Phoebe's Kitchen

Disaster and Candlelight

Those of us who live in New England have always been so happy that all we have to put up was snow which could be shoveled and pushed around. We didn't have to worry about severe hurricanes and tornadoes.  That all ended on June 1, 29, 2011.  I had spent the day in Boston and as I was headed home, I received a call that told me the Commonwealth was under a tornado watch.  I got off the turnpike in Palmer and had planned to do some shopping, but one look at the sky made me change my mind. I called a friend and asked where the storms were, she checked the internet and indicated they were just crossing the New York state border.  I turned my car around and headed home.  I watched the area tv stations and they were all talking about a storm cell in the Northampton-Amherst area.  Nobody mentioned any other areas.  All of a sudden I noticed a green dot in the Westfield area that was growing quickly.  Within a few minutes, the weatherman said touchdown in Westfield (and he wasn't discussing football).  I watch the sky darken and all of a sudden I heard a sound like a wall of hail approaching.  I headed to the basement and by the time I got to the foot of the stairs, it was over.  I looked out my windows and everything looked normal, not a leaf out-of-place.  Pretty soon I noticed cars turning around and my neighbor flying into my driveway saying I had to come see what had happened to the lake we live one.  I could not believe my eyes - all the trees on both sides of the middle of the lake were gone.  I went back home and started walking down the street - about 200 feet away I could see the beginning of the devastation. Prior to the day, our street could have been certified as a canopy road, but not anymore.  Within minutes the police were going house-to-house to make sure nobody was injured.  Thankfully, there were none.  They then suggested we return to our houses as the warnings were still on.  I then spent an hour or so in my neighbor's basement.  We then decided it was time to eat.  Since there was no power and had no idea when we would get it back, we had to get some items out of the freezer. 

My neighbor's eldest son, Peter, is quite the cook and had already brined chicken to grill that night. So to the table we added lobster and a salad. A few Coleman lanterns were added for lighting and tea candles for ambience.

Lemon Grilled Chicken

5 lemons, halved

12 bay leaves

1 bunch (4-ounces) flat-leaf parsley

1 bunch (1-ounces) fresh thyme

1/2 cup clover honey

1 head garlic, halved

1/4 cup freshly ground black peppercorns

2 cups (10-ounces) kosher salt

2 gallons water

2 roasting chickens, cut-up

1.  Combine all ingredients in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for1 minute,  stirring to dissolve the salt.  Remove from the heat  and cool completely,  then chill before using.  The brine can be refrigerated for up to three days.

2.  Place cut-up chicken into brine and let sit for for 12 hours, stirring several times.  Remove chicken, rinse and dry.

3.  Heat grill. Rub chicken pieces with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Place chicken on grill and grill, turning once. Serve immediatley.

We enjoyed this delicious chicken with a wonderful salad and grilled kale that was seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Recipe adapted from Thomas Keller.                                                            

 

 

 

 

It’s Is Cranberry Harvest Time!

This past weekend I participated in CLASH – A Celebration of Land and Sea Harvest at the Cape.  On Friday, the Riverway Lobster House in S. Yarmouth hosted me at a booksigning.  It was very gracious of the Siscoe family.  The lobster and crab chowder make by Chef Tim McDonough was absolutely delicious.   

 

At the signing I met Craig Williams, a cranberry grower from the area.  He was quizzing me about my knowledge of cranberry since I had written a book about the ubiquitous little red berry.  Fortunately, I passed the test.  He invited me and my guests to visit his bogs after the signing.  When we finished we headed north and following the directions Craig gave us we were able to locate the bogs without any problem. 

 

The bogs had a bit of color in them and when asked what it was, I learned that poison ivy and cranberries have a symbiotic relationship.  He indicated that the workers grow an immunity to the poison and Craig indicated that one can apply a block to prevent the oil from touching the skin. 

 

Craig jumped into one of the bogs and picked a  ariety of cranberries to show us the different coloration in the berries.  I learned that 90% of the different was wet harvested and are used for juice, sauces, jams, etc.  That means that 10% are sold as fresh berries.

Growers have had a difficult time over the past few years financially due not only to the economy, but also due to increased imports of berries from other countries.  In 2009, $299 million dollars worth of berries entered the USA with $132 million coming from Chili, $115 million from Canada and $46 million from Argentina.  It is essential that the cranberry industry be preserved here in Massachusetts, so make sure you buy bags that say Massachusetts.  A law passed about a year ago says that fruit and vegetables imported must show where they are coming from. 

 

We thanked Craig for taking his valuable time to give us the tour.  I only wish I had the time to return for the actual harvest.  From we headed to Barnstable Harbor and the Mattakeese Wharf restaurant.  The meal was delicious and the view sensational.  If it had not been overcast, the sunset would have been spectacular.

 

On Saturday, we headed to Chatham for another signing at Where The Sidewalk Ends bookstore.  For a Saturday, it was a little quiet.  When we left we headed to the lighthouse and that is where we found everyone.  It was a beautiful day and everyone headed to the beach.  I showed my company the break through in Pleasant Bay and then did a tour of Orleans before we headed home.  Before leaving, we stopped at the Deli in Sandwich to pick up sandwiches and went out to the Canal to eat.  It was warm but a bit breezy.  This was my sister-in-laws first trip to the Cape and she is looking forward to exploring it some more.  She and my brother live in Dallas, so it was a nice change. 

 

Below is a delicious recipe for Cranberry-Apple Turkey Salad from my cookbook, a taste of cranberries and some tales too.

 

¼ cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

2½ cups boneless, skinless turkey breast, diced

½  cup dried cranberries

1 medium celery rib, chopped

¼ cup red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

2 medium apples, sliced

 

1. In a medium bowl, stir together yogurt and

mayonnaise.

2. Stir in turkey and remaining ingredients, except

apples.

3. Place lettuce on individual salad plates; using ice

cream scoop put one scoop of turkey on top of

lettuce.

4. Garnish with sliced apples.

 

Serves 4