Yearly Archives: 2010

The Recipes

Counting my Blessings: A Year in Veggies–Plus a Book, a Blog and a Best Friend, too

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I have everything in the world to be grateful for and nothing I dare complain about as 2010 turns into 2011 tonight. It was a year of firsts for me: I launched my first website/blog in February (hello sixburnersue!); my first cookbook, Fast, Fresh & Green, was published in April; and Roy and I sold our first vegetables out of our first market garden in June. Plus, in September we moved into an old farmhouse—something I’ve always dreamed of (literally—I’ve had visions in my head of just this kind of old place). Who knows how long we’ll be in the house, but for now it feels just right.

But there’s one thing that’s not new this year, and it’s the thing I think most about (and am most grateful for) every year on this day. Because December 31 is my best friend’s birthday. Eliza (who I call Lou because it rhymes with Sue—something we schemed up as kids)  lives in York, Maine, now, but we grew up together in Washington, D.C. I, in fact, was waiting for Eliza when she came along six months after I was born. Our Moms got to know each other while they were both pregnant and became good friends. As soon as we could sit up, they plopped us on the floor together, and we haven’t stopped giggling since.

Over the years, wherever we’ve lived (New York or California, Rhode Island or Colorado, Boston or Washington), we’ve never lost touch. Eliza has been my number one supporter through many crises—she is patient and understanding and the most people-smart person I know (she’s got more friends than I can count and she’s a great mom, too). And, guess what? She’s a great cook! Just a few months ago she agreed to be my chief “citizen” tester for the new book, so I am particularly grateful for her help just now. (And for Chip, Nathalie, Katie & James’ tastebuds, too.) So I’m taking the opportunity today not just to celebrate a wonderful year (the pictures tell the story), but a wonderful lifetime of friendship, too. Happy Birthday, Lou (aka Eliza Peter)! Now, what would I do if my best friend didn’t like to cook?!!!

The Recipes

Snow Days and Side Dishes

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Even though I don’t have to go to school any more (or even to an office, for that matter), I still get that giddy feeling when it snows. A snow day! Oh boy! A day off! “Uh, Susie,” I then remind myself, “You don’t get a day off. You’re a freelancer.” Oh, right. A freelancer with a book deadline in less than two months.  Well, that didn’t stop me from venturing out into the fury on Monday to take pictures (that’s our backyard, above, at about 3 p.m.) or on Tuesday in the flurries to take more pictures (front window, about 1p.m.).

Yes, I will do anything to procrastinate. But I did deliver 8 new recipes to my cross-tester (that’s cross-tester, not cross-dresser) on Sunday night, and I’ve been cranking away on five more since then. So, you know, I have to take a break every once in a while. All of this is a lame way of explaining why there is no Christmas recipe going up on the blog tonight. The blog recipe that I had in mind (Christmas Carrots for a Crowd) did not quite make it into the kitchen line-up today between Orecchietti with Lemony Broccoflower and Roasted Tomato Galettes (recipes for the new book, which, of course, I can’t publish here—nor would you want to eat them with your prime rib, anyway!).

I had hoped my new kitchen angel (left), an early Christmas present to myself, might somehow make the days stretch longer for me, so I could fit more in. But no such magic today. At least we are past the solstice now, as here in the Far East, the sun sets at 4 and it’s hard not to feel like the day is over when darkness comes—though that’s normally the time I’m gearing up to do one last test for the day.

At any rate, I don’t have many recipes on the site that are suitable for large crowds, but just in case you’re dining with a small, intimate group, and just in case you haven’t finalized your menu (I know, I’m late in the game here), the least I can do is suggest some favorite and appropriate holiday sides already posted on sixburnersue.com:

I think the most popular recipe on this site may be these Braised Fingerlings with Crispy Sage & Tender Garlic. So yummy and a classic update for serving with beef tenderloin. A Bed of Buttery Leeks and Spinach would be a great landing spot for a few slices of tenderloin, too. For prime rib? This Yukon Gold and Celery Root Gratin. Or the Potato Galette with Fresh Rosemary …and Roasted Cauliflower, too. For roast turkey? Caramelized Turnips, Potatoes & Carrots or the Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Roasted Garlic. Ham? Slow-Sauteed Green Beans with Shallots & Bacon or a double recipe of Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Nutty Lemon-Maple Brown Butter. Salmon? Maybe this Baby Bok Choy recipe or a double recipe of Popeye’s Garlic Spinach.

Whatever you decide to cook, I hope you have lots of kitchen angels to help. Merry Christmas from Sixburnersue and snowy Martha’s Vineyard!

Favorite Tools, How-To, The Recipes

Christmas Presents Past and Future

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Today I made up an imaginary friend named Shorty. I was writing a head note for a recipe (one that involves short-grain brown rice) and was fresh out of clever things to say. This is what happens when you agree to write a book quickly—your creativity gets taxed mightily. So much so, in fact, that no new recipe blog is coming forth from me today.

Instead I decided to write (quickly) about the other thing that is very much on my mind—Christmas shopping. I have, in fact, barely done any yet, which is Not Good. I can’t do much about that right this minute, but I thought maybe I could help you, since probably you have an equivalent of a book deadline hanging over you and are behind with your own efforts. Or maybe some wonderful friend or your husband or your mother wants to know what you want for Christmas.

