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Across the Kitchen Table:
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| Love Potion Numbers 1 through 9
The Windowsill Herb Garden
The Joy of Cauliflower
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Love Potions Number 1 through 9
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| In more than 500 literary seduction scenes, 98 percent start with a succulent meal. So with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we might all want to brush up on cooking that at the very least will give romance a gentle nudge (and at the very most . . . well, you can take it from there!). Here are a few ideas. |
Love Potion Number 1
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| Go with tradition: Cassanova championed oysters; Napoleon plied Josephine with truffles. In Elizabethan times, brothels served prunes, which were widely regarded as aphrodiasiacs. The Mexican emperor Montezuma drank bitter chocolate (50 cups a day) before visiting his harem. And there’s always caviar and champagne. |
Love Potion Number 2
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| Go with superstition. Offer your love a glass of lemonade in which you have soaked your toenail clippings. Or sneak three drops of your blood into your sweetheart’s soup so she will love you forever. |
Love Potion Number 3
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| Go ethnic. Camel’s milk is considered an aphrodisiac in Arabia. Ancient Greeks looking for love tried hippopotamus snout and hyena eyes; their counterparts in Rome nibbled on dried bone marrow and liver. In India, the Kama Sutra advised men to eat meat, honey, and eggs for a robust constitution. |
Love Potion Number 4
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Go with seafood. This recipe for Lobster Stew (it’s not a chowder, since it doesn’t include potatoes) comes from the wife of a Maine lobsterman, who ought to know.
Bertha’s Lobster Stew
1/2 cup butter
1 pound freshly picked lobster meat
1-1/2 quarts milk
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Simmer the lobster meat slowly, letting it absorb the butter. Meanwhile, heat the milk but do not let it boil. When the lobster meat is cooked and has turned red, add the lobster to the milk. If you made it correctly, you won’t need any seasoning, or paprika for color. The stew tastes even better if stored in the refrigerator overnight and then reheated (do not boil).
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Love Potion Number 5
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Go with chocolate. Not the bitter stuff that Montezuma used, nor a box of mass-produced bonbons packed in those annoying little paper cups. You will make . . .
Ben’s Chocolate Truffles
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons butter
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon brandy or rum, or 2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a double boiler over hot water, melt the chocolate chips with the sugar and butter. Remove from the heat. Slowly stir a small amount of the melted mixture into the egg yolks, then return this mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir well. Blend in the brandy or alternate. Add the chopped nuts if desired. Chill for 1 to 2 hours without stirring. Mix the grated chocolate and cinnamon on a plate. Form the truffle mixture into 1-inch balls and roll them in the grated chocolate mixture on the plate. Store the truffles in the refrigerator. Personally place the truffle in the mouth of the person whose love you desire.
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Love Potion Number 6
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| Go with an old-fashioned confection with a sure-fire name:
Lemon Love Notes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Mix butter, 1 cup flour, and confectioners sugar until crumbly and press into a greased 8" by 8" pan. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool. Combine sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, baking powder, eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and mix well. Pour over crust. Bake for 25 minutes longer. Cool. Cut into squares and dust with confectioners sugar. Makes about 30.
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Love Potion Number 7
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Go with the big taste of this fruity and hot Latin American glaze served over swordfish, other grilled fish, chicken, or pork chops. Your sweetheart will love the "sweet-tart" flavor and come back for more. (This glaze is so good that you will want to simply eat it by the spoonful, or perhaps on crackers if you are being polite).
Rain Forest Glaze
(inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light, Sept. 2000)
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup mango or apricot nectar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno pepper (seeded)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Combine everything but the cornstarch and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until reduced to about 1-1/2 cups. This takes at least 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to sauce. Return mixture to a boil and cook for one minute, stirring steadily. Serve over grilled fish, chicken, or pork.
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Love Potion Number 8
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Go with more chocolate, this time a velvety chocolate mousse, courtesy of Judy Gorman of Hawaii.
