You Say Tomato. Heirloom Tomato. & Gazpacho

What do Box Car Willie, Money Maker, Stump of the World, Banana Legs, Mr. Stripey and Purple Passion have in common? No, they aren’t Kentucky Derby winners or country and western songs. And they definitely are not adult film stars. They are tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes to be exact.

Heirloom tomatoes are getting lots of attention from chefs and foodies alike. These beauties have more than intriguing names, a lot more. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are bite-sized, others are big and beefy and still others are somewhere in between. They are short and squat, long and narrow. A colorful rainbow, heirlooms are green and yellow, orange, ruby red, soft pink and even deep dark purple. Not just solid, many are striped or speckled. Most important, regardless of how funny the name or strange their appearance, they are all delicious.

So what makes an heirloom an heirloom? Heirloom plants have passed the taste-test of time and been passed down from generation to generation for fifty years or more. Heirlooms are developed over decades, in nature, pollinated by birds, bees and the wind, not engineered in a lab. Seeds are collected and saved each year because their plants produce an abundance of great tasting tomatoes.

You’ll be hard pressed to find an heirloom tomato in a supermarket. Most supermarket tomatoes are engineered to be easy to grow, process and ship. But not heirlooms. Heirloom tomatoes aren’t grown for packing and shipping, they are grown for eating. A bite of a perfectly ripe heirloom is nothing short of bliss.

Every summer we impatiently wait for the season’s first local tomatoes. Not from Florida, not from New Jersey or even Massachusetts, but locally grown, ripened on the vine, handpicked and eaten the same day. Is there anything more wonderful? Well, maybe local sweet corn.

Our local farmers’ markets are brimming with beautiful ripe tomatoes and lots of other wonderful summer fruits and vegetables. (Local corn is still a week or so away.) With houseguests coming and going, enjoy an hour or so at the farmers’ market on your favorite town green. Bring your guests along or take some me-time. Leave everyone on the beach and spend an hour trading news and banter with your favorite farmers, artisanal bakers and jelly-and-jammers.

I discovered farmers’ markets when I lived in Europe. Every Sunday morning I spent an hour or two at the marché in Divonne, France. It was like shopping in another place and time, before supermarkets and global imports made shopping impersonal. No fluorescent lights, no shopping carts, just the hustle and bustle of hundreds of shoppers crowded into the narrow streets of Divonne’s old town.

A good excuse for a little sociability, most visits to the marché started with a chat over coffee at the corner café. Fortified with a café au lait and croissants, we plunged into the crowds. The stalls were filled with delicious fruits and vegetables, artisanal cheeses, free-range chickens and wonderful crusty breads. The cast of characters selling their wares, from the jovial farmer to the flirtatious cheese maker and cantankerous baker, only added to the experience.

Before the summer ends, take some time to visit your local farmers’ market. Stock up on your favorite fruits and vegetables, fresh bread and pickles. And don’t skimp on the tomatoes.

Bon appétit!

Gazpacho
Enjoy gazpacho for lunch or a light supper. Or serve it at cocktails in tiny cups or glasses. Enjoy!

Makes about 2 quarts

About 2 pounds vine-ripe (preferably heirloom) tomatoes
1 red or yellow bell pepper
About 4 scallions or 1/2 red onion
2 medium cucumbers
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 – 1 1/2 cups tomato juice – optional – if the tomatoes are really juicy, you won’t need it
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or to taste
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Garnish: fresh chopped basil, cilantro, parsley or chives

Core, seed and chop the tomatoes, reserving the juice. Core, seed and chop the peppers. Trim and chop the onions. Peel, seed and chop the cucumber. Mince the garlic.

Put the juice from the tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil and tomato juice in large bowl, season with cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.

Add the chopped vegetables to the bowl, toss to combine and then purée in small batches in a food processor.

Cover and chill the gazpacho in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Serve with a sprinkle of your favorite fresh herb.

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One Year Ago – Mousse au Citron
Two Years Ago– Thai Salad
Three Years Ago – Sweet Dream Bars
Four Years Ago – Lobster Salad Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

What’s your favorite summer vegetable? (Yes. I know that tomatoes are really a fruit but we treat them like a veg!) I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going.
Want more? I’ve got links to lots more to read, see & cook as well as a day in the life photoblog! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2012

Final Exams Asparagus & Crostini with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto & Goat Cheese

Prison from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables

As we coast into June, the end of the school year is just around the corner. Thank goodness! As the weather continues to warm up, classrooms get stuffier and stuffier and kids and teachers get grumpier and grumpier. Knowing that summer vacation is almost here, it gets harder to sit still and figure out when or where those two cars will pass each other. Minds begin to wander. Who knows, maybe Charles will cheat and drive sixty-five instead of sixty. Maybe Emily will take a detour to the mall to look for shoes for the prom. The same holds true for biology, English class and French. Teacher or student, anyone stuck in a classroom figures nothing is more misérable than spending a glorious, early summer day inside.

My worse year had to have been when I was in the ninth grade. My sister Brenda was a senior in high school. It was in the days before Middle School, so I was over at the Junior High with the seventh and eighth graders. My brother John was in elementary school.

As soon as college acceptances arrived, usually no later than mid-April, the seniors slacked off. The faculty did their best to keep them at their books but it was an uphill battle. Facing reality and fearing they would somehow taint the younger students, the seniors were set free in mid-May. There were still a few assemblies and graduation rehearsals but more or less, mostly more, they were done.