Here are five ideas. They just happen to be some of my favorite kitchen tools. People often ask me about kitchen equipment. Sometimes the questions are real stumpers, like whether they should buy the newest combined microwave-convection-infrared-lightspeed-oven, whereupon I stare at them blankly since I haven’t been in the market for a new stove in 10 years. But when it comes to simple kitchen tools, I can babble on (my specialty).

My very favorite thing is a pink-handled knife from Kyocera. Well, honestly, it’s not the color of the handle that did it for me (yes, pink is my favorite color), though I do love the fact that every purchase of this knife sends $5 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. It’s the ceramic blade—so darn sharp, and it has been that way every day that I’ve used it for the past five years (which is almost every day). The Santoku-shaped blade is only 5 1/2 inches long, so this isn’t your big chopping knife; I think of it more as a utility knife. I use it for thin-slicing potatoes, cutting up broccoli florets, slivering garlic, halving Brussels sprouts, trimming green beans…lotsa things.

The tool I use most in the kitchen—maybe even more than my ceramic knife—is a pair of OXO tongs. Three pairs, actually (two 9-inchers, one 12-incher.) I think I first got attached to tongs when I worked in restaurant kitchens, where pot holders don’t exist. (Come to think of it, neither do most common kitchen utensils.) You can use tongs to pull out hot oven racks and sheet trays, turn over delicate veggies or meats while sautéing, move anything around in a pan, or, of course, to handle anything on the grill. I particularly like the grip and the locking mechanism on the OXO Good Grips tongs.

I eat and cook with a lot of eggs, so I’ve messed around with many whisks. The silicone-coated balloon whisk from Le Creuset is the most efficient whisk I’ve ever used. I flick it around a few times and voila, my eggs are perfectly mixed. It’s a little bottom-heavy so occasionally it does fall out of a bowl, but I love it (and its color) nonetheless.  I probably don’t need to say anything about silicone spatulas other than, if you only have one or two—buy more! I have them in a rainbow of colors and sizes (I like a spoonula shaped one, too) from both OXO and Le Creuset. I still have my wooden spoons, but they spend more time looking good in an old ceramic baked-bean jar than my silicone spatulas, which hit the pans (especially nonstick ones) every day.

Lastly, I don’t know what I ever did without a Microplane® zester for zesting lemons, limes, and oranges. I love to use zest as a flavor booster in pan sauces, rice dishes, salad dressings, flavored butters…and this tool just makes getting that feathery zest (minus the bitter pith) a breeze. Use it for finely grating Parmigiano, too. I like my funky original one so much that I haven’t invested in one of the many newer ones with comfortable handles, but you could.

One last Christmas idea: Buy a goat! No, I haven’t completely lost it—yet. I just happen to love this idea: Instead of (or in addition to) giving an actual material gift to one of your friends,  OXFAM America will let you “buy” (make a donation in a certain amount) a gift (in your friend’s name) for a community in need. ($25 will buy a school lunch program for one child, $30 a vegetable garden for one family. The goat—a great source of milk, fertilizer and food in hardscrabble areas, is $50!) Your friend will get a Christmas card letting him or her know the donation has been made. I’m not saying you need to skip the kitchen goodies—just that one of these cards tucked next to the spatulas in a Christmas stocking might be in the true spirit of things.

Wherever your gift buying or gift giving leads you this holiday season, I hope you can keep that true spirit close by. Spend time with your friends—and not just the imaginary ones!

P.S.  Oops, I almost forgot. I know this is really not in the true spirit of Christmas (blatant self promotion—I don’t think so), but remember that Fast, Fresh & Green makes a great Christmas present, too! Be sure to try and patronize your local bookstore this season if you can.

side dishes, starters, The Recipes

Winter Skies & Parsnip Fries

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With the sudden cold this week came a change in the sky. I looked up at twilight and there were those magical trees, spindly and Fantasia-esque, their branches bare and brittle, silhouetted against the bluer-than-blue sky of a December afternoon on the Vineyard. This windblown tree-scape of the Island winter might seem austere to some, but it’s comforting to me, and I’m glad it’s arrived—if seemingly overnight. This is the very vista that enveloped me when I arrived here three winters ago, spent and unsure. It offered me a wide-open gift of calm and space. The gnarly trees led me into the woods, down paths to hidden coves and rocky beaches, through tufted fields, around lichen-licked stone walls, up bumpy hills to breathtaking views. I’d always been afraid of the woods, but here, with sparkly views peeking through the leafless Beetlebungs and stubborn scrub oaks, I forged ahead and gained courage and confidence.

Now my favorite season on the Vineyard brings another intangible perk—friends circle together and catch up after the busy season. There are potlucks and indoor markets and special events like the winter film festival. But as it happens, you most often run into your friends at the post office and the grocery store. Me, I am at the grocery store a lot. So I get to see lots of friends, and I also get a peek at what everyone’s cooking.

