lemonwade

Mark Bittman writes about a nice little meal he made with the bounty from the August garden.

Fifty years after the original publication of “The I Hate to Cook Book,” it has been updated, revised and re-released this summer, its publisher hoping to find a new generation of homemakers who appreciate the processed-cheese, canned-soup and alcohol-laden recipes that made it beloved among several million rebellious housewives in the 1960s and 1970s.

Don’t expect a Michelin star any time soon: Critics are none too fond of the new Pop Tarts Restaurant in Times Square. New York City pastry chef Ashton Warren tries the Pop Tarts sushi—crumbled Pop Tarts wrapped in a fruit rollup—and says, “The texture is all wrong,” while Serious Eats says the sushi was “frankly, vile … I physically could not bring myself to swallow.” Shep Smith at Fox News opines, “I say we bring back the porn stores.”

Angelina’s tried cockroaches, Paul Newman mixed his own salad dressings at the table, and Andy Warhol was a sugar addict. Kara Cutruzzula explores the new food book “What the Great Ate.”

ADVICE FOR THE FOODLORN
by Tom Steele

Lemonade Syrup

This can make mighty intense lemonade, depending on how much you dilute it with filtered water. The syrup keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks. The prep is kind of repetitious, so have the right music playing. “Lemon Tree” by Peter, Paul, and Mary works well, as does Led Zeppelin’s lubricious “Lemon Song.” You’ll have time to listen to both.

Be sure to use organic lemons. You may well need fewer—they tend to be juicier. Also the peels are not chemically treated, a major consideration, since you’re using the zest of 6-8 of them. And superfine sugar dissolves in cold water. If all you’ve got is regular sugar, either heat the water and sugar in the microwave to dissolve and bring the syrup back to room temperature before proceeding, or buzz the sugar in a processor for a few minutes to break down the crystals.

2 cups filtered water
3/4 cup superfine sugar
10-15 organic lemons, to make about 2 1/2 cups of juice

Combine cool water and sugar in 1-quart Pyrex measure. Stir for a few minutes, until the sugar is dissolved.

Grate the zest of 6-8 lemons into the water. Juice all the lemons and add the juice into the syrup. Stir to blend. Store in a tight-lidded jar and keep cold.

Yield: Depends on how strong you like your lemonade. Between 10 and 50 servings.

Visit Tom’s website, www.hugeflavors.com

ADVICE FOR THE FOODLORN
by Tom Steele

I saw a cooking program on TV recently which made Milanese risotto using bone marrow. Was that real? Do reputable cooks really use bone marrow when making savory dishes? It sounds disgusting. Do you do marrow, too?

Jenny, New York, NY

Bone marrow has been used in cooking world-wide for centuries. Marrow is the fatty tender tissue found in the hollow center of most animals’ bones, though in cookery cattle leg bone marrow is most often used. It lends soups and stews some real body, and some classic dishes, especially Osso Bucco, would be practically unthinkable without marrow. Well, make that impossible, since veal shanks are filled with marrow, and you can’t make Osso Bucco without veal shanks. Marrow isn’t as widely used in America as it is in Europe, though that’s starting to change. In certain steakhouses around the country, it’s not terribly unusual to be served a short hunk of leg bone with the marrow inside for you to scoop out.

Whole Foods sells 2- to 3-inch marrow bones for just $2.99 a pound. Marrow can be extracted from raw bones, but I think it’s better to work it out with a smallish spoon after cooking the bones. It’s not especially uncommon in Europe to be served toast spread with marrow extracted from baked or poached marrow bones, though I think I draw the line there. Marrow is high in calories and pretty low in protein, so it’s not an everyday affair. There is an excellent cookbook, Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore, by Jennifer McLagan (Morrow, 2005), that features a number of great marrow recipes.

Visit Tom Steele’s website, www.hugeflavors.com