At the same time the ninth grade teachers decided it was time to treat us like freshman even if we were the big kids at the junior high. To that end, they ramped up the end of the school year with final exams. Sure we’d had tests and quizzes in the past but these were our first final exams. Even the words, FINAL, as in this is it, don’t screw up, and EXAM, as in much bigger than a test, sounded daunting. Not to mention, our teachers had never before expected us to remember stuff we learned back in September!

The only good part was you got to feel a little bit older. After all, only high school students took finals, not little kids in junior high. I even had the lingo down; finals not final exams. It was a long time ago so maybe they were a big deal, maybe not. What’s important is, nerd that I was (and still am), I decided finals were indeed something to worry about.

And not just worry; they were definitely a cause for too much studying. Fortunately or unfortunately I have a tendency to over-prepare. (It’s small consolation but maybe I can blame my ninth grade teachers for this neurosis.) Anyway … there was my sister … sleeping late every morning and working on her tan every afternoon. And me … I was stuck inside dark, stuffy classrooms. (Several of my teachers turned the lights off on hot days pretending it kept the classroom cooler. It didn’t.)

In the afternoon and again after a quick dinner, I was at my desk studying and studying some more. Meanwhile, my sister was free as a bird, out gallivanting or just lazing around the front steps. And my brother? Sure he was still in school but he was only in the second grade. He didn’t have homework let alone FINAL EXAMS. He too spent the afternoons and evenings outside. It was just poor pitiful me slogging away at my desk while my family enjoyed the first warm and wonderful evenings of summer.

Here’s hoping that you are enjoying many warm and wonderful evenings. Have fun and bon appétit!

Asparagus Crostini with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto & Goat Cheese
A delicious hors d’oeurvre to nibble at your next cookout or serve at your favorite graduate’s celebration! Enjoy!
Makes 16 pieces

16-32 asparagus spears
Extra virgin olive oil
16 thin slices baguette, toasted
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (recipe follows)
6-8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Snap the woody ends off of the asparagus and discard. Neatly cut off the spears’ top 2 to 3 inches. (Save the remaining pieces of asparagus for soup. You can use these pieces on the crostini but the pointy spears look prettier.)

Heat a little olive in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus spears in batches (don’t crowd the pan) and stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.

Assemble the crostini: spread a little pesto on the toasted baguette slices, sprinkle with goat cheese and top with 1-2 asparagus tips. Serve immediately or place in a 350 degree oven for about 3 minutes to warm through.

Sun-dried Tomato & Tarragon Pesto
Makes about 1 cup

1 cup oil packed sun dried tomato halves, well drained
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2-3 tablespoons fresh tarragon*
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

In the small bowl of a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, tarragon and parsley, season with salt and pepper and process to chop and combine.

Add olive oil a little bit at a time until the pesto is smooth and spreadable.

* Tarragon is wonderful with asparagus but if you can’t find it or don’t have any in your garden, basil is a tasty substitute.

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One Year Ago – Wheat Berry Salad
Two Years Ago – Not Your Ordinary Burger
Three Years Ago – Strawberry Rhubarb Soup
Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

What’s your favorite end of school days story? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? I’ve got links to lots more to read, see & cook as well as a day in the life photoblog! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2012

Memorial Day on Pleasant Lake & Couscous Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Memorial Day is just around the corner.
In New Hampshire where winter comes early and stays late, the last Monday in May, Memorial Day, marks the beginning of summer. Kids are happy to get a day off from school. Many, but not all, businesses close. The notable exceptions are any and all retailers. From Main Street to the mall, they’ll fly balloons and banners and run three-day sales extravaganzas. The highways and by-ways will be bumper-to-bumper as Americans flock to the mountains or beach or attempt to shop-‘til-they-drop.

I grew up in the suburbs west of Boston. Unless a three-day downpour was not in the forecast, my family always headed north for the long Memorial Day Weekend. Any weekend was a good weekend if it was spent on Pleasant Lake. Saturday morning was for chores. We ran the vacuum cleaner upstairs and down, checked the ceilings for cobwebs and leaks and the cupboards, nooks and crannies for trespassers. One year my sister Brenda discovered a pile of seeds and nuts in her bed. We figured that mice had taken our absence during Mud Season as an invitation to move in.

We three kids always whipped through whatever boring tasks our parents assigned. What we lacked in care we made up in speed and escaped to the beach as quickly as possible. Brenda and I would get the jump on our summer tans while John went in search of frogs and tadpoles. Before too long, a toe was tentatively put in the lake. Dares and double dares soon followed. Then, as often as not, one or all of us plunged, shrieking, into the still freezing water.

In the coming days, all along the shores of Pleasant Lake, and lakes everywhere, empty cottages will fill up. The summer people will be back, if only for the weekend. Windows will be thrown open to clear the stale and musty air. The water will be turned back on. Floors and decks will be swept clean. Stray squirrels and mice will be chased out the door. Beaches and yards will be raked free of winter’s debris. Dusty lawn chairs will get hosed off. Barbeque grills will be found and put to work. Before you know it, everything will be shipshape and ready for summer.

With a little luck, a couple of hours will be found for some fun. Favorite hiking trails will be rediscovered. Games of golf and tennis matches will be played. Boats, large and small, will be launched. Kayaks and canoes will tour the shore. Sailors will hope for breeze and settle for a snooze on the calm lake. Fishermen will pray that dinner will bite their hooks and settle for burgers on the grill. I’m sure that at least a few kids will plunge, shrieking, into the ice cold lake.

