Can I get an amen on that? It's been over ninety degrees for most of this week, with intermittent rainstorms that practically sizzle when they hit the asphalt and do nothing but add to the humidity. I spent the entire weekend sitting on the couch and panting like a dog. (And reading Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series. Man, I miss Harry Potter.)
However, salvation can be found in the fibrous folds of my friend the mango.
Mango and Avocado Salad.
The salad part:
1 mango, cut into chunks
1 avocado, cut into chunks
Salad dressing:
Confession: I suck at salad dressing. I am not one of those people who makes salad every night. Or, you know, ever. I don't really know the proportions, since I just have to taste and adjust and taste and adjust because I have no idea what I'm doing.
juice of half a lime
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 tsp. salt
shake of cayenne pepper
Mix ingredients in a bowl and get your whisk ready. Pour a thin stream of oil into the bowl, whisking all the time until the mixture emulsifies. (Which means that the acid is broken into enough tiny globules so they'll stay suspended in the oil and it won't separate. In case you were wondering.)
Pour over avocados and stir gently to mix. Refrigerate to let the flavors blend.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
It's Too Hot to Cook
Monday, July 9, 2007
Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
It is around this time of year as a kid that my sister and I used to set up our lemonade stand. We lived not far from the train station and had prime real estate on the block selling our icy cold $.25 beverage to weary, thirsty commuters returning from a long, hard day of work in Manhattan. Perhaps being a little nostalgic and also wanting reprieve from the beastly heat, I whipped up some fresh squeezed lemonade.
This is a great drink since it serves double duty if you want to make lemonade popsicles.
Ingredients:
6 lemons (or enough to make about 1 ½ cup of lemon juice
1 3/4 cup white sugar
10 cups of water
1 lime
Roll lemons against countertop to get them “loosened” up. Juice them until you have about a cup and a half of liquid. Strain juice to remove seeds.
Combine sugar and 1 cup water in saucepan. Add some lemon rind pieces from the pile of cut lemons that were just juiced. Stir. Make sure sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, discard rinds and allow to sit at room temperature. Chill.
Combine water and chilled lemon/sugar mixture. Add sliced lime wedges to garnish. You may need to dilute the lemonade to taste.
Variation: Omit the lime and add a splash of grape juice instead.
Spike it with some vodka.
Make popsicles. Pour lemonade into popsicle makers, put in freezer until solid.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Spicy Fried Chicken
Because I am quite poor, quite lazy and quite addicted to fried food, sometimes it is hard for me to gather the energy and materials to really make a meal worth picking up the camera and writing about. However, drumsticks were recently on sale at the local butcher for $.79 a pound, and that means fried chicken for supper!
For about $2.50 I walked out of the butcher shop with six plump, delicious chicken legs. Enough to feed myself and one lucky soul who would adjust the lighting while I attempted to take pictures of my recipe for country style spicy fried chicken.
The ingredients could not be more basic:
chicken parts (whatever you like. I used legs because they were on sale)
1 cup flour
buttermilk
cayenne pepper
pinch or two salt
black pepper
oil for frying *
Rinse the chicken parts and pat dry. If you are more health conscious that I, you might want to remove the skin at this point. Place the chicken parts in a baking dish or bowl and cover them with buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, three or more is ideal.
When ready to start fryin', drain the chicken from the buttermilk and cover liberally with the black and cayenne peppers. Just sprinkle all over the chicken and don't think about it.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and a pinch of salt. In the meanwhile, fill a large pot or deep frying pan with oil. You don't need a lot, you could feasibly use just enough to cover the chicken. Heat this on medium. I am sure there is a proper temperature that this much reach, but lacking a thermometer, I just let it heat for about 15 minutes.
Now comes the fun part. Take a piece of chicken in one hand and drop it in the flour bowl. With your other hand, toss it in the flour until thoroughly covered and place it on a plate. It helps to dedicate one hand to picking up the chicken and the other for flouring. You will see.
After all the chicken pieces have been floured, take one piece and add to the hot oil. This is your "test piece" and may be submerged in oil that's not that hot yet. Gently place it in the oil and watch it carefully. If the oil is hot enough, the chicken will sink slightly to the bottom and have a rolling boil of bubbles around it:
At this point, carefully add the remaining pieces, ONE AT A TIME, with a few seconds in between each one. This helps prevent them from sticking together. Allow these to cook until the flour turns a golden brown, about 10-20 minutes depending on what sort of chicken part you use. When the chicken is done, it will begin to float in the oil.
Carefully remove the chicken and drain the oil on a plate topped with paper towels or a baking rack. If making more than one batch, you can also place these in a warm oven to keep them crisp while the other batch cooks.
I served this with a nice, inexpensive country cole slaw (cabbage, mayo, cider vinegar and shredded carrot). Amazing!
* This is up for debate. Many southern mothers and cookbooks will stand by their Victorian method of frying the chicken in animal fat, shortening, or a combination of oil and bacon fat. No doubt this all makes for a wonderfully robust frying experience, but if you don't want the lingering scent of animal fat or bacon grease in your kitchen, go with the oil. Not as decadent, but way easier on the heart and lungs.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Summertime Basic
Nothing says summer or quenches one's thirst like a tall, refreshing, cold glass of ice tea or lemonade (except maybe a frothy, cold beer or a frozen margarita). But not considering alcoholic beverages, it is usually either ice tea or lemonade that evoke hot, lazy summer days and satisfy a parched palate.
Although I didn't have lemons on hand, I did have the basic ingredients in my pantry to make a pitcher of tea. My version of tea has an asian twist. Instead of good ole' Lipton tea, I used loose leaf jasmine which has a wonderful fragrance and sweet taste. Any tea can be substituted though.
Ingredients:
1. loose leaf jasmine tea
2. honey
3. 1 lemon, sliced and wedged
4. mint sprigs
Heat 2 quarts of water in a 2.5 quart pot until the water comes to a rolling boil. Place 6 tablespoons of loose tea into a bowl. Pour water over tea. Let steep for several minutes. Steeping time will vary depending on how strong you like your tea. Strain tea from bowl into a heat resistant pitcher. Add in honey to taste. Slice lemon and place in tea. Let stand for an hour at room temperature. Remove lemon. Refrigerate until cold. Serve over ice with wedge of lemon and mint garnish.
Variation:
Try substituting black tea instead of jasmine and a slice of ginger instead of mint. Let the ginger steep a bit with the tea. I haven't tried this cold, but sometimes add ginger when drinking hot tea. 
Yipeeee, National Tea Month!!