Ingredients

For tomatoes:

• 6 scallions, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts and both finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (3 to 4 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For fritters:

• 2/3 cup corn (cut from 2 ears)
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

For arugula:

• 2 1/2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb arugula, coarse stems discarded (8 cups)

Preparation

Prepare tomatoes:

Cook white and pale green scallions in oil in a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in scallion greens. Transfer to a bowl and cool to warm.

Make fritters while tomatoes cool:

Cook corn in a small saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then rinse under cold water and pat dry.

Whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar in a bowl. Whisk together milk and egg in another bowl, then add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Stir in corn.

Heat oil in cleaned skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 4, spoon 1 heaping tablespoon batter per fritter into skillet and fry, turning over once, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes total. Transfer with a spatula to paper towels to drain.

Prepare arugula:

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Add arugula and toss to coat.

Divide arugula, fritters, and tomatoes among 8 small plates.

Gourmet, August 2003

Ingredients

• 2 tbs olive oil (approximately)
• 4 large cloves peeled garlic, whole
• ½ loaf French bread, thinly sliced
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 liter chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
• 2 eggs

Preparation

Brown the garlic whole in the olive oil in a large pot, then remove the garlic and chop it finely. Brown the bread in the same oil that the garlic was cooked in. Chop the bread into small (crouton-sized) pieces and add the garlic and bread back into the pot and add the broth, then bring to a simmering boil. Beat the eggs and drizzle in.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Fresh mushrooms
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 7 tbs butter
• 6 tbs flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt to taste
• White pepper
• Tabasco sauce
• 2 tbs sherry (optional)

Preparation

Wash the mushrooms and cut off the stems. Slice six caps and save for garnish. Discard any dried ends from stems. Grind or chop the remaining caps and stems very fine. Simmer, covered in the broth with the onion thirty minutes.

Sauté the saved caps in one tablespoon of butter.

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir with a wire whisk until blended. Meanwhile bring the milk to a boil and add all at once to the butter-flour mixture, stirring vigorously until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Add the cream.

Combine the mushroom-broth mixture with the sauce and season to taste with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Reheat and add the sherry before serving. Garnish with the sautéed sliced mushrooms.

New York Times Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 cup white emergo beans
• 4 leeks, white part only, split, washed well and sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cups cooked chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half
• sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Preparation

Rinse and pick over beans. Pour boiling water over beans to cover by 2 inches and leave for 1 hour. Drain, rinse, and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, let cook at slow boil until tender.

In a skillet, melt butter and lightly saute onions and leeks. Do not let them brown.

Drain beans, add chicken broth and vegetables. Heat over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add half and half. Puree in small batches in blender. Chill.

Serve chilled and garnished with fresh minced chives, salt and pepper to taste.