This week we wander from Italy to Spain to Israel and beyond. I noticed that bread plays a prominent role in three dishes, lending texture, body and flavor. The Spanish are very clever when it comes to frying bread and garlic and making a paste to thicken and flavor soups. And there’s an invention of my own with toasted bread this week in the form of an unusual beet salad. Enjoy!

Garlicky-Sesame-Cured Broccoli Salad
Polenta with Sweet Pepper and Tomato Sauce
Baked Penne with Fennel Tomato Sauce
Spinach (Beet Green) and Chickpea Soup
Cream of Tomato with Tuna and Hard-boiled Eggs
Beet and Bread Salad

Garlicky-Sesame-Cured Broccoli Salad
–adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

This is a perfect side dish but you could cook a pot of rice and have yourself a delightful supper or make a simple frittata (my go-to suggestion for when you’re in a hurry). Or you could add some carrots or peppers to it. . . .

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 heads broccoli, 1 pound each (more or less), cut into bite-size florets
generous 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (sounds like a lot but it works/is needed)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

In a large bowl, stir together the vinegar and salt. Add the broccoli and toss to combine.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Pour the mixture over the broccoli and toss well. Let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or chilled, up to 48 hours (chill it if you want to keep it for more than 2 hours). Adjust the seasonings (it may need more salt), add the sesame seeds and serve.

Polenta with Sweet Pepper and Tomato Sauce

This time of year in many parts of Italy, sweet red peppers are stewed with onions and tomatoes (and sometimes sausages) and then ladled over bowls of creamy polenta. It’s a lovely combination.

If you want to add sausages you can either cook them whole, separately or slice or crumble them into the skillet when you’re cooking the onions and peppers, before you add the tomatoes.

3-4 sweet peppers (more or less), well washed, cored and seeded and cut into thin strips
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4-5 medium tomatoes (heirloom or slicers), diced
Olive oil
Salt

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes. Add the garlic and peppers and several pinches of salt and sauté, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic. You do want the onions and peppers to take on a bit of color. Now add the tomatoes and bring to a lively simmer. Turn down and gently simmer for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes have thickened a bit. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and another good glug of olive oil.

Top the polenta (recipe below) with the sauce and a nice grating of Parmesan and some chopped fresh basil if you have it.

Basic Polenta

Note: Polenta is basically coarsely ground cornmeal. If you ever go to the Hillsdale Farmers Market, Ayers Creek Farm (Gaston, OR) sells the most delicious cornmeal and dried beans in the winter (late November they’ll be back at Hillsdale for the winter).

1-cup polenta (Bob’s Red Mill polenta is good if you don’t have an old stash of Ayers Creek cornmeal sitting around☺)
4 cups water, veggie bouillon or milk
1-teaspoon kosher salt (less if you’re using veggie bouillon)
2 tablespoons of butter
½ – ¾ cup grated cheese (parmesan, asiago stella, . . .)

Bring the liquid and salt to a boil in a heavy, large saucepan. Whisk in the polenta and turn down so that it’s at a steady simmer. Whisk or stir frequently for the first few minutes to ensure that there are no lumps. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally over low-medium heat for about 35-45 minutes until the cornmeal is tender. Add butter and cheese, if using. Serve with a pepper and tomato sauce, above.

Baked Penne with Fennel Tomato Sauce
–loosely adapted from The Fresh & Green Table via DanaTreat.com

This is fall comfort food but made all the better by fresh tomatoes.

If you can, make your own breadcrumbs for this dish. If you don’t have stale bread on hand, throw a few slices of good bread in the oven until crisp and then grind it up (tearing into small pieces first) in the food processor.

¾ cup fresh breadcrumbs
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
Olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Sea salt
2 fennel bulbs
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons vodka (optional)
3 cups chopped tomatoes (heirloom or slicers or a mix)
3/4 pound penne rigate
½ cup heavy cream
4 ounces diced fresh mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, 2 tsp. of olive oil, the parsley, and a large pinch of salt. Set aside.

Trim the stalks from the fennel. Trim any brown spots from the outside of the fennel and halve the bulbs and cut them into into ¼-inch thick slices. Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the fennel slices. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is very tender and well browned, 12 to 14 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the vodka and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot while it simmers down (this will take just a few seconds). Add the chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Turn the heat down to medium-low.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so be sure to not overcook it). Pour the cream into a 2 cup measuring cup and keep it by the stove. When the pasta is ready, ladle out ¾ cup of the cooking liquid and add it to the cream. Drain the pasta and add it to the tomato fennel mixture. Pour in the cream mixture and stir well to combine. Stir in the mozzarella cheese and the remaining ½ cup of Parmesan. Season to taste with salt.

Turn the mixture out into a 8×12-inch baking dish. Using a spatula, press down on the top. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the top is browned and crusty and the casserole is bubbling vigorously, about 25 minutes.

Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Tomato Pepper Sauce)
–loosely adapted from Saveur

There are many variations of this Israeli dish—some with hot pepper, some without tomatoes. . . so this may not be authentic but it’s awfully good.

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup olive oil
3 sweet peppers, washed, seeds removed and cut into thin strips
1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
4 cups chopped tomatoes
Sea salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Warm pitas or good bread, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Add diced tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

Spinach (Beet Green) and Chickpea Soup
–adapted from The Food of Spain

This a Castilian version of a common Spanish soup often eaten during Lent. It’s richly textured thanks to the addition of mashed fried bread, garlic and spices. While nowhere near lent it’s a great place for your spinach and beet greens this week. The quantity of the beet greens and spinach is approximate so if you have a half-share I’d use all of it and with a full share maybe all the spinach and no beet greens or half and half.

3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
4 cups of cooked chickpeas (or 14-ounce cans, well drained)
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 bunch spinach, very carefully washed and roughly chopped (small or large bunch)
1 bunch beet greens, stems removed, carefully washed and roughly chopped (small or large)
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
Salt
2 hard-boiled eggs
¼ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic
2 slices bread, crusts removed
1 teaspoon smoked Spanis Paprika (Pimenton)
Pinch of cayenne

Put the potatoes and chickpeas in a large pot with 4 ½ cups of the stock and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Add the spinach and beet greens and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and some salt and cook for 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile, remove the hardboiled egg yolks and reserve them. Chop the egg whites and reserve them.

Heat the oil in small skillet and fry the garlic cloves and bread over medium-high heat, turning them, until golden brown. Watch closely, as they will brown quickly. Drain on paper towels.

Put the garlic and bread in a food processor, add the spices and process to a fine paste. Add the hard-boiled egg yolks and blend well. Gradually pour in the remaining stock and blend to a thin sauce.

Pour this garlic mixture into the soup, stir well, and check the seasoning. Cook for another 10 minutes, then stir in the egg whites. The soup is meant to be quite thick.

Cream of Tomato with Tuna and Hard-boiled Eggs
–adapted from The Food of Spain

Another Spanish recipe today. This one from Andalusia and also one that uses bread for texture and body.

2 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped
5 slices good crusty bread (though crusts should be removed☺)
1 sweet red pepper, seed and cored, and quartered
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
½ cup good olive oil
4-6 hard-boiled eggs, quartered or sliced
2 5-ounce cans Oregon albacore tuna (or other tuna)

Dry the bread out under the broiler without browning it, turning the slices once. Let cool and grind to coarse crumbs in a food processor and transfer to a bowl. Add the pepper to the processor and blend to a paste, then add the tomatoes and garlic and blend until very smooth. Add the sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar to taste and then the olive oil blend again. Return the bread crumbs to the processor and blend briefly just to mix them in. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Pour the tomato mixture onto a platter and arrange the egg and tuna, broken into pieces on top. Serve with more good, crusty bread.

Beet and Bread Salad

I threw this combination of things together for lunch today. I often toss whatever I have on hand together for lunch and it’s usually good but I don’t always make a note to repeat the dish. Well today, I did.

When I have a bunch of beets, as you know, I almost always roast the whole batch and then have the pleasure of having roasted beets on hand to use however I want. So, I highly recommend roasting all at once while you’re doing something else in the kitchen since they do take some time. Then, instead of getting moldy in the crisper you’ll be snacking on them with great pleasure and seemingly little effort.

3 medium beets, roasted and peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 slices of good, crusty bread (I had Grand Central Bakery’s Peasant Levain on hand) toasted and cut into bite-sized squares
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, thinly sliced (or chunk of regular onion, very thinly sliced)
2-3 tablespoons toasted and salted sunflower seeds
1-2 ounces sharp cheddar, cut into little squares (that’s what I had on hand but feta or goat cheese would be lovely)
2 -3 cups lettuce, cut into thin strips (optional—I did not have this on hand but the lettuce would be a good way to stretch this)
Juice of half a lemon or about 1 ½ tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
2-3 tablespoons good olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning and dig in.

Lots of tomato and eggplant recipes this week as the bounty of those two draws to a close. Please revisit old packets for many more tomato recipes (to preserve as jam or roast for freezing) from the last several weeks. And I didn’t include much for the turnips but just enjoy them raw, grated in salads with the carrots or quickly sauteed in olive oil or with a little diced bacon, until tender. Happy cooking!