My part-time neighbors won’t stay long. Late Monday afternoon they will put away their brooms and rakes. They will stow their toys, close up their cottages and head back to the city. They’ll return to work and school on Tuesday with sore muscles, a few black fly bites and a sunburn or two.

Except for the loons’ call, the lake will again be still.

If only for a weekend, enjoy the first delightful days of summer. However you spend the holiday, take a moment to relive a few fond memories with family and friends. And maybe, just maybe, take a mad dash in and out of a still frigid lake.

Have fun and bon appétit!

Couscous Salad with Grilled Vegetables 

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Versatile and full of flavor, serve this salad at your holiday cookout. Enjoy!

Serves 8

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Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1-2 zucchinis, sliced lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick
1 small eggplant, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1 red onion, cut in 1/2 inch rounds
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
2 cups Israeli couscous
2-3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Combine the juice of 1/2 lemon and the garlic in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Let the vinaigrette sit for 10-15 minutes to combine the flavors.

While the vinaigrette mixes and mingles, prepare the couscous according to package directions.

Drain the couscous and transfer to the bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Cool the couscous to almost room temperature, add the herbs, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss again.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium-high. Brush or toss the vegetables in a little olive oil to lightly coat and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables until tender or tender-crisp, 2-3 minutes per side for the eggplant and 1-2 minutes per side for everything else. You might like to cook the onions in a grill pan as the small rings are apt to fall through the grate.

When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, roughly chop and add the vegetables and pine nuts to the couscous and toss to combine. If the couscous seems dry, add more lemon juice and/or olive oil to taste.

Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator. The salad is best at room temperature so remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.

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One Year Ago – Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
 Two Years Ago – Feta Walnut Spread
Three Years Ago – Bruschetta with Grilled Vegetables & Gorgonzola
Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

How will you spend the long Memorial Day weekend? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for lots more to read, see & cook! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2012

Discovering Joy in Cooking & Spanakopita Triangles

It happens all the time. People ask me when, why, how I took up cooking.

It all started in a teeny, tiny Vermont town. Just out of college , I was in Vermont for my first real job. A budding foodie, I soon discovered that restaurants were few and far between. Interesting restaurants were even fewer and farther between. Not to mention that my starting salary was best described as piddling. It didn’t take long to realize that somehow or other I had to figure out the whole cooking thing.

At the start, I was pretty timid in the kitchen. I recreated my mother’s special mushroom soup chicken. It combined chicken breasts with cream of mushroom soup, a dollop of sour cream and a splash of sherry. If I was feeling extravagant and could find them, I threw in some fresh mushrooms and a few pearl onions. I proudly imitated Nana Nye’s baked scrod and figured out sauce Bolognese.

And then one Sunday the Boston Globe did a special feature on then-Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Most politicians get roped into a fluff piece or two and the Duke was no exception. The Globe wangled an afternoon in the Governor’s kitchen to learn about his Greek heritage and make spanakopita.

I was and still am a fan of spanakopita. I discovered this cheesy spinach pie on an afternoon theater outing in Boston with my mother. Before the matinee, we joined the ladies-who-lunch at the old Athens Olympia restaurant on the corner of Tremont Street. I was hooked. I decided to give it a try. The Governor could do it, why not me?

I was way over my head. My ill-equipped kitchen was the size of a postage stamp and outfitted with cast-offs, thrift store finds and a few cheap pots and pans from Kmart. I owned one cookbook, Joy of Cooking, but had barely cracked the spine.

My guests’ were invited for 6:30. Dinner would be served after a leisurely hour of wine and nibblies. According to the Governor’s recipe, the spanakopita took 45 minutes to prep and an hour to bake. Either the Governor lied or enlisted the helping hands of several staffers. Convinced I had time to spare, it was more or less 5:30 when I wandered into the kitchen to make my spinach pie.

My guests arrived fashionably late but the spanakopita wasn’t in the oven or anywhere near the oven. While my friends enjoyed an extra glass or two, I enjoyed more than a few Lucy moments and shouted updates from the kitchen. They waited and waited and waited some more. Dinner was served sometime after 9:00, early for Greece, but decidedly late for Vermont.

Thank goodness my friends were forgiving. They proclaimed the spanakopita worth the wait and raved about the dinner for weeks. It was a wonderful evening. Our conversation sparkled with wit and laughter. (Of course all that extra wine might have helped.)

Instead of being daunted by the experience, I was energized. I was struck by how easy (okay relatively easy) it was to create a memorable evening and make people happy. Even now when asked why I love to cook, I think of that cold winter night in Vermont. It was the first of many special evenings and many more to come!

Happy cooking and bon appétit!

Spanakopita Triangles
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I lost the Governor’s recipe a long time ago but through trial and error created this bite-sized version for a yummy cocktail party treat. Enjoy!

Makes 2-3 dozen triangles
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Olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces feta, crumbled
8 ounces ricotta
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 pound phyllo, defrosted and at room temperature
6 tablespoons or more butter, melted

Heat a little olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until almost translucent, add the garlic and sauté for a minute more.

Put the spinach in a clean dish towel and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Put the spinach, herbs, onion, garlic, cheeses and nutmeg in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Add the eggs and toss again.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the phyllo vertically on your work surface. Depending on how large you want your triangles, cut the phyllo lengthwise into 2 or 3 equal columns. Stack the phyllo leaves, cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and set aside.

