or use more wine than stated to fully cook the risotto.  Stir in the corn puree and the corn kernels. Stir in cheese and remaining tablespoon of butter. Taste and then season with salt and pepper, and a small squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately.

Seared Scallop with Sweet Corn Puree and Avocado-Watermelon Relish

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With the week off of work, I really should be gracing the gym with my presence for seven hours a day. Instead, I am cooking amazingness and not helping my clothes fit better. This lovely little plate of pure delight was my lunch yesterday. Yes, I spoiled myself and it was incredible. The summer melon and corn sing sweetly and are the perfect complement to the subtly sweet scallop. The jalapeno gives it that little kick that takes your mind away from the sweetness and the avocado lends a richness and all together…well…you know where this goes. It was fantastic; a light, crisp, perfect lunch. I wish I could cook lunch at home every day! If you have the time to make fried leeks or fried shallots, I would highly suggest it so that you have a nice textural contrast. Though I made this for lunch, it would be a perfect dinner as well. From start to finish it takes about 15 minutes or less (less if the puree has been made in advance).

Note: Scallops can be tricky to cook – you want to make sure that they are translucent inside (without ever looking inside) so that they are not rubbery. They are sensitive to different stove tops, different pan types and obtaining the perfect sear can be difficult with too much or too little oil or butter. As you can tell from the picture, my scallops this time were almost perfectly cooked. They were perfect inside, but I did not achieve the nice sear I was looking for. I was a bit heavy handed with the oil.

Seared Scallop with Sweet Corn Puree and Avocado-Watermelon Relish

Serves Two (One scallop per person)

Two U-10 count Scallops, patted very dry
Salt
Pepper
Two inch chunk of watermelon, cut into a rectangle
One-Third of a Jalapeno, Minced
Juice of one-third whole lime
One third avocado, small dice
Small amount of Fried Shallots (optional)
One Third Cup Sweet Corn Puree

Make the Corn Puree first and set aside. Next make the relish by cutting the watermelon and avocado into very small, uniform dice. When cutting the avocado, it is easiest to cut it in the skin then remove all at once with a large spoon. Gently toss the watermelon and avocado with the minced jalapeno, salt, fresh cracked pepper, and lime juice. Set aside.

Heat a small amount of oil or butter in a heavy skillet on a high heat. Make sure the scallop’s abductor muscle has been removed and that the scallops have been patted dry. Season each side with salt and pepper. Once the fat is smoking, add the scallops, ensuring that they are not touching. Sear on each side for about a minute and a half (adjust for thinner scallops) then remove and serve promptly.

To assemble the dish, place the desired amount of corn puree on the bottom of a plate or bowl. Top puree with the scallop. Then top everything with the watermelon mixture. If using fried shallots, sprinkle those around the plate (can also use dried onion for a bit of crunch).

Sweet Corn Puree

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Another beauty of this insane heat (please do a rain dance everyone), is that it means that summer corn is in season and fabulous as always. Is there a bad way to serve corn? I honestly do not think so. This wonderful green-husked, annoyingly silky beauty has filled the bellies for centuries regardless of budget. Incidentally, corn goes into just about everything you eat, or ingest, and even into vehicles this day in age (I will spare you the rant), but I prefer to think of corn the way that mother earth (or nature) intended it to be…REAL, WHOLE, WONDERFULLY LUSCIOUS, Corn Kernels from a COB, and – just for a shout out to the south – this includes the creamy milk the cob renders. Summer stalks are a shining example of corn’s ability to make a silky sweet puree that can pair with a lovely dab of butter for a hint of richness. To me, summer is defined as: the simple luxury of a good quality ingredients shining in their element. Being that corn is in season, and I have the week off, this was my lunch today. I can promise this beats any Lean Cuisine you can imagine – it was a superb 35 minutes of cooking, eating, returning for seconds, and looking at the plate wishing for thirds. Perfect for my staycation and for this too-hot-to-handle-summer in Texas.

Notes: I used coconut milk as my “cream.”  I do not use much dairy and only had Soy Milk on hand, I decided that coconut milk would add a better richness and contribute more to texture than my alternative. If you use dairy and have it on hand fee free to sub whole milk, half and half, or cream for the coconut milk. Also, feel free to add as much butter as you like and season a bit less according to taste.

Sweet Corn Puree

One Cup Roasted Corn (use frozen in a pinch)
One-Third Cup Coconut Milk
Nice pinch of salt
Black Pepper To Taste
One Tablespoon Butter
One Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Boil Coconut Milk in a small sauce pan. Once bubbling, add corn, salt, pepper, and butter. Reduce heat and simmer for 4-6 minutes. Add Cayenne and any additional seasoning and spoon corn mixture into a food processor. Process until smooth. Serve chilled as a soup, or reserve to incorporate as a sauce for fish or chicken, or incorporate into sweet corn risotto.

