When you have just suffered a day of unbearable heat, and your house is still stagnant with the day’s humid air, sometimes the last thing you feel like doing is increasing the temperature in your house by flaring up the stove.  Often during these nights you can’t even tell whether or not you are truly hungry, even though your grumpy mood insists that you are.  Well such was the case when I concocted this delightful sandwich.

I decided one pot, one burner was my max, so I picked up a piece of beautiful of fresh sockeye salmon from The New Deal fish market here in Cambridge.  I kept thinking about what to serve with the salmon when a thought occurred – why not just make a delicious sandwich to encase the entire dinner and call it a night?  Sounded simple enough.

If you are just going to have one thing for dinner, you want it to satisfy, so good quality ingredients are key.  Lucky for me it was Monday, the day of the farmer’s market that is less than a block from our house (I know, we are lucky, lucky, lucky and very grateful!).  I picked up a nice crusty sourdough loaf, some fresh tomatoes, and a nice bunch of fresh basil that I thought I would use to whip up a basil mayonnaise.  I was ready for dinner!

This sandwich turned out to be simple but so unbelievably satisfying.  If you are having guests, perhaps just a simple salad might compliment this sandwich nicely.  We were cooking for two, and loved the idea of eating the whole darn meal with our ten fingers, and I must say, that wasn’t a bad way to do it.  Total prep time was around 20 minutes and one pot made the dish load very manageable.  A successful cure for the sticky hot, summertime Monday blues!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 lb. of fresh salmon per person
• Good quality crusty sourdough bread
• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise per two people
• 1 lemon
• 1 large ripe tomato
• 2 tablespoons of fresh basil,chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Pat your salmon very dry, especially if you like to eat the crispy skin, and season it with salt and pepper.  In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter and add the oil.  Place the salmon skin-side down in the skillet, and leave it alone until you can see that the salmon is cooked about halfway through and the fish moves freely from the pan, about 4 minutes, depending on thickness.  If it sticks, do not fight it, just give it another minute or so.  Then, flip it and cook another three or four minutes until it is just shy of done.  It will finish cooking as it rests.  It may take a bit longer if it is a thick piece of salmon.  Remove from the skillet and set aside to rest.  Squeeze half of the lemon over the salmon to keep it moist and to add acidity.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, basil, and about a teaspoon of lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside for assembly.

To assemble the  sandwiches, cut the bread to about 1/2 inch thick slices.  If you insist on toasting it, be my guest, but down blame me when the sandwiches innards end up all on your lap.  Add a generous layer of the basil mayonnaise, the salmon (skin removed if you prefer), and nice, thick tomato slices.  Cut in half to make them easier to eat, and enjoy!

This one is for Aimee, as since our relationship began, beef hasn’t really been on the menu much in our house.  For ecological reasons, Aimee doesn’t eat cow – a stance that I respect and admire, though one that does have me missing a good steak every now and then.  In any case, we use turkey for a lot of our ground meat needs (as well as lamb and pork), especially for the great American meal: the burger.  Turkey burgers rule in our house, and I like to think we’ve gotten pretty good at making them.  Hopefully, some of our tricks and tips will help you appreciate the turkey burger the way we do.

A lot of people almost immediately complain that Turkey burgers are not good because they are made of a leaner meat, which is true, but we make up for it by adding some ground pork into our mix.  This will add in a nice balance of fat back to the burger – and we all know that fat = flavor.  I also like to add some other big flavors to my burger mixture (turkey or beef).  These include Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and fresh garlic (not to mention lots of diced, raw sweet onion).

I also like to get a little creative with my burger sides – tonight I decided to do a non-traditional sort of potato chip – using butternut squash which has just started to come into season.  These are wicked good – topped with some Manchego cheese and salt – delicious!  FYI, you should prep the chips FIRST, scroll down for the explanation.  Here’s what to do – first for the burgers:

• 1 lb of fresh ground turkey
• 1/2 – 3/4 lb ground pork
• 1/4 of a large sweet white onion – small dice
• 1 large clove of garlic – minced
• A few splashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. plain or panko breadcrumbs

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and let the mixture rest for a while while prepping the other ingredients.  For the toppings for your burger, here are some ideas for you:

• Apricot mayonnaise: Simply buy some apricot preserves from the market and mix and equal amount with some good mayo, then add a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt – perfect for a turkey burger.

