Yard Sale Season

My neighbor who owns The American Hotel had another one of his epic yard sales, so I walked across the street to see what he was selling. I resisted many tempting items, including some amazing vintage sheet music, a silver covered platter large enough to hold a turkey, a typewriter that would look neat in my office, and collections of champagne stoppers, coasters, and corkscrews from the Hotel. But I did come home with two dozen souvenir 2000 glasses, which I guess means that in ten years I'll be the one snapping up Will & Kate tankards and dessert plates.

Tonight's Dinner: Couscous with Carrots

I picked up a new cookbook, Spice, at Bookhampton yesterday. Although I haven't had a chance to cook from it yet, I was inspired by Ana Sortun's formula for the Moroccan Ras el Hannout to spice up my carrots from Bette and Dale's with cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and paprika before adding them to some whole wheat couscous I bought at Provisions this morning. Little lamb meatballs covered with sesame seeds and a local spinach salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil rounded out our dinner.

Couscous with Carrots
Serves 4 as a side dish

1 cup whole wheat couscous
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch saffron threads (optional)
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Place the couscous in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the carrots, scallions, olive oil, and salt and cook, covered, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden around the edges, another 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and saffron if using and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes. Stir in the water, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover, remove from the heat, and let stand 12 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the couscous, fluff with a fork, and season with salt.

Easter Oysters

It is great to have a friend who is a member of the Sag Harbor Oyster Club! Yesterday we celebrated the holiday and the beautiful Spring weather with some of the oysters he has been raising right off of his dock.

Last Night's Dinner: Flatbreads with Za'atar

In Cambridge a few nights ago, we enjoyed a half-dozen wonderfully spiced Middle Eastern dishes at Oleana. As soon as I got home, I hustled over to Bookhampton and ordered a copy of chef/owner Ana Sortun's book, Spice. But I couldn't wait for its arrival to enjoy some of the spices that have been sitting, neglected, in my pantry. So last night I baked some flatbreads sprinkled with za'atar (a mixture of salt, sumac, sesame seeds, and thyme) to go along with our grilled lamb chops and roasted carrots. Here is the recipe, adapted from Simply Great Breads:

Flatbreads with Za'atar
Makes 6 small flatbreads

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons room temperature water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons za'atar

1. Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and stir with a rubber spatula a few times until a rough dough forms. Knead the dough on medium speed until it is smooth and supple, about 7 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
2. One hour before you want to bake your breads, take the bowl out of the refrigerator and turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop. Use a bench scraper or sharp chef's knife to divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a round, sprinkle lightly with flour, and drape with plastic wrap. Let stand 1 hour.
3. Place a baking stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baker's peel or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper. Press the dough pieces into 4-inch circles. Place them on the parchment-lined peel. Press yoru fingertips into the dough rounds to create little dimples. Brush each round liberally with the olive oil and sprinkle with the za'atar.
4. Slice the dough, still on the parchment, onto teh hot baking stone and bake until risen and lightly browned, about 7 minutes (do not overbake, or the breads will dry out. Slide the breads, still on the parchment, onto a wire rack to cool slightly and serve warm.

Is It Just Me?

I've just returned from a short trip to Boston, the highlight of which was a visit to the Institute of Contemporary Art. Is it just me, or have the museum's designers referenced the IGA in their logo? As I strolled through the galleries, I became convinced that this was no coincidence. More evidence of the ICA's barely concealed promotion of grocery shopping: An exhibit of Gabriel Kuri's work, including these giant renderings of his store receipts, made to his specifications by master weavers in Guadalajara.

An Inspirational Film

Yesterday afternoon I took one of my children, the camera buff, to see Bill Cunningham New York at the Sag Harbor Cinema. Bill Cunningham has made an art out of looking around, recording the beautiful things that he sees, and organizing his photos into little narratives about life in the city. Like most people in the audience, I left the theater eager to look at Main Street with new eyes. Since I had my own brand-new camera in my bag, I took a photo of the people waiting for the next show. Their puffy wind-resistant jackets suddenly seemed interesting!

Sag Harbor Seat Cushions

Have you seen the colorful mattress ticking at the Variety Store? Although I made a laptop sleeve from some yellow and red ticking awhile ago, I don't have the skills to re-cover seat cushions. So I took the fabric and the cushions to Nancy in Noyac, and she worked her magic, for a very good price.