The other day I ran into my hen-whisperer friend, Katherine Long. Not only does she have the most amazing chickens, chicken coops, and chicken eggs (of course), but she is a cook extraordinaire, so I love chatting with her. She was clutching a bag of parsnips. “Mom’s coming,” she said matter-of-factly. “And she wants veggies. I’m thinking maple-mustard parsnips.” “Perfect!” I said to her, “And what a coincidence…” I instantly remembered that I’d developed a delicious recipe for maple-mustard glazed parsnips for Fast, Fresh & Green, but that it was one I had to excise from the book (I wrote too many recipes, naturally).

Suddenly I had parsnips on the brain. I started to feel bad that I’d mentioned sweet potato fries last week, and hadn’t given poor parsnips their due. Parsnips, in fact, make excellent oven fries, though they are much drier than sweet potatoes. And they’re delicious sautéed, though all that sugar makes them brown up fast.

The next day I went straight to the Winter Farmers’ Market and bought the last bunch of freshly dug parsnips Morning Glory Farm had brought with them. (Copious greens still attached.) I’m sure there are more where those came from, as parsnips get sweeter when the ground freezes (the cold converts their starch to sugar), and they keep well in cold storage, too (kind of like the heartiest Islanders). Really, this pretty white root is the quintessential winter vegetable. So this week I’m offering up the recipe for the mustard-maple glazed parsnips and the directions for making the fries—to assuage my guilt for not having blogged about parsnips sooner. But also, to celebrate the arrival of winter—even if there is very little insulation in our charming little house and, it is, well, cold. I did say I loved winter on the Vineyard, didn’t I?

How to Cut Parsnips

I think parsnips look lovely and cook best when cut into long, thin pieces. I call these pieces “sticks,” and that’s a fine goal to aim for, but in reality many pieces will have tapered edges and some will be thicker than others. For small or medium sized parsnips, I don’t bother to cut the woody core out—it cooks up just fine. First I cut the long parsnip in half, crosswise, right about where it goes from fat to skinny. I quarter the skinny end lengthwise and usually wind up with 4 pieces between 1/4 and 3/8 inch thick. (Pieces on the skinnier side are a bit better for the sauté; you can cut the fries a bit fatter.) With the fat end of the parsnip, I cut a very thin sliver off of one side so that I can roll it over and stabilize it. Then I cut it lengthwise into planks (see top left in photo). Then I lay the planks down and cut them into sticks.

Maple-Mustard Glazed Parsnips

The trick to sautéing the parsnips in this recipe is to moderate the heat so that the veggies are cooking through and browning at the same time. On my stove, the ideal heat is around medium, but sometimes I wind up turning the heat down to medium-low to slow down the browning while the steaming catches up. But everyone’s stove is different, so keep an eye on the veggies. If they are browning too quickly (before they begin to lose their opacity), turn the heat down a bit. Lower and slower is better than higher and faster in this case. The easy maple-mustard glaze gives these a depth and richness that could stand up well to a hearty braise like a pot roast.

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2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound parsnips, trimmed, peeled and sliced into sticks 2 to 4 inches long and between 1/4- and 3/8-inch wide
kosher salt

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In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and the mustard and set near the stove. Arrange a serving dish near the stove as well.

In a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the parsnips and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring gently and frequently (a silicone spatula works well), until the parsnips lose their opacity, become golden brown all over, and are tender, 15 to 17 minutes. (The parsnips will begin browning after 6 to 8 minutes. If they are browning too quickly—before they lose their opacity—turn the heat to medium-low. After stirring each time, spread the parsnips out in the pan so that they have maximum contact with the heat.)

Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the maple-mustard mixture. Stir right away as the mixture reduces and coats the vegetables. Immediately transfer the parsnips and any sauce in the pan to a serving bowl. Let cool for a minute or two, taste and season with more salt if desired. Serve right away.

Serves 3 as a side dish

Roasted Parsnip Fries

When you buy a 1-lb. package of parsnips at the grocery, it will often contain more like 1 1/4 lb. Weigh your roots at home if you can, as 1 lb. is about the maximum for roasting on a large sheet pan. (The parsnips will steam rather than roast if they are too crowded. Use two pans if necessary.) The lime-maple drizzle here is very tasty, but optional. You could season the fries with spiced salt or serve with some other kind of dipping sauce, like honey-mustard.

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1 pound parsnips, trimmed, peeled, and cut into sticks 2 to 3 inches long and 3/8-inch/1-cm wide
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (optional)
2 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large rimmed heavy-duty baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, combine the parsnip sticks with the olive oil and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Toss well and spread in one layer on the baking sheet. Roast until the “fries” are nicely browned (mostly on the bottoms) and tender, about 20 minutes. (If the pan is crowded, they can take 30 to 35 minutes. Check frequently as browning goes fast.) Let cool for a couple minutes on the sheet pans and then sprinkle with a bit more salt. Or combine the lime juice and maple syrup (if you like), drizzle over the fries, and season with coarse salt. Eat right away.

Serves 3 as a side dish

side dishes, The Recipes

Beyond Fries—Sweet Potatoes Star in a Slow-Sauté

Sweet potatoes are having their moment—at least according to a recent article by my favorite New York Times reporter, Kim Severson. It seems their new fame is largely due to the popularity of sweet potato fries. These fries (mostly deep-fried like regular potato fries) have popped up on both upscale and chain restaurant menus all over the country in the past couple of years. I am one of those willing victims who eats these things; but more often I roast them at home in the oven using the recipe I created for Fast, Fresh & Green. (I posted that recipe here last spring when the book came out. It has a yummy limey dipping sauce that goes with it.)