Recipes

Simplest Tomato Sauce
Eggplant Parmesan
Margherita Pizza
Basic Pizza Dough
Spiced Eggplant and Tomato Stew
Green Curry with Eggplant, Turnips and Carrots
Joi Choi and Turnip Greens with Garlic, Ginger and Fish Sauce
Spiced Carrot Muffins

Simplest Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes, olive oil, salt. That’s it. When the tomatoes are good it’s honestly all you need. And I make sauce with slicer and heirloom tomatoes all the time. It takes longer to cook down because they’re so juicy but with a little patience and high heat it’s perfect. But you do have onions in the share this week so by all means start with a finely diced onion and then proceed, if you’d like.

I made this the other day, in about 15 minutes and I topped pizza dough with it and some mozzarella and basil and had the perfect dinner. (Pizza recipes below)

Dice as many tomatoes as you want to use. Add them to a wide skillet to which you’ve added a generous splash of olive oil. Cook at a lively simmer until it’s thickened to your liking. Salt to taste. If the sauce seems too acidic or not quite perfect add a tablespoon or two of butter. Butter is THE “perfecter” of tomato sauce.

More suggestions for use:

• Fill crepes with a few tablespoons, some grated cheese and fresh basil; roll up and bake, topped with a bit more sauce, until hot.
• Layer the sauce with thick, eggy herb crepes (add 4-5 tablespoons of chopped parsley, chives and/or basil to the crepe batter of 4 eggs, 1 3/4 cups milk and scant 1 cup of flour, salt and pepper) and grated Parmesan or other cheese. Layer the crepes and sauce in a cake pan or other round or oval dish and bake until heated through and the cheese is melted and browning on top. This is a perfectly sublime dish and beautiful cut into wedges.
• Top a bowl of any kind of rice or quinoa or cooked beans and a bunch of sautéed collard greens with the sauce and a generous drizzle of olive oil, some kind of cheese (or not) or a fried egg and you’ve got a simple, delicious meal.
• Make eggplant parmesan (recipe below)

Eggplant Parmesan

I only make this about once a year but each time I make it I wish I did so weekly while eggplants and tomatoes are in abundance. As I think I’ve mentioned before I rarley salt and drain eggplant anymore. It’s an extra step that I don’t find necessary with perfectly fresh eggplant. You can either bake the eggplant as noted below or pan-fry it in a bit of oil. I really like both versions and when I’m in a hurry I tend to fry.

2-3 large globe eggplants, sliced into ¼ – 1/3 –inch slices lengthwise or into rounds
Olive oil
Salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups tomato sauce (above or your favorite kind) to which you’ve added some chopped basil and the minced garlic
1 cup (or more) grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Arrange the slices on two baking sheets (they may not all fit and you’ll need to do them in batches). Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake, turning once until tender and starting to brown, about 20-25 minutes total. Turn oven down to 375.

Line the bottom of an 8 x 13” baking dish (or something similar). Spread a thin layer of sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat until you’ve used up all your ingredients, ending with either eggplant and cheese or sauce and cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or so until everything is bubbling and the cheese is browning on top. You can run it under the broiler for a few minutes if you want more color.

Margherita Pizza

Makes 2 pizzas (using the pizza dough recipe below or two balls of purchased pizza dough – Grand Central Bakery makes excellent white and whole wheat pizza doughs that you can buy frozen)

2 cups Simplest Tomato Sauce (recipe above)
2, 2-ounce balls fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
about 15 large basil leaves

Baking on a baking sheet:

Stretch out your pizza dough into a large round. If you don’t have a pizza stone on which you can bake the pizza directly, place the dough on a large cookie sheet, spread the sauce on evenly, lay the mozzarella slices over the sauce and bake at 425 degrees. A few minutes before you think it’s done, place the basil leaves over the cheese and bake a few more minutes until the crust is browning in spots.

Baking directly on a pizza stone:

If you have a stone preheat your oven to 500 (probably the highest your oven will go) with your pizza stone in it. Let it heat up for 20-30 minutes if you have the time.  Remove the top wrack in the oven to give yourself more room to maneuver later.

And if you don’t have a pizza peel (the long-handled wooden tool with which you slide the pizza onto the hot stone) then flour the back (or front if it’s flat with no rims) cookie sheet and spread your stretched out pizza dough on the floured sheet.
You can dust the back of the cookie sheet with a mix of cornmeal and flour for which might help get the pizza off. Then top it evenly with the sauce and arrange the cheese on the sauce. Now with your oven and stone hot, and pizza on a well-floured cookie sheet, open the oven.  Place the far end of the cookie sheet towards the back of the pizza stone at a 25 degree angle (or thereabouts) and then with a quick jerk of the wrist pull the cookie sheet back and let the pizza slide onto the hot stone in the oven. It should come off very easily at this point. And be very sure not to have any topping pieces or even drips of oil or sauce come between the baking sheet and the bottom of the pizza. The slightest bit of this will make the pizza stick.

A few minutes before it looks done scatter the basil leaves over the cheese and bake until the edges are darn brown and the topping is bubbling.

General tips:

Also go easy on the toppings. You don’t want to overload with pizza for several reasons: the dough doesn’t cook evenly and the bottom burns before the toppings are done and secondly, it’s harder to slide onto the stone with more risk of disaster.  And don’t let the toppings sit on the pizza dough on the cookie sheet. As soon as you’ve topped it get it into the oven so it doesn’t have time to soak through.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is nice and crisp and brown on the edges and the toppings are cooked.

Basic Pizza Dough

–adapted from Jim Lahey

Pizza dough freezes beautifully. So if you’re only going to use half of it or want to make a double batch and save some for future use, just lightly oil a 1 qt freezer bag and put ½ a recipe worth of pizza dough in. Thaw it thoroughly and bring it to room temperature before using. Then handle exactly the same as fresh dough.

In Jim Lahey’s original recipe he has you bake the pizzas on a sheet pan. I do that sometimes, especially for his potato pizza because there’s so much topping, but usually I bake them right on a pizza stone which makes them wonderfully crisp. If you’re using a pizza stone you don’t need any oil and just place the stretched out piece of dough onto a well-floured pizza peel (or the back of a cookie shit if you don’t have a peel) and after you’ve added the toppings you slide it right onto the hot stone.

I have tried this recipe with half whole wheat flour and half white. It turns out fine but is a bit of a different animal—not as crisp a bit nuttier and chewier—as you might expect.

500 grams bread flour (3 3/4 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (10 grams)
3/4 teaspoons table salt (5 grams)
3/4 teaspoon sugar, plus a pinch (about 3 grams)
1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups room temperature water
extra-virgin olive oil for pans

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until blended, at least 30 seconds. The dough should be able to contain all of the flour, if it seems dry or if there is excess flour at the bottom of the bowl, add water a tablespoon at a time.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume, about 2-3 hours.

Punch down the dough and cut in half to make two balls.

Spiced Eggplant and Tomato Stew
–adapted from Tender by Nigel Slater

I have to admit that I have not made this—I’ve had it bookmarked for a year. I am committing to making it this week. It is definitely a bit of a project but my mouth is watering as I type. . .please report if you make it. I’d love to know how it turns out. And I should say that I trust this cookbook author completely. Everything of his I’ve ever made I’ve loved.

6 generous servings (and he attests to the fact that it’s even better the next day)

2 very large eggplants (or enough to make 2 lbs.)
3 onions, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons peanut oil
8 green cardamom pods
2 tablespoons coriander seeds (or 1 tablespoon ground)
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper corns
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
8-10 medium tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
3 ½ cups coconut milk
2-3 serrano or jalapeno peppers, minced (remove seeds if you want it less spicy)
1 small bunch mint
1 bunch cilantro

Cut the eggplants into fat chunks. The dish will be more interesting to eat if you don’t cut them too small. Put them into a colander, set in the sink and sprinkle with sea salt. Leave them for a half hour or longer.

Cook with onions in the oil in a large pot until soft and translucent. While the onions are cooking, crush the cardamom pods with the flat blade of a knife or a rolling pin and shake out the little black seeds into a mortar or spice grinder. Add the coriander seeds and grind them to a coarse powder.

Stir the garlic and ginger into the onions with the turmeric and ground spices. Peel and seed the tomatoes (I’m inclined to skip this step as I do with most recipes that call for this) and add them to the pan with the onions and spices.

Rinse the eggplant of their salt and pat dry. Without oiling them, grill them on a cast iron ridged grill pan (I don’t have one of these so will likely use my regular cast iron pan and use a little oil) until they are starting to soften and have dark grill lines across them. Turn and cook on both sides. Continue with the remaining eggplant. Add them to the onions and pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add the coconut milk, chilies and a little salt and continue cooking for about 45 minutes. The eggplants should be very soft and silky but not actually falling apart.

Lift out the eggplants, tomatoes and some of the onions with a slotted spoon. Reduce the rest of the sauce by boiling hard for 5 minutes or so. Now ladle most, but not all, of the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth and thick (do this with care and secure the lid well-sauce is very hot). Return the vegetables and the sauce to the pot, then chop the mint and cilantro and stir them in, together with a final seasoning of salt and black pepper. Serve with rice.

Thai Green Curry with Eggplant, Carrots and Turnips

I’ve included this dish earlier in the season but am doing so again because it’s wonderful with eggplant and the carrots and turnips are a nice addition too. It is not quite an authentic Green Curry but a tasty, quick adaptation. You can easily add chicken or tofu to it for an even heartier dish though it’s wonderfully rich and satisfying without as well.

