Update: I used both of my jalapeños today in a cooking class and they were so mild, even with all the seeds. So taste yours first and use more than you think you might if yours are also that mild. 

There are two dishes with toasted almonds this week and in both cases they are critical to the dish’s success. And you might as well toast more than you need if you’re anything like me—they’re a wonderful snack. In fact toast some pumpkin or sunflower seeds for the carrot salad while you’re at it.

Lots of fun salads this week and a bit more time consuming (but straightforward) recipe adapted form my current favorite cookbook Jerusalem. Enjoy!

Fried Tofu with Cucumbers (and Carrots?) and Peanuts
Eggplant, Summer Squash and Potatoes with Chermoula, Bulgur and Yogurt
Raw Summer Squash Salad with Toasted Almonds and Oregano (or Basil)
Green Rice (with Parsley and Jalapenos)
Sweet Onion and Parsley Salad
Porky Potato Salad
Carrot and Seed Salad

Fried Tofu with Cucumbers and Peanuts
–inspired by Sundays at Moosewood

A dear friend shared this recipe and swears by it. It’s a perfect summer dish when cucumbers are prolific.

It serves quite a few so halve the recipe if you’d like. I like to make it with cucumbers and green beans but carrots cut into matchsticks or thin half rounds, briefly cooked, would make a great substitute and take advantage of this week’s produce.

Sauce:
3/4 cup soy sauce
3-4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tablespoons minced onion
1 small jalapeno, minced (seeded if want it less spicy)
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar

Salad:
1 package firm tofu, cut into 3 slabs, pressed and patted dry
Sunflower or other oil for frying
4-5 servings cooked rice—hot, warm or at room temperature but not cold
2-3 cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and sliced about 1/4 inch thick on a severe diagonal
2 cups green beans, cooked in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes and cut into 2-inch lengths (optional)
or 2 cups carrots, thinly sliced and cooked in boiling, salted water until just tender (see headnote)
1/3 – ½ cup toasted peanuts, roughly chopped

In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients and taste to get a good balance of hot, salty, and sour. Sweeten with sugar if you like. Everything else in this dish is fairly bland, so the sauce should be strong.

Cut each slab of tofu diagonally both ways to form triangles. Pat the tofu dry again. Heat about 3 tablespoons or a bit more of oil in a wok or frying pan and, when it is hot, fry the tofu until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Don’t crowd them or they’ll stick together and cook more slowly.

On a platter or individual plates, place first some rice and then the fried tofu with a drizzle of the sauce. Add the cucumber and carrots or beans and pour on some more of the sauce and garnish it with the peanuts.

Eggplant, Summer Squash and Potatoes with Chermoula, Bulgur and Yogurt
–adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sam Tammimi

I took some distinct liberties with this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks. You can also just roast the vegetables with the spice mix (chermoula) and enjoy those as a side and skip the bulgur salad and yogurt or just make the veggies and top with the yogurt and cilantro. It is a fun take on plain roasted vegetables in any case. And I think it is best with eggplant (what the original recipes uses exclusively), though my six-year-old definitely preferred the potatoes.

I don’t think this is a case where substituting parsley for the mint and cilantro is a good idea so pick up those herbs if you can.

2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
grated zest of one lemon
2/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to finish
2 medium-large eggplants (or more if you have them), cut into bite-sized pieces (no need to peel)
2 medium summer squash, halved and then cut into bite-sized pieces
4 potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized chunks

1 cup bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup golden raisins soaked for 10 minutes in warm water, then drained
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped, plus extra to finish
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 -3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To make the chermoula, mix together in a small bowl the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili, paprika, salt, lemon zest and two-thirds of the olive oil.

In a large bowl toss all the cut vegetables with the chermoula until evenly coated with the spice mixture. Spread on a large sheet pan so that the vegetables are in one layer (or use two if you need to). Put in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, tossing occasionally, or until the vegetables are tender and browning in places.

Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water and cover with a plate. After about 15 minutes the bulgur should be tender but still have a good bite. If it’s too hard still add more boiling water and steam for a bit longer and then drain out any extra water.

Chop the raisins up a bit and add to the bulgur, along with the remaining oil herbs, almonds, green onions, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Stir together the yogurt with a bit of salt.

Serve the vegetables topped with the bulgur and then some yogurt and some more chopped cilantro.

