Lessons in Meal Making on the Cape

A recent trip to the Boston area to drop off my son for his first year of college had me guessing what his future diet would be. Would he have access to the same quality, wholesome meals we prepared at home, served with warmth and love? Would he at least enjoy wholesome and nutritious meals at the college cafeteria? Or would he go straight for his back-up diet of goldfish crackers and Sprite? Did I fulfill my duty as a mother to teach him how to eat healthfully? Or was he going to eat Cup of Noodles for the next four years?

During his early years there were so many evenings spent sitting around the dinner table with our spirited (as his kindergarten teacher pegged him) and finicky eater; neatly arranged protein and green vegetables on our plates, peanut butter and jelly smothered white bread on his. 

Of course, there were years of guilt about my son’s eating habits. I couldn’t understand how some mothers could easily pull Tupperware containers with vegetables and juice boxes from their purses to satisfy their kid’s on-the-go cravings while mine preferred Pirate’s Booty. 

During his grade school years some of his teachers complained that he was impulsive and had difficulty focusing on his schoolwork. The complaints became so frequent that my husband and I could feel our spirits breaking. 

Make a change in his diet, then you’ll see a change in his behavior, his pediatrician told us. “We’ve tried everything,” I rebutted, pulling out a tattered copy of Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious from my tote bag.

Aside from pizza, mac ‘n cheese, and PB&J, most of our efforts to create enticing, healthful meals in our kitchen failed miserably. 

Signing him up for sports helped keep him focused, but the game changer for our family was a boys’ camp in Maine, where he spent eight summers immersed in the glory of boyhood. There, he didn’t stick out so much – he was part of the pack.

My husband and I followed the camp’s social media and occasionally glimpsed photos of our son and other campers shoveling food into their mouths: hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, pepperoni pizza, and ice cream. Later he told us he and his bunk mates had taken part in a traditional after midnight kitchen raid. 

Over the years his summer adventures morphed into summers of self-discovery. He learned how to manage his impulsivity, mindfully pausing, and living in the moment. He found opportunities to grow and develop a loyal and supportive group of friends at camp. For him and the legion of other boys, camp wasn’t just a place to have fun; it was a place to grow into the person they sought to become.

He recently told me that through camp he realized what he valued the most in life: adventure, nature, loyalty, and friendship. His love of adventure solidified when he learned how to sail on the crystal blue waters of Bear Lake. His joy of being in nature peaked when, after hiking 10 miles barefoot with his bunkmates, he sat under the quiet dome of the starry sky in full contentment. 

Each year after camp, we’d drive to Cape Cod and stay with friends in their 1930s wood-shingled cottage along the seashore for a week. We spent entire days beside the surf – reading, sunbathing, swimming, and playing volleyball with locals and seasonal regulars. Nothing else existed or mattered beyond the beach – except the dinners we prepared later that evening and enjoyed on a deck overlooking Cape Horn. 

It was here where we created some of our best summer memories together in the kitchen, wearing flip flops and sandy swimsuits. Batches of dishes flew from the kitchen onto the deck and were served family style. 

During those visits my son’s eating habits began to evolve and he took to the meals at the beach. 

The perennial steamed mussels steeped in a garlic and white wine broth were savory; they were served with lightly broiled garlicky cheese bread, garnished with fresh parsley. 

My favorite summer dish learned on the Cape is a crisp cucumber salad with red onions. It’s just a few steps to prepare but our host, Nancy, a master at understated yet simply divine New England dishes, said she serves it during summer with burgers and hot dogs or in winter with poached salmon. 

We had our share of hot dogs and burgers with melted cheddar and blue cheese fresh off the grill, but seafood was king, especially seasoned shrimp with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, served with a lemon wedge, on saffron rice or set on a bed of arugula.

I like to think my son’s choice to attend college in the Boston area is because of fond memories of our time on the Cape, thriving and enjoying unfussy meals. 

When I returned home there was a card from my mother-in-law waiting for me. I opened it and it read: “As we talked about going off to college, I chided you with the chant, ‘Get a Puppy!’ On reflection it now seems a bit snarky and caused me to recall this quote about children. As you adjust to his absence, perhaps Goethe’s notion will be helpful.”

“There are two things parents should give their children: roots and wings. Roots to give them bearing and a sense of belonging, but also wings to help free them from constraints and prejudices and give them other ways to travel (or rather, to fly).” – Goethe 

In California, we will have some summerlike weather through October. Here are a few recipes from Cape Cod to enjoy.

Steamed Mussels with Garlic 

Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
4 pounds mussels, cleaned
1/4 cup white wine or water1 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper and let cook for 30 seconds without browning. 

2. Add mussels, stir to coat and increase heat to high. 

3. Add the wine or water and put on the lid. After 2 minutes, give the mussels a stir, then cover again and continue cooking until all mussels have opened, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Stir the chopped parsley into the mussels, then ladle mussels and broth into bowls. Serve with garlicky cheese bread.

Garlicky Cheese Bread

Yield: 4 servings

1 cup parsley leaves, chopped
4 tablespoons of butter, softened
1/4 cup olive oil
2 oz shredded Parmesan cheese
1 oz Pecorino Romano cheese
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large freshly baked Italian bread loaf, halved lengthwise
A fistful of chopped parsley leaves for finishing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking oil spray. Slice bread in half lengthwise and place on the large baking sheet, cut side up.

2. Add chopped parsley, butter, olive oil, cheeses, garlic, pepper and salt to a medium bowl and mix ingredients. Spread evenly over bread.

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown on the edges. If you want to add cheese, add it during the last 2 minutes of baking. If you like a crispier garlic bread, turn the temperature to broil for 1 to 2 minutes more, watching carefully until it is as golden as you like. Remove from the oven. Let bread cool before slicing crosswise and serve warm. 

Easy Grilled Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings as an appetizer

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne 
Kosher salt, to taste
Lemon wedge
16 jumbo raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
1 bunch of arugula (optional)

Directions:

1. Season shrimp with paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt; skewer or place in a grill basket.

2. Grill, flipping once, until slightly charred and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Serve on a platter atop a bed of arugula, if desired, and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top.

Cucumber & Dill Salad

Yield: 4 servings

2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline, or thick-cut with a knife
3 heaping tablespoons of freshly chopped dill
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. 

2. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.