But I’ve long been a fan of sweet potatoes cooked many different ways—especially any method that allows them to caramelize a bit, like slow-sautéing. So I thought this week I’d make some slow-sautéed sweet potatoes and share that recipe here, in honor of the humble tuber’s new (but hopefully not fleeting) fame.

All this attention has some real perks for cooks and eaters alike. For cooks, there are now more varieties of sweet potatoes available at groceries and farmers’ markets. I love the Gem and Garnet sweet potatoes I find. Their flesh is moist and very tasty. But according to the North Carolina Sweet Potato commission’s website, there are actually hundreds of varieties of sweet potatoes from white-fleshed to deep purple. (Visit their site to see cool photos of a dozen kinds.) The perk for eaters, which I didn’t realize until reading Severson’s article, is that sweet potatoes, sweet as they are, are actually full of complex carbohydrates (as opposed to simple sugars) which don’t spike insulin, so they are recommended for diabetics and dieters alike. They’re also very high in beta-carotene, Vitamin E, and fiber.

All that, plus sweet potatoes are easy to prep. There’s very little waste, and most often I don’t peel them. So whether you’re looking for great flavor, fun cooking, or better health, sweet potatoes have something to offer.

Caramelized Sweet Potatoes & Onions with Cider Butter

Once you’ve gotten the hang of the slow-sauté, you can vary this recipe by adding some diced apple halfway through cooking, or by adding a bit of minced fresh ginger or garlic at the end of cooking (fold in and let soften for a minute or two). You can also add toasted chopped nuts at the end. However, the simple cider butter is really all you need for a delicious finish.

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4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 fairly big ones), unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 5 cups)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 small onions (about 8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice, about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 cup apple cider

1/4 tsp. cider vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped parsley (optional)

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Cut 2 tablespoons of the butter into 8 pieces and refrigerate it to keep it cold.

In a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. (The pan will look crowded.) Stir well. (A silicone spoonula works great for this.) Reduce the heat to medium, cover loosely, and cook, stirring and flipping occasionally with a flat-edged spatula, for 15 minutes. The sweet potatoes will start browning after about 10 minutes, and you’ll be scraping up some brown stuff off the bottom of the pan—no worries. Listen to the pan; you should hear a gentle sizzle, not a loud one, as the sweet potatoes cook. If the vegetables are browning too quickly, reduce the heat a bit to maintain that gentle sizzle. If you can barely hear the sizzle, turn the heat up a bit.

Uncover, add 1 more tablespoon butter, the onions and 1/4 tsp. salt, and continue to cook, stirring and flipping more frequently as browning goes faster. Adjust the heat down slightly if necessary (and add a little more oil to the pan if it seems dry). Cook until the vegetables are all tender and the onions are lightly browned, about another 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until it is reduced to about 3 tablespoons—it will be slightly more viscous. Add the cider vinegar and reduce the heat to the very lowest setting so that the liquid is hot but not simmering. Remove the cold butter pieces from the fridge and begin adding them to the hot liquid, a few pieces at a time. After each addition, whisk the butter until it dissolves and becomes creamy. Finish adding the butter and whisking until you have a creamy sauce. Do not turn the heat up or the butter will separate while melting. Keep the sauce warm over the very lowest heat if necessary.

Drizzle the sauce over the sweet potatoes, toss well and serve garnished with the chopped parsley (if using).

Serves 4

The Recipes

My Favorite Tip (And Recipe) For Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

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One of the best things about working at Fine Cooking magazine all those years was the wealth of great tips I gleaned from the chefs, cookbook authors and other amazing cooks we worked with to produce the stories. One of my favorite Thanksgiving “A Ha!” moments was discovering how to keep the mashed potatoes warm. After you finish making them, put them in the top pan of a double boiler, or even better, in a large, wide shallow stainless steel (heatproof) mixing bowl. Cover with foil or a lid and hold over gently simmering water for up to 2 hours! You’ll need to check the water every once in a while, but there are a couple of great things about this tip. First, the people who have a thing about being served less than piping-hot food (you know who you are, Dad) will be very happy. Secondly, you, as the cook, will not have to worry about making the mashed potatoes (along with everything else) at the last minute.

Of course, there are a few other tips to making good mashed potatoes. Probably the most important is not to over-mash. If you overwork potatoes (especially Russets), the starch will turn to glue. Usually, a stand mixer on high speed is the culprit here, so I always mash my potatoes with a hand-held masher. (We don’t mind ours a little rough; I also prefer to use Yukon Golds.) But a food mill will give you the most beautiful potato puree.

But instead of going on and on (for once I will stop myself!), I thought instead I’d offer my favorite mashed potato recipe for a crowd (below), and you can take a few more clues from that. (This one happens to included roasted garlic—yum—but you could leave it out.)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and if you need help with your menu, I’d recommend checking out Fine Cooking’s Thanksgiving Menu planner, which not only has a ton of great recipes, but will generate a shopping list and time line for you after you select the recipes for your menu. Of course the Baking Gratins chapter in Fast, Fresh & Green has some delicious ideas, too. And if you’re looking for quick vegetable side dishes, remember to tune in to The Martha Stewart Show on the Hallmark Channel on Wednesday, November 24 at 10 a.m. to see me roasting squash, turnips, and Brussels sprouts!

