Our Indoor Herb Garden

I was initially resistant to the idea of planting herbs indoors. There was the fear of the cat eating the herbs and getting sick, and also the fear of a roach invasion. In college, my houseplant wilted and sank into its pot, probably due to insufficient water and sunlight. But my husband, who does most of the watering anyway, was set on having a few herbs to turn to when the store was too far or the basil too expensive. He took a pot we had kept full of little flowers on our fire escape until the flowers died with the New York autumn weather. In it, he planted some basil, rosemary, and chives. Now we water every day, or whenever the basil starts to wilt. While the rosemary has only been used for rosemary roasted potatos and for a baked pasta, the basil has been used constantly, for every tomato based pasta sauce and occasionally for bruschetta or pizza. Unfortunately, the cat thought the chives were cat grass, and they are a flattened bunch of dry stalks. On the brighter side, she hasn't gotten sick.

More Fish Tacos

Since I love tacos and fish, here's another fish taco recipe. The last recipe was inspired by some tacos I had while on vacation in Maui. This recipe is inspired by the meat tacos I've had in Rosarito, Mx. I have substituted mahi-mahi for meat.

Ingredients
Corn Tortillas, 6
Frozen Mahi mahi, two fist-sized pieces, defrosted
Small Bunch of Cilantro
Tomato, ripe if possible
Small Onion
1 lime
Plenty of salt

Optional but highly suggested
Guacamole (simplest: 1 mashed avocado + juice of 1 lime + salt to taste)
Salsa--homemade or store bought, I like the Green Mountain brand

Chop the following: the tomato, the onion, and the cilantro. Arrange these items separately around a plate. Lightly salt the pile of tomato. Cut the lime lengthwise into 6 wedges and add to the place of condiments. Salt the mahi-mahi and cook in a lightly oiled pan (olive oil preferable but canola is also acceptable) until fish is flaky. Chop the fish into quarter-to-nickel sized flakes and lightly grill the tortillas over an open flame on both side until you see small black marks. Place a roughly equivalent amount of fish in each tortilla. Serve with salsa and guacamole. Each eater can place the condiments that they choose in their tacos.
Serves two people.

Lemons

Gazette reader Zander has suggested that I write about lemons. Here I go. Lemons are universally known for their sour flavor (except for the famed sweet Mayer lemons). They differ from limes in their appearance and flavor. Many varieties of lemons, including the ones my mother grows in her backyard, are fragrant. When used in moderation, they can accent the flavor of many a dish, from Zander's favorite pho to a stuffed grape leaf or dolma. Paradoxically, they can also be used to mask or tone down flavors such as the fishy flavor of seafood or the sweetness of a concoction that has had too much sugar added (the same can be done with a dish that has been over-salted.) Here are five suggested culinary uses for lemon:
1. Bake some potatoes in olive oil and toss with a squeeze of lemon and parsley.
2. Squeeze into rice and add some chopped cilantro for rice pilaf.
3. Add juice to soy sauce and marinate tofu in it for baking.
4. Grate and saute for the base of a pasta sauce.
5. Cut into slices and place into pitcher of ice water for a refreshing and low-sugar drink.

Webpage to muse over

When I can't decide what to eat and feel lazy (which occurs on a fairly regular basis), www.menupages.com is where I go for oodles of take-out and delivery menus. You probably know about this site already if you live in New York, but if you didn't, it has online menus for many Manhattan restaurants, plus reviews (where your IP address is recorded, to avoid multiple postings from one computer). Just make sure you disable your pop-up blocker.

Cheese Corner: A Cheese for Grating

While it lacks the complex flavor and grainy texture of true Parmesan Reggiano, Argentine Parmesan is a perfectly respectable substitute when used as a grating cheese for everyday pastas, salads and salads. Argentine Parmesan is $3.99/lb (in Gourmet Garage stores, Manhattan) and you get what you pay for. A recent taste test revealed to this writer that it is mild and insipid, but with a sharp enough edge to draw flavor and attention as a topping or as part of a sauce. When eaten alone, this cheese is almost rubbery, but is acceptable in texture when grated. Argentine Parmesan is not the cheese to display on a cheese board, but if you need some gratings for a Caesar salad, it will get the job done.