• Avocado slices – it wouldn’t be a turkey burger without the avocado.
• Smoked ketchup – mix smoked paprika with ketchup to kick it up a notch
• My personal favorite – thin sliced onion rings:  Slice 1/2 of a large sweet onion (part of the onion that you use to put into the burger mix) on a thin setting of a mandolin or really carefully with a sharp knife.  Then take 2 plates and lightly cover them with flour (whole wheat preferred!).  Also take a bowl and fill it with a bit of buttermilk.  Take the onions and coat them in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip them in the buttermilk and back into the other pile of flour.  You then want to fill a heavy bottomed pot with about 2-3 cups of oil (peanut, olive or vegetable preferred – or a mixture).  When the oil reaches 350 F drop in the onions and let them cook for a few minutes until they’re golden brown.

• Smoked cheese (I use smoked mozzarella, but you can use what you like)
• Bacon – if you really want to do it up right.

Once your condiments are prepared, you can cook your burgers.  I recommend doing this on the grill, but in a pinch or in the winter time, you can make delicious burgers on the stove.  Take a heavy bottomed skillet (don’t use non-stick here) and over medium heat, add in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Shape your burgers into the size and shape of your choice and place them into the hot pan.  Let them cook for a few minutes until they easily lift off of the man without ripping or scrapping!

Meanwhile, you can make the butternut squash chips.  Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 medium butternut squash – top part only, reserve globe bottom for something else
• 5-6 sprigs of thyme (lemon thyme preferred) – leaves take off the stems but left whole
• 2-3 sage leaves – chopped
• Small block of Manchego cheese
• Salt
• Oil for frying (use the same oil as you used for the onions)

Peel the squash and slice on a very thin setting on your mandolin.  Place the slices into a bowl of ice water and let them rest for 15-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, fry the herbs in the hot oil, removing them when they become dark green and crispy.  Remove the squash from the water and dry the slices off with paper towels – then place them in the hot oil and fry them for around 7-8 minutes per side.  You’re looking for the squash to turn a darker color of orange so that they are partially crispy.  Experiment and you’ll get the hang of it.

Once the chips are cooked, remove them to some paper towels, top them with some salt, the fried herbs and grate some Manchego cheese on top (with a microplane).

Flip the burgers and finish cooking them by topping with cheese, moving them to some fresh buns and topping with your favorite toppings.  Plate with the chips and enjoy!

One of our favorite things to get for take-out in the Boston, Cambridge area is the eggplant panini and Insalata salad from the City Girl Cafe in Inman Square Cambridge.   The sandwich is as divine as it is simple: roasted eggplant with some homemade garlic aioli, simple field greens and some fresh mozzarella.  Put it on a freshly baked hearty sourdough baguette, into a panini press and bang, a delicious vegetarian sandwich that’s sweet, savory and a deliciously crunchy texture.

So with some left over Italian eggplant from the farmer’s market and no idea what to do with them, I decided to re-create our favorite sandwich, with some personal customizations of course.  Aimee always mandates that her favorite part of any sandwich is the condiments, and I’m starting to agree with her.  I’ve always mandated that the meat and bread make the sandwich, but when you can make your own condiments, they really shine.

I took a little bit of inspiration for one of these condiments from a recipe on Smitten Kitchen, a consistently excellent blog written by Deb in New York City (it’s one of our favorites).  Her recipe was for Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree – which looked absolutely delicious.  I decided to make her eggplant puree, but instead of pairing it with pasta, I decided to use it as a condiment for my roasted eggplant sandwich.  I also made some homemade aioli, which turned out VERY garlicky, but delicious nonetheless.  I finally think I’m getting the homemade mayonnaise thing down, after having made a few that turned out too thick.  I stripped out the cheese too, as the creaminess of the eggplant puree and aioli was quite enough.