Serves 4 (generously)

2-3 carrots, well scrubbed (but no need to peel) and sliced thinly on the bias
2 turnips, scrubbed and cut into small wedges or chunks, 2 cups chopped turnip greens
2-3 cups eggplant, either sliced into 1/3-inch half-rounds if you have long, skinny Asian eggplants or into bite-sized pieces if you have globe eggplants.
1 medium potato, diced (optional)
1 – 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 heaping teaspoon (or to taste) green curry paste (Thai & True is a great local brand and Mae Ploy is also readily available brand)
4-6 Kafir Lime leaves (optional) (Whole Foods and most Asian markets have them and they freeze beautifully so if you happen to see some buy lots and freeze-they add an incomparable fragrance to this dish though it’s certainly good without too)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (more to taste)
1 -2 teaspoons fish sauce (can omit to make it vegetarian/vegan) (more to taste)
1 can coconut milk (full fat preferably but light will work too)
3 tablespoons basil, packed and roughly torn
Juice of half a lime (optional)

White or brown cooked Jasmine or other long grain rice

Heat wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add ½ cup of coconut milk (use the thickest, part usually at the top of the can) and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add the curry paste, garlic, ginger and carrots and fry it all for about 3-4 minutes until the paste is fragrant. Then add the remainder of the coconut milk plus ½ can’s worth of water, soy sauce and fish sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and add the eggplant, turnips and basil and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Just before the vegetables are tender add the chopped turnip greens and then cook for a few more minutes. Adjust seasoning with a bit of salt or more soy sauce and/or fish sauce if needed and finish with a generous squeeze of lime juice, if using. Serve hot over rice.

Joi Choi and Turnip Greens with Garlic, Ginger and Fish Sauce

1 large bunch Joi Choi, very well washed (the dirt tends to hide at the base), and sliced into 1-inch ribbons, stems and all
1 bunch turnip greens, well washed and roughly chopped
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and finely minced or grated on a microplane
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 green onions, roots trimed and white and green part cut into 1-inch lengths (or 1/3 or so of a large yellow onion, thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon (more or less to taste—and you can substitute soy sauce if you’d like) Fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons peanut oil (or other fairly neutral oil)
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil and add the garlic, greens onions (or regular) and ginger  and stir fry over high heat for several minutes until everything just turns golden. Drop the joi choi and turnip greens into the boiling water for just a minute. Drain well and add to the garlic mixture with the fish sauce. Toss well and serve immediately.

This would be wonderful with some prawns that you could cook with the garlic and ginger before you add the greens. . . . or simply as a side dish or over rice.

Spiced Carrot Muffins
–adapted from Chef Kathryn Yeoman’s, the Farmer’s Feast

About 15 muffins

These are easy to make and wonderful to send in school lunches (or grown-up lunches) and to just have around for snacks or breakfast on the run. You can make a double batch and wrap and freeze many of them. I’ve reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe. Feel free to use as much as 1 ¾ cups if you’d like them a bit sweeter. I also use olive oil instead of canola but either will work fine.

You can also substitute grated apple or pear for half of the grated carrot quantity. The spices are perfect for those fruits as well.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup mild olive or canola oil
4 eggs
4 cups grated carrots (large holes of box grater or food processor)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter muffin tins or line with paper liners.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl whisk eggs, oil and sugar until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir to just combine and then stir in grated carrots and walnuts, if using.

Fill muffin cups with batter and bake muffins about 22- 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

For some reason the saying “what grows together goes together” kept coming to mind while I was writing this packet. All the produce in this week’s share gets along swimmingly and you can mix and match ingredients in salads, simple sautes, sauces, etc. with ease: corn, poblanos, onion and eggplant would make a lovely succotash-like dish (in a very loose way!:) when all cut small and sauteed in some bacon fat or olive oil.

You might want to pick up some herbs (basil and mint in particular if you’re out and about and maybe some cilantro). Otherwise you should be set for lots of fabulous meals with the pinnacle of summer produce in your share. And while I don’t mention a recipe for this because you don’t need one, make tomato sandwiches while the tomatoes last. I eat them almost daily–sometimes I toast the bread and rub it with garlic, then slather on homemade or storebought mayo and then pile on thick slices of tomatoes, some basil and call it good. I never tire of it and this hot weather begs for them.

I just ran across this recipe for Fresh Corn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce  and don’t have the time to test it or write it up here but the link should do! I completely trust Yotam Ottlenghi and you’ve seen adaptations of his recipes here before.

Poblano Notes
Roasted Poblano and Onion Tacos
Pappa Al Pomodoro (Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup)
Eggplant, Tomato and Onion Gratin
Corn and Zucchini Fritters
Fennel Notes

Poblano Notes

Poblano peppers have a wide ranging heat level so taste a bit before you use so you know what to expect.

They need to be charred and blistered to remove their skins for most any preparation I’m familiar with. This is simple to do either under the broiler or right on the grate over a gas stop burner or over a hot grill. After they’re nicely blackened I put them in a bowl and cover them with a towel to steam and cool for a bit. Then you can easily peel and core them and remove all the seeds.  Now they can be stuffed with other vegetables (Sauteed onions, corn and tomatoes and a little feta or queso fresco would be delicious), ground meat, herbs, cheeses, etc.

They can be chopped up and added to salsas, sauces and soups or scrambles or frittatas. They add a lovely smoky sweet heat to a great variety of dishes.

Roasted Poblano and Onion Tacos

This is a variation on the Mexican dish Rajas.  It’s delicious, smoky and easily varied. I’ve included a meat (beef) and vegetarian (potato) option below. You could also add some corn sliced off the cob to this as well.

3 poblano peppers
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
6 oz skirt or flank steak (optional), sliced thinly against the grain
3 potatoes (optional) cut into small dice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & pepper,
1/3 cup of heavy cream (or sour cream)
8-10 small corn tortillas
Chopped cilantro and lime wedges for topping (optional)

Roast the peppers under the broiler or directly over the gas flame on the stove top, until they’re black and blistered all around. Set in a bowl to cool and cover with a plate or towel. They are easier to peel if you let them steam a bit like this. When cool, peel and seed the peppers and cut them into ½-inch wide strips.

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot add the flank steak strips in a single layer, if using, sprinkle generously with salt and sear on both sides for about 1 minute each. It cooks really quickly and gets tough quickly so do not overcook. Remove from pan onto a plate.

Add the onions to the same skillet with a little more oil and the cumin. Sauté until beginning to brown and soften. If you are using potatoes (instead of or in addition to the beef) add the diced potato and cook on medium-high heat, stirring often until the potatoes are tender.

Add the poblano strips and heat them through, then add the meat back in (if using), and then add the cream and a few grinds of black pepper and quickly bring to a boil.

Serve the mixture on warmed tortillas with a little fresh cilantro and a squeeze of limejuice.

Eggplant, Tomato and Onion Gratin
–adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

Simple and delicious.

2 1/2 Cortland onions
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 ½ eggplants (more or less)
3 medium to large heirloom tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and chop both the onions and garlic very finely and sauté them in half the butter and half the oil for about five minutes with the thyme leaves, bay leaf and salt and pepper.

Slice the eggplants into ¼-inch-thick slices. Slice the tomatoes slightly thicker.

Butter a shallow baking dish. Remove the bay leaf from the onions and spread them over the bottom of the dish. Cover with overlapping rows of alternate tomato and eggplant slices. Each slice should cover two thirds of the preceding one. Season generously with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until the eggplant is very soft. Uncover for the last 15 minutes or earlier if the tomatoes are giving up too much liquid. Brush or spoon the juices over the top occasionally to prevent the top layer form drying out.

This is a perfect accompaniment to grilled or roasted lamb or as is more common in my household with a simple frittata or green salad and a piece of bread.

Pappa al Pomodoro

This is a classic Tuscan soup. I realize you don’t have basil in your share this week but this soup is just too good so pick up some basil if you can and make it.

4 pounds tomatoes (combo of heirloom and slicers if fine)
1/3 cup good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt
½ pound stale 1-inch bread cubes (4 cups)
1 cup basil leaves, torn

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a slit in the base of each tomato. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and blanch just until the skins start to split, about 10 seconds. Transfer the blanched tomatoes to a bowl.

Peel and halve the tomatoes crosswise. Working over a mesh strainer set over a bowl, pry out the seeds and discard them. Now coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the juice in the bowl.

Wipe out the pot and heat the 1/3 cup of olive oil. Add the onion and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and season with salt. Cover partially and simmer over moderately high heat until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 25 minutes.

Add the bread to the soup and cook, mashing the bread until fully incorporated, and season with salt. Stir in the basil leaves. Spoon the soup into shallow bowls, drizzle with a bit more of the best olive oil you have.  The soup should be quite thick and will continue to thicken as it sits. You can thin it with a bit of water or broth if you’d like it thinner.

Corn and Zucchini Fritters

This is a variation of the recipe you got early in the season. The corn and zucchini combination is a winning one.

1 1/2 lbs zucchini or any summer squash
2-3 ears of corn
about 3 tablespoons finely diced onions
2 eggs
1/3 cup cold water
1/3 cup flour
Salt and Pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons oregano, parsley or basil, chopped (optional)
Olive or other oil for frying

Grate the zucchini/squash on the large holes of a grater onto a clean kitchen towel.  Sprinkle with some salt and let it rest while you gather and prep the remaining ingredients.