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Roasted Garlic

The roasted garlic in this recipe makes these potatoes irresistible, but you can use the proportions here to make perfectly delicious mashed potatoes without the garlic if you like. This recipe yields a lot – enough to serve 10 people at Thanksgiving. (I originally developed this for a holiday issue of Edible Vineyard magazine.) But you can easily cut it in half to serve it some other time.

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4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Cloves from 2 heads roasted garlic (for directions, see below)

1 ¼ cups heavy cream, at room temperature

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In a Dutch oven or other large, wide cooking pot, combine the potatoes, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and enough cold water to cover the potatoes by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender, a total of about 25 to 30 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the cooking pot over very low heat. Toss the potatoes around for a few seconds to allow some of the excess moisture to steam off a bit. Add all of the butter, the garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 3/4 cup of the heavy cream. Using a hand masher and moving around the pot in a clockwise manner, mash the potatoes until they are coarsely mashed. Continue adding cream and mashing until the potatoes are mostly smooth. They will have a creamy texture with just a slight chunkiness and yummy bits of skin and garlic throughout. Towards the end of mashing, switch to using a heatproof silicone spatula to smooth the potatoes out a bit.  Serve hot right away or keep warm over simmering water (covered) for up to 2 hours.

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To Roast Garlic: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a very sharp chef’s knife and chop off about the top 3/4-inch of a head of garlic. (Or chop off enough so that each clove is slightly exposed). Leave the head in tact (do not separate the cloves) and place it on a double layer of aluminum foil. Drizzle the head (or the two heads, as in the case of the recipe above) with olive oil and wrap the aluminum foil up around the head. Place the package in a small casserole dish or on a small sheet pan and put it in the oven. Roast for 45 minutes or until the cloves are just tender and soft through. Let cool at least 15 to 20 minutes before squeezing the garlic cloves out of their skins by applying pressure to the base of the head.

publicity, side dishes, The Cookbooks, The Recipes

So Much for the Simple Life: A Second Book & A Date with Martha Stewart

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I moved to Martha’s Vineyard three years ago for a Simpler Life, and I got it. Granted I wasn’t any Paris Hilton, but I did have a lot of pointy-toed high-heeled shoes and frilly skirts. These days, I am most comfortable (and most often) stomping around in my muck boots and my blue jeans. For me, these boots have come to symbolize the freedom and peace I feel on the Island.

This past Saturday was a great example of what I love about my new life. We woke up, pulled on our boots, and trotted over to the Ag Hall (the big barn-like structure where the Fair and lots of other cool local events are held) to check out the indoor Winter Farmers’ Market. (We live right across the street from the Ag Hall now.) The indoor market, only in its second year, has already worked itself into the fabric of the year-round community, and it’s a great place to go to see friends, get a cup of coffee and stand around the fireplace, maybe buy a bar of Island-made goat soap or a quart of Island-made yogurt or even a piece of Island-made chocolate. And there are veggies like nobody’s business, since our warm Island fall extends the growing season right through to December. I restrained myself and walked out with only one bunch of beautiful turnips. (On a typical Saturday morning in my old life, I’d be in the car racing up and down Route 1 or I95, trying to cram in errands I couldn’t do during the week.)

So I was going to blog about the market and the turnips this week, but then, since there was an even cooler event that happened Saturday night (at the Ag Hall again, of course), I thought for a moment I might write about that! Our local nonprofit, Island Grown Initiative, held a pig- and chicken-roast fundraiser called “Local Meat is Good to Eat—But There’s More to Life than Chicken.” The group, which has been very successful in introducing a mobile poultry processing unit to the island (and increasing the number of chickens raised here), has received a state grant to do a feasibility study for a potential USDA four-legged humane slaughter facility on the Vineyard. The fundraiser was planned as a way to bolster the grant money. The food was amazing, but the community spirit even more affecting. IGI had expected 150 to 200 people—and 400 members of the community showed up! (And $12,000 was raised.) I felt really proud and grateful to be part of that community. But truthfully, showing up at a delicious pig roast for a good cause might fit well with my idea of a simpler life, but what these folks are doing for the farming (and entire community) on this Island is anything but simple. But that’s the way life goes; the good stuff only comes with hard work and a fair dose of complication.

So ultimately, after procrastinating on writing this blog, I decided not just to focus on the market or the fundraiser. Because life, no matter where you live and how you approach it, is never all that simple. This is very much on my mind right now for two reasons.

First, a month or so ago, I was asked to write a new book—quickly. The publishers of Fast, Fresh & Green, Chronicle Books, were so happy with this first book of mine that they figured why not publish a follow-up book (sort of a sequel—though I keep thinking that I hope this one is better than Jaws 2!) in the Spring of 2012. So I gave them a proposal for Fresh & Green for Dinner, a collection of vegetable-driven main dishes, and lo and behold, I got a February 15 (2011!) deadline. Yikes. This of course, is both great and scary at the same time. And anything but simple. I am now pushing myself at a pace that I don’t really like—working day and night to get recipes written, developed (which means several tests on my part), cross-tested, and edited. (Grilled pizza, anyone?) I’m feeling just a little bit like I did in my old life—speedy (though that could be from all the coffee I drink). But that’s okay. Because I’m grateful that I have a job (crazy as it is) that lets me live where I want to—in this beautiful place.

