Cotuit: My haven while the world goes to hell in a...

With the recent publication of the IPCC climate change report it seems like the right time to show my appreciation for this charming little slice of heaven that I call home. Cotuit is nestled on the south side of Cape Cod in the town of Barnstable. 

Mashpee sits to the west and Osterville village to the east. It's south of Route 28, one of the main arteries that transports locals and visitors from the beginning of the Cape out to the elbow, and much of the town is on the ocean or very close to it. It has a rich history which can be found here and here. 

Cotuit has always attracted an interesting mix of intellectuals, artists, fishermen, boaters and people who cherish the peace and quiet of this off-the-beaten-path location. It's mostly year-round and summer residents during the busy season as there are no major hotels, inns or rental accommodations available for tourists. It's a place where kids ride bikes to their sailing lessons at Ropes Beach and to the only grocery store in town for a snack. We have one local bar/restaurant, The Kettle Ho, a few museums and a lovely library. It really hasn't changed much in the past 30 years.

Sunday I had the privilege of sharing the beauty of this place with a dear friend. Fall is the season that we locals like best and the photos illustrate why. Gorgeous blue skies, warm days and cool nights. We strolled through town to the Cotuit Fresh Market (aka the Coop), then down to the town dock to enjoy our sandwiches while taking in the view. As we watched folks board the launch to get out to their boats, I was awestruck by the charm and beauty of this little town. People are friendly and the pace is gentle which suits me just fine.

 We continued our walk to Loop Beach along Ocean View Avenue.

As we made our way back up to Main Street we got a glimpse of fall color.

As I read through the climate change report, I'll figure out a way to lessen my burden on my village and ultimately the planet. It's the only one we've got, so I hope we can save it. 

Peace out!

Sweet and Savory Watermelon Salad

Recently I've come across recipes for watermelon salads that mix the sweet with the savory. I love this combination of flavors, and decided to give it try for lunch today.

Here are a few posts that inspired me:

One Hungry Mutha

Verses From My Kitchen

So with that inspiration, and a container of juicy ripe watermelon,  I created my own version which includes salami. Yes, salami, tomatoes, watermelon, feta cheese, fresh basil, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar tastes great!

Sweet and Savory Watermelon Salad (serves 2)

2 cups of ripe seedless watermelon, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

8-10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

Applegate Genoa Salami, 6 slices cut into strips

3 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Place your ingredients in  a bowl and drizzle with olive oil (about a tsp) and balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 tsp). Gently toss with a rubber spatula. Adjust taste with a little bit more olive oil and vinegar, if needed. Dive in and be prepared for a summer taste sensation.

Coleslaw: A Summer Side Dish

Those who like coleslaw usually have a preference for either a mayonnaise based, or vinaigrette type dressing. For me it's the latter. My first experience with a vinaigrette dressing was at the Clam Shack on Falmouth Harbor. Their version is a combination of red and white cabbage tossed in a light oil and vinegar dressing. I'm pretty sure a lot of restaurants use something that comes out of a giant tub with all kinds of ingredients that are difficult, if not impossible, to pronounce. The Clam Shack's homemade slaw was just perfect alongside my clam strips. I was converted and inspired.

So with summer almost upon us it's time to start making some fresh and tasty side dishes to accompany grilled fish, burgers or chicken salad.  Or maybe just serving your slaw over some steamed brown rice with chick peas:

Whichever you choose, I think you'll be happy with the results. I make a big batch so I can nibble on it for days. It's a great snack, especially when you add the apples. It gives you a bit of sweet, combined with a bit more savory.

Coleslaw with Miso Dressing: Serves 6-8
1/2 head of white cabbage
1/2 head of red cabbage
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 organic apple, diced (your choice, I like Granny Smith or Gala)
1 handful dried cranberries (organic)
1 tbsp Victoria Taylor's Toasted Sesame Ginger Seasoning

Miso dressing:
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp tamari (natural soy sauce)
1 tbsp sweet white miso
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp water
Place the ingredients for the Miso dressing in a small bowl. Whisk until  well blended.

Chop the cabbage in thin strips (removing the core first)

 

Add the chopped apples and dried cranberries. Pour in enough dressing to lightly coat the vegetables. You can always add a bit more before serving, if desired. Keeping it light allows for the flavor of the vegetables to come through.

