Try it with cucumbers; fruit with a secret

                      I got my culinary thrill seeking from my mom, who read up on foods from other lands way before the Internet made it a daily hobby.

                      I was not into tabouli when she first introduced it. This Lebanese salad fashioned from bulgur wheat seemed grainy, and the parsley was too sharp. Decades later it seems like a healthy taste of adventure.

                      Still, tabouli was maybe something we crossed every three years or so. Mom just heard of adding cucumbers to it, but it sounded like a natural to me. I suggested, perhaps not too subtly, that she make a batch for us and try it out.

                      The plan and the recipe worked, and she served up a refreshing salad with bits of cheese and drizzles of olive oil. To go with that were rounds of sweet potato that melted in one’s mouth, but also came with a crunchy topping.

                      Mom is in her 80s and I thank her for still for taking culinary adventures.

                 

                             Do your peaches have a secret?

                      In “Fruit,” Nancie McDermott” takes a serious look at fruit as we Southerners do, sharing recipes for pies, preserves and pickles.                

                      I learned about cantaloupe pickles and actually made and enjoyed watermelon rind pickles. It was easy. Hauling the big old melon home was the hardest part.       The author writes  that she was “brand new” to mayhaws as she set out to write this book, but was now ready to have a gathering-from-a-boat adventure. We’re all about the jelly, but try it in Mayhaw Jelly-Glazed Shrimp with Zucchini or in meatballs served with potatoes or egg noodles.

                      I was amused that mayhaws were new to her, but what do I know of scuppernong grapes? The drunken chicken recipe flavored with these fruits sounds appealing.

                      One pie in the book looks like a custard, but has a surprise layer of peaches. Rather than the traditional title of hypocrite pie, McDermott prefers to call it peaches with a secret.

                      Here’s one from the book:

                      Sherri Brooks Vinton’s Cantaloupe Pickles

                      1 cantaloupe, to yield 4 cups of 1-inch chunks

                      2 cups apple cider vinegar

                      1 cup sugar

                      2 tablespoons peeled and grated or very finely chopped fresh ginger

                      2 cinnamon sticks, broken into halves

                      1 bay leaf, torn in half

                      3 whole cloves

                      Wash the cantaloupe well, and then peel it, removing all the rind and seeds. Cut it into 1-inch chunks - you want about 4 cups. In a large non-reactive saucepan, combine all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and stir in the cantaloupe chunks. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.

                      Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook gently, simmering for 1 hour. The fruit will be come translucent. Transfer the pickles and their cooking liquid to a bowl to cool to room temperature. Then scoop the pickles into jars and add enough cooking liquid to cover them. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com