Secondly, there’s another not-so-simple reality to being a cookbook author: Publicity. And when you get an opportunity to appear on a national TV show—especially one that’s hosted by a fabulous cook—you don’t say no. So on the morning of Wednesday, November 24—the day before Thanksgiving—I’ll be standing next to Martha Stewart, telling her (like she doesn’t already know!) and a live studio audience, about quick-roasting vegetables. It’s a prime spot for a cookbook author, since Thanksgiving is the number one cooking holiday, and I’m excited that I’ll be able to talk about something that really is easy to pull off on Thanksgiving. (Quick-roasted vegetables can pop in the oven after the turkey comes out and cook in the amount of time the turkey needs to rest.) I’ll be cooking the popular Vanilla and Cardamom Glazed Acorn Squash Rings, and yes, turnips! (Roasted Turnips & Pears with Rosemary-Honey Drizzle), as well as Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Orange Butter Sauce, all from Fast, Fresh & Green. (You can get the first two recipes online here, from a recent article in Martha’s Vineyard magazine.) If you want to watch, I’ll be on the 3rd and 4th segments (the show starts at 10 a.m. on the Hallmark Channel and I believe repeats at 1 p.m. Oops–no I’m wrong about that. It repeats at 2 pm that day. The 1 pm show is a repeat of the day before!). Roy and I will be taking Libby down to New York for the night, and the two of them will get to be a part of the live audience (and maybe visit backstage, too!). Somebody is pretty excited, let me tell you…

In the past, I dreaded TV appearances. But I’m in a different spot now and am really anticipating this with joy, not in small part because I know my friends and family will share in the excitement. But also, the producers of The Martha Stewart Show are real pros, and I feel lucky to be on a quality program that values home cooking. So while it wasn’t in my plans to get on the ferry, drive down I95, and put on my public face (no pointy-toe shoes, though) the day before Thanksgiving, I’m there. It was, afterall, a simple decision.

The Recipes

Bringing Home the Brussels Sprouts–For a Quick Braise

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Brrrrr…..Brussels sprouts. The two seem to go together. But I guess I’ll never know if frost makes sprouts sweeter (so they say), since we harvested all our Brussels sprouts from the garden last night—and this morning woke up to a shiny silver blanket of frost (our first) on the fields all around us.

The amazing thing is that we have any Brussels sprouts at all. Watching the flea beetles ravage them in late summer, I all but gave up on them until about a month ago when I noticed little sprouts were forming anyway. So I topped off a few of the plants to see if that would increase the size of the sprouts. (Now that I’ve harvested, I can’t really tell. All the stalks have sprouts of all different sizes on them, bigger ones at the top.)

Last night we made a foray over to our much neglected garden to continue trying to break it down. But if you ever want to better understand the will to live, visit a vegetable garden on Martha’s Vineyard in early November. Not only did we have dozens of eggplants hanging off the plants, but the cherry tomatoes are still ripening even though we pulled the vines down. (It’s the warm sea air.) And we came back with buckets of kale, chard, and mustard greens; about 100 green peppers (I’m not kidding–friends are stopping by today to pick some up!); a couple of hidden potatoes, and…a big armful of Brussels sprouts stalks.

The sprouts were the last thing we picked from the garden, as they’re in the far corner. We scrambled over the nasturtiums and zinnias (still blooming) to get to them, and found the stalks standing tall and alien-like, with their holey wings extended nearly far enough for the goats to nibble on them through the fence. And yes, they were covered with sprouts—many that didn’t even have holes in them! We yanked them out of the ground and carted our harvest back to the car.

(On our way out of the garden, we were ambushed by about six of the mama goats and their now-big babies, who’ve been waiting all summer to get into our garden. Our hands were full, we couldn’t stop them, so in they came, heading straight for the remaining kale and chard. We packed the car, came back and shooed them out, but they were all smiling. They had this planned.)

This morning I made quick-braised Brussels sprouts and this afternoon I’m planning on a Tuscan kale soup to start using our goodies. The quick-braising technique (for more details, see Fast, Fresh & Green) is such a great one for Brussels sprouts as the sprouts get to brown in the pan first (for great flavor), and then finish cooking to the perfect texture in a little liquid. That liquid simmers down to make a little bonus pan sauce in the end, too. Below you’ll find the variation I made today.

Quick-Braised Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts vary a lot in size—not just in the garden, but in the grocery store, too. If you can, choose medium-sized sprouts—or at least sprouts that are all close in size to each other. If you can only find very large or very small sprouts, you can increase or decrease the liquid by a little bit (2 to 3 Tbsp.) to assure that your sprouts will be cooked properly. (Also feel free to eliminate the white wine and use all chicken broth.) Whatever size sprouts you wind up with, be sure they fit in one layer (once you cut them in half) in your 10-inch straight-sided pan. If there are extras, put them aside, as the sprouts won’t cook evenly if they’re in more than one layer.