Remove the first leaf and place it vertically on your work surface. Brush lightly with butter. Place another sheet on top and brush again with butter if using regular phyllo. If you are using thick country-style phyllo, one layer is plenty. Place a scant tablespoon of filling (1-2 tablespoons for larger triangles) on the bottom right-hand corner of the phyllo. Fold the phyllo like a flag to create a triangle. Place the triangle on a baking sheet seam side down. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and continue with the remaining filling and phyllo.

Brush all the triangles with butter. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until the triangles are puffed and golden. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
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One Year Ago – Braised Red Cabbage
Two Years Ago – Apple Bread Pudding
Three Years Ago – Root ‘n’ Tooty Good ‘n’ Fruity Oatmeal Cookies

Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

Why do you cook? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for lots more to read, see & cook! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2012

Need a Little Christmas & Mushroom Crostini

There’s gloom, there’s doom and it’s dark at 4:00. Yes indeedy, if we ever needed a little Christmas; we need it now. Maybe you don’t remember the song from the classic musical Mame. Fired for the third or fourth time and flat broke, the unstoppable Auntie Mame tunefully belts out orders for an early Christmas celebration. Mame is the ultimate optimist and definitely one my all-time favorite heroes. (Should I be worried that one of my heroes is a fictitious character?)

So with We Need a Little Christmas ringing in my ears, I suggest we all get going. (By the way, that’s the Angela Lansbury Broadway version NOT Lucille Ball. I love Lucy but Mame she ain’t.) It’s time to invite family and friends around for a little cheer.

The possibilities are endless. You can serve champagne and a splendiferous spread of gourmet delicacies. Then again, a big batch of chili and case of beer may be more your style. Casual or fancy, the list of fun and festive party possibilities is as long or as short as your imagination.

I tend towards more casual entertaining and here are a few ideas:

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1. Organize a cookie swap and fill the house with the sweet scents of cinnamon and spice. Why not reinvent this age-old tradition with an evening dessert party. Let your friends bake their favorite cookies for the swap while you glam it up with a fabulous buffet of luscious desserts and flutes of champagne.

2. Take it outside for a still sweet but more casual option. Light a bonfire in the snow, roast marshmallows and make s’mores. Sip hot chocolate (spiked or not) and watch the Geminid meteor showers.

3. Host a potluck but add a theme to spark your guests’ creativity. You could ask everyone to think international and bring dishes from the country they would most like to visit. Or go the nostalgic route and invite your friends to cook up favorite holiday recipes from their childhood.

4. Dust off the piano keys or rent a karaoke machine and invite everyone over for caroling. The joint will be jumpin’. Make a joyful noise with everyone’s favorites. Don’t forget the traditional Joy to the World, the classic Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer and, of course, Jingle Bell Rock. When you’re ready for a break, serve a simple supper of hearty soup, a platter of fruit and cheeses and some great country bread.

5. Who doesn’t like a Yankee Swap? Although Yankee suggests a certain degree of frugality, as host you get to set the gift-giving guidelines. Make it a re-gifting celebration and watch your friends tearfully part with the plastic fish that sings Christmas carols and the T-shirt with the not so clever double-entendre. Creative types will love a handmade Christmas. Encourage everyone to get out their knitting needles, glue gun or recipe file. Gifts of gorgeous scarves and even more gorgeous Death by Chocolate Sauce may be more serious than a whoopee cushion but they won’t show up at next year’s swap. Your foodie friends will love an epicurean exchange. Amazing cheeses, favorite cooking gadgets and a bottle of great wine will make prized gifts. Regardless of your theme, offer your friends a colorful feast of appetizers for a relaxed evening of nibbling, sipping and unwrapping.

Enjoy the holiday season and the special gifts of family and friendship,

Bon appétit!

Mushroom Crostini
A cozy and delicious hors d’oeuvre for your holiday party. Click on on my recipe page to track down lots more holiday dishes. Enjoy!
Makes about 24 pieces1 baguette, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth and stems removed
Extra virgin olive oil
Sherry vinegar
6 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped (optional)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
About 4 ounce grated Fontina cheese
About 1 ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices on rimmed baking sheets. Turning once, toast the baguette slices in the oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool. (Can be prepared ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Put the mushrooms on rimmed baking sheets and drizzle with just enough equal parts olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Roast the mushrooms cup side up in a single layer for 15 minutes. Turn the caps over and roast for an additional 5-10 minutes. The mushrooms should be nicely browned and shrunken. When the mushrooms are cool enough to handle, chop and reserve.

While the mushrooms roast, cook the pancetta. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crispy. Drain the pancetta on paper towels and reserve.

Drain off most of the fat from the skillet, leaving just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. (If you are skipping the pancetta, lightly coat the skillet with olive oil). Add the onion to the skillet, sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Sauté for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to low and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the mushrooms, pancetta, cream and herbs. Cool to room temperature and stir in the fontina. (Can be made ahead, cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Top each toast with a generous spoonful of mushroom topping and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Place on rimmed baking sheets and bake until heated through and lightly browned. Transfer to serving platters and serve warm

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One Year Ago – Chocolate Dipped Orange Caramels
Two Years Ago – Braised Beef with Root Vegetables
Three Years Ago – Macadamia Nut Shortbread
Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new stories and recipes.

