Celebrating the Holiday Early with a Raspberries and Cream Pie

My red-white-and-blue icebox pie recipe appears in  Newsday today, just in time for the holiday.

New Crops Inspire Simple Dinner

I guess the warm winter has resulted in an early crop of zucchini at Quail Hill. I can't remember another summer when I was able to pick squash and shelling peas on the same day! Something else I don't remember, but I sure did appreciate yesterday--being able to dig fresh and juicy garlic bulbs directly from the ground. It's been awhile (at least a week) since I made a pizza, so I wanted to use my haul in a topping. I brushed my dough with lots of the chopped young garlic and some olive oil. Then I sauteed the zucchini with some butter and stirred in my preserved lemon. Serving the zucchini on the side, and spooning some of it onto the slices as I ate them, there was no danger that it would make my crispy flatbread soggy. Here is the zucchini recipe:

Sauteed Zucchini with Preserved Lemon and Mint
Serves 4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 cups zucchini cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
Salt
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemons
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh mint

Heat butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add shallot and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add zucchini, salt, and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini releases most of its water and begins to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in preserved lemon and mint and serve.

New Spoons for My Kitchen?

These vintage spoon illustrations now gracing the window at Ruby Beets would look so great in my kitchen...

On my way to the Orient ferry this morning, I saw a sign for local chocolate-covered strawberries at The Candyman, so I stopped and bought three for my trip. I realized what a mistake I had made when they were gone. I should have bought more! So on my way home this afternoon I stopped again.

Lunch Options for Sag Teens Abound

To the Grilled Chicken, Mozzarella, and Caramelized Onion Focaccia Sandwich at Espresso and the Nachos Grande at Cilantro's, add two hot dogs for $7 at Cavaniola's to the weekend lunch options for Village teenagers of all ages. One local 13-year-old highly recommends the kimchi dog in particular.

Summer Saturday in Sag Harbor

I've been traveling and working for the past two weeks, so I've been away from Sag Harbor and my blog. I spent Memorial Day in Ohio. They do things differently outside of Columbus! Memorial Day is an actual holiday. The town where I stayed was completely emptied out. No people in sight. Like a set from The Walking Dead. Which could never be shot in the Hamptons--it's way too crowded here.

So this was the first real summer weekend I've enjoyed at home, and I tried to pack it all in yesterday: I picked my first vegetables at Quail Hill, I bought a loaf of Blue Duck sunflower bread at the farmer's market, I went to a party at Channing Daughters, and I had an ice cream cone at Bay Burger. I brought home the new issue of Edible East End to enjoy before going to sleep.

Tonight, I put my just-picked spinach into a big bowl, added some Israeli couscous, and dressed the combination with green garlic, olive oil, ras el hanout (a spice blend that includes cumin, ginger, cardamom, and pepper--feel free to improvise if you don't have it on hand), and some of my preserved lemon (you can use a teaspoon of lemon zest plus a tablespoon of juice instead). Here is the recipe:

Spinach and Couscous with Green Garlic Dressing
Serves 4

Salt
1 cup Israeli couscous
8 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup  extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped green garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon peel
1 teaspoon ras el hanout
Ground black pepper.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the couscous and cook until tender.
2. While couscous is cooking, place spinach in a large bowl. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lemon, ras el hanout, salt, and pepper to taste.
3. Drain couscous and add to bowl with spinach. Pour dressing over spinach and toss to coat.