River quilt, step one

First, make a model. I fuss over small glued-fabric models to see colors & feel my way. This is a river to me.

Fig recipes

The fig tree is full of green fruit, & one day soon all will ripen. The fruit turns gold, honeyed & dripping in a single day. Last year I was out of town & the birds feasted. This year I'm ready with recipes. I've only made the jam, & it is gorgeous.

Fig Jam

from On Rue Tatin by Susan Herrmann Loomis, p. 159

4 1/2 pounds figs, trimmed (She cuts them into eighths, & I used to, but it's not necessary.)

1 1/2 pounds sugar

1/2 C. bottled water

2 lemons, ends trimmed, cut lengthwise in quarters & then very thin triangles, seeds removed

Place figs, sugar, water & lemons in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir so ingredients are well-combined, & bring to boil over medium heat. When the mixture is boiling cook it until the juices thicken slightly, about 25 min. The mixture will still seem thin,but with thicken as jam cools. Remove from heat & seal or refrigerate.

The last time I made this (2 years ago) I cooked it in the microwave, using these ingredients but following the directions here. It went faster.

Fig Souffle

from The New Orleans Cookbook by Rima & Richard Colin, p. 229

3 T. salted butter

1/4 C. flour

1 C. milk, scalded

4 large eggs, separated, plus 1 large egg white

1 C. mashed ripe figs

1/2 t. =. salt

1/4 t. white pepper

1/ 1/2 T. kirsch

1 1/2 T brandy

1/4 t. nutmeg

10x sugar

Melt the butter over low heat. Stir in flour, slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook a minute, stirring. Remove from heat & add scalded milk. Stir. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, until thickened Remove pan from heat.

In large bowl beat the sugar with the egg yolks. Fold the butter-flour mixture into that, then add mashed figs & all remaining ingredients except egg whites. Beat egg whites, then fold into mixture.

Butter 1n 8-cup soufflé dish & dust evenly with 10x sugar. Pour soufflé mixture into dish & bake at 350° for 35-45 min. Check at 35 & bake 5-10 min. longer, if necessary. It's done when it has risen 1 1/2 inches above rim of dish & top is brown & cracked in a few places. A cake tester in center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Fig Conserve

from one of my old Lee Bailey cookbooks

1 lemon

1 pint small ripe figs, trimmed

1 C. sugar

1/4 C chopped pecans

Cut the lemon into sections & remove seeds. Chop coarsely in food processor or chopper. Put the figs & lemon in a saucepan, add the sugar, & boil until thick. Stir in pecans & cool. Seal or refrigerate. Makes about 1 1/2 pints.

Fresh Fig & Walnut Tart

from Classic Cuisine of Provence by Diane Holuigue, p. 126

This is so you & I know where to find it.

Lentils

Lentils are essential ... basic, beautiful & flexible. I lose my recipes, can't remember which one is where. So here are five lentil dishes where I can find them. (Be sure to sort your lentils. I have found tiny stones.)

We had this last night:

Lentils with smoked paprika

Heat 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet.

Add:

1 onion, chopped fine

1 medium carrot, chopped fine

2 crushed garlic cloves

Cook until tender, 5-8 minutes. Stir to keep from burning.

Add:

1 C lentils

2 t. smoked paprika

Salt & pepper to taste (I use a little less than a teaspoon of salt.)

Mix, then add:

2 1/2 C. water

Boil, then cover & simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Don't cook too long or the lentils lose shape.

That's it. Serve with chopped chives. I sautéed two sliced Italian sausages & mixed that in at the last minute. We had sherry vinegar, olive oil & goat cheese on the table too.

Curried lentil soup

Fry in olive oil until soft:

4 to 6 onions, chopped

2 to 4 green peppers, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Add:

1 t. turmeric

1 t. cumin

1 t. coriander

1 t. chili powder

1/4 t. cloves

1 t. fresh ginger, grated, or 1/2 t. dry ginger

1 t. salt, or to taste

Cook, stirring, for a minute or two.

Mix in 2 to 3 cups cooked lentils and a quart of canned tomatoes. Cook at least a half-hour, until the flavors blend the way you like it.

Serve with lemon juice and chopped cilantro. (Clark loathes cilantro, so we serve it way to the side.)

Megadarra

I got this from p. 275 of A Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden. Mine is deliciously tattered.

Cook lentils until tender.

Fry finely chopped onions in oil until soft & golden.

Add to lentils & season with salt & pepper.