Want more? Feel free to visit my photoblog Susan Nye 365 or click here for more recipes and magazine articles or here to watch me cook! I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good.

© Susan W. Nye, 2011

Confessions of a Sweet Corn Bandit & Grilled Corn, Black Bean & Avocado Salsa

Forget the Fourth of July fireworks, sand castles and the Hospital Day Parade. No summer event is more eagerly anticipated, more impatiently awaited than the first ears of sweet corn. Want perfection? Minutes after it’s picked, husk a ripe ear of corn and plunge it into a pot of boiling water. Cook it for exactly 4 minutes and enjoy bliss with a little butter and salt.

Like many women, thirteen was one of the worst times of my life. I was plagued with the usual angst of adolescence. I had my fair share of pimples. My unruly curls produced a never ending run of bad hair days, particularly in the summer. And, I had braces. My teeth were encased in torturous steel, wire and rubber bands. Not only painful, braces made it virtually impossible to eat corn on the cob. After the first bite, kernels were hideously and obstinately embedded in every steel nook and cranny. Taking pity on me, my mother tried cutting the kernels off the cob. It just didn’t taste the same. In despair, I gave up fresh corn for the duration.

When I moved to Switzerland I was again deprived of sweet corn. For close to twenty years I lived near Geneva; where, until fairly recently, corn on the cob was only for cows. About the time I packed my bags to move back to the States, corn on the cob began to trickle ever so slowly onto supermarket shelves. Grown in southern Africa, by the time the ears arrived they were a poor and pitiful shadow of what sweet corn should be.

There is a lot of open farm land surrounding Geneva and the Swiss grow cow corn in abundance. After all it takes a lot of corn to feed the cows to get the milk to make all that cheese and chocolate. Bicycling through those fields was one of my favorite weekend activities. I always looked at those fields with longing (for sweet corn) and despair (because it wasn’t). One particular Saturday, some friends and I went on a long bike ride past row after row of ripening corn.

After the ride, we joined forces for an impromptu potluck cookout. Preparations were well underway when a few of us were hit by the nagging sense that something was missing. Corn on the cob of course! Fueled by optimism and hope, we decided that there must surely be a tiny window when cow corn was sweet and crisp. And of course we figured that the tiny window was open at just that very minute.

And so began the great Corn Caper. We donned baseball caps, hoodies and sunglasses, hopped back on our bikes and went off to pilfer the nearest field. Our band of merry thieves was not made up of foolish teenage hooligans but foolish thirty-something professionals uncontrollably driven by delicious memories of fresh sweet corn. At least for the moment we didn’t care if our families were shamed by scandalous headlines (Foreigners Arrested in Agricultural Heist – Deportation Imminent). Nor did we worry that the farmer might skip 911 and fill our backsides with buck shot.

We completed our raid without apprehension or worse and returned to the party with backpacks stuffed with corn. Working against the clock, we husked the ears and threw them into boiling water. With great anticipation we all took the first, long-awaited bite. Edible, but tough and tasteless. We were denied that sweet taste of summer … and home.

Of course there was an upside to the whole debacle. Since our caper could hardly be called successful, I was not tempted to quit my job and begin a life of crime. Enjoy summer’s bounty and,

Bon appétit!

Grilled Corn, Black Bean & Avocado Salsa
This salsa is great as an appetizer with tortilla chips and delicious as a side dish with chicken or seafood. Enjoy!
Makes 5-6 cups

Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for the corn
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon or to taste minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt to taste
2-3 ears corn, shucked (about 1 1/2 cups of kernels)
1 pound tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups chopped tomato)
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced or about 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups (15-ounce can) cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1-2 avocados, chopped

Put the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, jalapeno and cumin in a small bowl, season with salt and whisk to combine. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to combine the flavors.

Preheat the grill to high. Brush the corn with a little olive oil. Lay the ears directly on the grill and cook for 3-5 minutes, turning to cook evenly. Remove from the grill and when they are cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cobs. (When fresh corn is not available, stir-fry frozen shoepeg corn in a little olive oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned.)

Put the corn, tomatoes, scallions and black beans in a large bowl and toss to combine. Pour the lime juice-olive oil mixture over the vegetables and toss to combine. Add the cilantro and toss again. Let sit for 15-20 minutes or up to a few hours in the refrigerator to mix and meld the flavors.

Add the avocado, toss to combine and serve immediately as a dip with your favorite tortilla chips or as a side dish with grilled chicken or seafood.

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One Year Ago – Crostini with Goat Cheese
Two Years Ago – Corn & Chicken Chowder
Three Years Ago – Joe Nye’s Perfect Lobster  

Did you suffer through braces in middle school and high school? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or photoblog Susan Nye 365. You can find more than 250 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more on my website. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good.©Susan W. Nye, 2011

Asparagus & Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart

Memorial Day has come and gone. June brings sunny days and warm nights. Lilacs, lupine and iris bloom. Beautiful brides put jitters aside and walk gracefully down the aisle. Students dread, cram and cram some more for final exams and then celebrate joyous graduations.
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And cooks, we do our own little happy dance. Fresh, local asparagus is in the market.

In case you are wondering what to do with early summer’s bounty …
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1. Wrap it in up. Roll up whole spears in sheets of buttery phyllo. Add a sprinkle of parmesan and you’ve got a wonderfully simple appetizer.