Anyway, the end result was delicious and ultimately rich, especially for something without any protein.  If I had a lunch restaurant, this would be on the menu.  The puree was delicious and sweet – and the post-puree splash of good balsamic vinegar was key for the dish.  Here’s how to do it:  For the eggplant puree:

• 1 loaf of SUPER FRESH sourdough boule or baguette bread – sliced to a desired width (or in half if it’s a baguette)
• 4 Italian eggplants (light purple, skinny type) or 2 purple people eater eggplants (the regular sort) – 1/2 of them peeled and cut into cubes, the other half sliced into 1/2-1″ thick slices
• 1 pint (15-20) medium grape tomatoes

• 4-5 cloves garlic – left whole in their peels
• 5-6 mint leaves – spearmint preferred!
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. top quality balsamic vinegar – the best stuff you got! Click here to get some insane stuff online
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Field greens or spring mix
• Fresh mozzarella cheese (optional)
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Take a baking sheet and line it with a silicon mat or parchment paper.  In a medium mixing bowl, add the cubed and sliced eggplant, tomatoes and garlic cloves and add some salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil.  Give them a mix and then spread them out onto the baking sheet.  Place them in the oven and roast the vegetables until they’re soft and cooked through – around 40 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, make the aioli:

• 1 medium clove of fresh garlic (2 cloves if you want it REALLY garlicky)
• 1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 egg – yolk and SOME of the white, not all of it
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• salt and finely ground pepper to taste

I use my food processor to do this, but if you don’t have one, use a whisk and a bowl.  Add the egg, lemon, garlic and salt and pepper.  Mix them until just combined.  Then with the machine running (or with you whisking) slowly add the oil in a slow, steady stream to form the emulsion.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

When the vegetables are finished roasting, peel the garlic and add all of them to the food processor.  Add in the olive oil, mint leaves, lemon juice and vinegar and puree until fairly smooth.  You’re looking for a pesto-like substance.  Taste the mix and add some salt and pepper to your liking.

Next, cut the bread into desired slices.  Add some eggplant mix to one side and some aioli to the other.  Top with your roasted eggplant slices, some field greens and mozzarella cheese – or add whatever you want!  Toast the sandwich in a pan (with a little butter if you want) or in a panini press if you have one.  When you put the sandwiches in the pan, place a brick or heavy pan on top to press the sandwich down.  This will give you your ‘panini’ effect.  Enjoy!

Finally.  BLT season is here!  Easily one of my favorite food seasons (along with stone fruit season, green garlic season, etc…).  I freely admit that for the last four days I have eaten a BLT at least twice a day.  Now obviously, most people can figure out how to make a BLT.  I thought I would share some personal opinions (and a few facts) that might make your BLT just a little bit better.

First, a set in stone fact.  DON’T REFRIGERATE TOMATOES.  Just like stone fruits, pears, etc… refrigeration does bad things to great product. Here I give you fact from the author of the bible (a.k.a. Harold McGee, author of “On Food and Cooking” Scribner 2004 revised edition).

“Tomatoes came originally from a warm climate and should be stored at room temperature. Their fresh flavor readily suffers from refrigeration. Tomatoes at the mature-green stage are especially sensitive to chilling at temperatures below about 55ºF, and suffer damage to their membranes that results in minimal flavor development, blotchy coloration, and a soft, mealy texture when they are brought back to room temperature. Fully ripe tomatoes are less sensitive, but lose flavor due to the loss of flavor producing enzyme activity. Some of this activity can come back, so refrigerated tomatoes should be allowed to recover at room temperature for a day or two before eating.”

Basically, just don’t do it.

Next up, I like to marinate tomatoes for at least half an hour before eating them (though marinating for a few hours, certainly isn’t going to hurt). I typically peel my tomatoes. To do this, cut a very shallow, small X on the bottom of the tomato, just deep enough to break the skin. Put the tomato in boiling water for five to ten seconds depending on ripeness. Remove the tomato and let it cool for a minute or two. The skin where you made the X should be peeled back slightly. Use a pairing knife, pull the skin away from the flesh.

Cut your tomatoes into slices or wedges, whichever you prefer, and sprinkle with chopped shallot, basil, pepper, and some good olive oil.  I would do the same thing for most dishes using raw tomato.  In the picture, I used Fino Verde basil, which has very small leaves, and Tasmanian pepper (an extremely floral pepper that can be obtained through Le Sanctuaire http://www.le-sanctuaire.com/)  Another idea would be to use garlic oil. To make this, submerge peeled garlic cloves in olive oil and cook in a 250ºF oven until the garlic is soft.  You now have garlic confit and garlic flavored oil.

