Iceberg to Arugula

My mom has an original Ginzu knife. This is a good thing in case I ever need to cut a tomato….or a shoe….or chop firewood. Do you remember those Ginzu commercials from the 70’s and 80’s? They showed the knives that cut through a tin can and then sliced bread “paper thin!!!” If you don’t, check out this video.

I wonder how many people besides my mom shelled out the $19.99 (but wait there’s more!!!) for their very own set. I also wonder how many of those sets were actually used and how many were relegated to the appliance graveyard.

You know the graveyard…it’s not only for appliances. It’s also for the kitchen gadget that seemed indispensible at the time. Then you brought it home, used it once, put it “somewhere” and forgot about it. Repeat this process enough over the years and next thing you know, you have your very own graveyard in some forgotten kitchen cabinet.

But I don’t have that right? ……uhm…..well……….

I looked at my kitchen recently to decide what I really needed, and what was just taking up space. I really don’t like clutter in my kitchen because it hampers my creativity. When I was a culinary student, I had a chef instructor say that having too much clutter at your work station equates to too much clutter in your brain. Too much “brain clutter” prevents you from concentrating on what you’re doing and the end product suffers. I’m inclined to agree. So I decided to focus on my go-to equipment, the things I reach for over and over again and frequently use on a daily basis. In the end, I was surprised to see that it was a rather small list:

Food Processor

Pots and pans: 13” French skillet, 5qt Dutch oven, 3qt saucepan, 8” nonstick omelette pan

Knives: 10” Chef, paring and bread

Silicone spatula

Wooden spoons

Mesh strainer

Tongs

Microplane grater

The beauty of these things is that they are all multitaskers. The omelette pan is as good with eggs as it is for dry toasting the whole spices and nuts that I use so frequently. My food processor does everything from foccacia dough to pesto and I’d just be beside myself without a good pair of tongs. So now I’ve decided that any equipment in my kitchen has to be able to perform multiple duties. This means I’m willing to shell out very good money for well crafted, multi use, sturdy equipment that will last until I go off to the great bistro in the sky and can pass it along to my son.

This is not to say that I’m going to get rid of everything else, I do have other equipment that I use with enough regularity that I’m fine with it staying right where it is. (Not to mention I have a strong emotional attachment to my immersion blender, which I suppose is another post for another day).

What really concerned me the most was what was in my own appliance graveyard. Did I really need the super duper Veg-o-Matic, or the thingamajig that scrambles the egg while it’s still in the shell (???), or that weird shaped plastic thing that came along with the Veg-o-Matic that I never figured out what it did (but it made a nice home for itself in the junk drawer that I pretend I don’t have.)

When I thought about it, it didn’t matter how much money I paid for all these things. Really, it was more a question of what it was doing to my culinary psyche. I enjoy being in my kitchen, I don’t need anything weighing me down there.

So after some serious purging, I’m happy to report that both my kitchen and my psyche are clear…..and if I ever find that I have the urge to slice through nails with a knife, I know just where to go.

As a Registered Dietitian; I spend a good amount of my time advising people how to eat better and keeping up with the latest research on that very topic. But for all the advice and research out there, I think sometimes best thing I can do is just stand back and just let the food do the talking. Summer is one of those times.

Summer lends itself to unprocessed fresh food, especially fruits and vegetables. Although I’m not vegetarian, I think I could easily eat that way during the Summer and not miss a beat. The steamy season is also a time for simple, quick and cool preparation. I want lush, ripe, untampered flavors. I’m not interested in anything fussy, hot or complicated, and I don’t want anything that takes me too long to prepare. Fortunately, gardens and farm stands are fairly bursting this time of year with produce at its peak. Preparing dinner involves, selecting whatever announces itself as irresistible and prepping it with the simplest ingredients.

My Summer meal template goes something like this:

Step 1: Select some vine ripe vegetables (zucchini, tomato, eggplant, summer squash, cucumbers, etc)

Step 2: Select a quick cooking prep:

1. No prep needed- (Eat raw in a salad)

2. Throw it on the grill- Works best for more solid veggies such as squashes. Slice the vegetable in even thicknesses, coat in a high smokepoint oil (vegetable, canola, peanut), place on a hot grill, turning once just until it gets grill marks on it and is fork tender-not mushy.