2. Steam it until it is tender-crisp. Whatever you do, don’t overcook. No one but no one likes soggy grey asparagus. Finish the bright green stalks with a drizzle of lemon butter. If you want to get a little fancy, dress it up with hollandaise.

3. Roast it. Before you slide it in the oven lightly coat with walnut oil and white wine vinegar and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

4. Grill it on high heat after a light toss in extra virgin olive oil. Hot off the grill, add a squirt of lemon and serve.

5. Put it in the blender and turn it into a smooth and creamy soup. Serve hot or cold.

6. Throw it in a salad. Raw, steamed, roasted or grilled, asparagus is a great addition to a summer salad. Try it with dandelion greens or a colorful mesclun mix. Top it off with a sprinkle of toasted walnuts or crumbled gorgonzola or both!

7. Toss it with pasta. A little extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped shallot, a touch of garlic and a squeeze of lemon turn asparagus and pasta into a heavenly feast. Sprinkle with grated lemon peel, chopped parsley and crumbled feta. Dinner is served.

8. Stir it into risotto. Who doesn’t love risotto? Add chopped asparagus about five maybe ten minutes before the risotto is al dente. A definite winner!

9. Stir fry it. Start with a little garlic, a little ginger and a touch of spicy hot pepper flakes. Add the asparagus and toss until it’s tender-crisp. Top it off with a splash of soy sauce and lime juice.

10. Bake it in a tart. Combine asparagus, tangy goat cheese and creamy custard in a flakey pastry shell and bake to golden perfection.

For big celebrations, simple family suppers or romantic picnics, June is the month for lots and lots of asparagus.

Bon appétit!

Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tart
This versatile dish is great for brunch, lunch or a light supper. Enjoy!
Serves 6-8

Savory Flakey Pastry (recipe follows)
Olive oil
About 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
4 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup half & half
1 teaspoon Dijon
Pinch nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and arrange the rack in the middle of the oven.

Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Line a 9-10 inch pie or tart pan with the pastry leaving about 1/4-inch for shrinkage; crimp the edges. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes. Cool the veggies, sprinkle with flour and toss to coat. Put the vegetables in the pie shell. Sprinkle with the cheeses.

Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell, adding just enough to come within 1/4-inch of the top of the shell.

Transfer the tart to the oven. Cook for 5 minutes and lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the custard is set and quiche is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Savory Flakey Pastry
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, cold, cut into small pieces
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Blend flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening; process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle with ice water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time and process until the dough comes together in a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor and flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic; chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

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One Year Ago – Not Your Ordinary Burger
Two Years Ago – Strawberry-Rhubarb Soup

Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2011

Time for Brunch & Spinach Ricotta Pie

I don’t know why, but I usually think of spring as brunch season. There are lots of good excuses for a spring brunch. It’s a lovely way to celebrate Mom’s or Dad’s day as well as Easter. Big fancy hotels roll out magnificent spreads. You’ll find everything from eggs Benedict to a gorgeous rib roast with lots of yummy side dishes, pastries and fruit. As lovely as all that sounds, right now is the perfect time to host a brunch.

Why? Because there is NOTHING ELSE to do!

Unless you are one of those incredibly well organized people, it’s too early to shop for Christmas. Come to think of it, if you’re one of those organized people you finished your shopping in September. Since November is both the rainiest and cloudiest month of the year, most hiking trails are a muddy mess. Plus it’s deer hunting season, so wandering around the woods might not be the best idea. It’s too cold to kayak but there’s rarely enough snow to ski. I suppose you could bake Christmas cookies but they’ll either be eaten or stale before your halls are decked and the wassail is mulled.

Brunch was big when I was in my twenties. I was living in Vermont and teaching anthropology and art. A group of us survived damp, dreary weekends (and a few icy cold ones) with crepes, quiche and mimosas. The worst part of teaching is correcting homework, quizzes and exams. Sunday was prime time to get out my red pen and wade through forty essays on Growing Up in New Guinea. Our midday get-togethers were a welcomed relief, a way to postpone the inevitable. Besides brunch was new and trendy, we might have been living in the country but not a one of us had just fallen off the turnip truck.

Vermont is where I first started to cook and experiment in the kitchen. My mother gave me Joy of Cooking and my sister gave me the Moosewood Cookbook. I let Craig Claiborne intimidate me in the New York Times and happily tried recipes in the much less daunting Boston Globe. In my cramped little kitchen, I figured out how to make, among other things, quiche. Even if real men didn’t eat quiche, I foisted it on my friends, male and female alike.

Brunch is the perfect way to keep boredom at bay between 11:00 and 3:00, longer if you add a marathon game of bridge or Trivial Pursuit. Whether you invite your friends for Saturday or Sunday, they will be delighted with the invitation and excuse to get out of the house.

If you have a full house over Thanksgiving weekend, cramming breakfast and lunch into a single meal might just save you a bit of time, trouble and clean up. Allow everyone sleep in, insist on it if you have to, and then relax around the table for a lazy brunch.

For the menu you can get all fancy with eggs Benedict or keep it simple with a bag of bagels, a smear of cream cheese and some smoked salmon. I prefer dishes with little if any last minute preparation. Bagels are a great idea and I love smoke salmon but when it’s nippy, I like to welcome my guests with the warm and comforting aroma of something bubbling on the stove or baking in the oven.