Chocolate Mousse
8 eggs
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cognac
1/2 cup heavy cream
Whipped cream and shaved chocolate for garnish
Separate eggs and allow whites to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Melt chocolate and butter together in a neavy saucepan. Remove from heat. Beat yolks, one at a time, into the hot mixture. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in cognac. Whip egg whites until stiff. Fold cooled chocolate mixture into whites. Whip 1/2 cup heavy cream and fold in. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Decorate with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Makes 6 to 8 small servings (plenty for seconds and thirds if it’s just the two of you).
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Love Potion Number 9
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In the song, it smells like turpentine and looks like India ink. Sounds downright nasty. Instead, try this soup, which someone near and dear to me declared was almost as good as s-e-x.
Sweet Potato-Mushroom Bisque
(as described by chef and cookbook author James Haller)
Bake 2 good-sized sweet potatoes in their skins until they are very soft and the skins start to caramelize. Meanwhile, coarsely chop a mixture of portabella, oyster, and button mushrooms to make about 2 cups. Saute the mushrooms in 1/2 stick butter along with a cleaned and chopped leek. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, possibly some ginger, and a little minced garlic. Add a splash of white wine (optional) and cook until the wine mostly evaporates. Peel the sweet potatoes and puree with enough whole milk to reach a good consistency. Combine with the mushrooms and leeks, rewarm the soup, taste, and adjust seasonings. Thin with chicken broth or bouillon if it’s still too thick. If you didn’t add the white wine, try adding a splash of sherry or Madeira at the end. Share the soup with your Valentine.
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The Windowsill Herb Garden
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A cool, bright windowsill lined with feathery dill, bright green basil, crinkled anise hyssop, spiky chives, savory thyme — it sounds downright seductive at mid winter, especially if you live in the North. These herbs and many others can be started now in trays, either under "grow lights" or in bright natural light. Their ultimate destination is the garden in May, but in the meantime you can enjoy their leafy company and eat the thinnings.
Gardeners who start seeds on a large scale probably already have a set-up using full-spectrum lights and large flats. Here are a few tips for starting herbs from seed in your home on a more modest scale, but one that will still yield a satisfying crop.
*Light: choose a spot with bright light, but not direct sunshine (which can overheat and stress the seedlings).
*Growing medium: buy sterilized vermiculite or other soilless mix (half vermiculite and half peat moss is the choice of many gardeners). Do not use potting soil or garden soil.
*Temperature: many herbs will germinate in cool soil temperatures (55-60°F) and do not need the sultry 70s and 80s of tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, and other heat-lovers. If you are using a cold frame, a heating cable can easily maintain a soil temperature of 60°F even when the air temperature drops to 30°F at night. As long as the soil is warm enough, the air temperature is not critical.
*Container: any clean, shallow tray or pan with good drainage that fits on your windowsill or on a table in front of the window will do. Fill it with the sterile growing medium and dampen the soil before sowing seeds. Use a chopstick to make shallow rows for planting.
*Method: sow seeds thinly, spacing them an inch apart if possible. (Save the rest of the seed packet to sow outdoors in the spring.) Cover seeds lightly with soil, if at all (follow directions on the packets). Keep the germinating medium damp, and do not let it dry out. Cover seed trays with plastic wrap or glass, and keep out of direct sunlight. Remove plastic when the seeds begin to sprout.
*Best herbs to start now:
Anise hyssop
Basil (prefers slightly warmer soil than the others)
Chervil
Chives
Coriander
Dill
Oregano
Tarragon
Thyme
*Transplanting the seedlings: when each tiny plant has at least two sets of leaves, it may be transferred to more nourishing soil and a bigger pot. Use that chopstick to help lift the seedling (handle it by the leaves, not the stems) and to make a hole in the new pot. Keep the soil mix damp but not sopping, using a spray of tepid water until the plants are large enough to withstand direct watering. Use a diluted fertilizer once a week after they are established.
*If the seedlings start to get spindly, pinch them back, and for heaven’s sake be sure to use those precious pinches in salad dressings, soup, and omelets.
