June 19, 2012

Minty Watermelon & Feta Salad

This blog has become a labor of love. Often when my culinary creativity is feeling a bit squelched, I remind myself that I created 4plates as a personal outlet. Sunday I woke up and it was Father’s Day. I woke up to an empty house. My husband left early that morning on a business trip and my daughter was with her dad. I lingered in bed with my beloved Sophie Bubbles, listening to all 22 pounds of her snore like a full-sized man and thought, what cooking inspiration can I share this week? I know for many of you out there with kids, a quiet day at home sounds like a dream. For me, I missed my dad who passed away long ago and I missed my family. Am I allowed to say I’m grateful for my Cavalier, or would I sound too much like one of those weird cat ladies? Sophie is my constant companion, always by my side. Sometimes under my feet, a little too close, offering too many licks, but just look at that face – her kisses are hard to refuse.

I was recently told by someone that they love my blog, but found it odd that I didn’t post a photo of myself or my name anywhere on the site. Good point! I never even noticed, but since I am the constant photog around here, I’ve now realized that photos of me are pretty scarce. Here’s a picture of me, Nancy Jacobson with Sophie Bubbles in Central Park, NYC. Given the context of this post, I thought it was àpropos that I post a picture of me with my furry friend. I will work on another photo of myself for the blog someday soon.

It’s summertime! Warm weather and sunshine. I think a refreshing recipe using watermelon is in order. If you’re in need of a fast salad to throw together for a picnic or BBQ, this is a must. You can pull this together in mere minutes and everyone will love you for it.

WATERMELON & FETA SALAD WITH FRESH MINT

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 mini-watermelon, cubed
  • 1 cup kalamata olives
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (use as much or as little as you like)
  • 1/2 cup loose packed fresh mint leaves, torn
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about one lemon)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Place the cubed watermelon, olives, feta and sliced onions in a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and honey. Pour over the watermelon, season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle in the torn mint leaves, give a final toss and serve immediately.

* I purchased one of those cute mini-watermelons for this salad. I only used half. I suspect that a 1/4 of a regular watermelon would yield the same amount. You can’t really mess up this salad.

Posted in EAT, Soups, Salads & Sandwiches | 2 Comments »

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June 12, 2012

Super-Fast Thermapen

I think I’ve found the answer to my biggest cooking challenge, knowing when meat is properly cooked. I know there are a number of methods out there, and some of you can tell when your steak or chicken is ready just by pressing on the center, but this has been my greatest culinary struggle. I like to cook meat to temperature, 130 degrees for medium-rare when cooking steak, and if I remove it at 125 degrees it will be perfectly cooked after it rests. Roasting a whole chicken can also be a challenge. Farm raised, organic chickens don’t come with that pop-up timer, so you definitely need an accurate reading using a thermometer. You will find a number of instant read thermometers on the market. I have been through a couple small dial display instant reads, but I swear they become less accurate over time. I thought buying one professional quality thermometer  might be the solution.

Before I start praising my fabulous new Thermapen I must warn you, it’s $89. I know that’s a lot of money and there are certainly meat thermometers out there for substantially less, but I have to say this is the best thermometer I have ever used. This Thermapen is fast. Rather than waiting for the dial to go up on my old instant read, while the oven is open and heating up my kitchen or my arm hair is catching on fire over the BBQ… the Thermapen is truly instant.

I discovered this thermometer reading an article on Serious Eats. They have a great guide to grilling steaks and Tip#10 is Use a Thermometer! To quote: “Yes, you may look a bit less macho when you whip out a nifty Thermapen Splash-Proof Instant Read Thermometer from your back pocket, swing out the slender probe and insert it gently into the very center of your steak to register a reading, but believe me: perfectly cooked meat will earn you more praise and appreciation than macho posturing any day of the week.” And there began my search for a Thermapen. I was only able to find it on Amazon. It comes in a few colors. I chose pink, thinking I would always be able to find it in my cluttered gadget draw.

I was going to list some additional tips on grilling, like remembering that the meat’s temperature will continue to rise even after you take it off the grill or that you should always let it rest before cutting into it, but the article above from Serious Eats is fantastic. Have a look if you’re interested in some guidance to cooking the perfect steak. I recognize that you might think I’m nuts for investing in my Thermapen, but I would urge you to find a meat thermometer you are comfortable with. I think it’s certainly the best method to cooking meat perfectly, and we have a whole season of delicious grilling ahead of us.

Happy Summer!

Posted in HOT STUFF | 2 Comments »

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