the 4th of july: denver's park hill parade, blackberry gin fizz and watermelon salad

My summers, from birth till the age of 10, were spent in Upstate New York at our family's country home. My parents had a little Swiss-style cottage in a forest community of about 40 families, a few miles outside of Livingston Manor in a hamlet town in the Catskill Mountains. There was a crystal-clear lake with docks and rowboats, and over the course of several summers I learned to fish. I also became mildly obsessed with amphibians and even started a "salamander rescue farm"—whereby I removed local salamanders from their natural habitat and provided them with the shelter they needed by putting them in a shoebox in our backyard. (Don't worry, they all escaped my captivity.)

Most days would end with a barbeque dinner, topped off with chocolate milkshakes or egg creams (a NY specialty that contains neither eggs nor cream). It was bucolic, peaceful and picture-perfect Americana. Very Norman Rockwell. Very simple. And that’s what made it so special.

I always think about that house and our summers Upstate around this time of year. The annual 4^th of July fireworks show was legendary and we couldn’t wait for America’s birthday to roll around.

After I became a mother I began to consider tradition more intensely. I wanted to find things that we could predictably do year in and year out. I started thinking about ways to build memories with the hope that one day, when my boys are my age, they will look back upon those summer nights and holidays with the same fondness as I do. I wanted to find something that had a simple small-town feel (even though we live in the city of Denver) and we found it at the annual Park Hill July 4th Parade.

In addition to the parade, we’ve also adopted the tradition of watching fireworks downtown…on a great big blanket, under the stars, surrounded by friends and those gorgeous Rocky Mountains.

Happy Holidays!

There’s no better way to celebrate the Continental Congress's adoption of the Declaration of Independence than by imbibing on a seasonal blackberry gin fizz cocktail. I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit and it totally hit the spot. My only regret is that I didn't make more. I used market blackberries, pureed them in sugar, strained the seeds away, added fresh lime juice and some gin. My only adaptation to the BA recipe was the addition of a big splash of lemonade. 

Blackberry Gin-Fizz (Adapted slightly from Bon Appetit, July, 2012)

Makes 8, or 4 for my friends!

Ingredients


1 6–ounce container blackberries


1/2 cup sugar


2 cups gin


1 cup fresh lime juice


Club soda


8 sprigs Thai basil or sweet basil

Lemonade (good quality store bought or homemade)


Preparation
Purée blackberries and sugar in a blender. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Strain purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher (there will be about 3/4 cup); discard seeds in sieve. Stir gin and lime juice into pitcher.
Divide drink among ice-filled glasses; top with soda. Add a big splash of lemonade. Garnish each with a basil sprig.

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This light, flavorful, seasonal salad is perfect for a summer picnic or a 4th of July BBQ. For a different twist you can add a splash of orange juice, some julienned mint, a tiny bit of minced shallot and a drop of honey. Agave syrup is also a nice addition.

Here's the recipe I went with...

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Arugula (Adapted from GiadaDeLaurentiis)


1 (2 pound) piece watermelon, rind removed and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes


1 (4-ounce) block feta cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes


1 packed cup arugula (the original recipe uses watercress)


1 lemon, zested and juiced


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Preparation
In a salad bowl, combine the watermelon, feta cheese, arugula, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently toss. Serve immediately and enjoy.

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Al Di La's Casunsiei (Beet Ravioli with Butter and Poppy Seeds)

I'm fairly certain that I've made my love of beets and poppy seeds known to anyone who will listen. But this recipe takes the cake-- as beets and poppy seeds are used (together!) in this Italian dish called Casunsiei.
I first had Casunsiei (beet and ricotta ravioli with butter sauce and poppy seeds) at Al di La, a pretty amazing (and very popular) restaurant in Brooklyn. The lines were often out-the-door-around-the-corner long, but I didn't care. I lived only a few doors down so I could leave my cell phone number, head back home, start cocktailing and mosey back to the restaurant when I was called. It was pretty terrific if you ask me.
Now I live about 1,800 miles from Brooklyn so if I find myself craving something from home, it falls on me to make it. And that's just what I did with these little jewels.
Last week I bought my body-weight in beets at the farmers market. I sliced them super-thin, carpaccio style, and turned a few into a single portion of borscht. Having a handful of beets left, I thought this would be the perfect meal-- and it would ensure that none my beets would go to waste. I've been working really hard at using all of the perishable produce in my fridge and not letting anything spoil-- even if that means I have to use a particular ingredient a few days in a row. I've tried to convey this no-waste message to Otis who, at almost 3, can probably wrap his head around it. We try not to waste water. We try not to waste electricity. And we work very hard not to waste any food. If we put it on our plate, we eat it. At least that's the theory. We are working on the implementation. 