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The Joy of Cauliflower
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As a child, I refused to eat cauliflower, because of its name. Just didn’t like the sound. I also thought it smelled bad while it cooked. As a teenager, I started to like cauliflower the way my grandmother made it, steamed and then tossed with generous amounts of buttered bread crumbs. Since then, I‘ve seen whole forests of cauliflower "trees" on platters of raw veggies and dips (although the raw vegetable has little taste, it makes a sturdy scoop).
Although I still love the buttered-bread-crumbs version, I’ve come to realize how versatile Brassica oleracea botrytis really is. You can toss it with pasta, where it stands up to strong-flavored additions like capers, anchovies, olives, and hot peppers. You can puree it so it is as smooth as pudding. You can roast it in the oven to bring out its sweetness, or sauté it in butter until the edges caramelize. You can steam it, cream it, deep-fry it, stir-fry it, curry it, and make it into soup.
I’m still not sure I like the name, although I know now that the "cauli" part comes from the Latin word caulis (meaning cabbage), also the root word for other "cole" crops (including cauliflower’s siblings broccoli, cabbage, kale, and kohlrabi). To gardeners, cauliflower is the only fussy member of this family, demanding sweet soil, cool temperatures, and even moisture. Once the heads start to form, you have to tie the leaves together like a tepee to insure that the "curds" (what gardeners call the tight flowerheads) stay white. (Not an issue if you grow the purple or chartreuse versions, or even the startling lime-green Romanesco type called ‘Tower’ offered by Johnny’s Selected Seeds, www.johnnyseeds.com.)
This month, the stores have a great supply of cauliflower, grown wherever the soil is sweet, cool, and moist (not New England in February). Try one of the recipes that follow, or revive an old family favorite.
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Curried Cauliflower Soup
Adapted from The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever by Natalie Haughton (go to www.digitalhearth.com and search for cauliflower).
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets and chopped
28-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes
14-1/2-ounce can vegetable or beef broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground pepper
In a 3-1/2-quart electric slow cooker, combine the cauliflower, tomatoes with their liquid, broth, onion, and garlic. Cover and cook on the low heat setting for about 7 hours, or until the cauliflower is tender. Increase the heat to the high setting. Stir in the curry powder and cumin and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on high for 1/2 hour. Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold. Makes 4-5 servings.
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Ziti and Cauliflower
This is a favorite in our family. All of the flavors blend together beautifully.
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 2-ounce can anchovies
1 small head of cauliflower, broken into small flowerets
3 tablespoons tomato paste plus 2 cups water
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil)
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 pound ziti, cooked al dente and drained
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil and butter. Add the anchovies and cook until they are broken up. Add the cauliflower and the tomato mixture; simmer for 5 minutes. Add the basil and capers and simmer for 15 minutes more. Sprinkle the cheese over the ziti and cover with the sauce. Toss and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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Cauliflower with Golden Almonds
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1 cauliflower, broken into small flowerets
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds
kosher salt to taste
Steam cauliflower until just tender (5 to 7 minutes). Remove and place in a serving bowl. Melt the butter in a small skillet. When the foam has subsided, add the almonds and cook until they turn golden. Pour butter and nuts over cauliflower and toss. Sprinkle with kosher salt and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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Oven-Roasted Winter Vegetables
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This makes a delicious side dish to accompany roasted meat, such as pork tenderloin or a nice fat chicken. It can go into the oven with the meat during the last 45 minutes of cooking.
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1 small head cauliflower, cut apart and sliced into 1/4" "trees"
2 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4’ thick
4 or 5 red-skinned potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick (do not peel)
2 large portabella mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4" rings
olive oil
kosher salt
several sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
Peel and prepare vegetables and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil, kosher salt, and rosemary, being sure pieces are lightly coated with oil. Place in a shallow layer in a large roasting pan and roast at 400°F for about 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and starting to caramelize on the edges.
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