Green Rice

This is a variation of a dish I grew up eating and my mother still makes. I used to think it odd to cook rice in milk (for a savory dish) but it is delicious and a one-pot meal. Or add a simple cucumber salad.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, finely diced
2 jalapenos, finely chopped and deseeded (unless you like a lot of heat)
1 large bunch parsley, rinse well and bottom half of stems removed. Chop the remaining stems and leaves fairly finely
2 cups long grain white (or brown—will take longer to cook) rice
4 cups milk (2% or whole – not skim)
Salt
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar

Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the rice to the pan and stir well to coat with oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion, garlic, jalapenos and parsley and mix well and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Add the 4 cups of milk and a generous 1 teaspoon of salt (you may still need more—it takes quite a bit) and bring to a boil but be careful, milk boils over easily and makes a big mess so stay close by. Turn down to very low and cook, covered for 12- 15 minutes.

After the rice has ben cooking for about 20 minutes (if you’re using white rice otherwise 35 minutes) and much of the milk has been absorbed, stir in the grated cheese. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the rice is tender. I like to turn the heat up again at the very end to create a bit of a crust on the bottom of the pan. This is a bit risky since you don’t want to burn the rice.

Serve immediately with a simple cucumber salad on the side.

Raw Summer Squash Salad with Toasted Almonds and Oregano (or Basil)

I am not generally a fan of raw zucchini or summer squash but I have to say this salad is a keeper. I’ve made it several times and enjoy it more each time. The toasted almonds are key to the success, offering a nice crunchy contrast to the soft vegetables.

3 small or 2 medium zucchini or other summer squash (use the smallest, densest ones you have)
1 shallot, finely chopped (or a chunk of any other onion)
1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds
2 tablespoons (more or less) chopped fresh oregano (or marjoram or basil)
Juice of 1 lemon (might need a little less so start with ½ a lemon)
Good olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Trim the squash and depending on what shape/kind they are, you have various options of cutting them. You can use a vegetable peeler which takes some time but gives you lovely, thin ribbons. Or if you have a box grater with a single slicing blade on one side you can use that or you can just use a sharp knife and cut them as thinly as you can by hand.

Put the thinly sliced squash in a colander and toss with a little salt. Let sit for 15 minutes. Gently squeeze out any liquid you can but don’t try too hard or you’ll break down the pieces. Put the squash in a bowl and loosen it up a bit. Add all the remaining ingredients and toss well and taste and adjust seasoning with more lemon juice, salt and/or olive oil.

Sweet Onion and Parsley Salad
–inspired by Saveur

This is refreshing and very good.

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups lightly packed parsley leaves
¼ cup salt-packed capers (or brined), rinsed and drained
¼ cup best olive oil you have
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest from one lemon, finely grated on a micro-plane
Grilled or toasted crusty bread, to serve

In a medium bowl, toss together mint, onion, lemon juice and salt and pepper; let sit until onion softens, about 10 minutes. Add parsley, capers, oil and zest, and toss until evenly combined. Serve immediately with grilled or toasted bread.

Porky Potato salad
–adapted from Elizabeth Minchilli

3 cups cubed boiled or steamed potatoes, room temperature
1/2 cup cubed pancetta or bacon
¼ (or more depending on size of onions) medium sweet onion diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Plenty of finely chopped parsley

Place the cooked potatoes in a serving bowl.

Heat a small frying pan and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and pancetta or bacon. When the pancetta is cooked through, and starts to crisp at the edge, add the chopped onion and about a half teaspoon of salt and some freshly cracked pepper. Cook for one minute, turn off heat and add the vinegar.

Toss potatoes with hot pancetta or bacon mixture, adding the rest of the olive oil. Toss with parsley and adjust seasonings.

Carrot and Seed Salad with Cumin and Parsley
–adapted from Breakfast Lunch Tea by Rose Carrarini

With a simple frittata and a piece of good bread, this makes a lovely dinner.

Serves 6 ore more as a side (this makes a lot of salad—feel free to halve the recipe)

1 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil
2 generous pinches of salt
a bit of minced jalapeno (to taste)
5 or so carrots, grated (on large holes of a box grater or with grating blade of food processor)
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Dressing:
1/3 cup lemon juice (or more to taste)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus possibly more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
About 3 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil (I use a good olive oil)

Preheat oven to 350.

Toss the sunflower seeds with the tablespoon of oil and several pinches of salt and roast on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes, turning frequently, until they are crisp and golden. Set aside to cool.

Place the grated carrots and jalapeño in a serving bowl. To make the dressing whisk together the lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin and oil. Pour the dressing over the carrots and mix well. Sprinkle with parsley and the seeds, mix again, and adjust seasoning and serve.