Now, the bacon.  The only trick with this one is finding the best.  I am partial to Benton’s from Tennessee, but if there is a good local pork producer, it is hard to go wrong.

Lettuce.  Boston Bibb is a good lettuce for BLTs, but I like something with a little more spice.  My favorite is mustard greens.  Dark purple and vibran green with an intense mustard flavor.  You probably wouldn’t want to eat a salad made solely of these as they are so spicy, but on a sandwich they’re great.  In second place is a very spicy wild arugula.

Like the bacon, the bread is all about finding a great product, except being local is even more important.  We all know how quickly bread can transform from sublime to mundane.  Search out a local bakery and look for a soft crusted bread.  When you are making a dish with only three or four ingredients it is imperative that you use the best.  With such a tight focus, any mediocre product is going to stand out.

Dressing.  Now this one is open for debate.  My two current favorite spreads for my BLT are guacamole or Kewpie mayo.  I know I use the stuff in half my recipes but it is because it is so damn good.  Pick some up already.  And lose that “Ewwwwww” face.  Seriously, it’s delicious.

I’ve always lived in a do-it-yourself household and prefer to cook most meals for the convenience factor (and, as my husband would point out, because I’m picky about where my food comes from, I try to deny this because I don’t want to seem like a snob but have to admit that the more I study our food system, the pickier I get).

With sustainability always on our minds in the workplace, we naturally stop to think, criticize and evaluate purchases and lifestyle choices that we make at home on a regular basis too. In the food arena, we are making efforts to reduce our carbon footprints by buying locally grown produce, beer and wine; buying bulk and fresh, unprocessed foods to reduce our landfill contribution; bringing our own bags to reduce plastic bag use at the store/ farmers market; and riding our bikes instead of driving. We are also pretty serious about supporting sustainably produced or harvested foods such as fish, meat and dairy- we know that these may or may not have added health benefits over conventionally grown foods, but they are generally more responsible in terms of resource use, pollution, chemical use, animal husbandry and overall respect for the community. As conscious consumers, these are values we like to support.

As eaters, we try to appreciate our food. Michael Pollan stated in his op-ed Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch in NYT Magazine that cooking is a defining human activity and we couldn’t agree more. We grow some of our own food and cook as much as we can. We sit down when we eat, we plan ahead so as not to waste food, and we enjoy sharing meals with good company whenever we have the chance. We are not perfect though. We could always do more- grow more, share more, eat more sustainable fish, eat less packaged breakfast cereal, etc. etc. The facts that 1) obesity rates are inversely correlated with the amount of time spent on food preparation; and b) the average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation means that probably a lot of people could be doing a little more.

We also happen to like adventure in my household, so we have decided to spend one afternoon/ evening a week making a dish completely from scratch. The first meal was homemade falafel sandwiches, which in 4 main steps turned out quite laborious, but delicious nonetheless.

This chewy, tangy, spicy, starchy, heart-warming falafel sandwich was perfect for the misty fresh Sunday evening air here in Monterey. We hope you enjoy it.  You can cut down on time by buying tahini and hummus at the store (or making it ahead of time).

Step 1: Tahini

• 2 cups sesame seeds
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the sesame seeds evenly out on a baking sheet or a thin baking pan.

Place in the oven and open the oven and stir the seeds around every few minutes until they are golden brown, being careful not to let them burn.

Take the pan out of the oven and let the sesame seeds cool for a little while. Next, use a high powered blender or food processor to grind up the sesame seeds. Put all the seeds in the blender/ food processor with 1 tbsp oil and blend on high, adding the remaining oil slowly until the sesame seeds are blended on a thick, smooth paste. Do not add too much oil or it will be too runny.

Tahini can be kept in a jar or even frozen in small amounts for a few weeks.

Step 2: Hummus

I have to admit, the Joy of Cooking’s hummus recipe that we tried was fun to make and definitely edible but did not turn out anywhere close to the best hummus ever, Sabra with the red lid.  We are inspired to try another recipe. Maybe from The Hummus Blog. Adrian also did a roasted garlic hummus recipe on this blog that you can check out here.

Step 3: Falafels

• 2 cups dried chickpeas
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper – we used mortar and pestle
• 1/4 – 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cucumber
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 4-6 pitas or tortillas

Rinse and soak the chickpeas for at 12 hours (they can be soaked in a bowl of water in the refrigerator). Put them in a food processor with the garlic, onion, lemon juice, parsley and spices. Blend to a rough moist texture. Add a little water if needed.