Zucchini days

Zucchini is what I eat when I feel lazy--so lazy that chewing on lettuce is too much of an effort, as is trying to figure out something to do with cabbage. This is what I've been doing lately: cutting the zucchini into slices, then boiling it until it is soft, and serving as a side dish for everything--rice and salmon, pasta with bolognese sauce, mashed potato and chicken sausage. Zucchini is becoming a perfect food for these last few days of summer, when the humidity lingers in the air, and you can't wait for fall.

The Glory of Summer Tomatoes

Today is Labor Day, which some consider to be a marker of the end of summer. School has started, the sun is setting earlier, and white pants are being stored for next year. However, the season lives on for tomatoes. Summer tomatoes are real tomatoes meant for eating. Those rock-hard, pale red, flavorless orbs in December supermarkets are only good if used for self-defense. On the other hand, carefully chosen tomatoes in the summer are aromatic, slightly acidic, juicy, and delicious on their own or lightly seasoned with salt and olive oil. The key is to choose a ripe tomato, meaning that it is squishy enough to give when squeezed but not so much as to liquefy, that it emits a pleasant odor, and that it is brightly colored, whether red for the conventional tomato, or maybe a vibrant yellow for an heirloom varietal. Never mind dirt, which can be washed off, or scars, which, to my knowledge, have no bearing on flavor. Just pick a good one, and enjoy a pleasure available for another month or two.

Cheese Corner: Cypress Grove Purple Haze

While I usually stay away from goat cheese due to its strong and distinctive flavor, my new favorite cheese is a soft goat cheese I picked up from Whole Foods Union Square on Sunday. Cypress Grove, makers of the delectable Humboldt Fog, makes Purple Haze. Lavender embedded in this mild and soft Californian cheese adds fragrance and tempers any "goaty" flavor. Enjoy Purple Haze with sourdough or oat crackers, or squeeze it onto some mixed greens and vinegrette for salad.

The library discovery

Late one afternoon this week, I sought shelter for the heat in the Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library. I also was looking for something entertaining to read. Browsing the new books revealed nothing of interest. Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten was checked out, and the history section was full of books as wide as my cat. I considered the options in the cooking section, which seemed to consist of Rocco Dispirito's "Flavor", a large section of diet and vegetarian cookbooks, and classics by Julia Child. While cookbooks certainly have their uses, my hope was to find a book of food essays. On a lower shelf lay a plastic covered book. I reached for it and found what I had come for.

"Beard on Food" is a compilation of some of James Beard's food essays. Beard uses clear, powerful language to declare his love for food. He praises cheese and lobster, charcuterie and picnics. While Beard is revered as an American gastronomic expert, he is no snob (except for perhaps, his scathing indictment of garlic salt.) He devotes essays to items such as hamburger and pancakes. While this book was published in 1975, it has a modern feel, with an essay written about ways to reduce calories, exploration of international foods such as mezze and carnitas, and an emphasis on fresh ingredients. Beard's collection is one of the better discoveries that I've made at the library, and I hope that you will discover it, too.

On the perfection of the ham sandwich

Some might write ham sandwiches off as mundane, but I find the ham sandwich perfect for a summer lunch. The ham sandwich is easy to make, cost-effective, portable and tasty. To make a ham sandwich worthy of lunch, it is necessary to choose ingredients carefully. First, the ham should be French ham or another ham of similar quality. I prefer the boiled or baked variety and don't care for smoked hams in this sandwich (though they are certainly useful in other culinary pursuits.) Next, the bread should be a French baguette with enough crunch to be interesting, but not so much as to become as hard as a brick over a day. Finally, I like to use salted butter or mayonnaise as a spread. The assembly is simple: slice the baguette in half, pile the ham on the bread, spread one half of the baguette with either butter or mayonnaise, sprinkle some freshly ground pepper on top of the ham, close the sandwich, and slice the baguette (I usually cut 3-inch pieces). For variation, one can add cornichon to a ham sandwich spread with butter. To make banh mi jambon, choose the ham sandwich with mayonnaise, and stuff it with cilantro, sliced jalapeno, and pickled carrots and daikon radish.