Arugula Panzanella Salad

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The only redeeming quality about having 100 plus degree temperatures for forty straight days is knowing it is officially summer. Summer produces tomatoes that are to die for, no pun intended in this heat. Farmers come to market boasting the seasons best attribute – these red globes of sweet, sweet pleasure. Every time I leave the market, I find myself worrying about hurting my precious bounty as if were my own child I were protecting from bruising. Just looking at an heirloom tomato on my kitchen counter makes me want to call off whatever obligations I had and make a plate of food deserving of its glory. This is a lovely way to let summer ingredients shine and satisfy your urge to fill your mouth with one of the best natural flavors on earth – the perfectly ripe, sweet, succulent, juicy tomato. Needless to say summer heirlooms can turn even the most avid tomato-hater into a convert in no time (and if they cannot turn you, I highly suspect that you club baby seals or hate puppies). Kidding aside, I almost missed my work out class on Friday because I could not stop eating this ridiculously amazing salad.

Panzanella is a salad that is quite common throughout Italy. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of versions but it traditionally is a method for using up old bread. If you do not have any day old bread, you can either buy some or omit it (though then the name changes “pane” being Italian for bread). It is perfect for a light dinner or lunch or served as a salad along side a more substantial main or as a stand alone appetizer. I used what I had, but feel free to play around with it and add items like red onions or fresh mozzarella cheese.

Arugula Panzanella Salad

Serves Four

One recipe Simple Arugula Salad
Two or Three large Summer Heirloom tomatoes (gauge number on size of tomato), cut into one inch pieces
Day old Italian Country Bread or similar, cut into half-inch pieces
One tablespoon olive oil (or flavored of choice)
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Extra shaved cheese such as Pecorino Romano if desired
Spoonful of Caramelized Onions, minced red onion, or thinly sliced shallot (Optional)

On a baking sheet, combine olive oil and bread and toss to coat. Toast in an oven for about 5 minutes, then toss and continue toasting until the outside is crunchy and the inside remains soft. Whilst the bread is toasting, combine the arugula salad and tomatoes in a large bowl. Gently toss with Salt and Pepper to taste and drizzle just a touch of good olive oil and toss once more. Once bread is toasted, combine into salad mixture and add additional cheese tossing, gently, one more time.  Enjoy the simple pleasure of summer tomatoes and forget about the ridiculous heat for a few minutes!

Beautiful market heirloom

Simple Arugula Salad

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In addition to being one of the more dainty dark greens, peppery Arugula is wonderful in a large variety of preparations. This simple salad is perfect for pepper lovers in the summer (or all year) when its flavor is the most robust. It is also quite wonderful in the spring and fall when the spiciness subsides a bit. Think of this salad as a base – on its own it is delicious, or it can be added to sandwiches, top a pizza off, or thrown into a blender with additional ingredients to make pesto. It can also serve as the base for a larger, more substantial salad with the introduction of additional ingredients.  Arugula is also known as ‘rocket’ should you see a recipe calling for that ingredient. One tip, should you choose to grow your own arugula – plant it in a contained space. Arugula takes over a garden (or yard) like I have never seen, whether or not this is a bad thing I suppose depends on how much your love arugula versus how much you love your existing landscaping.

Simple Arugula Salad

Two cups Arugula leaves
Juice of one lemon (adjust according to preference)
Small pinch of Salt
A couple good cracks of black pepper
About a half-cup of shaved Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano Cheese

Combine all ingredients in a bowl (preferably one that can seal easily) and mix gently.  Yep, you are done.

Zucchini Boats

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This was the only meal I have made myself since the sandwich that I made before leaving for the airport for Mexico 8 days ago. The lovely little place we were staying (by lovely, I mean INCREDIBLE) had an outdoor kitchen where we ate our insanely delicious breakfasts. It also had a grill that was available for guest use, along with a cutting board. We decided that we would cook dinner one night – a hard decision as this meant one night that pastor tacos would not be going into my belly. Next problem: the only cooking apparatus we had was a grill. Ergo, I decided to make zucchini stuffed with Oxaca cheese, Grilled Onions, and Chorizo and some re-fried beans with Manchengo cheese, sour cream, grilled onions, and jalapenos alongside some chimol (basically pico). This decision was made with a couple different trains of thought: 1) If I am giving up my nightly pastor it better be for seafood or veggies; 2) I had finally had some beans for breakfast and it whetted my appetite for them; 3) I only had a grill and one knife, so the meal need to be  simple and easy.