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¼ cup dry white wine

¼ cup lower-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¾ lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 small lemon

chopped fresh parsley or chives (optional)

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Combine the white wine and chicken broth in a liquid measure.

In a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan with a lid, melt 1 ½ tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Arrange the sprouts, cut side down, in one layer in the pan. (You’ll have to tuck them in snugly.) Season with the salt. Cover and cook the sprouts until the bottoms are nicely browned, 3 to 6 minutes. (If the heat on your stovetop is uneven, rotate the pan so that the bottoms get evenly browned.) Pour the wine/chicken broth mixture into the pan and cover the pan mostly with the lid (leave it slightly askew for a little steam to escape). Adjust the heat so that the liquid is just gently simmering.

Cook until the broth is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter and the garlic. Toss well and stir just until the butter has melted. Remove the pan from the heat, and continue to stir gently until the garlic are well-incorporated and slightly softened. Gently squeeze the lemon half over all, toss, and serve.

Serves 3 to 4

side dishes, The Recipes

Yoga & Roasted Cauliflower — Both are Good for You, Both are Delicious

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I started taking yoga again last week. Actually, “Yoga on the Ball.” At first it made me giggle, bouncing around on this thing. The ball reminds me of the Hippity-Hop I had as a little girl. Back in those days, my parents would do anything to try to wear me out. I was Miss Energy. These days, not so much. But after I got over the giggles, I started to feel really good. What I need (or what my back, my hamstrings, and my tummy need) is stretching, and draping yourself over, under, and around this big round ball seems to make stretching easier and more effective. Very Cool.

Plus, I love my yoga teacher, M.J. Bindu Delekta, and she makes everything soulful and relaxing, even if it does involve putting on unflattering clothes and contorting your body into embarrassing positions. And she’s really into good food. Last week she announced to the yoga class that she highly recommended Susie’s cookbook, especially the roasted cauliflower. She has mentioned this roasted cauliflower to me a few times, so I know she is serious.  It reminded me that it might be a good idea to spread the word about roasted cauliflower beyond my yoga class. Plus, I happened to roast some this weekend for a recipe I’m working on, and I thought to myself, “Oh, roasted cauliflower, what a hot ticket you are! So sweet, so delicious, and yet, still cauliflower.” (Okay, I know I really am going nuts now, talking to cauliflower. I’m afraid I’ve been in the kitchen far too much lately.)

There is simply nothing difficult about roasting cauliflower. It’s not even hard to cut up a cauliflower into florets. And with my quick-roasting method (yes, lifted right from Fast, Fresh & Green), you can be popping these yummy bites right off the sheet pan and into your mouth in less than 30 minutes. But in case you’d actually like to serve these as a side dish, I’ve included a little seasoning idea—a Garlic-Lime-Cilantro butter—with the method below. For more ideas, check out the Orange-Olive Dressing on the roasted cauliflower in FFG, or try one of the other herb butters in the roasting chapter.

But I have to tell you just one last thing about M.J. and this whole yoga gig. The reason M.J. is so cool is not because she loves roasted cauliflower. It’s because she gives the best homework assignments ever. Last week she reminded us that we live on an Island and that we should visit the ocean if we haven’t lately. In fact she said, we should go to the beach, close our eyes, and practice pacing our breaths with the rhythm of the waves coming ashore. She even emailed us all this weekend to remind us of our homework. So today I got out of the kitchen and went to the beach. It just happened to be 70 degrees, and I got to dig my toes into surprisingly warm sand. I’m not sure I quite got my breathing in sync with the waves. But it was the best homework assignment I’ve ever had. So after you roast your cauliflower, go to the beach. Or walk in the woods. Check out the leaves. It’s all delicious.

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Roasted Cauliflower (with optional Garlic-Lime-Cilantro Butter)

I love this high-heat, sheet-pan roasting method for cauliflower. But I recently roasted cauliflower in a Pyrex pan at 425 degrees, and it came out just fine, too. It does brown up and it’s still tasty. But there’s no doubt that the cauliflower (and most veg) gets crisper on an aluminum sheet pan at higher heat. Because of the material and depth of a Pyrex pan, vegetables roast a little more slowly and come out a bit moister (not always a bad thing) from the steam they pick up from neighboring veg. Since cauliflower has a fair amount of moisture to give off, it’s one that I think really benefits from the open sheet pan.

1 pound cauliflower florets (from about 1 small head), each cut into pieces about 1 ½  inches long with one flat side (see photos)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Garlic-Lime-Cilantro Butter (optional, see below)

Heat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, toss the florets gently but thoroughly with the olive oil and salt. Spread the florets out on the sheet pan in one layer, flat side down. (Scrape any remaining salt and oil out of the bowl onto the florets). Roast until the bottom of the florets are well-browned and the tops are starting to brown, 20 to 24 minutes. (You can turn them once with tongs about ¾ way through cooking, but do leave the flat side in contact with the sheet pan for at least the first 15 minutes so that it will get nicely caramelized.) Serve right away (they cool down quickly), or drizzle with the butter and transfer to a serving bowl.

To make Garlic-Lime-Cilantro Butter: In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon unsalted butter with 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon minced garlic over medium-low heat. When the butter has melted and the garlic has begun to smell fragrant, remove the skillet from the heat and mix in ½ tsp. freshly grated lime zest and ½ tsp. fresh lime juice. Stir in 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro. Drizzle over cauliflower.

