Be like a squirrel (or preserving summer's bounty)

Recipes: Roasted seasoned tomatoes, Sweet corn, Stir-fried corn with chilis and ginger

Sweet summer is coming to an end, and the fruits and vegetables of this bountiful season are at their luscious peak. How can we prolong the bliss? Ah, the freshness of a ripe tomato or a tender ear of sweet corn can't be held forever, but the taste of summer . . . that's another story. Here are a couple of easy ways to preserve and enhance the loveliness, foodwise, of our most delicious time of year!

Roasted Seasoned Tomatoes

Maybe you grew tomatoes this year and are now overwhelmed with piles of them. Such a luxurious dilemma! Or maybe you have a farmers market nearby and can get your hands on bags of wonderful heirloom tomatoes, or bushels of Romas. Here's a way you can preserve them for the winter, and, in January when you haven't seen a decent fresh tomato for months, pull out a bag of deliciousness from the freezer to make a quick pasta sauce or to enhance a braise or a pot of minestrone.

Romas are the go-to tomato for roasting, but I've found any medium-to-large tomato, like heirlooms, beefsteaks, and Early Girls, will roast well too.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Core any tomatoes that aren't Romas and slice all tomatoes in half lengthwise. Lay them out in one layer on a parchment-lined baking pan with sides.

Peel the skin off several cloves of garlic and strew them whole over the tomatoes.

Sprinkle all with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Tear several leaves of basil over the tomatoes. If you have fresh oregano, strew oregano leaves over. You could also sprinkle with a half teaspoon of dried oregano as an alternative.

Drizzle freely with good olive oil.

Roast for 2 hours at 300 degrees. When they are done, let them cool and then put it all, including garlic, herbs, and any oil still in the pan, in a freezer baggy for freezing. Repeat until all tomatoes are used - you can also roast two pans in the oven at the same time.

Notice a few tomatoes missing in this photo of roasted tomatoes? These are drop-dead delicious right out of the oven and it's hard to stop anyone who walks by from grabbing one. Or two. I've served them right out of the oven as hors d'oeuvres. . . mmmmm.

Sweet Corn

If you've found a good source of sweet corn, buy a whole box of it. I inherited a box of corn from someone's party - they overbought and I was the lucky recipient of all that sweetness. How much corn can you eat before it goes all starchy?

FIRST, here's the best way I've found to cook sweet corn. Assuming one ear per person, and you're cooking for two. Strip the husk off both ears down to the last leaves of husk. Leave those on for now.

Microwave both ears on High for 3 minutes each, turning twice. That means you put both ears in the microwave and set the timer for two minutes. Then you turn each ear one-third of the way around and cook for two more minutes. Then you turn each ear one-third of the way around again, and cook for the final two minutes. Strip the remaining husk and the silk off the ears (use a towel or hot pads, because the ears will be hot!!!), and enjoy with butter and salt. We also love smoked salt on corn, or a little sprinkle of cayenne.

NEXT, here's a good way to preserve the rest of those ears of corn.

Cut all the corn off all the cobs. The easiest way I've found is to strip off the husks and silk. Then stand the ear up on end on a cutting board or a piece of waxed paper, and cut down the length of the ear with a sharp chef's knife. Be sure not to cut too deep - all you want are the tender kernels.

Do this all the way around the ear, and then put the kernels in a gallon freezer baggy. Cut the kernels off each ear this way and add them to the baggy. When you are finished, or the baggy is full, label it with the date and put it in the freezer. Piece of cake (or corn, in this case).

Frozen corn is, of course, very easy to use. Just boil it briefly and serve with butter. Or put it into soup. Or, stir-fry it with chilis and ginger in the following recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Stir-Fried Corn with Chilis and Ginger

Stir-fry the kernels in a hot frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a tablespoon of peeled and chopped ginger, a teaspoon of chopped garlic, a teaspoon of chopped chilis (like jalapeno), a handful of chopped parsley and a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce. Done in 3 to 4 minutes.

Jamie's corn is delicious with chicken, pork, or even tacos. And you can enjoy it in the middle of December using your frozen summer bounty. Yum!

World's Best roast chicken (or how to be famous)

Recipes: Alice's roast chicken, Sweet corn, Greek salad

Roast chicken is something everybody thinks they know how to make. Easiest thing in the world. Why is it then that roast chicken tends to be
. . .not cooked enough
. . .dry, especially the breast
. . .tasteless
. . .boring?