Step 3: Select a “sauce”:

1. None needed

2. Quick vinaigrette (see recipe below)

3. Olive oil, fresh ground pepper, a bit of Kosher salt and fresh chopped herbs (parsley, chives, thyme, etc)

4. Simple herb sauce (such as Basil Pesto-see recipe below)

5. A drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar- spend the money for the pricier authentic variety, you won’t be sorry!

Step 4: Select accompaniments

1. Crusty fresh bread

2. Good cheese

3. Toasted nuts

4. Olives

5. Grilled Meat

6. Whatever else floats your boat

Step 5: Select a dessert

1. Place a bowl of whatever fruit is most in season on the table as the edible centerpiece.

Step 6: Add beverages- Iced Tea, Wine, Water (still or sparking)

Step 7: Eat well, be well.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

¼ c. Balsamic vinegar

½ c. Olive oil (use the darker green-gold variety, has more olive flavor)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

¼ c. minced fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, thyme, chives, etc)

2 tbsp minced garlic or shallots

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl except oil and mix together.

2. Slowly begin adding oil to vinegar mixture while whisking with a wire whisk or a fork until all oil is incorporated.

3. Drizzle on freshly grilled vegetables or salads.

4. Refrigerate unused portion and use within a week.

Makes about ¾ cup

Basil Pesto

1 c. fresh basil leaves loosely packed

2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

1 large clove garlic, chopped

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 c. olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Throw everything in the food processor or blender except the oil, salt and pepper and blend.

2. With the motor running, slowly add oil in a stream until incorporated.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Can be used on grilled vegetables or meats

5. Freezes beautifully, otherwise refrigerate and use within a week.

Makes about ¾ cup

One of my very favorite comfort foods is a simple noodle dish called Pasta al Burro. The first time I bumped into this deep, warm bowl of goodness was in a little hole in the wall restaurant in Rome, just outside the walls of Vatican City. During this particular trip, I was going through a phase where I’d just point to something on the menu, even if I didn’t know what it was. I did this all over Italy because I was fairly sure I couldn’t go too wrong, and hey, what a great way to try something new right? My new best friend arrived at the table dressed only in butter and parmesan…which really was all it needed because the ingredients were such stellar quality. Traditionally, Pasta al Burro is only pasta, butter and parmesan, but I like to add garlic to my version because, truth be told, I like to add garlic to everything. This recipe is very unfussy as all good comfort food should be, you can easily change the ingredient amounts to your taste and still have a wonderfully soul comforting dish. Ahhhhh….now isn’t that all better?

Pasta al Burro
8 oz (dry) spaghetti noodles
½ stick real butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
½ cup Parmesan (buy the BEST quality wedge you can afford)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Boil the spaghetti noodles until al dente.
2. After reserving ½ cup pasta water, drain spaghetti and set aside.
3. Add butter to the still warm pasta pot and place over medium low heat.
4. When butter is melted, add garlic, cover pot and allow the garlic to “stew” until tender and fragrant. Keep the heat low enough that the garlic does not brown.
5. Add the drained pasta back to the pot with the butter and garlic. If the pasta is a bit dry and sticky, try tossing it with the butter, if still sticky, slowly add a bit of pasta water (1 tbsp at a time) and toss after each addition until the pasta loosens up.
6. Add parmesan, salt and pepper, toss and enjoy immediately.

Tips:
The simpler the dish, the more you want to use top notch ingredients. Try a European style butter such as (Plugra or Kerrygold brand) and real Parmigiano Reggiano.
Don’t buy pregrated cheese, it tends to be dried out, freshly grated is MUCH better.

Variations: (which of course aren’t traditional, but really hike up the yum factor!)
Just before serving add ¼ c. chopped fresh herbs (basil, marjoram, chives) and ¼ c. toasted pine nuts.
Substitute some of the butter for olive oil- try a deep green full flavored oil or a lemon infused olive oil.