Greet your guests with steaming cups of espresso or mugs of hot mulled cider or cocoa, spiked with a little rum or not. There’s no need to rush through the meal. Take your time and relax; no one is in a hurry. When you’re ready, let everyone meander over to the buffet table and serve themselves. Then just settle in near the fire to chat and whine about the weather.

Bon appétit!

Spinach & Ricotta Pie
A nice variation on the quiche theme. Add a few chicken sausages, a big bowl of local apples and some scones or muffins (it’s okay to buy them at your favorite bakery) and brunch is ready. Enjoy!
Serves 8

Flakey pastry (recipe follows)
1 small onion, finely chopped
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
16 ounces frozen spinach
3 large eggs
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of nutmeg
2 ounces grated Fontina cheese
1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Put the spinach in a colander and let thaw and drain.
2. Cook the onion in a little olive oil on medium low heat for 3 minutes or until it starts to become translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the spinach and cook off any excess moisture. Let cool for a few minutes.
3. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta, sour cream, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Fold in the spinach. Add the Fontina, Romano and Parmesan cheeses and combine.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
5. Roll out the pastry dough and gently press it into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Spoon the filling into the pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling and crust is golden brown.

Savory Flakey Pastry
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, cold and cut into small pieces
2-4 tablespoons ice water

1. Blend the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening; process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Sprinkle with ice water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time and process until the dough comes together in a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor and flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic; chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

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One Year Ago – Seared Scallops with Lentils
Two Years Ago – Tomato, Olive & Feta Tart

What’s your favorite way to spend a cold, rainy day? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my photoblog, Susan Nye 365 or my cleverly named other blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Love Affairs and True Confessions & Wild Mushroom Soup

I recently had a little debate with a few friends. I was gushing about a lovely fall day. “Stop!” they shouted (yes, people can shout on Facebook), “it’s still summer.” I stood corrected and made humble apologies. Fast-forward a few weeks and with the autumnal equinox, fall is officially here. The days will continue to get shorter. Soon, we’ll be moaning and groaning when it is dark at 5:00 and then 4:30 and yikes 4:00.

But for now, this is New England’s season. For the next month of so, we can enjoy the hills and dales in all their glory. In spite of chilly mornings and a little overnight frost, fall is my season. I love pulling out my turtlenecks and cozy wool sweaters. I’m partial to scarves and am delighted to flaunt my collection.

It’s a colorful, vibrant time of year. Just as I watch for crocus, daffodils and forthysia in spring, I love to watch the changing colors in the fall. There are always a few trees that flash a spot of red in late August, just to tease us. Throughout September, up until the vibrant reds and rich golds reach their peak in mid October, the show constantly improves and changes daily. It is the perfect time to be out and about, to take a long bike ride, brisk stroll or hike in the hills. There are crafts fairs to browse and fall festivals to peruse. Many farmers’ markets and farm stands will soon close down for the season so make sure to squeeze in one last visit. Farmers are harvesting lots of lovely cool weather greens and squashes, perfect for warm and wonderful fall dinners.

My lifelong love affair with fall in New England turned into a long distance longing when I moved to Geneva in the eighties. I went over for an eight week internship and, somehow or other, forgot to come home. The internship led to a one year contract, which opened up all sorts of interesting projects and jobs. Before I knew it, eight weeks had stretched into a seventeen year adventure.

I always felt a little homesick and nostalgic in September and October. I missed the brilliant red maples, the apple cider and roasted acorn squash. When it comes to foliage, the Swiss and neighboring French countryside pale in comparison to a brilliant New Hampshire hillside. Apple juice and hard cider were easy to find but no substitute for our delicious seasonal sweet cider. My favorite squashes were nowhere to be found. The pumpkins were a perfect replica of Cinderella’s coach but had little taste.

Some might call it cheating but I began a new love affair when I lived in Switzerland. This one was with wild mushrooms. In Western Europe, fall is, among other things, wild mushroom season. Every fall I made sure I indulged in all things mushroom. From wonderful bruschetta with sautéed mushrooms and garlic to marvelous soups, fabulous pastas and stews, I explored, sampled and most of all enjoyed many different varieties and dishes.

In the heat of summer it is sometimes hard to get enthusiastic about eating, let alone cooking. With the changing seasons, we’re ready to cook again. We’re putting away the grill and trying to remember where we stashed our soup pots and casserole dishes. We’re pulling out our cookbooks, flipping through our recipe cards and getting ready to make our favorite soups and stews. As much as I love New England in the fall, I have a confession. Years in Switzerland and fond memories of vacations in France and Italy inspire me in my fall kitchen. I’m looking for excuses to make boeuf Bourguignon, risotto and a good gratin. And of course, I’m craving wild mushrooms.

Where ever you are, I hope that you are enjoying fall, out on country roads, in the kitchen, and around the table.

Bon appétit!

Wild Mushroom Soup
After living in Switzerland for so many years, I will always think of the fall as wild mushroom season. This soup is one of my favorites. I love the woodsy flavor and hope you do too. Enjoy!
Makes about 3 quarts

4 ounces dried porcini, cèpes, morels or chanterelle mushrooms
3 pounds fresh mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and sliced
Olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 teaspoon fresh thyme
Tiny pinch of nutmeg
4 cups chicken stock (for a vegetarians – use vegetable stock)
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 bay leaf
1-2 cups half and half
Garnish: chopped chives

Put the dried mushrooms in a colander and rinse well under cold running water. Put the mushrooms in a 1 quart container; fill the container with cold water. Soak the mushroom for several hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, longer is better.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put the fresh mushrooms in a large roasting pan. Toss with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms will be nicely browned and shrunken.

