Like The Manolo, Mr. Henry has been traveling, holed up in a Cape Cod rental bungalo without internet access.
He tried to eat locavore. He made a real mental effort. But as a citizen of the world he believes no neighborhood is truly so far removed from his acquaintance that he cannot partake of its proudest fare. And where, he asks, is the local food exit off Interstate-95?
In the spirit of a summer share, therefore, he would like to offer a few travel tips:
On the highway, don’t drink the iced coffee at Starbuck’s. It’s a guaranteed stomach cramp. Try Newman’s Own Organic at MacDonald’s instead. It’s delicious, neither watery nor burned, and costs half as much as the Starbuck’s one.
As for eating roadside fast food, just don’t. Pack a picnic you can enjoy at the rest stop. Pretend the sound of roaring cars to be Niagara Falls. (Mrs. Henry added a dollop of sour cream to her chicken salad which rounded out the mouth feel and slightly disguised the mayonnaise — altogether a nice picnic choice.)
Don’t go to Cape Cod for codfish, which in every case will be an anodyne, frozen, white fish filet caught months ago far, far away — the very same filet you might get in Peoria or Topeka.
Don’t eat oysters on the half shell in Wellfleet. They are OK, but the clams are far sweeter, especially the littlenecks.
If stuck shopping at the local superette, a quick and easy barbecue sauce can be made from three parts ketchup and one part worcestershire sauce. Slather it on AFTER the ribs come off the grill. (Please don’t even pretend you’re going to do a dry rub marinade. Be reasonable. It’s summer. In the morning, dinner always seems to be a long way away.)
Boil your corn until underdone, a mere seven or eight minutes. Let it cool and slice it off the cob. Mixed with chopped tomato, celery and cilantro (or whatever pungent fresh herb you can find). Splash it with oil and vinegar and you will have a marvelous crunchy salad on hand for snacks or for meals.
For the best possible dinner, take Little Henry and posse out to the marshes. Let them loose in the shallows with buckets to dig fresh cherrystone clams, littleneck clams, razor clams, and mussels. (Rubber gloves are a good idea because clam shell edges can be sharp.)
Sautéed in a big fry pan with onion and white wine, each variety will cook at a different rate. Pluck them out when they open so as not to render them rubbery. Reduce your sauce a touch and add a dab of thickener to help it grab hold of the pasta. (Mr. Henry likes heavy cream but sour cream works fine, too.) Serve over linguine with a chilled bottle of Sancerre close at hand.
I shall have to try the corn salad recipe! It sounds delicious in the extreme.
Clams are always better than oysters, if you ask me. I love my clams.
Comment by Twistie — August 18, 2007 @ 5:56 pm
I am a big fan of the raw corn salad. We sometimes don’t even boil it. But I add fresh lime juice and scallions (no celery). It’s delish!
Luv
Poochie
http://shoedaydreams.blogspot.com/
Comment by Poochie — August 19, 2007 @ 7:26 am
I don’t want to take any of the joy out of your recommendation, but people should be aware that usually a permit is required for digging clams. IIRC, they are inexpensive and not difficult to get–but it helps make sure that the clams are there in the future for other families. That dish sounds absolutely delicious.
Comment by L. — August 19, 2007 @ 10:27 am
Yes, indeed, a permit is required. For one family Mr. Henry paid $15 for one week’s privileges, a bargain for such a delicious dinner and such an amusing excursion.
Many thanks to L.
Comment by Mr. Henry — August 19, 2007 @ 2:07 pm