Well, roasting a chicken is not quite as straightforward as just turning on the oven and putting a chicken in for an hour, although it's almost that easy.  I'd love to be able to say I invented this truly never-fail roasting method myself, but no. It comes right out of Alice Waters' book The Art of Simple Food, with a minor tweak in the cooking time that's the only part that belongs to me. Here's how you do it.

Alice's Roast Chicken

If possible, have a whole chicken thawed and patted dry the day before you plan to roast it. Be sure to remove the giblets and neck from inside the chicken. Freeze them for another use, or discard them as you wish.

Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken all over, including the back and legs. Also salt the cavities of the chicken. You'll want to use about 2 tablespoons of sea salt in total, and as much freshly ground black pepper as your taste dictates. Put the chicken in a dish or bowl, cover it with cling film, and  refrigerator it overnight.

If it's not possible to do this the day before, any time you can leave the chicken to "marinate" in salt and pepper will be beneficial, whether it's an hour or several hours. If it's more than two hours, refrigerate it until an hour before cooking time.

On the day you plan to roast and serve it, take the seasoned chicken out of the refrigerator an hour before you roast it, so it can come to room temperature. This allows for more even cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

I usually stuff the main cavity of the chicken with a big handful of fresh herbs - rosemary, perhaps, or some sage leaves and fronds of oregano. You could also stuff it with separated and unpeeled garlic cloves, which you can squeeze out over the chicken when it's done. Or you can stuff it with halves of lemons or limes, or a combination. Or you can decide not to stuff it at all. It will still be delicious.

I'd caution you not to stuff the chicken with a regular bread-based stuffing. It's too dense and would keep the chicken from cooking evenly. Save this kind of stuffing for large birds like turkeys that are cooked for a longer time, or, even better, bake bread-based stuffing in a separate baking dish next to the bird you're roasting.

Put the seasoned and stuffed chicken, breast side up, in a baking dish with sides that fits the chicken pretty closely. When the oven reaches 400 degrees, put it in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and turn it with tongs or forks so the back side of the chicken is up. Remember to be cautious as the pan will be very hot. Put it back in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.

When the next 25 minutes are up, take the chicken out of the oven and once again turn it so the breast side is up. Put it back in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.

After the last 25 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest in the pan or on a cutting board for 15 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute themselves and the bird to finish cooking.

You're done, and your beautiful succulent roast chicken is ready to carve.

I like to serve roast chicken with traditional accompaniments. Since it's summer, sweet corn and a salad using the season's fresh tomatoes and cucumbers will be perfect, and will add color and beauty to your table.

Sweet Corn

I'm not a huge fan of cooking in the microwave. That said, this is the best way to cook sweet corn that I know of. Strip the husk off 2 large ears of sweet corn down to the last leaves next to the corn itself. Pull out some of the silk that hangs out of the husk.

Lay both ears together in the microwave and cook on High for 2 minutes. Turn the ears a third of the way around and cook them on High for another 2 minutes. Repeat this one more time for a total of 6 minutes (3 minutes per ear).

Pull the rest of the husk off the corn using hot pads, and clean off as much of the silk as possible. Serve with butter and sea salt. If you can get smoked sea salt, that's even better!

If you don't have a microwave or don't want to use it, here's an alternative. Strip all the husk and silk off 2 ears of corn. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, and put the corn in. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, add 1/2 cup milk, and cover the pot. Let it stand for 5 or 10 minutes. Serve with butter and sea salt.

Greek Salad

Cut out the stem from 1 ripe tomato and cut it into wedges. Season it with sea salt.

Peel 1 medium cucumber and slice it thickly. Cut in half lengthwise first if it is very fat.

Thinly slice 1/2 small red or yellow onion.

Arrange these attractively on a plate and sprinkle 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese over them. Add a few olives, if you wish - Greeks would probably use black olives, but I've found any kind I have is good.

Make a vinaigrette: Mix together 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano, and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Note: If you use dried oregano instead of fresh, use only 1/2 teaspoon.

Just before serving, sprinkle a little salt over the vegetables you have arranged on the plate and then spoon the vinaigrette over all. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Buon appetito!