Makes about 4 servings depending on how hungry and in need of comfort you are.

We have been eating quite a bit of fresh sweet corn on the cob over the past few days since it’s beautifully in season. There are zillions of “spreads” I could drizzle my corn with, but I know if I truly want to enjoy my corn as it deserves to be enjoyed. I MUST USE REAL BUTTER!! There’s just something about the lightly sweet creaminess on the crisp corn. I’ve been using compound butters lately. They are full flavored, so you don’t need too much. Here’s a recipe to try:

Summer Herbed Butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tsp minced shallots
1 tsp each marjoram, basil and chives, chopped

1. Allow butter to come to room temperature, place in a small bowl
2. Add all ingredients and mix together until incorporated
3. Serve immediately with a platter of fresh cooked corn on the cob, add salt and pepper as desired.
4. Butter can also be refrigerated until needed.

Every once in a while, as I’m cruising through my life, I see an article or class description with the name “Kids in the Kitchen”. In fact, years ago I myself wrote a series of articles for a local newspaper with this very title. I don’t think many people will argue with the idea that it’s good to teach kids the basics of cooking before they leave home. After all, those who do not cook are left at the mercy of others to cook for them. Unfortunately “others” frequently means fast food, takeout and pre-prepared convenience foods. So teaching kids basic cooking skills is important in helping them develop healthy lifelong eating habits. But lately as I think about this more, I realize that this is only part of the equation. The other part is helping kids acquire food knowledge and the ability to identify quality ingredients. This is because it’s truly difficult to create really good food (or a good diet) without good ingredients.

My son grating Parmigiano Reggiano for Pesto

As an on and off caterer in past years, I’ve had some incidents that have made me wonder about how well prepared kids in general are to provide good, healthy food for themselves. Consider the following incidents:
Incident #1: I was grating a fresh block of Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano) to garnish a salad when I noticed the client’s kids had gravitated my direction. They were silently fascinated at the feathery light wisps coming from my Microplane grater. Eventually one kid piped up and wanted to know what I was doing. I explained I was grating Parmesan cheese on the salad. Both kids eyes widened in wonder as they relayed to me that a) they thought Parmesan only came from a shaker can and b) they weren’t aware it was a cheese. Dumbstruck, (I guess I assumed this was common knowledge), I gave each kid a small shard from the wedge. I swear it had to be like Columbus discovering America.
Incident #2: I was whipping fresh cream to top the silky chocolate mousse cups I’d just made. The 9 year old daughter of the client approached and was riveted as I processed the liquid cream to frothy, sweet decadence. I explained what I was doing and she was shocked. She thought whipped cream only came from a tub or a squirt bottle. When I was finished I gave her one of the beaters. I watched her eyes widen as she tasted the cream and then…..that child ran off with my beater!
Incident #3: I was shopping for food for a client and brought several different items of produce to the checkout counter. The young (probably 17-18 year old) clerk was a bit ruffled at the variety of items I had. She picked up the first vegetable with a very confounded look on her face. “What IS this?” she asked. The vegetable that stumped her? A green bell pepper.
This has made me ponder two questions:
1. How do we take our kids from here (processed cheese food) to there (Parmigiano-Reggiano)?
2. It seems like a lot of work, should we bother?
Since I’m taking the time to write this, I obviously think it’s important to bother with….which answers question #2. Question #1 is harder and unfortunately I know I’m not going to have a popular answer, because it’s more involved. The word “involved” here means “work” and generally we Americans aren’t in the habit of having to work too hard for our food. We don’t have to. We are awash in convenience foods that take much of the work away. Unfortunately, convenience foods come with a steep price. As Marion Nestle points out in her book What to Eat, the more convenient a food is, the more we eat of it, and the more we eat of it, the fatter we tend to be. So to readdress question #1, we could call “here” the diet of least resistance and “there” the diet that demands us to be more active and knowledgeable in our food habits. So which side do you want to be on? If you want to get “there”, here are a few things to chew on:
1. Don’t be afraid to work a bit harder for your food, check out a Farmers Market or local farm stand. Take your kids along; give them some cash to spend on something they’d like to try. Each visit, buy something you don’t recognize, ask the grower about it. Take it home and try it. Check www.localharvest.org to find farms and markets in your area.
2. Buy real food. Look at the ingredients, if there’s anything there you don’t recognize, put it back. Get your kids in on this, read the labels with them.
3. If you’re adventurous and have the space, try your hand at gardening. It doesn’t matter where I live, I always have pots of herbs growing….which my husband likes to refer to as my “pot garden.” Check out The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden book by David Hirsch for ideas. Have the kids help figure out what to plant and how to use it. As an aside, I gave my then 2 ½ year old son two pots, soil and seeds (chive and basil). Several weeks later he was proudly harvesting his “chives and basils” and eating them as well.
4. Kids can’t experience things that parents don’t bring to the table. Make some time to prepare meals as a family at home.
5. Baby steps are the order of the day……
Despite my negativity in the beginning of this entry, I do see some glimmers of hope. I see it in the 9 year old girl in our community garden excitedly telling me about her family making their own chicken stock. I see it in the faces of the junior chefs proudly presenting cooking demos at a conference I went to recently in Detroit. I also see it in my own son who drops whatever he’s doing to come running across the house at the sound of my pepper grinder. “Mommy! I want to do it!!!”
As I watch his grubby three year old hands clumsily grapple with the grinder, I smile to myself and think that there is hope after all.

