BOOK/A TABLE - Summer Vegetable Soup

The first day of summer is only a few days away and in Manhattan, it feels as if we’ve already settled well into it. I had never read Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar until last year, and what I remember, of all things, is the striking description on the first page that evokes a New York summer so brilliantly.

“By nine in the morning the fake, country-wet freshness that somehow seeped in overnight evaporated like the tail end of a sweet dream. Mirage-gray at the bottom of their granite canyons, the hot streets wavered in the sun, the car tops sizzled and glittered, and the dry, cindery dust blew into my eyes and down my throat.”

The point is made: New York City gets awfully hot this time of year. Far better to pour a nice summer soup down your throat instead, don’t you think? My tattered issue of Saveur from 1995 has got the goods. Grab the freshest vegetables you can find and do enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Soup
Adapted from Saveur
Ingredients
6 cups simple vegetable stock
1 large carrot, peeled, trimmed, and diced
1⁄4 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced, tops reserved for garnish
6 small red or white new potatoes, sliced
2 small yellow or green summer squash, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 small sprigs fresh parsley
4 small sprigs fresh chervil

Method
Step 1
Bring stock to a simmer in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, beans, fennel, potatoes, and squash, cover pot, and gently simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 2
To serve, ladle into individual bowls and garnish with reserved fennel tops, parsley, and chervil.

I Went to a Marvelous Party!

                                                Drawing by Pete

Not long after I moved to Manhattan in the early 90s, I discovered the city magic of having a backyard garden. A friend invited me to a dinner party and we were all led outside to eat, under a twinkling of summer lights.

It was a rich affair, both gastronomically and spiritually. Our host introduced us, or at least me, to fish quenelles (splendid little dumplings of a sort), before moving on to a cheese souffle, and finishing with a molten chocolate something or other.

My memory might be a bit vague on those points, but I do distinctly remember having French Breakfast radishes to nibble on over cocktails. These elegant pink-ish radishes were fanned out on a platter with their frilly green leaves still attached, and served with butter and salt to be spread and sprinkled. The fresh creamy salty crunch of it all still lingers as a delicious bite for summer and I often serve French Breakfast radishes this way to guests, or to myself, elbows bent over the kitchen counter.

You can do the simple thing here, using whatever butter or salt you have on hand, but for a proper spread on your radishes, I recommend using room temperature or slightly chilled European butter (from Normandy if you can find it) or the best available. Then just crush a pinch or two of Maldon salt crystals between your fingers and sprinkle on top. Discard the greens and repeat as necessary.

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

BOOK/A TABLE - Grapefruit Margaritas

Summertime is margaritatime!

The famous Midnight Margaritas scene in the movie Practical Magic is not from the book, but Alice Hoffman does at least reference salt in the pages...I love this quote and its advice, particularly the last part! 

“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

The lower-alcohol version of the grapefruit margarita here, courtesy of Martha Stewart, replaces orange liqueur with honey, resulting in the same sort of summer cooler that you’ll want to sip outside. And of course, the salted rim is optional. For a non-alcoholic version, check out Alamave, a blue agave “spirit” that is also a surprisingly good tequila alternative.

Click here for my margarita round-up featuring recipes served at various resorts in Puerto Rico! 

If there is a drink you prefer in summer over the margarita, I’d love to know about it! I hope you enjoy this recipe, and remember, “It’s midnight somewhere...”

Grapefruit Margaritas

Adapted from marthastewart.com
Ingredients
1 tablespoon clover or orange-blossom honey
1 tablespoon very hot water (from the tap)
2 ounces blanco tequila
1 strip peeled pink grapefruit rind plus 2 ounces fresh juice
¾ ounce fresh lime juice

Coarse salt, for rim

Directions
In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, stir honey with 1 tablespoon very hot water (from the tap) until dissolved. Fill shaker halfway with ice and top with tequila, grapefruit juice, and lime juice. Shake vigorously until outside of shaker is cold and frosty, about 10 seconds.

Roll rim of a glass, perhaps a tall and narrow Collins, with salt. Fill glass with crushed ice and strain. Stir with a swizzle stick or straw until glass turns frosty, about 10 seconds. Garnish with grapefruit rind; serve immediately.