No need to reach for a jar of Asian plum sauce now that the stone fruits are in season. These juicy slices cook down quickly to a jammy sauce that’s much more tangy and refreshing. Smothered on tender chunks of chicken, with a splash of soy sauce, it’s savory and satisfying, too. I’m now convinced that the old sweet-and-sour stir-fry routine must have been prompted by fresh plums.
We’ve gotten our first whiff of fall in New York City this week. This morning, I actually put on socks. But now that summer is beginning to fade (and soon, too, will my flip-flop foot tan), it’s officially okay to start thinking about baking, specifically pies. There is so much good fruit around.
If you find yourself oddly annexed between two seasons (spring and summer) with ingredients (shell peas and red plums) by way of travel (to upstate New York and back to NYC), then this is what you might make. Especially if you’ve just discovered an ingredient from Italy called fregula, small granules of toasted semolina pasta that tastes a bit like burnt crumbs.
Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful. Hate me because my sandwich is. Then make one yourself, because it’s that easy, and go off and spread envy wherever you eat. This is not eating out in New York, summer 2008-style. Live it.
There is always a good way to use up leftover bread in Tuscany and that, of course, I applaud. Or should I say aspire to. I toast to that good food conscience. Whatever. The point is: panzanella. It sounds like the sweet baby girl name that you would never choose for fear she would take it as permission to wear skin-tight tube skirts and ride on the backs of motorcycles with guys named Marco whenever she’d tell you she was … Read More