I think one of the greatest pleasures of summer is found in the fruit. I wait all year long for a really good peach. Last year, the apogee of my peachlust was unapologetically celebrated on the steps of the San Francisco Public Health Department. As I schlepped my way along the tables of the Farmers Market that day, I found my olfactories being caressed by the luscious perfumed tendrils of groaningly ripe peaches. After a bit of excited sniffing, I discovered the guilty party was known as the “Ryan Sun Peach”.
Now, I could purchase my peaches anywhere as there is no shortage of these stone fruits in the summer. But I much prefer to buy my fruit fresh from the farmer. Why? Because peaches are one of those sensuous fruits that easily give away their desire to be eaten by the way they smell. The more ripe they are, the more “peachy” they smell. Each summer I see boatloads of peaches in grocery stores that are absolutely gorgeous, but they smell like nothing. If I’m buying directly from the farmer, generally I know the fruit hasn’t been off the tree all that long. I also know that there is a much greater chance that the fruit was picked when it was truly at its peak ripeness. And…..I can smell the difference. Smell is so inextricably tied to taste that in my opinion an exquisitely beautiful but unscented peach is just not worth my time. Harvesting a peach before it develops its perfume robs the consumer of an entire dimension of the experience. It’s kind of like serving Cabernet Sauvignon on ice, you do about 80% of the wine “tasting” with your nose, if its so chilled you can’t smell it, why bother?
This is not to say that good peaches cannot be found in the supermarket, but in my experience, it’s harder. First, I find that grocery fruit is usually chilled which makes it really hard for me to smell it. Second, many times grocery peaches need to be harvested before they are at peak ripeness so they can get to the store before they are spoiled. Yeah, I can ripen my grocery peaches at home in a paper bag, yada, yada, but…. it’s just not the same. Finally, I don’t get to talk to the farmer who actually grew it. A farmer with a peach orchard is more likely to have different varieties of peaches throughout the season that I’m just not going to find at the store. Stores are usually limited in the varieties they carry because they need fruit that holds up well as they go through the “middleman” process. In a grocery store, you may find 3 or 4 varieties of the hundreds that exist. I can assure you that there are some real beauties out there that are just too fragile for the middleman but are more than worthy of gracing my palate.
After collecting my half dozen from the farmer, I had every intention of taking these beauties home to enjoy, but I didn’t make it any farther than the steps of the Public Health Department before I succumbed. There I sat making a messy, juicy, sticky spectacle of myself, but I just didn’t care. It couldn’t be helped, everyone should be so lucky.