The Art of Eating In - Cathy Erway [133]
(MAKES 4-6 SIDE SERVINGS)
1 pound dry black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
4 tablespoons butter
1 large or 2 small red onions, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
About 2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 tablespoon chives, chopped (optional)
Drain the peas and return to a pot with enough water to cover about 2 inches above the top. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook about 40 minutes, or until beans are tender and liquid has almost all reduced to the surface level of the beans (add more water if liquid drops below). Drain.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the black-eyed peas and cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown slightly on their surfaces, about 2 minutes. Transfer peas to a bowl and return pan to the heat. Reduce to medium-low and add the onions and a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and slightly caramelized, 4-5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook another minute or two, stirring occasionally. Toss in the com and another 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Return the peas to the pan. Toss with salt and pepper to taste. Add chives with the last toss and serve.
Grilled Peaches with Spiced Goat Cheese and Caramelized Shallots
This was the vegetarian option at the same barbecue, which all the vegetarians in attendance seemed to love. I’ve given this recipe a couple of extra touches, like the lemon zest, but any way you spice the goat cheese, it’s really a hands-down crowd pleaser.
(MAKES 8 GRILLED PEACH HALVES)
2 tablespoons butter
15-20 shallots, thinly sliced
8 ounces goat cheese
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Oil for the grill
4 ripe peaches, halved and cored
Heat a saute pan with the butter over low heat. Add the shallots and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes, until caramelized. Reduce heat if edges are beginning to crisp, or add more butter if pan becomes dry. Remove from heat and let cool. In a mixing bowl, whisk the goat cheese with the cumin, coriander, and lemon zest.
Preheat a grill over a high flame. (Alternately, heat a cast-iron griddle with grill marks.) Add vegetable oil to the grill to prevent sticking. Place peaches cut side down on the grill and cook about 5-8 minutes, or until just charred and lightly softened. Transfer to a platter. Stuff the middle of each peach half with a scoop of the goat cheese and top with a pinch of the caramelized shallots.
CHAPTER 14
The End of an Era
“Cath,” my mother squawked through the telephone receiver. “I’m coming into the city today. Going to meet with Jo-Jo for lunch, maybe see a movie.”
“Okay,” I said. I was sitting at my desk at work, tweaking the last sentence of copy that I’d just written for a flatware collection. I hit SAVE.
“I’m meeting him at twelve thirty outside Macy,” she said, referring to Macy’s Herald Square store, just a few blocks south of my office building. “Then we’re going to that Korea street for lunch. You know.”
I did know. Koreatown, or K-town, as it was often called, was a stretch of Korean restaurants, clothing shops, hair salons, karaoke clubs, and other businesses that took up a block of Thirty-second Street. In my eating-out days in New York City, I loved going to restaurants there for a bowl of spicy noodle soup, sizzling Korean barbecue, and all those little trays of cold appetizers that came to your table as soon as you were seated.
“That’s nice,” I said.
“You wanna come? Just for the lunch?” my mom asked.
“What? No,” I retorted. What was she thinking? I thought. Only during visits to New Jersey, across state lines, did I allow myself to go to restaurants with my family. Okay, so there were a small handful of occurrences when I’d broken my streak and eaten in a New York restaurant, notably when I was hired at my new job and when I left my old job, and my current and former bosses took me out for lunches.