Wrap the zucchini in the towel and wring as much liquid out of it as possible, discarding the liquid.

Cook the ears of corn in boiling water for just a minute or two. Cut the kernels off the cob. If you do this in a large bowl the kernels will be pretty much contained and not fly all over the kitchen.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs with the water and flour and then add the drained zucchini, onion, corn, cumin and freshly ground pepper. Add herbs if you’re using any. Mix well and taste and adjust seasoning.

Add a scant tablespoon of oil to a large skillet.  Place the pan over medium-high heat.  Spoon about 3 tablespoons (about a ¼ cup) of batter into the pan. Depending on the size of your pan you should be able to fry about 3-5 at once.  Flatten them a bit with the back of a spatula and cook until the fritters are golden brown on each side, 4 to 6 minutes.

Serve with a simple fresh salsa or tomato sauce or some Greek yogurt or just plain.

Fennel Notes

Fennel takes well to citrus (lemon and orange zest and juice), cured black olives, tomatoes, pork, etc.

Slice it very thinly and add it to a green salad with a lemony dressing. You could toss some chopped olives and capers and some shavings of a hard cheese in as well.

Or you could make the fennel soffrito I included a while back.

Two very different celery salads this week to take advantage of this new item in the share. And lots of favorites, from the Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart to the Calabrian Style Eggplant to the Zucchini Cake–one of my all time favorite cakes. And towards the end of summer squash season I inevitably circle back to my favorites—the summer squash pancakes (you could add minced jalapenos and cilantro this time around) and simply roasted in a hot oven (or broiled) and then dressed with a bit of olive oil, herbs and minced garlic.

Recipes

Celery and Chickpea Salad
Celery Salad with Anchovy Dressing
Tomato Goat Cheese Tart
Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad
Roasted Tomatoes (for freezing or using right away)
Roasted Salsa
Calabrian Style Eggplant
Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
Zucchini Cake

Celery and Chickpea Salad
–adapted from 101cookbooks.com

8 large celery stalks, stripped of strings
1 jalapeno, minced (seeds and membranes removed if you don’t want much heat)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, heated (home-cooked is best if you have them)
3 tablespoons dried currants (or golden raisins)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, deeply toasted
Sea salt
½ cup chopped cilantro

Slice the celery stalks quite thinly – 1/8-inch or so. Then, in a small bowl, make a paste with the olive oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Set aside. In a large bowl toss the heated beans with the olive-Parmesan mixture. When well combined, add the celery, currants, and most of the almonds. Toss once more. Taste and add a bit of salt if needed. Serve in a bowl or platter topped with herb flowers and/or celery leaves.

Celery Salad with Anchovy Dressing
–adapted from Food and Wine

You can cut the celery in two ways. You can cut them all into thin strips as described below or you can do that for the larger ribs and just thinly slice the smaller ones on the bias. This is a fun, bright and strongly flavored salad.

16 large celery ribs—peeled, halved crosswise and sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips or 8-10 large ribs, cut this way and the 8 or so smaller, inside ones, cut thinly on the bias
½ -3/4 cup celery leaves (from the inside ribs), roughly chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
7 large anchovy fillets, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, quartered
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the celery strips (not the slices) in a large bowl of ice water and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight, until the celery strips are curled and very crisp.

Pound the garlic and anchovies and some salt in a mortar until you’ve made a paste. Alternatively you can mince and then mash the garlic on a cutting board with some salt with the side of a chef’s knife, or use a garlic press. Mix the garlic with the finely chopped anchovy in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and white wine vinegar and mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the celery and pat thoroughly dry. Put the celery in a dry bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Transfer to a platter and serve at once.

Tomato Goat Cheese Tart
–adapted from davidlebovitz.com

One 9- or 10-inch tart

Because this is ‘country-style’ fare, this tart is open to lots of interpretation. For those of you who are leery of tart dough, this dough is easy to work with and less crumbly than some thanks to the egg in the dough. I don’t let the dough rest unless I happen to be making the dough ahead, but simply roll it out, transferred it into the tart ring, and run the rolling pin over the dough to neatly shear away the edges.

Tart Filling

One unbaked tart dough (see recipe, below)

Dijon or whole-grain mustard
2-3 large heirloom tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Two generous tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, basil and/or thyme
8 ounces fresh or slightly aged goat cheese, sliced into rounds (this can be hard to do as it crumbles but just do your best and reshape a bit- it’s easiest to cut if it’s really cold)

Tart Dough

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or half apf and half whole wheat)
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons cold water

Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands, or a pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture.

Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water.

Gather the dough into a ball and roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.

Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin then unroll it over the tart pan. “Dock” the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. (yes, this is a hot oven but it works well to set the crust and prevent the tomatoes from making it soggy.)

Spread an even layer of mustard over the bottom of the tart dough and let it sit a few minutes to dry out. Slice the tomatoes and arrange them over the mustard in a single, even layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh herbs, then arrange the slices of goat cheese on top. Add some more fresh herbs.

Bake the tart for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is cooked, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is nicely browned. Depending on the heat of your oven, if the cheese doesn’t brown as much as you’d like it, you might want to pass it under the broiler until it’s just right.

Roasted Salsa

This is a nice variation to the fresh pico de gallo like salsas. The roasted peppers and garlic add nice depth and smoky flavor.

2 jalapenos (or more)
3 cloves garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 ½ lbs tomatoes, diced (either heirloom or new girl slicers)
1/3 – ½ cup chopped cilantro
Salt
Fresh lime juice (about 2 tablespoons)

Dice the tomatoes and put them in a strainer over a bowl and let sit while you prepare the rest of the salsa.

In a dry, ungreased skillet over medium heat roast the garlic cloves (unpeeled!) and jalapenos. You want them to get brown, in spots here and there and to soften and do it fairly slowly. The garlic will take 12-15 minutes and the peppers about 10. You want to turn both frequently to evenly brown and soften them.

When the garlic and peppers are done, peel garlic and remove stems from jalapenos. If you’re very averse to spice you can remove seeds and membranes from peppers but they add lots of flavor and a nice warm heat so leave them in if you can. Now you can either chop them both very finely or process briefly in a food processor.

Shake the tomatoes around in the strainer a bit just to remove a little of the juice. Now either finely chop them or toss them briefly in a processor as well. Mix with the remainder of the ingredients and taste and adjust for seasoning with lime juice and salt.

Roasted Tomatoes

(to use immediately or to freeze)

I process about 30-40 lbs of tomatoes in this fashion each year. I use this method for slicers, heirlooms, sauce tomatoes and even cherry tomatoes (which turn out like candy). The heirlooms take longer since they have more moisture but they are delicious. It is a very low stress way of preserving lots of tomatoes if you have the freezer space. Small quantities are easy to make too. There’s no peeling, canning, or chopping. And the results are so tasty. I’ve been doing small batches so I can keep up with my garden the last several weeks.

Cut tomatoes in half (on the “equator”) and place them cut-side up on a sheet pan. Pack as many as you can onto a cookie sheet with sides. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast at 400 degrees about 2-3 hours until they are about half their original size, are still moist but a bit caramelized around the edges. It will depend on the size/kind of tomato how long this takes.

Now if you’re going to use them right away you can chop them or they may just fall apart and then you can use them as a sauce for pasta or rice or most anything. Add a bunch of fresh basil and a little fresh, minced garlic to offset the sweetness if you’d like. A dash of balsamic vinegar is good too.

If you are going to freeze them, let them cool on the sheet pans and then put the pans in the freezer. When tomatoes are firm remove, pick them off the tray and pack them in freezer bags or containers. Use as needed all winter long, chopped up in sandwiches (grilled cheese is wonderful with them), quesadillas, soups, sauces, finely chopped in a salad dressing, as a soup base, etc.

Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

This time of year you can toss most any vegetable together with some fresh herbs and a good dressing and to make things even better in my bean-loving opinion, some cooked beans, and you’ve got a meal. This is a lovely, simple combo for this week’s bounty.

Toss 2-3 (or more) ears of corn in boiling water for just a minute. Remove and cut the kernels off the cob. If you do this in a large bowl you won’t be chasing the kernels all over the kitchen floor.
2 cups (or more) cooked and cooled (or canned and rinsed) black, cranberry or pinto beans (or another bean of your choice)
1-2 jalapenos, minced (seeded and membrane removed if you want to keep it mild but taste them first they may not be very hot and keeping the seeds and membranes adds a lot of flavor)
½ cup, roughly chopped cilantro
2 cups (more or less) diced tomatoes
Juice of one lime
Zest of one lime
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2-3 tablespoons good olive oi
Salt and pepper

Combine everything in a bowl. Mix gently, taste and adjust seasoning.

Calabrian-style Eggplant

Like a few other dishes you’ve seen here, I learned this in Calabria, the toe of the Italian “boot”.

This is served with good crusty bread (almost like a spread) and eaten with a green salad and a chunk of cheese or some cured meats as a simple supper on hot days. This is a very spicy dish that I make far tamer than they do in Calabria. So adjust the heat to your liking. You can start with ½ teaspoon of pepper flakes and move up from there.