All this got me thinking about 'bal tashchit'- a really nice Jewish concept that addresses waste. (Don't feel like you have to try and pronounce that one!) The prohibition against waste has its origins in wartime-- when it was common practice for armies to slash and burn orchards, trees and the fields of their enemies in an effort to intimidate them. That was considered a big no-no even when soldiers were fighting. In the modern vernacular the term bal tashchit is usually associated with not wasting food, water, natural resources, etc., and it's the bedrock of the modern-day environmental movement. 
The principle is definitely on my mind when I menu plan. I have to confess that it was sometimes a bit difficult for me to use all of the produce I got when I was in a CSA (I was getting what seemed like a hundred kohlrabi bulbs and/or garlic scapes at a time), but this year I've gotten a pretty good handle on it...but it's always a work in progress.
Okay, where was I? Right. Beet Ravioli.

Time is precious during the day so I roasted the beets the night before. I washed the beets, put them on some tin foil, drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled them with a big pinch of salt and black pepper. Then I closed the foil and put them in the oven.
The roasting, which is completely hands-off time, took about 1 hour and 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Roast the beets until till they are fork-tender. I let the beets cool a bit before adding the remainder of the filling ingredients. Then I put the mixture in the fridge overnight.

Making the pasta dough was really simple. You make a well in the flour, mix the ingredients in by hand, and dust the dough ball with more flour. There is a 30 minute "rest" period, so factor that into your cooking plans. Other than that, rolling the pasta took me under 10 minutes, filling the ravioli was another 5-10 minutes, and I boiled them for 4 minutes. It's not super time consuming, but it does take a bit more time than say, a microwave TV dinner. But I think you'll agree, it's well worth it! Enjoy.

Casunsiei: Beet and Ricotta Ravioli
(Courtesy of Serious Eats, from Al di La, Brooklyn.)
(Approximate) Yield: 2-3 main course servings, 4 first-course/ appetizer portions. 
These are not huge portions, so definitely prepare a first course (summer salad) too.
Ingredients
For the filling:
2 large beets, roasted and peeled (I used 4 medium sized beets)
Bread crumbs, if necessary
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup thick whole milk ricotta, such as Calabro brand
5 ounces (1 1/4 sticks) melted butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Parmigiano Reggiano
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
For the pasta:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
5 egg yolks and 1 whole egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of Kosher salt.
Preparation
Prepare the filling up to one day in advance: process beets pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. If the beets are seeping water, add a small amount of bread crumbs to soak up the liquid. Stir in eggs, ricotta, and 1/4 cup of the melted butter. Season (liberally) with salt and pepper.
In a wide shallow bowl, or directly on a flat work surface, create a well in the middle of the flour. Add the other ingredients into the well. Using your fingers, blend the wet ingredients and incorporate the flour by gradually working in the sides of the well.
When the dough comes together to form a solid mass, knead it for a few minutes on a well-floured surface. When it is smooth and firm, wrap it in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Dust a pasta roller and countertop with flour. Begin rolling out the dough, gradually setting the roller thinner and thinner until the dough very thin and uniform. (I started on setting #1 and ended on setting #6.)
Fill and seal the pasta with egg wash. Cut the pasta out into desired shapes. Cook in boiling water for about 4 minutes. Gently transfer cooked pasta onto a serving dish. Drizzle melted butter, grated cheese, and poppy seeds over the pasta and serve immediately. You can also dollop some fresh ricotta on top!

Bowls made by Wobbly Plates, by Brigitte Bouquet. I bought mine locally at Hazel & Dewey.

Market Bounty: Beet Carpaccio and Ginger-Lime Carrots

It's pretty much a given that I will spend at least one day on the weekend at a farmers market. The produce really can't be beat and there's also really tasty treats to be eaten. 

