Summer Veggies, No Heat Required
Baby, it’s hot out there! In our ongoing battle to beat the heat, we’ve put together some tasty dishes using fruits and veggies in season at the moment. Cukes, tomatoes, and squash are all hitting the farmers markets (and our backyard gardens!) hard right now.
And in your kitchen, unlike our restaurant kitchens, there’s no need to turn on the stove to take advantage of all this local goodness.
Here’s a brief rundown of what you’ll find at your farmers market or farm stand, along with how to put it on the table without working up a sweat.
Tomatoes–
The usual suspects: Caprese salad; tomato-cucumber-red onion salad (try it with fresh mint!); tomato and mayo sandwiches on farmhouse white bread; first-of-the-summer gazpacho, BLTs.
A new favorite: Pan con tomate (pa amb tomàquet); an easier, fresher take on bruschetta.
Toast or grill a thick slice of sourdough, grate a whole tomato on the large holes of a box grater, rub the bread with a cut clove of garlic (the new garlic in the markets is perfect for this.) Spoon your grated tomato over the bread, add a sprinkle of sea salt. Optional: slivered basil, drizzle of evoo, thin slices of country ham and/or ricotta salata. Some of us have been known to make a meal out of this.
Beets–
Did you know grated raw beets make an awesome relish, made even better with the tart early apples coming on right now?
Wash and peel a pound of beets and coarsely grate them, along with a peeled shallot or small red onion, in a food processor or on a box grater’s large holes (best done in the sink or out on the deck as Chef Ouita used to do.) Add a juicy Early Gold or Lodi apple, grated the same way, no need to peel it first. Toss with a couple tablespoons of good red wine or sherry vinegar, a little Dijon mustard or our Wallace Station Bourbon Mustard, salt and pepper and minced fresh herbs like parsley, dill or tarragon. Delicious on a sandwich with fromage blanc or white Cheddar, two of the cheeses we like to buy from Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheeses.
Cucumbers–
The classics: marinated with vinegar and onions; blended into Benedictine; smashed with sesame, soy, rice vinegar and garlic
A classy soup: Cucumber Buttermilk Soup. Peel, seed and chop 2 or 3 cucumbers and purée in a blender with a couple cups of buttermilk and one cup of whole yogurt. Season to taste with salt, lemon juice or champagne vinegar and minced fresh herbs (try tarragon, dill, mint or parsley, or a combination.) Chill well and check seasoning before serving.
Cabbages–
Green cabbage, Savoy and Bok Choy are all in proliferation at the moment along with onions, kohlrabi and the first of the season peppers. It’s a great time to try different versions of cole slaw like this one, inspired by The New York Times Cooking, which was popular at a recent farmers market demo.
Lemon Tahini Slaw: Combine a total of eight cups sliced, shredded or chopped vegetables (cabbage, green onion, kohlrabi, carrot, broccoli, fennel are all good) with a dressing made of ¼ cup each lemon juice and tahini, and one tablespoon Dijon mustard, all thinned out with warm water to make pourable. Season with salt and pepper; add capers and extra lemon juice or mustard for an added kick.
Summer Squash and Zucchini–
Do as the Italians do: slice a few small zucchini and/or yellow squash thinly on a mandoline or with a vegetable peeler for a new twist on crudo. Toss with a clove of minced garlic (your rasp grater is great for this), salt and pepper and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Marinate for 5 minutes or so, drain the excess liquid off and drizzle with olive oil and fresh mint or parsley or basil. This is great on lightly dressed salad greens (especially arugula), and topped with shaved Pecorino and chopped hazelnuts or almonds. Dukkah (make your own or buy some in a jar) would also be tasty in place of the nuts.
Broccoli–
Chop up one large or two small heads of broccoli, a small red onion and a couple of June apples. Stir a little sugar and apple cider vinegar into about ⅓ cup mayo and season with salt and pepper. Add a spoonful of our Wallace Station Bourbon Mustard or Dijon mustard. Toss it all together with a handful of raisins, craisins or dried tart cherries (especially good.) Or go vegan and sub apple cider vinegar for the mayo and mustard and pickle your red onion and dried fruit in the vinegar while you’re chopping the broccoli and apple. If you go the vegan route, try olives and pickled peppers in place of the apples and dried fruit, and dress it all with equal parts red wine vinegar and evoo. A pinch of red pepper flakes – chef’s kiss!
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