Parsnip Pops, Salad

Researching a story for Zester on root vegetable cakes, I came across this British wartime photo, of children eating carrot "pops." Since I had some leftover parsnips from the cake I baked this morning, I thought I'd offer parsnip pops to the children as an after-school snack. Let's just say that they were not persuaded to become raw foodists today. I had more luck when I roasted the parsnips and mixed them with chickpeas and the amazing goat feta from Cavaniola's. Here is the recipe:


Chickpeas with Roasted Parsnips
Serves 4

5 parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise if very thick, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
Two 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon lime juice or more to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the parsnips, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, paprika, cayenne pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread them on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until soft, 20 to 30 minute.
2. Combine the chickpeas, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, parsley, feta cheese, and lime juice in a large bowl. Add the warm parsnips and salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Valentine's Day Treats

My chocolate recipes are up at Newsday.com: Chocolate-Coconut Fondue, Mocha-Almond Fudge, Mini Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies, White Chocolate Cherry Bark, and Easy Truffles. Thanks again to Doug Young for the pretty pictures.

If You Caught a Cold After Saturday's Frosty Plunge...

The Express published this great photo of Saturday's HarborFrost highlight, the Frosty Plunge. I hope no one caught a cold. But if you have the sniffles, check out this link from my friend Gayle.

IGA Item of the Week

Last week, some of us had sore throats. So I made a big pot of chicken soup, along with matzoh balls. You know what they say about chicken soup--it's Jewish penecillin. I am not surprised that everyone is healthy now. I still have a couple of quarts of broth in the refrigerator, so this afternoon I bought a package of these delicate imported tortellini at the IGA and served some Italian-style soup for dinner tonight. Here's the recipe:

Tortellini in Brodo
Serves 4

8 cups chicken broth (here's my recipe)
One 6-ounce bag baby spinach, washed
Salt
One 8-ounce package Bertagni Ricotta and Parmigiano Reggiano Tortellini
Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Bring the broth to a simmer in a large pot. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt. Turn the heat to low, cover, and keep warm.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the tortellini until tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls. Use a slotted spoon to transfer some tortellini into each bowl. Use a vegetable peeler to grate some cheese curls on top of each portion if desired. Serve immediately.

Music Man, Musical Cupcakes Both Sell Out

The Middle Schoolers played to an appreciative (and packed) house last night. Audience members showed their appreciation for Cathy Capozzola's baking skills by snapping up every last one of her musical note-decorated cupcakes. Not to worry. Fresh batches will be delivered to the concession stand before every show.

Welcome Back, Old Friends

A little over a month ago, for no reason at all, Sag Harbor Days subscribers with an optonline e-mail address stopped getting my e-mail alerts. I did try to figure out how to fix this problem, but about two minutes in I realized it was beyond me. So I just sort of hoped that the problem would disappear, and yesterday it did. Suddenly, everyone was getting my e-mails again, for no reason at all. Welcome back! And hope to see you at Pierson tonight through Sunday for The Music Man, and off of Main Street this Saturday for HarborFrost, where I'm sure I'll be taking a break from the ice sculpting spectacle to admire this big, beautiful whale-printed whatever-it-is (a sarong? a small table cloth? I want one!) in the window of Matta.

Ice Storm Produces Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Polenta Bread

After my 5:30 wake-up call from the Sag Harbor School District, letting me know that Pierson classes wouldn't begin until 9:25, I had plenty of time to make pancakes for the children before getting to work on this quick bread with cornmeal, peppers, and provolone for lunch.

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Pancakes
Serves 4 to 6

You can serve these with maple syrup, but they're also good with strawberry or cherry preserves.

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cups milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the sour cream, milk, egg, and butter in a large measuring cup. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to moisten. Stir in the chocolate chips. Don't worry about a few lumps--it's more important not to overmix the batter.
2. Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Turn the heat down to medium. Spoon the batter into the pan (I use a 1/4-cup measure) and cook until the tops of the pancakes begin to bubble and the bottoms are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until their golden on the other side, another 2 minutes. Serve immediately.