Eggplant, diced (however much you have/want to use but it cooks down quite a bit so start with at least 4 cups of diced eggplant.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (or Calabrian peperoncini flakes if you have them!)
Olive oil
Salt

Note: There’s no need to salt and drain the eggplant. With the fresh eggplants you’re getting in fact I don’t think there is ever a reason to do that. I find them perfectly sweet and wonderful without that step in most any preparation.

Heat a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the eggplant, toss well to coat and add several generous pinches of salt and the red pepper flakes. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, for a few minutes until the eggplant begins to soften. Turn down to medium and cover and continue cooking until the eggplant pieces loose their shape. You can assist with this by mashing them with the back of a wooden spoon as you go. Ideally you don’t add any water but you can add a bit more olive oil if things start sticking too much. Browning is fine though. When the eggplant is soft add the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Adjust for salt, drizzle generously with good-tasting olive oil and mash with the back of a wooden spoon again. Serve with good, crusty bread. You can use this as a sandwich spread as well or as a topping for pizza with some fresh tomatoes and lots of basil.

Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes

This is a quick, hearty pasta dish. I seem to be incorrigibly drawn to Italian preparations this time of year. They’re so quick and easy and satisfying.

Olive oil
1 medium globe eggplant or several smaller ones, cut into ½ -inch dice (no need to peel, salt or soak)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and roughly chopped (optional)
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley (or basil or a combination)
½ cup grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
1lb fusilli, penne or other stout pasta
½ cup pasta cooking water, reserved before draining

Sauté the eggplant in a heavy skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high, then medium-high heat stirring frequently. When the eggplant is soft, add the tomatoes, capers, if using, and the garlic and several generous pinches of salt. Cook on high heat until the tomatoes break down just a bit and some of their liquid evaporates so you have a nice thick, chunky sauce—about 10 minutes. Add the parsley and/or basil.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water until al dente. Right before you drain the pasta scoop out about ½ cup of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce, add the reserved cooking water to loosen it up a bit and serve immediately with the cheese.

Zucchini Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze
–Adapted from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma via David Lebovitz

Serves 12-16

This is hands down the best zucchini cake I’ve ever had. I’ve mad it many times with zucchini or yellow crookneck squash. It’s a bit of work but it’s worth it.

I grate the zucchini by hand; ½ on the finer holes of my box grater and half on the larger ones but the Kitchen Aid fine disk would work too.

The best way to invert the cake is to lay the cooling rack over the top of the cake pan, then grasping both the cake pan and the rack simultaneously (if it’s too hot, wear oven mitts), flip them both over at once. Lift off the cake pan, then liberally brush the glaze over the warm cake

For the cake:

1 cup almonds, pecans, or walnuts
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups sugar
Grated zest of one lemon
1 cup (250ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (300g) finely grated zucchini or other summer squash

For the lemon glaze:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Grease a 10 cup (2.5l) bundt or tube cake pan* with butter, dust with flour, then tap out any excess.

Pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a whisk, beat the eggs, 1 ¼ cups sugar, lemon zest and olive oil for 3 minutes on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the mixer, then add the vanilla.

Mix in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the mixer bowl to make sure everything is mixed in well, and then beat on medium speed for 30 seconds, or continue by hand. I’ve always done this by hand and it’s been great.

Stir in the chopped nuts and zucchini. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan, smooth the top, then bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.

During the last few minutes of the cake baking, make the glaze by whisking together the lemon juice, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and powdered sugar.

Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a cooling rack. Brush the glaze over the cake with a pastry brush and let the cake cool completely.

*If you don’t have a bundt or tube pan you can use a regular round cake pan with good results. This cake batter could also be baked in two loaf pans.

Lots of simple ideas and quick dishes this week. It’s going to be hot again so having a few of these room temperature or chilled sides/dips like the baba ganoush (I’ve included a version for summer squash which is delicious as well!) and the beets with mint and yogurt might be useful. The kale bruschetta is worth a try as is the Roasted eggplant–beautiful and addictive. Enjoy!

Corn Ideas
Tomato Bread Gratin
Simple Fresh Tomato Sauce
Roasted Eggplant with Simple Tomato Sauce and Basil
Kale Notes
Eggplant or Summer Squash “Baba Ganoush”
Beets with Mint and Yogurt

Corn Ideas

• Corn is an unorthodox pizza topping but it’s delicious. Try sautéing lots of onions sliced into 1/4 –inch half rounds, add the kernels from a few ears of corn and a bit of diced bacon (optional) and top a very thinly rolled out pizza dough with it over a good slick of olive oil. Top with lots of sliced fresh basil when it comes out of the oven. You could add a bit of grated cheese towards the end of the cooking time if you’d like. And lots of freshly ground pepper and sea salt.

• Sauté a bunch of diced onion, diced zucchini and corn to make a scramble or a frittata—again basil would be a delicious addition.

Tomato Bread Gratin
–Adapted from Ina Garten

You can poach or fry an egg to serve on top of this or just have it with a salad for dinner. We had it for dinner this week with beautiful, steamed artichokes and that was dinner. Leftovers are as good or better than the first round—if you can keep from eating it all.

Serves 4

3-4 cups bread from a good crusty loaf with a fairly open crumb (if you’re in Portland Grand Central Como or Levain is perfect or other French/Italian style bread—not sandwich bread), cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 – 2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
or if supplementing with cherry tomatoes just cut those in half
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly slivered basil leaves, lightly packed
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or other hard cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Add the bread cubes and stir so that they are evenly coated with oil. Cook cubes, tossing frequently, until toasty on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are toasted, add the tomato mixture and cook them together, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the basil. Pour into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm with a big green salad, a bean salad and/or a poached egg.

Simple Tomato Sauce

This time of year is really too good to be true. I don’t have enough stomach space and meals in the day to make and eat everything I want to right now. This sauce is so versatile and makes good use of the bounty of tomatoes right now. It also freezes well so make lots if you want. It’s perfect on pizzas, with pasta of course, or layered with rounds of eggplant and baked (see below) or a dozen other ways.

1 medium onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil (or 1 tbs oil and 1 tbs butter)
6 cups (more or less) coarsely chopped tomatoes (mix of new girls and heirlooms or just one or the other is fine. The heirlooms will be juicier and will take longer to cook down.)
Salt
2 tablespoons butter (optional but highly recommended)

In a large skillet heat the oil or oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes until softened but not brown. Turn down if they begin to brown. Add the tomatoes and bring to a rapid boil and then turn down to medium. Add a few generous pinches of salt and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens and any watery juices have cooked off. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the optional butter at the very end. It really rounds things out but is by no means essential.

Roasted Eggplant with Simple Tomato Sauce and Basil
–adapted from teaandcookiesblog.com

This is so simple and so delicious. It takes a bit of time to bake but if you have some sauce already made it just takes a few minutes to assemble. Make a big green salad to accompany it and fry or poach eggs to go on top of the stacks if you’d like and you’ve got dinner.

1 large eggplant
¾ cup grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
2 – 2 ½ cups tomato sauce (recipe above)
2-3 tablespoons chopped basil

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice the eggplant across the width into slices roughly 1/3 of an inch (don’t go bigger than 1/2 inch or it will take too long to bake) and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Let sit in a bowl for 30 minutes to an hour and discard any liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Pat the slices dry and set aside. You can skip this step if you’re in a hurry. It speeds up the cooking process a bit but your eggplants are so fresh there will be no bitterness that you need to remove with this process.

Grease the bottom of a glass or metal baking dish with vegetable or canola oil. Place the largest slices on the bottom and spoon 1/4 cup of sauce over and sprinkle with a little bit of grated cheese. Top with next largest slices and repeat with the sauce and cheese. Continue until you have three layers of eggplant. Make sure to top with a good amount of sauce and just a little cheese.

If you have any awkward ends to the eggplant, score them and top with extra sauce and bake in the pan with the stacks. They make a good snack.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the eggplant is soft all the way through. If your sauce is beginning to brown on top, use some foil to tent over the eggplant.

Kale Notes

• Simply sauté the kale with a bunch of sliced onions and a clove or two of minced garlic in a generous glug of olive oil. Let cook slowly for about 20-30 minutes for the most luscious side dish. You could add ½ or more cup of diced tomatoes to the mix towards the beginning and they will create a luscious tomatoe-y coating. Don’t forget to season well with sea salt.

• I love bruschetta piled high with slowly cooked kale. Toast or grill good crusty slices of bread. Rub them with a clove of garlic and then pile on the kale that you’ve cooked for about 20-25 minutes in a bit of olive oil with nothing but salt. Drizzle the whole thing with the best olive oil you have and another sprinkling of good sea salt. Fry and egg and put that on top and call it dinner.

Eggplant or Summer Squash “Baba Ganoush”
–adapted from davidlebovitz.com

Baba ganoush is the smoky eggplant puree that I find terribly addictive. You can also use the same technique and seasonings with zucchini or other summer squash. This week you could use either eggplant or summer squash or a combo. If you by chance of smoked salt in your pantry (I do not but have been meaning to get some) use it in this dish.

You can add a pinch of ground cumin if you’d like. It’s a nice addition as long as it’s very subtle.