Just before serving toss with 1 tbsp Victoria Taylor's Toasted Sesame Ginger Seasoning which give it a nice spicy kick. Enjoy!

Back to cooking from the garden...

Just arrived home from a trip to VA and NYC and couldn't wait to get back to the garden. While we had a very nice time in both places, I prefer Cape Cod over just about anywhere else this time of year. After some delicious meals in NYC consisting of fish, veal, and chicken...I felt like a bowl of garden fresh veggies was in order.

I was cooking some beets for canning, so I sauteed the beet greens in olive oil and garlic.  I added a few cooked beets and dressed it with a little bit of balsamic vinegar. You'll need to cook the beet greens for about 5-8 minutes. There was no need to add any more olive oil, as the beet greens had enough on them after sauteing. 
Also picked some green beans, which I steamed for about 5 minutes, drained them and added a little bit of butter (or you can use olive oil), and a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese.
Lastly, I chopped a few cucumbers, added chopped tomatoes and dressed that with olive oil, a little bit of balsamic and red wine vinegar. Garnished with fresh chopped basil, salt and pepper, to taste.

Pretty perfect meal!

Summer Salads: Enjoying nature's bounty

For a person who loves to cook fresh food, I couldn't ask for a better neighbor. Richard plants a beautiful garden, which he encourages the neighborhood to pick from, so yesterday I came home with this wonderful basket of veggies:

Which I turned into these summer salads:

Roasted Turnip and Beet Salad

Trim and peel the beets and turnips. Quarter the beets and place in a roasting dish. Add enough olive oil to coat, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Quarter the turnip (notice I left a little of the stem on as this caramelizes and tastes yummy) and place in a separate roasting pan. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

(Please note: I did go back and quarter these after I took the picture)
Cover both with foil and place in a 375 degree oven. Roast until tender. Beets will take about 25 minutes and the turnip was close to an hour. Remove the beets from the oven (leave them in the baking dish with the cooking juices) and sprinkle with 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar. Allow them to sit for several hours.
After you have cooked the turnip until tender (fork inserts easily), remove the foil and turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Roast until they just start to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to sit in the roasting pan for several hours (in the cooking juices).

To serve, place a bed of lettuce on a serving platter and arrange the turnip on one side and the beets on the other.

Take a tbsp of olive oil and add to the pan you cooked the turnip in and mix well. This will combine with the oil from the cooked turnip giving it a delicious flavor. Drizzle this over the turnip.

Add a tsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of red wine vinegar to the liquid in the pan from the beets. Mix and drizzle this over the beets.  Sprinkle both the turnip and beets with crumbled goat cheese before serving.

Corn and Roasted Zucchini Salad with Cherry Tomatoes:

Cook 6-7 ears of corn.  About 5 minutes in boiling water. Cut the corn off the cob.

Cut the zucchini into a 1/4 inch dice:

Lightly coat the zucchini with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Then add the zucchini and corn to a mixing bowl. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the roasting pan to get the extra olive oil which has that wonderful flavor from the roasted zucchini. Slice about a dozen cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. Add to the salad and gently combine using a rubber spatula. This will prevent the zucchini from breaking up. Add a tsp of seasoned rice vinegar, a tsp of red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste. Allow to sit at room temperature for a few hours before serving. You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate just be sure to bring it up to room temperature before serving, as it will taste much better. You may need to add a little bit more vinegar to bring out the flavor.

Tortellini with Pesto
You can find my pesto recipe here. Cook a good quality cheese tortellini (I used whole wheat three cheese from Buitoni) until tender. Drain and reserve about 3-4 tbsp of the pasta water. Add this back to the tortellini and toss with a generous amount of pesto sauce so that the pasta is well coated. Place in a serving platter and sprinkle with your favorite grated cheese (mine is Pecorino Romano).

My favorite summer dessert is fresh fruit. I had some beautiful cherries which I pitted with my nifty cherry/olive pitter from Williams Sonoma. Actually the one pictured is a little different than the one I purchased, but I'm sure it will do the trick:

 I added these to watermelon, mango, blueberries and plums:

My nephew Nicholas came for dinner and threw this together in about 10 minutes:

The salads made for a wonderful light summer dinner on very hot evening. The cake was delish, too.