More recipes from the past quarter century of the magazine (May–June 2010)

Fried oysters with caper mayonnaise

Created by Tina Miller, this recipe from our Spring-Summer 2006 Home & Garden magazine makes a quick and delicious appetizer featuring fresh Vineyard oysters.

Serves 8 to 10

• 1 quart canola oil

• 1 cup cornmeal

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 2 dozen oysters, shucked and removed from shell

• 2 lemons cut into wedges

• Caper mayonnaise, recipe follows

1. In a deep, heavy pot or small fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

3. Dip oysters in cornmeal mixture and gently coat. Shake off excess and fry carefully in small batches, turning oysters until golden on both sides. This should take 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Drain oysters on heavy paper, such as a paper bag. Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges and caper mayonnaise.

caper mayonnaise

• 1 cup prepared mayonnaise

• 1 shallot, minced

• 2 teaspoons capers, drained

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

2. Serve immediately with fried oysters, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Kale crunchies

This recipe from West Tisbury resident Joan Ames seems to be a hit wherever it’s served. The recipe first appeared in an article covering Slow Food, in Not Summer 2006–2007.

Serves 8 to 10

• 1 bunch of kale, rinsed and dried

• Olive oil

• Salt

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Tear bite-sized pieces of kale off stalks and place in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the leaves and knead oil in with hands.

3. Place leaves on a large ungreased baking sheet, one layer only, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, or until crunchy and crispy but not browned.

Raspberry and watercress salad

Susan Branch’s watercress and raspberry salad appeared in the spring issue in 1989. It is a recipe from Heart of the Home: Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen (Little, Brown & Company, 1986), the first of Susan’s many books.

Serves 4

• 1 1/4 cup fresh raspberries

• 1/4 cup walnut oil or olive oil

• Grated rind of 1 orange

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

• 3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

• 1 teaspoon honey

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

• 4 cups fresh watercress, tough stems removed

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Force 1/4 cup raspberries through a sieve and into shaker jar.

3. Add oil, orange rind, orange juice, vinegar, honey, and pepper, and shake well.

4. Spread walnuts on a cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes, until toasted.

5. Toss walnuts together with remaining raspberries, watercress, and red onion. Dress and serve.

Alchemy’s lobster and field-mache salad with black olive gnocchi croutons and citrus vinaigrette

This recipe provided by Edgartown’s Alchemy restaurant first appeared in May–June 2002.

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 pound cooked lobster meat, cut into half-inch pieces

• 1/2 pound field mache, washed and spun dry (watercress, baby greens, or arugula may be substituted)

• 1 cup citrus vinaigrette, recipe follows

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Gnocchi croutons, recipe follows

1. In a large bowl, toss the lobster meat and greens with enough citrus vinaigrette to lightly coat everything. Season and serve on chilled plates.

2. Garnish with the croutons and serve as an appetizer or a light lunch.

citrus vinaigrette

• 1 orange

• 1 meyer lemon (or 1/2 regular lemon)

• 1 lime

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons shallots, finely minced

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

1. Juice the orange, lemon, and lime (which should yield 1/2 cup).

2. While whisking, slowly add in the olive oil. Then add shallots, salt, and pepper, and whisk.

3. Just before serving, whisk and add tarragon.

gnocchi croutons

• 2 Idaho baking potatoes

• 1/2 cup Pamesan Reggiano cheese

• 1/2 cup black olives, chopped

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Olive oil for pan-frying

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from oven, slice open, scoop out the flesh, and discard the skins. Press through a potato ricer, or mash, and allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Combine the cooled potato pulp, cheese, olives, and egg. Then add the flour, but only as much as is needed to keep the dough from being sticky, while remaining damp and not too dry. Do not over mix.

4. Roll the dough into a one-inch thick roll, cut into small dumpling-size pieces, and drop into boiling water. When the gnocchi float to the surface, remove with a slotted soon and drop into icy water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry.

5. Just before serving the lobster and mache salad, lightly pan fry the gnocchi in olive oil until golden brown; remove from pan, drain on paper towels, and use immediately as croutons in the salad.

Simple white clam sauce with linguine

This recipe appeared in an article by Julia Wells in July 1994.

Serves 4

• 3 dozen littlenecks or cherrystones (or a combination)

• 1/4 cup water

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 shallots, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh thyme

1. Put clams in a pot with water and steam gently, just until they open. Remove clams from the shells and chop roughly. Save 1/4 cup of the clam-juice broth.

2. In a separate skillet or heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter, and add garlic and shallots, and sauté just until translucent. Add clams, wine, broth, and pepper, and simmer gently for about 5 minutes and remove from heat.

3. Reheat gently just before serving and toss over cooked linguine. Garnish with thyme.

Nectarines and blackberries in brandied blackberry sauce

This summer-berry recipe ran in a 1993 August–September column by Florence Fabricant.

Serves 6 to 8

• 3 large, ripe nectarines

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 pint blackberries

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1/4 cup blackberry brandy

• 1 cup crème fraiche, plain yogurt, or sour cream

1. Slice the nectarines, discarding the pits. Place them in a bowl and toss lightly with the lemon juice.

2. Press half the blackberries through a sieve to remove the seeds and place in a small saucepan.

3. Add the sugar and heat gently for about three to four minutes just until the sugar has dissolved, then stir in the brandy.

4. Mix the remaining blackberries with the nectarines. Pour the sauce over the fruit and toss gently. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Divide the fruit among 6 to 8 large, stemmed goblets and serve, topping each, if desired, with a dollop of crème fraiche, sour cream, or yogurt.

(An online extra following a story originally published in the May–June 2010 edition of Martha’s Vineyard Magazine.)

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