We garnered some additional cooking materials from the owner of the B&B, Lou, and began to make our dinner after D went in to the store. Now by extra cooking materials I do not mean much – we got a small pot for the beans and a dull knife for cutting the veg with. This was a step up in the knife department from the time I had to make dinner using a butter knife. That was … interesting.

The result of our little B&B cooked meal was outstanding. The freshness of the ingredients sang and all the flavors, though not particularly complex, married very well together. Better yet, everything I used to make this meal can be found in the States (though it will be different than the traditional local flavors that I had available in Tulum) and is a cheap and satisfying crowd-pleaser for those awesome summer weekends in Texas!

Note: I had originally intended to put the bean mixture in avocado halves, but the avocado did not come home from the store, so we did without. No worries – beans are amazing.


Zucchini Boats

Two Zucchinis, washed and halved
One Chorizo Link
One half Onion
1/4 cup Oxaca cheese
Brush of Olive oil (or in my case Spray of Pam olive oil)
Salt and Pepper
A dash of seasoning of choice (I had a Mexican seasoning that was like a lime-cayenne with adobo so I sprinkled some of that on here)

Season Grill with onion, then grill until glassy (alternately – oil a small pan and saute until glassy). Place chorizo on grill and grill for about 3-4 minutes on either side, depending on thickness. Take the zucchini halves and cut a deep square shape in the middle in order to stuff them. Grill, skin side up, for about 3-4 minutes first then flip. Stuff with Cheese and grill for an additional 3-4 minutes. Top with onions and chorizo and enjoy with sides of pico and cheesy re-fried beans.

Cucumber Avocado Soup

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D and I spent the weekend at my parent’s house in the Hill Country. They have thermometer that is located on an outside deck in the shade. Around 2:00 pm Sunday afternoon, it read 102 degrees. IN THE SHADE. Needless to say, the heat of Texas summers pleads for refreshing, cold, light meals and snacks. Short of sucking on a Popsicle incessantly, this can be tough to do as most people like their food hot. Texans understand the need for cold food – we know that it is almost as important as queso. We had about 6 avocados leftover from fourth of July that had finally softened enough to be eaten (and that needed to be eaten by Sunday). I had no desire to make guacamole or enchiladas or anything that required eating luke-warm to hot meals. This led me to think about a lovely avocado soup I had had on holiday in Mexico back in 2008. In this same meal, I thoroughly enjoyed a cucumber martini which was the best drink I have ever had to date. I could feel myself begin to pine for these two flavors, so I decided to combine them in a chilled soup to ease the pain of the hot day. The soup was a lovely lunch and shortly after enjoying it, a small storm came across the lake and the temperature dropped about twenty degrees! Maybe I should call this magic, rain dance soup?

Note: I added spinach for extra nutrition, feel free to omit it if you do not have any – the flavor is not affected as the mild spinach flavor will play second fiddle to the avocado and cucumber flavors. Secondly, had I had any, I would have added fresh cilantro to brighten the flavors even further. I left this out and used fresh basil instead, which was just fine, and probably made my vehemently anti-cilantro father very happy. Feel free to use either or both depending on your taste preference.

Serves 4-6 as a appetizer portion

Two Cucumbers, washed and roughly chopped (seeded)
Five avocados, seeded and skinned
One to two cups of baby Spinach
Five Green onion stalks, including white parts
One tablespoon Ground Coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
Juice of One Lemon, plus more to taste
One bunch fresh basil, with a few leaves set aside to chiffonade for garnish
1/2 Jalapeno, seeded and minced
Five garlic cloves
Cayenne Pepper to taste
1/2 to 3/4 cup plain yogurt
One to 1.5 cups chicken stock or cold water (depending on thinness desired)

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix well. Adjust seasoning as desired, then transfer to the fridge and allow to chill for at least  half hour, preferably longer. Serve garnish with fresh basil.

Pico de Gallo

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Pico is one of the easiest things to make. I am not sure why anyone buys the store bought stuff – I guess there is an argument for time-savings, but the flavor, cost, and satisfaction is just so much better with homemade (and buying store bought really only saves you about ten minutes). Pico – at its best in the summer with the amazing summer tomatoes – is fast, fresh, healthy, and versatile.

Serves 8

Four large tomatoes, seeded and diced
3/4 to one whole white onion (to taste); small dice
Salt
Pepper
Juice of one to two limes depending on taste
Two Jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
1.5 cups fresh cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently. Flavors will develop more over time or serve immediately. That simple.