Last weekend my husband was in town (he travels back and forth between NYC and Denver until we figure out our next move, but one which will hopefully keep us near the Rocky Mountains). We decided to go to the big and always-crowded farmers market at Cherry Creek. It's a lot easier to keep track of the boys when there are 4 hands on deck.

There was tons of seasonal produce. I snagged a huge bunch of carrots and three kinds of beets (golden, red and chioggia) and while I didn't have a scale with me, I would approximate that I was shlepping about 15 pounds of produce around with me the rest of the day. Good bounty, indeed!

I also ate some fantastic pupusas. I had green chili & cheese, but there were tons of options including pinto and black bean & corn. They reminded me a lot of the ones I used to eat at the Brooklyn Flea...but without the hour-plus wait. Mine was topped with curtido (a fermented slaw) and a tomato-based sauced, plus a big dollop of avocado. Perfect.

We met up with some friends and hung around the market for about an hour. Then we ventured over to the 47th annual Greek Festival. More food, some dancing and lots of "Opa!" But that's a story for another post....

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I use beets in soup (Lithuanian Borscht) and I've made my fair share of beet salads: Beets with Blood Oranges, Arugula and Macadamia Nuts, Beet and Apple Salad (with horseradish and pistachios), and Roasted Beets With Chiles, Ginger, Yogurt and Indian Spices. I try not to be too repetitive in my recipe selection, but I felt an intense desire to make another beet salad using the gorgeous vegetables I had just picked up at the market. I mean sometimes it's just hard to beat...beets. (Sorry, that was a bad one.) This time though I was making a salad without greens, and the beets were thinly sliced-- just like beef carpaccio, but with beets! The salad has goat cheese crumbles, but you can omit them if you are vegan or otherwise averse to dairy. I made a few modifications: I added the shallots to the vinaigrette in order to cut their bite a bit and I also made the salad with and without chives. I'm not convinced the chives added much. In contrast, the mint popped and it was an absolutely essential element to the dressing. 

I made a note below (see Preparation) about the time it took me to roast the beets. I also drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper on top before putting them in the oven.

I think this is a super elegant presentation of beets with goat cheese. It's delicious too. 

Beet Carpaccio with Goat Cheese and Mint Vinaigrette (Courtesy of Bon Appetit, via Epicurious)

Ingredients

12 2-inch beets, trimmed

1 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese (about 5 ounces)

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup walnut oil or olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

(Preparation follows)

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place beets on sheet (if using both light- and dark-colored beets, place them on separate sheets to prevent discoloration). Sprinkle beets lightly with water. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until beets are tender when pierced with fork, about 40 minutes. (Note: after 40 minutes on 350 degrees, my beets were not even close to being done. I turned the temperature up to 425 and kept them in for another 35 minutes. That did the trick.) Cool on sheet. Peel beets. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Place in resealable plastic bag; chill.)

Using cheese slicer or knife, slice beets very thinly. Slightly overlap slices on 6 plates, dividing equally. Sprinkle with cheese, then shallot, salt, and pepper. Whisk vinegar, mint, oil, and sugar in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over beets. Sprinkle with chives.

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Ginger-Lime Baby Carrots (Courtesy of Richard Blais for Food & Wine Magazine) 

{I'm re-posting this recipe, which I made last year. It's a simple baby carrot recipe. The carrots are so sweet--this is really the time to be making them.}  

Serves 4

Ingredients

24 baby carrots, tops trimmed to 2 inches
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup chicken stock (I used vegetable)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Sriracha
Salt
1 tablespoon furikake (see Note)

Directions

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the carrots until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain the carrots.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the carrots, ginger and cinnamon and cook over moderate heat, tossing occasionally, until the ginger is fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and boil over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool for 30 seconds.  Swirl in the butter, lime juice and Sriracha and season with salt.  Arrange the carrots on a platter and spoon the ginger-lime sauce on top.  (Sprinkle with the furikake and serve.)

Note: Furikake is available at Asian markets and many specialty food stores.  It is a mixture of dried and ground fish, sesame seeds and chopped seaweed.  I added a a few sesame seeds instead of making a pilgrimage to a Japanese market.