2 medium-sized eggplants or 3 medium to large summer squash
¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/8 teaspoon chile powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup of mint leaves or cilantro, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F

Prick each eggplant a few times, then char the outside of the eggplants by placing them directly on the flame of a gas burner and as the skin chars, turn them until the eggplants are uniformly-charred on the outside. (If you don’t have a gas stove, you can char them under the broiler. If not, skip to the next step.) If you are using squash you can skip this step too.

Place the eggplants and/or summer squash on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, until they’re completely soft; you should be able to easily poke a paring knife into them and meet no resistance. Remove from oven and let cool a bit.

Split the eggplant and scrape out the pulp. No need to do this for squash if that’s what you’re using. Puree the pulp in a blender or food processor with the other ingredients until smooth.

Taste, and season with additional salt and lemon juice, if necessary. Serve drizzle with olive oil, perhaps some herbs and with crackers, sliced baguette, or toasted pita chips for dipping.

Baba Ganoush can be made and refrigerated for up to five days prior to serving.

Beets with Mint and Yogurt
–adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian

This is a bit like an Indian tzatziki, the Greek dish of cucumbers, yogurt, dill and garlic. It’s a crazy color—much like the beet pesto you might have a made a few weeks ago. Don’t be put off by the color—it’s very good. Serve it with good bread, with hardboiled eggs or boiled potatoes, rice, etc.

And you might as well roast or boil all your beets at once and then use some for this dish, some diced in a salad or tossed with some goat or blue cheese and toasted nuts and a simple vinaigrette.

2 medium boiled or roasted beets, peeled and cooled
2 cups whole milk plain or Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon or more sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (more or less to taste) (optional)
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 small garlic cloves, sliced (not terribly thin)

Grate the beets on the large holes of a box grater. Put the yogurt in a bowl and whisk it briefly to until it is smooth and creamy. Add the salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Mix well. Add the beets and mint and mix gently.

Put the oil and garlic slices in a small skillet and set over medium-high heat. The garlic will begin to sizzle and then press down on it with a spatula and let it sizzle some more, turning the pieces once or twice, until they turn just golden brown. Now our the flavored oil and the garlic into the bowl with the yogurt and mix.

Make the tomato paella and sweet corn pesto if you make any of these recipes this week. And then let me know how they turned out. The bounty is so luxurious right now and cooking with fresh produce this time of year is just pure joy. Oh and make tomato sandwiches, everyday, if you’d like. A little mayo (or homemade aoili), 1/3-inch slices of tomato, some thinly sliced red onion, a few basil leaves and drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of sea salt. Heaven!

Recipes

Carrot, Dill and White Bean Salad
Tomato Bread
Tomato “Paella”
Sweet Corn Pesto
Hot and Sour Eggplant
Grilled Veggies
Potatoes, Dill and Red Onion

Carrot, Dill and White Bean Salad
–slightly adapted from 101cookbooks.com

1/4 cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions
more olive oil for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans (great northern, navy, cannellini or even chickpeas if you don’t have white beans)
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and onions in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil. Let them cook in a single layer – they’ll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.

Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans are well heated through. If you are using beans that weren’t canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) – they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can’t. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan – do so.

Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Tomato Bread

The Spanish (and Basque) and Italian and probably many other cultures have versions of this. I have been eating it for breakfast though I realize that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s a wonderful snack or appetizer or a part of an informal dinner as well.

However many slices of bread to want to use
However many tomatoes you want to use – you need about half a medium tomato for one large slice of good, crusty bread.
Whole cloves of peeled garlic
Good sea salt
The best olive oil you have

Toast or grill the bread. Rub with garlic (little or lot or not at all, in fact). Cut the tomatoes in half on the equator and then rub the cut side of the tomato onto the toasted bread pressing as much juice and flesh into the bread as you can. You’ll be left holding the skin and a little pulp. Salt generously and drizzle with oil. The bread may fall part a bit and will get quite soggy—just as it should! Eat immediately, then make another!:)

Tomato Paella
–adapted from Mark Bittman

This is a delicious, quick, and inexpensive (and vegetarian) twist on a classic paella. It’s perfect this time of year with beautiful, juicy tomatoes. You can see photos of it on my blog, if you’re curious. And you don’t want to undersalt this so be generous as it really brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes.

3 1/2 cups stock or water
1 1/2 pounds heirloom or slicer tomatoes, cored and cut into thick wedges (about 4 medium to large tomatoes)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Large pinch saffron threads (optional)
2 teaspoons Spanish pimentón (smoked paprika), or other paprika
2 cups Spanish or other short-grain rice
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (if the stock isn’t very salty or you’re using water)

Warm stock or water in a saucepan. If using water, add a teaspoon of salt to the water. Put tomatoes in a medium bowl, sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat. Put remaining oil in a 10- or 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in saffron if you are using it and pimentón and cook for a minute more. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is shiny, another two to three minutes. Add hot stock or water and stir until just combined.

Put tomato wedges on top of rice and drizzle with juices that accumulated in bottom of bowl. Cook over medium heat undisturbed, for 15 -20 minutes. Check to see if rice is dry and just tender. If not, keep cooking for another 5 minutes. If rice looks too dry but still is not quite done, add a small amount of stock or water (or wine). When rice is ready, turn off oven and let pan sit for 5 to 15 minutes. If you like, put pan over high heat for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving. If you have time you should definitely do this last part. The crust is fabulous.

Hot and Sour Eggplant

This is quick and delicious. Serve this over rice and if you have time make the baked brown rice below. It’s converted the most ardent brown-rice haters.

2 large eggplant or several smaller ones, cubed (skin on)
1 medium onion, diced
1 sweet red pepper (optional), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or fresh, minced jalapeno or other hot pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
3-4 tablespoons olive or sunflower or other oil

Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes (or minced hot pepper), and cornstarch in a small bowel.

In a large skillet or work heat the oil and sauté onions and pepper (if using) over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes until they soften. Add eggplant and cook until softens and browns a bit, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the sauce and sir well to mix and coat veggies. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until sauce thickens and veggies are tender.

Serve hot over rice.

Baked Brown Rice
–from Alton Brown

I often make a double batch and freeze the other half.

1 1/2 cups brown rice medium or short grain
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
heaping 1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Sweet Corn Pest0
–adapted from Bon Appétit

To make this vegetarian, instead of the bacon you can sauté the corn in butter or olive oil and add 1-2 teaspoons of pimenton (smoked Spanish Paprika) and then add a few squeezes of lime juice at the very end.

3 bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
3-4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 5 large ears)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3 cup almonds or pine nuts (I always use Almonds because that’s what I have on hand)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
16 ounces tagliatelle or fettuccine or penne
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet (and reserve for future use or toss). Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt, red pepper flakes, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. Pulse almonds until finely ground, add cheese, whiz again, then scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, bacon (if using) and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

Grilled Veggies

I don’t talk so much about grilled vegetables because we don’t have a gas grill and rarely light up our old charcoal one. I imagine you all probably grill vegetables frequently. If you don’t and do have a grill, you should. All the veggies need is a quick brush of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and some time on a hot grill. Eggplant, squash, onions (and of course corn—in the husk minus the salt and oil) are all wonderful. You can eat them as is as a wonderful side or layer them on sandwiches or burgers or chop them up and dress with lots of herbs and a vinaigrette.

You can always make skewers with our without meat or fish and with or without fancier marinades of spices, ginger and oils and vinegars or soy sauce, etc.

Potatoes, Dill and Red Onion

This is a lovely combination of flavors and your potatoes this week would be perfect here. You can either dress these with a creamy (yogurt or sour cream) dressing or a vinaigrette—both good.

½ medium red onion (or more), sliced in half and then sliced into thin, half rounds
1.5 lb (or more or less), potatoes, scrubbed well
½ bunch dill, well washed and chopped
½ cup Greek or plain whole milk yogurt
2 tablespoons red wine or cider vinegar (or more to taste)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons good olive oil

If you’re going the vinaigrette route, use the same vinegar, a scant tablespoon of Dijon-style mustard and about 4-5 tablespoons olive oil in addition to salt and pepper and mix well.

Soak the onions slices in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes (this removes some of their bite) or longer.

Cook the whole potatoes in plenty of water until just tender. It’s easy to overcook them so test regularly and take smaller potatoes out first. Let the potatoes cool—you can speed up this process but slicing them into rounds while they’re still hot and spreading them out on a board. You just don’t want to dress them when they’re really hot.

When the potatoes have cooled, drain the onions well and toss them with whatever dressing you made. Adjust for seasoning with salt, pepper and vinegar.

Summer is in full swing–tomatoes, basil, corn squash. . .it’s heaven really. By all means try the bruschetta with basil, goat cheese and grilled peaches and make Julia Child’s summer squash tian–it’s a lovely affair and a wonderful technique. And I doubt you need much in the way of advice on the sweet corn. Enjoy!

Recipes

Pesto
Bruschetta with Goat Cheese, Basil and Grilled Peaches
Corn Ideas
Zucchini/Summer Squash Pickles
Summer Squash Tian (from Julia Child)
Chicken Salad with Green Beans and Creamy Basil Dressing
Stewed Green Beans, Tomato and Bacon
Chard Tart

Pesto

I used to be a purist about pesto and I’m not anymore. I use almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts since I never have pine nuts. I use aged, Asiago Stella (available at Pastaworks and City Market) because it’s much cheaper than Parmesan and still very good. I also use the food processor. And you can scale this up or down very easily. It keeps well in the fridge, topped of with a thin layer of good olive oil, for at least a week or more. And you can put it on so many things—use it as a sandwich spread; stir it into deviled eggs or a frittata thin it out for a salad dressing . . . .