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side dishes, starters, The Garden, The Recipes

You Say Borlotti, I Say Cranberry—Beans, That Is

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Halfway through the summer, I gave into temptation and bought a new packet of seeds for the vegetable garden. (Like I really needed more seeds—we had so many left over from our order last winter that I have enough to start the entire garden next year.) Right around the time our first carrot row emptied out, I happened to spot some Italian Borlotti beans at the garden center down the road. I had to have them.

I’ve always wanted to grow shell beans. I think it’s the whole popping-them-out-of-the-pod thing. It seems so peaceful to me—an activity you definitely have to slow down to enjoy. But these particular shell beans are special. First off, they’re pink. I’m not kidding—my favorite color. The crimson pods and the magenta-dappled beans are way too charming to pass up. Secondly (and yeah, a bit more importantly), Borlotti beans (usually called Cranberry beans in the States) are delicious. Cooked fresh, their creamy, meaty texture is like no dried or canned bean you’ve ever eaten. The only bummer thing is that they lose that beautiful color when cooked.

Because I planted my Borlotti beans late in the season, I didn’t expect much. In fact, after a little initial weeding to help the baby plants along, I kind of ignored them as summer waned and fall got busy. But every once in a while I’d catch a glimpse of pink among the weeds, and I discovered that the plants were producing lots of pods. As soon as the pods started plumping up, I’d zipper one open every time I visited the garden. I was trying to figure out when to harvest them. Were the beans ripe? They seemed big enough, but many of them also had a pale greenish hue—hardly white with pink spots. I couldn’t find any info on the internet, but I finally got my answer, almost by accident.

I took a few pods home one day to photograph, and as I was lining them up on the patio, I noticed that even though all the pods were predominantly pink, some of them were mottled with green, some with white. The pods that had the most white—almost the color of candy canes—had the nice white and magenta speckled ripe beans inside. The pods that had a mottled green background color still had the greenish beans inside. And there were gradations along the way; it seems the pods gradually change color as the beans ripen. At last, I’d finally figured out a way to tell if the beans were ripe without having to pick the pod and open it up first.

Saturday Roy and Libby and I pulled up most of the Borlotti bean plants. We were in a rush, trying to get some tidying done in the garden before heading to the Bronx Sunday morning for a book signing I’d been asked to do at The New York Botanical Garden’s Edible Garden event. So I snipped the pods off the plants, stuffed them in a bucket, and crammed them into the fridge at home.

This afternoon I got a chance to (slow down and) sort through the pods, and happily, a majority of them were more pink than green. I shelled enough pods just to get two cups of beans, as I want to make them last. I almost hated to cook with them they were so pretty. But I wanted to prepare them the way I’ve had them in Italian restaurants—with lots of garlic and rosemary. I wasn’t disappointed; they were as delicious as I remember—the perfect thing with a warm green salad and some crusty bread. And the bonus: Since they’re fresh, they cooked in less than 30 minutes (no soaking). (And actually, despite turning grey, they were still quite pretty when I photographed them, too, though you will just have to believe me. Unfortunately, I accidentally erased and recycled those photos tonight. Glad I don’t do that very often!)

Depending on where you live, you may still see the fresh beans at farmers’ markets or natural food stores this fall. But even if you don’t get a chance to cook them fresh this year, keep an eye out for dried Borlotti (or Cranberry) beans. They’re a classic addition to all kinds of Italian soups and stews like Pasta Fagioli and Minestrone.

Fresh Cranberry Beans with Bacon, Rosemary & Garlic

For a light supper, serve these beans with a warm escarole, spinach, or arugula salad and some crusty bread. If you have pancetta (Italian bacon), it would be a more authentic substitute for bacon, so feel free to use it. And if you want to go meatless altogether, no worries. The beans are still full of flavor cooked with just the rosemary and garlic and without the meat.

2 cups (10 oz.) shelled fresh cranberry beans (from about 1 ¼ lbs. pods)
kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, smashed, plus 2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 smal sprigs fresh rosemary plus 1½ tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 slices bacon
1/2 tsp. sherry vinegar or white balsamic vinegar

In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberry beans, ½ tsp. kosher salt, the rosemary sprigs, the smashed garlic clove, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook gently until the beans are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. (You should be able to mash them lightly with the back of a spoon.)

Transfer the beans with a slotted spoon to a bowl, and reserve the saucepan of cooking liquid. Remove the garlic and rosemary leaves from the beans.

In a medium heavy nonstick skillet, cook the bacon or pancetta over medium-low heat until the bacon is crisp, about 12 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Turn the heat to medium and add 1 Tbs. of extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet.

When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and softened, about 1 minute. Add the beans, ½ tsp. kosher salt, ½ tsp. of the chopped rosemary, and a small amount (about ¼ cup) of the cooking liquid. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the cooking liquid has simmered down or been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar and another ½ tsp. chopped rosemary to the beans. Stir and transfer all the contents of the pan to a serving bowl and garnish with the bacon, crumbled, and the remaining ½ tsp. chopped rosemary. (If you don’t plan to eat all the beans tonight, save a little more of the cooking liquid to reheat them in tomorrow.)

Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish.