tender hearts

 i feel stuck in the kitchen a lot this time of year, when the midwestern larder of apples and root veg is running low, and been relied on long. it turns out, however, that many simple preparations are excellent even when you have squash you’re sick of or less than fresh grocery store vegetables to work with. 

we can make these things great with good olive oil, salt, lemon and wine to drink. i’m thinking of ems pantry wines post, in particular. 

gabrielle hamilton has an episode of the PBS show Mind of a Chef from 2015 that I think I always remember because it gives a rare glimpse of chefs who are parents feeding their kids with grocery store items. 

https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/mind-chef/episodes/mind-chef-season-4-episode-1-prune

It also reminded me of my Mom who makes what she affectionately calls “a chop,” which is - thinly sliced celery hearts, and whatever else is available to make it shine. orange zest and juice, smashed olives, minced onion, shaved fennel, herbs, etc. 

hamilton says, “this comes from scanning the produce aisle at the average grocery store, and the crappy shit thats for sale. This is not fresh from the farm, organic fennel. very dry, aged, bruised. but i know i can cut down and get that heart…I’m finding the heart of the matter here, getting down to the tender heart.” She peels the outer husk of a bunch of celery, and chops through the heart. “That’s tender celadon interior…You took the fluorescent tube right out of it, and now it’s all incandescent.” 

pickled butternut squash 

from food & wine magazine 

12 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (nice to cut them into half rounds, like little demi moons)

1/4 sweet onion, thinly sliced 

6 dried pequin chiles, or other small dried chiles 
3/4 cup white vinegar 

1/2 cup water 
2 teaspoons sugar 
1 teaspoon salt

Cook the squash in a medium pot of salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold running water until cool. Drain well.

Pack the squash, onions and chiles in a 4-cup container.

Put the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Boil, stirring, until sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour the boiling vinegar over the squash mixture. Let cool completely, then seal tightly and refrigerate for 1 day before serving.

eggplant mush 

for two people 

2 japanese eggplants (available at fresh market and joong boo) 

half clove of garlic, minced very fine

2 tablespoons good olive oil 

juice of half a lemon 

handful of pine nuts 

basil 

salt 

roast the eggplants on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes per side. When done they should feel squishy, almost about to fall apart. let them cool for a few minutes and when they’re no longer too hot to handle, peel the skin with your hands over a bowl, letting the flesh fall in. season generously with salt, the olive oil and lemon, and garlic. 

this is great on its own but you can add sesame seeds, toasted sunflower seeds or toasted pine nuts for a crunch. and torn basil leaves for fragrance. you could make this a full dish like the one from prune if you served it with some flatbread :) 

roasted red pepper 

i particularly like this because you come close to the flame, it feels subversive and i kind of feel like a housewife lighting a cigarette from the stove, that crazy blue methane ignition 

light your stove and get your peppers on there charring on the open flame. turn as needed. you really want to singe them all over, if you’re too careful you will wind up with tough uncooked peppers. when black all over, soft and starting to ooze juice, put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. let steam for 10 minutes. remove plastic and peel the skins off with your hands, over the bowl. you want to catch and keep all the delicious juice. 

remove seeds and slice peppers. 

em likes to marinate them in good red wine vinegar, and serve with torn basil and olive oil, this is delicious, i will eat all of it. em told me, “ no it’s fine, sometimes i char them on the stovetop but sometimes it takes forever and i just put them in the oven and serve them with the skins like yolo” 🌈💗

i also like to make the following salad: 

lay down some bibb lettuce, put your roasted peppers on top, finish with some small capers, shaved red onion and anchovies. bathe in olive oil, season with lots of lemon juice and salt. 

marilyn’s chop 

celery hearts 

fennel bulb 

orange 

lemon 

green olives 

salt 

olive oil 

peel away the tough exterior pieces from the celery and fennel. finely slice, pretty much shave the hearts. zest the orange and lemon, then halve and juice them into the veg. pitt your olives by crushing them with the flat side of your knife blade. toss everything with plenty of salt and olive oil.