Put a little olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot; add the onions, season with thyme, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Add the roasted mushrooms to the pot.

Strain the dried mushrooms, reserving the water. Rinse the mushrooms, drain and add to the soup pot. Let the mushroom water settle; carefully pour the mushroom water through a fine sieve into the soup pot, leaving any sediment behind.

Add the chicken stock, sherry and the bay leaf to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Let cool for 15-20 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and transfer the soup to a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Return the purée to the soup pot and add the half and half. Check for seasoning and set over medium heat until steaming. Pour into small cups for an appetizer or soup mugs for a main course, sprinkle with chives and serve.

Like many soups, this one is best if made ahead. Cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Reheat on medium-low until steaming.

Watch me make more delicious dishes on ABC affiliate WMUR’s Cook’s Corner.

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One Year Ago – Rustic Apple Tart
Two Years Ago – Oktoberfest Sausages & Sauerkraut

What are your favorite fall foods? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Dance the Night Away & Roasted Red Pepper Dip

When I was a teenager, my friends and I got together every summer and organized a dance. We did it for fun and for something to do. I was one of the summer people. We headed to Pleasant Lake as soon as school got out in June and stayed until late afternoon on Labor Day. We kept pretty busy, particularly during the day.

The nights were a different story. The town was pretty quiet then, I guess it still is. When it came to night life, there was a bowling alley, a few places to buy an ice cream cone and not much else. We joked that the public works department rolled up the streets every night at 8:30.

Most nights we hung out on the beach. From time to time we’d go out on the lake in someone’s motorboat. We’d cruise around and get as close to the rocky shore as we dared. There was a girls’ camp about halfway down the lake and I think some of the boys were hoping to catch them skinny-dipping. They might have succeeded once but I’m not sure. Even if they did, I don’t think they saw much. I’m guessing their flashlights’ batteries were either waning or dead.

Our parents took pity on us and every year they let us organize a dance. We got away with it because we always gave our few dollars of profit to the hospital and Hospital Day. We swept the Annex, a big old barn-like building. We made posters and put them up all over town. We hired a band. We were forced to hire the police for traffic control. A few parents grudging volunteered to chaperone. I was always thankful that my parents never did.

Townies and Flatlanders alike, we decked ourselves out in skimpy mini-skirts and bell bottoms. We all dressed to impress, praying we wouldn’t get stuck on the sidelines like a row of forlorn wall flowers. I agonized over my curly hair, trying to straighten it. As the sun set, the air turned cool and damp and my flattened curls was transformed into halo of fluffy frizz. Eye liner, mascara, pale lip gloss and a flowery mini-dress completed my look.

Every year 100 or more kids showed up to dance. The turnout was particularly good when Aerosmith played. Yes, that Aerosmith. I’m not positive but I think we got them two years in a row. Then they moved to Boston, hit it big and never played in our funky old Annex again. I can’t say that I blame them. We never paid them more than $25, maybe $50, hardly motivation for a return engagement.

At the time I think we realized that Aerosmith was better than the other garage bands that played at our summer dances. It might be my imagination but there was a lot more energy and the crowd was much better looking when Aerosmith played. We danced better and looked hotter, or at least we thought we did. I’m sure their music knocked the frizz right out of my hair. Plus the chaperoning parents stayed outside to save their ears from the deafening blast.

When Aerosmith got their big break and first record, we rushed to the store. For most of us, there was more than a little vicarious delight in having “our” band make it. We were teenagers, dividing our time between Boston’s suburbs and rural New Hampshire. The closest we’d ever come to fame or anyone famous was, well, nowhere and no one. (Except for my brother John. Bobby Orr was the guest speaker at his father-son Cub Scout dinner. But that doesn’t count because Johnny wasn’t a teenager yet.)

Here’s hoping you dance, not once but many times this summer. Bon appétit!

Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip
Roasted peppers , yogurt and crunchy walnuts combine in a deliciously different dip. Enjoy it with a glass of wine on the deck or lakeside.
Makes about 2 cups

2 red bell peppers, cut in large chunks
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 jalapeno pepper or to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon minced thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and finely chopped

Toasted pita triangles
Fresh vegetables

Drain the yogurt. Place the yogurt in a coffee filter set in a sieve or colander over a bowl. Set aside in the refrigerator for 2 hours or longer until thickened. Discard the watery whey.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Put the peppers, onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme, cumin, allspice and season with salt and pepper to taste; toss to combine.  Roast at 450 degrees until the vegetables are caramelized about 20 minutes. (When the temperature climbs, fire up the grill and toss everything into a grill basket. Cook, stirring frequently until the veggies are tender and caramelized – about 10 minutes.)

Remove from the oven and add the lime juice and honey and toss to combine.

Let the vegetables cool for about 15 minutes. Put the vegetables in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the yogurt and process until well combined. Add the chopped walnuts and pulse to combine.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with fresh vegetables and warm pita wedges.

Print-friendly version of this post or watch me make more delicious dishes on ABC affiliate WMUR’s Cook’s Corner.

One Year Ago – Grilled Chicken, Shallots & New Potatoes
Two Years Ago – Barbecue Chicken

Do you have a favorite Aerosmith story? Or memory of a special summer evening or band from your teenage years? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010