1 bunch basil, leaves picked (between 2 and 3 cups leaves, packed)
2-3 smallish cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Generous handful of almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts or pine nuts
About 2 ounces of Parmesan or aged asiago (Asiago Stella available at Pastaworks/City Market)
1/3 – 1/2 cup of good-tasting extra virgin olive oil (or more)
Salt and freshly ground peper

If you have a mortar and pestle, a strong arm and some time, by all means make the pesto by hand. I almost always now make it in a food processor and it’s very good that way too.

Put the nuts and cheese in the processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the basil, garlic and salt and process until well chopped. Then slowly add the oil. Don’t over process. Adjust for salt and oil. Then store in the fridge until ready to use.

Bruschetta with Fresh Goat Cheese, Basil and Grilled Peaches

Another idea for your beautiful basil this week—gorgeous and delicious!

Serves 5 as a side/starter

5 good crusty slices of bread, toasted or grilled
3-4 ounces fresh goat’s cheese (or fresh ricotta or some other mild, spreadable cheese)
Handful or two of whole basil leaves
1-2 large peaches, washed but not peeled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Good olive oil
A little lime juice or balsamic vinegar

Set your oven to broil or turn on/light your grill. Slice the peaches into 1/4-inch thick slices, working your way around the peach vertically. Spread the peach slices on a cookie sheet and brush lightly with olive oil and broil for a few minutes on each side until just browning in a few spots. You don’t want them to fall apart so watch closely. Alternatively grill on foil on a grill.

Cut your slices of toasted bread in halves or thirds. Spread generously with goat cheese and cover cheese with basil leaves. Salt and pepper the bruschettta at this point and drizzle with a little good olive oil. Then top with the broiled peach slices, more freshly ground pepper and a very light drizzle of either lime juice or balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Corn Ideas

• On the cob: butter, salt
• Cooked and then sliced off the cob, mixed with diced tomato, red onion, basil and olive oil and red wine vinegar, s & p for a wonderful salad/side
• Quick succotash: sliced off the cob and then cooked in butter or with some diced bacon, finely chopped green beans, onion and diced summer squash

Zucchini/Summer Squash Pickles
–from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook  by Judy Rodgers

These are very similar to the bread and butter (cucumber) pickles my mother has made for decades. They’re quick to make, wonderful with burgers or anywhere else that calls for a little zip. They are nicely balanced, sweet and savory.

1 pound zucchini (medium-smallish) or other summer squash
1 red torpedo onion
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed yellow and/or brown mustard seeds
scant 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Wash and trim the zucchini or other summer squash, then slice 1/16-inch think on a mandolin. Slice the onion as thinly as possible as well. Place together in a large but shallow bowl, add the salt and toss to distribute. Add a few ice cubes and cold water to cover, then stir to dissolve the salt.

After about 1 hour, taste and feel a piece of zucchini- it should be faintly salty and softened. Drain, making sure to remove any reaming ice cubes. Dry very thoroughly between towels, or use a salad spinner. The zucchini needs to be very dry- otherwise it will not be crisp. Rinse and dry the bowl you were using.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, mustard seeds, and turmeric in a saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes. Set aside and cool until room temperature.

Put the zucchini back in the bowl and add the cooled brine. Stir to distribute the spices.

Transfer the pickles to jars. Cover and refrigerate for at least a day before serving to allow the flavors to mellow and permeate the zucchini. Rogers says these will keep indefinitely in the fridge.

Summer Squash Tian
–adapted from by Julia Child via Food52

This is a brilliant dish—it really is. I made it in honor of Julia Child’s 100th birthday earlier this week. It takes a little bit of time but is well worth it and uses a little over 2 lbs of summer squash. We had this for dinner with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, basil and feta. Perfect summer food.

Serves 6

2 to 2 1/2 pounds zucchini, well washed (about 4 medium to large-ish squash)
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 cup minced onions
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, mashed or finely minced
2 tablespoons flour (all purpose, rye, spelt. . .)
About 2 1/2 cups warm liquid: zucchini juices plus whole milk, heated in a pan (watch this closely so that it doesn’t curdle)
About 2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese (save 2 tablespoons for later)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 425.

If squash are large, halve or quarter them. Grate the squash on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl that you’ve lined with a clean, cotton dish towel.  Toss the grated squash with about 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons of sea salt and let sit while you continue with the dish.

In a large (11-inch) ideally ovenproof (cast iron or All-clad) frying pan, cook the onions and rice slowly in the oil for 8 to 10 minutes until tender and translucent. The rice may brown a bit which is just fine. Raise heat slightly and stir several more minutes until lightly browned.

Now bring the ends of the towel together and twist and squeeze all the liquid you can out of the squash and into the bowl it’s been resting in. You will get about 1- ½ cups of salted liquid. Add milk to make 2 ¼ – 2 ½ cups liquid and warm gently in a saucepan. Don’t boil.

Now stir the grated and dried zucchini and garlic into the onion and rice mixture. Toss and turn for 5 to 6 minutes until the zucchini is almost tender. Sprinkle in the flour, stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes, and remove from heat. Gradually stir in the hot liquid, being sure the flour is well blended and smooth. Return over moderately high heat and bring to the simmer, stirring. Remove from the heat again, stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese.

Taste very carefully for seasoning. Now if you’re skillet isn’t oven proof turn the mixture into a buttered baking dish, top with remaining cheese and drizzle the olive oil over the cheese.

Bake in preheated 425-degree F oven until tian is bubbling and top has browned nicely. The rice should absorb all the liquid. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Chicken Salad with Green Beans and Creamy Basil Dressing
–adapted from Bean by Bean by Crescent Dragonwagon

A different twist on chicken salad and lovely for a summer meal on a bed of lettuce and some good bread.

1 lb cooked chicken, diced
1/2 a torpedo onion, white(red) and green parts thinly sliced
¾ – 1 lb fresh beans, cooked in salted boiling water for about minutes, drained and run under cold water and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 – 1½ cups diced tomato

Dressing:
¾ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup homemade or store bought mayonnaise
1 tablespoon good olive oil
¾ cup (packed) thinly sliced basil
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Dress chicken, scallions, beans, onions and tomatoes gently and serve on bed of torn lettuce dressed lightly with a little olive oil and lemon juice and salt.

Stewed Green Beans, Tomato and Bacon

This is so simple and so good. Made it last night and had the leftovers for breakfast at room temperature. Heated up with a fried egg it would have been even better this morning.

Wash and trim as many green/wax beans as you want to use. Cut the beans into about 3-inch lengths. I would suggest making a lot of this since it keeps well and is so good.
2-3 sliced bacon, diced
½ a large onion, roughly chopped
2-3 tomatoes, diced (no need to skin or seed)
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

In the largest skillet you have, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions and bacon and sauté, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add the beans and several generous pinches of salt and stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes over high heat. Then add the diced tomatoes, stir well again and bring everything to a brisk simmer. Then turn the heat down and cover the pan and cook gently for about 20 minutes until everything is tender, the tomato is broken down and coating the beans. Taste for seasoning and serve drizzled with more olive oil.

Swiss Chard Tart

Serves 6

Don’t be put off by the tart dough. It’s really pretty straightforward and the result is a gorgeous and delicious dish that keeps well, is a good at room temp and is good with any leafy geen.

1 recipe Tart Dough (recipe follows)
1 large bunch of chard, leaves only, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. butter
1 large or two smaller onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
Zest of 1/2 a small lemon  (optional)
3 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan
A few pinches of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)

Preheat the oven to 425ºF

Heat the butter in a wide skillet; add the onion and cook it over medium heat until it is translucent and soft.  Add the garlic, and the chard leaves by handfuls, if necessary, until they all fit.  Sprinkle in a large pinch of salt.  Turn the leaves over repeatedly so that they are all exposed to the heat of the pan, and cook until they are tender, 5 minutes or more.

Make the custard.  Beat the eggs; then stir in the milk, lemon peel (if using), grated Parmesan, and a few scrapings of nutmeg. Stir in the chard and onion mixture. Taste and season with salt and a few grinds of pepper.  Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell and bake until the top is golden and firm, about 40 minutes.

Tart Dough

–adapted from David Lebovitz

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
(or ¾ cup apf and ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour)
4 1/2 ounces, about 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons cold water

Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands, or a pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture.

Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water.

Gather the dough into a ball and roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.

Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin then unroll it over the tart pan. “Dock” the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations

It’s going to be a hot week! Most of this week’s recipes are quick and cool. The exception is the Zwiebelkuchen (German/Alsatian onion tart of sorts), an old family recipe I grew up with and love. It’s worth the effort and makes a lot so you can have several meals taken care of in one go. Enjoy!

Recipes

Fresh Salsa
Jalapeno Notes
Zwiebelkuchen
Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
Beet and Sweet Onion Salad
Chopped Kale Salad with Grated Carrots, Jalapeno and Sesame
Summer Squash with Green Lentils, Parsley and Bacon
Summer Squash with Tomatoes, Basil and Lemon

Fresh Salsa

You have all the ingredients for the sweetest, freshest and most savory salsa in your share this week. I made this tonight for a crowd and it was devoured and enjoyed even by those who purportedly don’t like spicy salsa. The jalapenos are so flavorful and subtly spicy.

