IN THE KITCHEN by Ann Harwood: An unusual invitation to a brokers’ open house leads to a wonderful menu for the upcoming holiday weekend.
Over the fax machine at the real estate office where I work came a rather unusual invitation to a brokers’ open house angel hair pasta with grilled shrimp, watercress salad with blue cheese, fruit salad.
"Wow," I thought, "Who is giving this lunch and where?"
For those who may not know, Realtors tour new listings and are often treated to pleasant sandwich, soup or salad lunches at the same time. But rarely are they treated to gourmet fare. It turned out the fax referred to a new listing at a lovely-sounding home in Delaware Township between Sergeantsville and Lambertville, and a house that I thought clients of mine might like. Plus there was that lunch beckoning me! So a week ago I drove over to check out the new listing, and the food. Both were terrific. The home was unusual but lovely, and beautifully decorated, and the food was truly delicious. I couldn’t stand it. I asked the listing agent, Russ Poles, "Who made the lunch?"
"Oh, Janet does it all," he said, "But she let me do the pasta salad." "Janet who?" I asked. I had no shame. I had to get the recipe for the glazed pecans in the watercress salad. And the pasta and shrimp were mighty good too.
"My wife," said Russ, "She works with me and always does my lunches."
It was time to fess up and I acknowledged my culinary and food-writing hat and asked if Janet might be willing to talk about her cooking and share with me for The Packet. He thought she would be happy to, and so I called Janet F. Poles and found a kindred spirit.
It turns out that both Janet and her husband, of Stockton, have long been interested in fine cooking and dining, as are their teen-age daughters, Hannah 13, and Cailen 15. The Poles began their signature luncheons for Russ’s listings about seven years ago.
"We believe that by doing a special luncheon, even designing the menu to suit the home, we draw more brokers in to see the home," Janet said. And they know the owners like their special efforts to showcase their homes.
Janet said she wouldn’t choose an elaborate meal for a sweet cottage, but rather tries to select appropriate foods for the setting.
At the luncheon I attended large platters with the salads, drinks and fresh fruit dessert were set out on the tile counter of a gorgeous kitchen flowing into a volume ceiling family room a contemporary American menu for a creatively designed home.
Janet comes by her love of entertaining naturally.
"I have memories of wonderful meals growing up," she said. "We had a big family with lots of cousins coming up from Philadelphia to visit us in the country. I smile when I think back to sitting around the table, to having big, big picnics. My mother cooked mainly the basics, but I remember always thinking of fixing meals as pleasurable, lots of fun."
Russ and Janet Poles met in high school and married during her senior year in college. When dating, their special nights were planning an evening dining at a fine restaurant. When they lived in married housing that last college year at Drew University, they took great pleasure inviting other couples over and turning out the biggest meals they could out of their tiny strip kitchen.
"Russ is very adventurous and inventive in the kitchen," Janet said.
The Poles have continued to follow through on their fine dining interest all these years, planning vacations around fine restaurants as well as lovely and interesting places to visit. Their daughters were introduced to good restaurants from the time they were little.
The Poles enjoy cooking as a family on Saturdays, with the little television in the kitchen tuned to the cooking shows. They go to the market first, see what looks good, and go home and create in the kitchen.
In the early recipes that Hannah wrote, she even drew pictures for her ingredient portions. Cailen also creates in the kitchen and is the one responsible for the delicious caramelized pecans I loved in that watercress salad.
So from growing up thinking of cooking not as a chore but rather making something nice for people to enjoy together, to their college dinner parties, to introducing their children to good food, to using their culinary skills to enhance a client’s home, Russ and Janet Poles have long been helping others to learn about and enjoy fine dining.
I thought Janet’s joyful approach to cooking was so good that I wanted to share it with my readers. And I thought her menu would be wonderful for the upcoming holiday weekend. I have added ideas for a soup and for dessert to round out the menu. Starred recipes below are for Janet F. Poles (and Cailen’s) wonderful spring luncheon or supper: minted fresh pea soup, served cold or hot; sesame pasta with grilled shrimp; watercress salad with blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette and Cailen’s pecans; French bread, chewy multi-grain bread or rolls; fresh strawberries with strawberry sorbet and pound cake.
SESAME PASTA
(Janet F. Poles)
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ cup or less (according to taste) naturally brewed soy sauce*
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound angel-hair pasta
2 large carrots, grated or shredded in processor
½ pound snow peas, de-stringed and washed
Garnish: 2 scallions thinly sliced or snipped chives
1. Toast sesame seeds in 1 tablespoon sesame oil in skillet until golden. Set aside. Mix remaining sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, vinegar and red pepper in bowl and set aside.
2. Cook pasta in boiling salted water in large pot. One minute before pasta is done, add carrots and snow peas. Drain all, but do not rinse.
3. Place pasta and vegetables in large serving bowl and pour sauce over. Toss well to mix. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions or chives. Surround with grilled shrimp (below).
*Note: Light soy sauce or some brands from Chinese grocers may turn pasta a gray color.
GRILLED SHRIMP WITH DIJON MARINADE
(Janet F. Poles)
Janet says that although she has tried a lemon/herbs/white wine marinade as well, the lemon juice begins "cooking" the shrimp as it is marinating, and the end result is firmer, even drier shrimp.
¼ cup nongrainy Dijon mustard
½ cup fruity olive oil
3-4 grinds black peppercorns
2 pounds peeled, cleaned shrimp (16-20 count per pound)
1. Whisk first three ingredients together in small bowl until thoroughly emulsified. Drop shrimp into large zip-lock bag and pour marinade in. Zip closed and knead bag to mix marinade throughout. Marinate at least 2 hours, overnight is best.
2. Use tongs to remove shrimp to grill or broiler pan don’t pierce shrimp with a fork. Grill or broil until just done.
CAILEN’S PECANS
(Cailen Poles)
These wonderful savory caramelized nuts are terrific as a salad garnish or alone. Cailen just recently added A-1 to obtain a heavier coating. Her original recipe was a dryer, more savory than sweet, nut.
¼ pound salted butter
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup A-1 steak sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
3-4 grinds black peppercorns
12 ounces pecan halves
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients, except pecans. Heat through for one minute, then add pecans. Stir to coat completely.
2. Turn out onto a nonstick baking sheet. Spread pecans to a single layer. Bake 15-20 minutes, watching carefully after 10 minutes to be sure they are not darkening too much.
3. Remove from oven, sprinkle with a generous 3-4 tablespoons sugar, or to taste. Let cool completely, then break apart.