Add 1 C. rice & 2 C. water (or less if there is lentil liquid.) Season again and simmer about 20 minutes, until rice is soft. Fry more onions -- sliced into half moons this time -- until they are dark brown, almost caramelized. Serve the rice and lentils on a large shallow dish, garnished with fried onions. Serve hot or cold, with yogurt.

Goat Cheese & Lentil Salad (from The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook)

2 C. French lentils (Clark & I went to France, where we bought the tiny green ones in LePuy, the mountain town famous for lentils -- and I don't see much difference, if any. I use plain brown lentils. 

1 t. salt

10-12 sprigs Italian parsley

6 to 8 cloves garlic

12 to 15 sprigs basil

1 carrot

1 red onion

1 celery rib

1 to 1 1/2 C. virgin olive oil

8 ounces goat cheese

1/2 C. snipped chives

1/3 to 1/2 C. strong red wine vinegar

ground black pepper

salt

Pick over lentils, rinse, and barely cover with water in a saucepan. Add 1 t. salt. Make bouquet garni by ting 6 to 8 sprgs parsley, some of the basil, & 3 or 4 cloves of unpeeled garlic, slightly crushed, in cheesecloth. Add to lentils and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer 10 minutes.

Dice the carrot, celery, and onion. Add to lentils. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until lentils are barely done. If necessary add hot water, 1/4 C. at a time, to keep lentils from sticking.

Discard bouquet garni. Toss lentils with 1/3 C. olive oil.

Crumble cheese into a bowl & add the remaining parsley, minced, & garlic cloves, peeled. Add lentils. Add 1/2 C. olive oil, 1/3 C. vinegar, & pepper. Toss & add salt to taste. Refrigerate at least two hours (I often don't). Just before serving add more vinegar, oil, salt, &/or pepper, if you like. Serve with tomatoes & garnish with basil. (I usually stir in lots of toasted walnut halves.)

Lentil soup with or without ham

Pick over  1 bag lentils (about 3 cups) and rinse. Put them in a big pot with a good ham bone and one large onion, studded with six whole cloves. Chop another onion and sauté it with a couple cloves of garlic. Add to lentils. Add a large can chicken broth, and about 4 cups of water, 2 carrots and whatever else seems right -- celery, peeled & chopped potatoes, bay leaf. Bring to boil, then simmer. Taste. Salt if necessary. Cook on the back burner until you like it, between a half-hour and four hours. At the end you can add chorizo and/or greens, like chard, escarole, or spinach. You can also purée some of it (I love my immersion blender for this). It is also fine without the ham bone.

Ricotta cheesecake, ricotta-spinach dumplings

I made the best, really the best cheesecake for Easter. Not all agree. It's from the New York Times archives. Try it!

Then with the rest of the ricotta I am making these, one of a collection of recipes from Venice; I'm sorry I've lost the book.

Ricotta dumplings 

*Here's a great guide to plain ricotta gnocchi: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/03/ricotta-gnocchi-homemade-food-lab-recipe.html
2 pounds spinach
1 pound ricotta, drained
2 C. grated Parmesan cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1 t. salt

pepper to taste

¼ t. grated nutmeg

flour

butter

• Wash spinach well. Drain it. Cook in a deep saucepan with no water. When cooked, drain again BE sure to drain it very well! Squeeze the spinach with your hands to extract as much liquid as possible. Chop fine. You can also use 2 packages chopped frozen spinach.
• Mix with ricotta, 1 C Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg. Add 1/2 to 2/3 C. flour so dough sticks together.
• When all ingredients are well combined, shape into about 5 logs, each about 12"=13" long.Cut into gnocchi the size you like. Dust with semolina flour and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet that is covered with parchment. Dust again lightly with semolina flour. You can now freeze them and after they are frozen, transfer to a ziplock bag. Then you can cook them directly from the freezer.
  
  Drop gnocchi into boiling water, stirring gently at first so they don't stick to the bottom. Then cook them until they rise to the top and let them cook for at least a minute after they float up. Make sure the insides are fully cooked!
  
  
• Remove with a slotted spoon and drain them. Put them into a shallow buttered ovenware dish.
• Pour on melted butter and grated Parmesan.
• Keep them in a slow oven (300°?) until all the dumplings have been cooked. Continue to add melted butter and Parmesan as you add dumplings to the dish.
• Broil to brown, or serve straight from the oven. They are excellent with chicken in tomato sauce, or anything in tomato sauce. Or just tomatoes.

9. Serves 6 to 8.