Oysters Are Our Muse Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters have become our summer muse!

We fell in love with Oysters Rockefeller at the Matunuck Oyster Bar while on vacation.

And how could we not! Aside from the terrific fresh seafood, look at this place!

A deck overlooking the oyster farm. Inside there's a cozy room with a view. Windows are wide open, welcoming a warm salty breeze.

Fresh oysters are shucked before our eyes.

And brought to our table in all their briny goodness.

Baked to perfection in a dreamy sauce. And they're tasty raw too.

Sustainable and local farm friendly.

 Now, that's a rustic oyster.

On our third visit, I had to ask for the recipe. I didn't think the chef would give away his secret recipe but was happy to have the basic ingredients. I made Oysters Rockefeller with similar ingredients before in a French cooking class at Johnson & Wales so I was pretty sure we could figure it out.

Our Great Oyster Adventure
Before attempting the recipe at home, my daughter and I decided to go on an oyster-tasting adventure. We drove to Boston and tried the oysters at the Neptune Oyster Bar on the North End then at the historic Union Oyster House.

No Oysters Rockefeller at Neptune so we enjoyed raw oysters.

Salem Street on the North End of Boston

After enjoying oysters and the charming French bistro interior, and some other delicious appetizers, we were off to the Union Oyster House nearby where we did find Oysters Rockefeller. They were good but we agreed Matunuck was the winner.

It's a great old colonial building and nicely decorated to period.
Charming, but lighting was not suitable for photographing
with an iPhone!

Our Oysters Rockefeller
With the adventure behind us, it was now time to make these delicacies ourselves. Armed with the list of ingredients from the chef at Matunuck Oyster Bar, we shopped then cooked. We were lucky to find Matunuck oysters at Whole Foods in Providence. We carefully thought out the proportions and method.

And we did it! Delicious!

Here's how:
Blend two strips of cooked bacon (we used low sodium) with 1 cup of round crackers (we used Late July Classic Rich) and 1 teaspoon softened butter (unsalted).

Just put a bunch of crackers in a cup, no need to be precise, and process the crackers, bacon, and butter until they are blended into fluffy fine crumbs. Set aside.

Wash and coarsely chop 1 cup of spinach (we used baby spinach just because we like it and wanted the leftovers for a salad. Regular spinach would be fine).

Mince a small shallot and measure out 1/2 teaspoon and save the rest for another meal.

Saute the minced shallot and spinach in 1 teaspoon of butter. When spinach is soft and tender, add a splash of Pernod, about 1/2 teaspoon, then 1/2 cup heavy cream. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper (we just added pepper) to taste.

Shuck the oysters, or ask your strong husband to do it. Be careful to leave the liquid or liquor -- it's precious, very precious.

Spread the oysters on a baking sheet without spilling a drop of their precious liquor and top with the cream mixture. Sprinkle a little of the bacon cracker crumbs on top.

Broil on low for about 4 minutes or until the oysters are cooked and the tops are lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Oysters Rockefeller Recipe
Inspired by the chef at Matunuck Oyster Bar.
I received ingredients but not proportions. Since I'm not a chef or a recipe developer there'll be some leftovers. Just play and have fun. Make changes that suit your taste.


Crumb Topping
Makes a lot more than what's needed. Cut recipe in half if you want or use leftovers on fish another night or make more Oysters Rockefeller!
2 strips cooked bacon
1 cup buttered round crackers
1 teaspoon softened butter

Blend together in a food processor until fine and crumbly.

Cream Mixture
1/2 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon minced shallot
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup coarsely chopped spinach
Splash or about 1/4 teaspoon Pernod
Salt and pepper to taste

12-16 medium or large oysters (we made 12 medium, but had enough cream mixture for about 16)

Shuck oysters, being careful to leave the oyster liquor, and lay them out on a baking sheet. Over medium high heat in a saute pan, melt butter and saute shallots and spinach a few minutes until tender. Add a splash or 1/4 teaspoon Pernod then the cream. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Season to taste.

With a teaspoon, top each oyster with cream mixture then sprinkle with crumb topping. Heat under a low broil until oysters are cooked and top is lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Watch them because every stove is different - this is how it worked with my stove.

* * *

"As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea

 and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, 

leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, 

and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell 

and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, 

I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans." 

~ Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

This quote is also on Neptune Oyster Bar's website.

Hearts of Palm Salad and My Conscience

What are hearts of palm anyway? I never see anything in cooking magazines or my cookbooks about them. Well, maybe I just haven't noticed. My curiosity got the best of me and I finally bought a can the other day. This salad seemed the simplest way to taste and present them to my family. But writing about them was not so simple.

While writing this post I researched hearts of palm and got upset when I read that harvesting them is bad for the environment. When harvested, the palm tree dies (i.e., unsustainable) and demand has led to poaching and deforestation of the rainforest in South America. (Hmmm, is this why I never see recipes with them?) After further research, I learned they are now mostly harvested from agricultural farms and usually from the peach palm  (which doesn't die because it has multiple shoots to harvest from) or other domesticated species. However, the World Rainforest Movement claims (April 2000) the growing cultivation of Palmetto palms to be a threat to Equador's biodiversity. Hawaii is now home to a large sustainable farm using the peach palm.  

