Home Again Blues? Cook 'Em Away!
Post-vacation dives into jam, cobbler and salad--and a trip to the Hollywood Bowl
The hardest part about vacations is that they end. You can almost hear the thud as you land back in familiar surroundings—as if you’ve just returned from visiting a distant planet in a rocket ship instead of zooming along a few thousand miles of highways and byways in a rented Hyundai Sonata. (ICYMI, please check out my Postcards from the Road series #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5.)
My cure for the post-vacation blues—or any blues for that matter—is to get busy in the kitchen. Usually I choose a project that demands all my attention, like jam-making, sourdough bread, or a recipe I’ve never attempted before with multiple steps or one I have made before that I want to tweak. Once engaged in the task, it’s like slipping into a kind of comfortable cocoon of cooking: weigh and measure, pour and stir, taste and sprinkle, taste again. Often I listen to a podcast or audiobook—sometimes I have to press rewind because my attention wanders and I lose track of the characters, the story—or my recipe if I’m too engaged in the book!
I do “read” a fair number of books that way—some just great escapist fiction, like Louise Penny’s excellent Chief Inspector Armand Ganache mysteries, while others are more weighty. I doubt I would have attempted to read the 721-page hardback edition of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, but it wasn’t too difficult to get through the audio version while embarked on a series of food projects (and cleaning up after them!).
It’s a fascinating and masterful portrait of the man considered to be the father of the atomic bomb, but so disturbing that I wonder if I’ll have the stomach to see Oppenheimer, the recently released film based on it. But it was comforting to be spooning hot jam (I made batches of both nectarine and apricot) into jars as I listened to troubling words about the scientific genius who was ostracized for publicizing the dangers of the atomic weapons that he helped create:
“Oppenheimer’s warnings were ignored—and ultimately, he was silenced. Like that rebellious Greek god Prometheus—who stole fire from Zeus and bestowed it upon humankind, Oppenheimer gave us atomic fire. But then, when he tried to control it, when he sought to make us aware of its terrible dangers, the powers-that-be, like Zeus, rose up in anger to punish him.”
Some of the most engaging food projects lately have been sparked by summer gatherings. The berry cobbler in the lead photo above began with an invitation to the house of avid photographers Evelyn and John Schmitt, who live in a beachfront home with a glorious view that they delight in capturing with their cameras and sharing with friends. Here’s a terrific shot Evelyn took under the pier in Manhattan Beach, CA.
As I write this, the rain is falling and the sky is growing darker. We’re under an unprecedented storm watch warning for a tropical storm bearing down on Southern California. The last such event was in September 1939! Many locals have been focused on a popular annual volleyball tournament taking place at the beach this weekend, with one eye on the sky.
We visited the tournament Saturday, but afterwards we bought a lot of bottled water and filled sandbags to protect against unexpected flooding. It’s sobering to think that climate change is a likely contributor to the conditions that led both to the apocalyptic fire in Lahaina and the tropical storm we’re expecting.
But meanwhile, we try to distract ourselves with happier pursuits—like food and music. (Is that callous or just human?)
Picnicking at the Hollywood Bowl
For many people, summer in Los Angeles means a trip to the century-old Hollywood Bowl to listen to open-air classical, jazz or popular music concerts and picnic under the stars. The musical offerings are astounding, from a stunning young cellist Sterling Elliott performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (the performance we saw), to an all-Tchaikovsky concert with fireworks the next night, which we sadly missed, to the LA Phil in a live performance of composer John Williams’ score as the sixth installment of the epic, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, unfolds on giant screens. Here’s some fireworks from last year:
We celebrated a friend’s birthday at the Bowl last week and shared multiple salads and salmon—capped off with a very pretty pink Barbie cake. The birthday girl, Patricia K. Rose, is a trained chef, food blogger, teacher (and accomplished sailor!). Her friends are Bowl veterans who enjoy multiple concerts (and dinners) each summer—they work out an assembly line to deliver full plates of food, with everyone contributing to the mix of dishes. We’re not Bowl regulars and new to this routine, but, knowing I was dealing with pros, I thought I’d better up my game.
What should you bring to the Bowl?
I googled it and found lots of choices in an LA Times article entitled “How to Pack the Perfect Hollywood Bowl Picnic at Home," with 23 recipes. The one that grabbed my attention was the Carrot Salad With Lemon Turmeric Vinaigrette. The headnotes described it as a “Moroccan-style salad that’s “a delightful blend of color, texture and flavor. It gets its earthiness from turmeric and cumin, its tang from fresh lemon juice, its soft chewiness from bulger and garbanzo beans and its vivid color and crunch from carrots and cabbage.”
Of course, I made it—and it was all that. Here’s the recipe, with notes on my tweaks.
Carrot Salad With Lemon Turmeric Vinaigrette
(serves 4 to 6, but more if it’s part of a picnic smorgasbord)
1 pound long thin carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
½ cup bulgur (I used farro, which I happened to have on hand, but, in addition to bulgar, quinoa, couscous, barley or cracked wheat would be other good options)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
¼ cup lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds , toasted (I used ground cumin)
2 cups chopped red cabbage
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed1
⅓ cup chopped Italian parsley, from about 1 bunch
2 green onions, sliced
Lemon wedges, for serving
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Directions
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rapid boil, then stir in the carrots and bulgur and remove from heat. Set aside until the carrots and bulgur are just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well, and set aside to cool slightly. (Note: I cooked the carrots and farro separately and ahead of time. I parboiled the carrots until just al dente but not soft.)
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, turmeric, garlic, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste. Add the carrot mixture, cabbage, garbanzo beans, parsley and green onions and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired before serving. Serve the salad with additional lemon wedges and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top. (Note: I added a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, black pepper and paprika to the dressing. I think sumac would make a great addition too.)
The salad can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator, covered, up to 2 days ahead of time.
With Labor Day just two weeks away, picnics and barbecues are still top of mind, so this salad will likely be on my menu once again!
What’s your favorite food to take to a picnic? I’d love to hear.
Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you’re staying safe and dry.
Ruth
I subbed dried beans, soaked then cooked, from Rancho Gordo—my favorite brand, also excellent in hummus! Canned beans are excellent, but if you have time, dried garbanzos are especially good in salads.
Love those cobblers.
This is definitely my kind of salad. I’m adding it to the list before the weather fully changes here in Baltimore!