BYLINES BY SCOTT
WHAT TED ALLEN EATS IN THE HAMPTONS (& HIS PICKLED VEGGIE RECIPE)
Ted Allen dishes on the ideal summer gathering out East, complete with his famous recipe for fresh pickles.
When Ted Allen isn’t on the Food Network telling contestants they have been “chopped!” from the popular cooking competition of the same name, this lifestyle and entertaining guru prefers spending time out East enjoying a Wölffer Estate rosé and whatever is on the grill. While a stop at “Pierre’s for lunch is a lovely start,” he says, spending time with friends and costars like Katie Lee, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Marc Murphy really is the perfect ingredient for an epic weekend in the Hamptons. Here, Allen shares his recipe for using the bounty from his garden, including a great accompaniment to the barbecues of summer: Pickles you make yourself that are just as tasty as the ones at McClure’s or Rick’s Picks, and easy, because no canning or fermenting is required.
Favorite time of year: Summer, of course. Although the East End is a pretty place to watch it snow—and the traffic’s better.
Best beach spot: Murphy Beach… as in Marc and Pam Murphy’s [Bridgehampton home].
In your spare time… Spare time is the only time to have in the Hamptons! Cooking, chilling, and people-watching on the beach over a tumbler of Wölffer Estate rosé.
This summer’s cocktail: Tanqueray and tonic or a Negroni on the rocks.
Best memory: Being honored by the James Beard Foundation at its annual Chefs & Champagne event in Bridgehampton, a weekend at which I somehow managed to lose my Etro seersucker suit—at least it went out with a bang. Also, steaks, cigars, beers, and melted leeks with Marc and Pam, and Geoffrey and Margaret Zakarian on a goofy night in a goofy house that Pam rented while their own place was being built.
What’s on your menu this summer? Grilled pizza and caprese salad every day—I’ve been making it with cilantro or tarragon instead of basil, which is a delightful twist.
What’s in your garden this summer? Tomatillos, tomatoes, shishito peppers, bush beans, tons of herbs, and—new this year—a cutting garden with dahlias and wildflowers.
What’s on the table? Steaks, chops, burgers, lobster, clams, pork, fat gorgeous tomatoes, perfect peaches, and tons of local herbs.
Favorite hidden spot out East: I’m not telling you that, either—you have to find these things out on your own. Happy summer!
Fresh Refrigerator Pickles: Cauliflower, Carrots & Cukes
Makes 2 quarts, with jars stuffed full
3 cups water
5 tsp. salt
3 cups white vinegar
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. pink peppercorns (if you have ’em)
Several sprigs fresh dill
Approximate amount of vegetables for 2 quarts of pickles:
6 kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into quarters
6 medium carrots, cut in half, some green parts left on
4 scallions, mostly just the white part
A handful of green beans
A few pieces of caulifower to tuck into jars
4 hot red chiles or 2 jalapeños, whole or (for more heat) cut in half
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and add garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and salt, bring to boil, and stir until salt dissolves. Reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Into 2 clean, 1-quart Mason jars, place a few sprigs of dill. Using tongs, remove garlic from the brine, then place 3 cloves in each jar. Divide the celery seed, coriander, mustard, and peppercorns between each jar. Pack the jars full of cucumbers, carrots, beans or whatever other vegetables you’re using. (You want jars to be tightly stuffed.)
Pour hot brine over the vegetables to completely cover, let cool, and refrigerate. Pickles will taste good in just a few hours, better after a couple of days. They’ll keep for a few months.
Adapted from In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks by Ted Allen (Clarkson Potter, 2012).
Read the Article at Hamptons-Magazine.com HERE.