I have to admit that unless I am positive the hearts of palm I'm buying are sustainable, I'll probably avoid them. I could drive myself crazy wondering where my food comes from, but I think it's important to be aware. I bought my hearts of palm from Whole Foods and I hope they are buying from companies who are buying from sustainable farms. 

Historical Tidbit

Hearts of palm in Florida were originally called swamp cabbage because it was a staple of the poor then changed to millionaires' salad when it became a popular delicacy among chefs.  Harvesting is now restricted, http://www.soupsong.com/fheartso.html.  

Hearts of Palm and Black Olive Salad

1 can hearts of palm, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbs white wine vinegar

1 tbs chopped fresh parsley

          

1 can black olives, or other favorite olive

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 ts dried Italian spices

Romaine lettuce, rinsed and trimmed

Pepper to taste

The key is to not over season their delicate flavor.  

Slice hearts of palm into discs, marinate with extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, parsley, I omitted salt because they were already salty, add pepper to taste and refrigerate at least 1 hour, can marinate overnight (not slicing too thin and being gentle so as to not dislodge or mush the delicate meat in the middle):

Roughly chop black olives (or, if you like, substitute green olives).  I used canned black olives instead of calamata or other olive because I wanted to keep sodium levels low.  Santa Barbara Olives have lower sodium than most.  Drizzle with oil olive, about one tablespoon, season with Italian spices, about 1 teaspoon.  Refrigerate also (separate from hearts of palm).

When the rest of your meal is ready, put all ingredients together, drizzle remaining dressing over lettuce  and enjoy with your family. 

Nutritional information:  very good source of fiber, vitamin C, folate, calcium and other minerals, and a good source of protein, riboflavin and potassium.  

Source:

My inspiration for this salad came from, http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/hearts-of-palm-salad/Detail.aspx

• 3 (14.25 oz) cans hearts of palm, drained and sliced
• 2 (7 oz) packages dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
• 1/2 cup white wine or champagne vinegar
• 6 tbs water
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 8 oz jar green olives, sliced
• 1 6 oz can sliced black olives
• 2 tbs bacon bits

1. Whisk dressing mix, vinegar, and water together until well blended. Whisk in olive oil. Add hearts of palm and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
2. Before serving, sprinkle the salad with green and black olives and bacon bits.

Vegetarian Chili With Mango

In my mind, twenty inches of snow go hand-in-hand with a warm bowl of chili, especially since we are skiers in New England.  Just about every time we ski, chili is our go-to snack.

I made a vegetarian chili because I'm trying to reduce our beef consumption. Plus, we had meatballs this week, although with ground beef from sustainable farms, and we'll have pot roast this weekend.  And when I think of how much ground beef those ski resort kitchens serve in their chili, I feel pretty good about my decision.

I started with beautiful fresh produce.

The mango, below, is photographed separatey because it was an afterthought. When I started snacking on it, I thought it would be good in the chili!  (If you haven't cut a mango, watch this link for easy instructions:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvLdPjpELyU)

Three-Pepper Chili with Mango and Black Beans:

1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 mango
1 medium sized onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
1 28 oz can low sodium organic diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of cayenne
2 15 oz. cans no salt black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
Salt to taste

Roughly chop peppers and mango, dice onion and mince garlic.  Saute peppers and onion in a medium size dutch oven or stock pot on medium heat with olive oil until tender, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and saute about 1 minute being careful not to burn.  Add mango, green chiles, diced tomatoes (I used Bionature which has a lot of puree), vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin and cayenne.  Cover and simmer about 30 minutes.  Add black beans and simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes.  Add cilantro or parsley, mix and serve.  Add salt if needed.

I gave the peppers a rough chop because they were so beautiful I wanted to be able to see and taste them rather than let their colors and flavors be overwhelmed by the stew.  After the peppers, onion, and garlic were tender, I added the mango and look at those gorgeous colors!

I admit I really couldn't taste the mango.  Maybe it should be added with the beans (after the vegetables cook for 30 minutes) but I think it gave the stew a little sweetness.  A nice addition, though, and provides extra nutrients, and if your kids won't eat a mango this is a good way to sneak it in their diet (my kids didn't even notice).

Fresh chopped parsley and an organic blue corn chip for me:

 And freshly grated organic cheddar cheese for the kids.

Sour cream would also be delicious on top.

Nutrition Information:

Black beans are antioxidant superstars, rich in cholesterol-lowering fiber and provide folate and manganese for heart health.  Tomato puree provides that great antioxidant, lycopene, essential to fighting free-radicals and maintaining healthy bones.  Peppers are high in vitamin A and C, have powerful antioxidants, and red pepper provides more lycopene.  Mangoes are a "super fruit" with antioxidants, fiber, many vitamins and minerals, and an excellent source of potassium for heart health.