Let the mixture rest for about an hour. Chop the tomatoes and cucumber into bite size pieces and place in a bowl. Set out paper towels or pieces of paper bags on a surface. Place the pitas into a toaster or oven at about 200 degrees to warm.

Pour enough oil into the pan so that it is 1/4 inch deep. Heat it to medium-high.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir the baking soda into the mixture. Form uniformly shaped and sized balls and fry them when the oil is hot until they turn brownish, then flip. Transfer the falafels when they are golden brown on both sides onto the paper.

Step 4: Put it all together

Spread hummus into the warm pitas. Add generous amounts of tomatoes, cucumbers and falafel to your liking.

Falafels can be frozen and defrosted for quick dinners or a salad topping in the future. Enjoy!

What is it about the summer time that make seafood so appealing?  I suppose it’s the obvious hot weather and the light nature of seafood that combine to make a great harmony.  So I guess the recent seafood kick we’ve been on lately in the kitchen is justified with the newly welcomed sunny weather here in New England.  This rendition features perhaps my favorite New England seafood (behind lobster of course) – the crab.

Crabs in New England don’t have the proverbial girth of their west coast cousins like the Dungeness and King crabs you find in the pacific northwest and in Alaska (queue ‘Deadliest Catch’ music).  However, because they are cousins to those beauties, they do still come with that certain delicate crab texture and of course the extraordinary sweet flavor that I crave.

Here in New England the local crabs are abundant off of the coast and in the Gulf of Maine.  They are called Peekytoe or Rock crabs and Jonah crabs, the former is a bit smaller (though a closer cousin to the Dungeness) and therefore harder to pick.  The Jonah crabs tend to live in deeper waters, can be bigger and meatier too.

When seeing out to make this dish, I think the perfect combination is a mixture of the two types of crab.  Of course, if you’re in Maryland or the south, use the excellent local Blue crabs – or the Dungeness variety if you’re on the west coast and it’s crab season.  As a wiser man than me once said: ‘Use the crabs that are caught closest to your house.”

I set out to do crab cakes (who doesn’t love crab cakes?) with a salad for a perfectly simple summer dish.  I made a critical mistake in my recipe thinking for this and forgot to add an egg (or too few filler cracker crumbs).  So the cakes didn’t stay together in the pan.  No worries though, as the recipe quickly turned into crab melts on sprouted sourdough bread.  Here’s how they ended up:

• 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) crab meat – use local crab!
• 1/3 cup ground saltine crackers
• 3 Tbsp.  good mayonnaise (homemade or Hellman’s does the trick)
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. ground yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup parsley (more if you like)
• 1-2 scallions – finely diced
• 1 tsp. old bay seasoning (substitute this with 1/2 tsp. each cayenne pepper and lawrie salt)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme (lemon thyme is best here if you can find it) – chopped
• Salt and Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• A good splash of olive oil and a pad of butter

For the Sandwich melts, you’ll need:

• 2 slices of sourdough bread
• 2 thin slices of cheese – Havarti, Jack or Muenster
• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Basically to make the crab salad, you want to mix together all of the first listed ingredients.  Start by grinding up the crackers in a food processor or in a big bowl by hand.  Add them last to the mixture.  Start with the crab, herbs, spices and condiments and mix them all together gently.  Add in the crackers and put the mixture in the fridge to chill out for 30-60 minutes.  This is an important step, as it will let the flavors come together and develop.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Once the mixture has had a chance to rest in the fridge, you can make the cakes that will make your melts.  Start with a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add in the olive oil and the butter.  Once the butter starts to froth, form the crab mixture into 2 medium cakes and add them to the pan.  Once they’ve browned a bit on one side, flip them (if they fall apart a bit, put them back together with your spatula).  Once they’re browned on both sides (but not burned!) place each on a piece of bread and onto an oven safe sheet.

Top the melts with a slice of the cheese, some salt and freshly ground pepper and place them in the oven.  Bake until the cheese has melted, but hasn’t browned or burned – about 8 minutes.  The bottoms of the bread should be lightly toasted.  Top with some parsley and serve.