2 large tomatoes, washed, cored and finely chopped or diced
½ – 1 jalapeno, finely minced (de-seed the pepper if you’re unsure of your comfort with the heat level—my guess is that you can leave the seeds in, for at least part of it)
2 tablespoons, finely chopped Walla Walla Sweet
¼ cup cilantro, well washed and dried and chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced and then mashed with some coarse salt and the side of a chef’s knife into a paste (or just mince)
Sea salt

Mix everything together well and adjust seasoning with salt. Serve with chips or with fish tacos or any kind of tacos or with quesadillas or as a side for grilled fish or vegetables or pretty much anything.

Jalapeno Notes

The jalapenos can be added cooked or raw to many of the dishes in this week’s packet—the cilantro yogurt sauce, the kale and carrot salad in raw form and cooked with the onions in the Zwiebelkuchen, the German onion tart. The peppers adds a lovely depth and subtle heat.

Summer Squash with Lentils, Parsley and Bacon

This is basically last week’s recipe with quickly seared summer squash instead of beans. It’s better than the bean version. It’s a new favorite in my household.

Lentils get overlooked a bit in the summer but I especially love salads with small green lentils in the summer. You can make them ahead of time and then have a robust, room temperature dish for whenever you need it.

1 cup small French green lentils or other small lentils that keep their shape when cooked
Splash of olive oil
1 Walla Walla Sweet, diced
4 cups summer squash, cut into small chunks –for zucchini I quarter them lengthwise and then cut them into 1/3-inch chunks
4 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or more red wine vinegar if you don’t have sherry vinegar)
2 small-ish garlic cloves, crushed and then minced
3 (or more) tablespoons good olive oil
Sea salt and pepper (to taste)
¼ cup chopped parsley (or cilantro)

Cook the lentils until tender, about 15-20 minutes (this will vary depending on the kind of lentil you have). You want them to be tender but keep their shape so check frequently.

Drain them and immediately toss them with the vinegars, garlic and olive oil. Set aside.

In the largest skillet you have, heat a splash of olive oil over high heat and add the bacon and onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. You want the onion softened and bacon rendered but not crisp. Remove the onions and bacon from skillet and add to lentils.

Add another splash of olive oil and the summer squash and a few generous pinches of salt. Cook the squash over high heat for about 7-8 minutes until browned and beginning to soften.

Add the warm squash to the lentils along with the chopped parsley and the additional olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and/or vinegar.

Zwiebelkuchen

This is the one more involved recipe in this packet but it’s wonderful for picnics or potlucks since it’s great at room temperature and keeps and travels well. And it makes a lot so you can have dinner, and a few lunches out of it.

This is a Southern German style tart/quiche/pizza is a mainstay in my family. This can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon. You can also add herbs (parsley and/or chives are particularly good) and change the cheese to suite your taste or what you have on hand. And as noted above, you add jalapeno for an unorthodox but excellent twist.

Crust:

Scant 2 cups all-purpose flour (I’ve also used half whole-wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose and feel free to play around with other flour combinations)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ tsp Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
½ cup sour cream or plain, whole-milk yogurt
1 egg

Topping:

2 lbs, or slightly more Walla Walls Sweets (can supplement with regular onions if you need), sliced into ¼-inch half rounds
1 – 2 jalapenos, minced (seeds and all for more heat or deseeded for a subtler flavor)
Olive oil
3 ounces bacon, diced (or ½ cup of chopped parsley –added to the custard mix right before baking, see headnote)
4 ounces grated sharp cheddar, Emmental, etc.
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream or plain, whole-milk yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, in the medium bowl beat the egg with the oil, water and sour cream (or yogurt) until just mixed. In another bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder and stir into the wet ingredients with a fork or wooden spoon. Mix well – you may want to use your hands at this point—until it’s smooth. Place the dough in a 13 x 18 rimmed baking sheet (sheet pan) and roll it out to fit the pan. You may have to stretch it a bit with your hands to get it into the corners. It does not need to come up the sides at all.

For the filling, slice the onions in half and then into ¼ thin half rounds. Thinly coat a large sauté pan or pot with olive oil and heat it over med-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until the fat is partially rendered. Add the onions and a few generous pinches of salt. Cover and stir occasionally (and adjust heat if onions stick and brown) until the onions are quite soft and some of the liquid they’ve released has cooked off. This will take between 15 to 25 minutes depending on your onions. Ideally they don’t brown but no harm done if they do.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sour cream (or yogurt), a few grinds of pepper. Add the grated cheese and the onion bacon mixture. Spread on the crust and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and the edges are starting to brown.

Eat warm or at room temperature. This is even better reheated the next day in a hot cast iron pan in a little bit of olive oil.

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

I could put cilantro on anything. I especially love it made into a sauce by tossing ½ a bunch or more into a food processor (or chopping finally) with a ¼ – 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt (or plain, whole milk yogurt), some minced garlic, some lemon zest, salt, pepper and a little olive oil. This is delicious on any grains or fish or with steamed or roasted veggies.

Beets and Sweet Onions with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

The above sauce is lovely drizzled over or tossed with boiled or roasted beets and thinly sliced sweet onions.

Chopped Salad with Kale, Carrots, and Tahini Yogurt Dressing

This is a robust, bright salad that is begging for seasonal adaptations depending on the greens at hand. I could also imagine it being delicious tossed with some cooked, cooled soba noodles. And it’s just as good if not better the next day.

6 cups lacinato kale, thoroughly washed and cut into ¼-½ ribbons
2 carrots, grated (on large hole of box grater)
1 beet, scrubbed, peeled and grated (on large hole of a box grater—be careful it makes a mess)
½ cup sweet onions, thinly sliced
½ jalapeno, minced (with or without seeds depending on how spice you like things)
2-3 tablespoons toasted sesame or sunflower seeds (or 1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds)

Dressing

2 tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste)
2-3 tablespoons Greek Yogurt (or sour cream or mayonnaise)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 small clove of garlic, minced or mashed with side of knife
Juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
Salt and pepper

Put all vegetables in a large bowl, excepting the beets. Whisk dressing ingredients until emulsified and smooth. Taste for seasoning. The dressing should be quite strong since it’s going to dress a lot of veggies. If the dressing is too thick thin it out with a little water. Toss veggies with dressing, mix well and adjust seasoning. Add the grated beets last and toss lightly

Summer Squash with Tomatoes, Basil and Lemon
–inspired by Tender by Nigel Slater

This is a new favorite summer squash dish. The addition of the lemon juice is critical. It calls for a handful of basil leaves and I’m guessing many of you have a basil plant in a pot or garden close by.

3-4 medium summer squash, well washed and cut into thick fingers, homemade French-fry sized
½ a Walla Walla Sweet or other onion, diced or thinly sliced (optional)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 medium to large tomatoes, roughly chopped
Handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
Salt and pepper
½ a lemon

Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan and add the onion and squash and cook, fairly undisturbed for 6-8 minutes over medium to medium-high heat until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the tomatoes, the basil, salt and pepper, and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Stir and then cover with a loose fitting lid and let simmer for 10 -12 minutes until the squash is completely tender. Adjust seasoning and serve with good crusty bread to mop up the juices.

The first of the season’s tomatoes are here. I doubt you need much inspiration for these. Tossed with the lettuce and a light vinaigrette and some thinly sliced Walla Walla’s, it’s summer on a plate. And if you have a proclivity for hamburgers then those Walla Wallas, tomatoes and lettuce make the perfect burger. And one my favorite summer suppers is the modified Nicoise Salad. It can be adapted all summer long, is beautiful, cool and fortifying. Enjoy!

Recipes

Parsley and Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Cook-With-What-You-Have Nicoise Salad
Grilled/Broiled Summer Squash with Parsley Garlic Sauce (Salsa Verde)
Green Curry Summer Squash Soup
Beans with Lentils, Parsley and Bacon or Prosciutto
Savory Bread Pudding with Chard 

Parsley and Pumpkin Seed Pesto

This is a wonderful thing to do with a big beautiful bunch of parsley. You must toast the pumpkin seeds first—it takes just about 5 minutes in a dry heavy skillet on medium-high heat, shaking often to ensure even toasting. The seeds begin popping when they’re just about done. Be careful not to burn and cool before using.

I use a food processor for this but if you don’t have one you can make a slightly less uniform version by grating the cheese finely and minced/chopping everything else as by hand as finely as you can.

I use this pesto spread on crostini or sandwiches. I stir some into the egg yolk mixture for deviled eggs. I add it to scrambled eggs. I stir it into Greek yogurt for a sauce or topping for most anything. I dilute it a little (water, cream, more oil and/or lemon juice) for a dressing for grain or bean salads. …And of course you can serve it with pasta like basil pesto. Be sure to thin it with a bit of hot, starchy pasta cooking water in  that case.

1 bunch parsley, thoroughly washed and tough stems cut off and discarded. Please don’t worry about picking the leaves off the stems. All you need to do is cut off the bottom, stem ends of the bunch.
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1-2 ounces Parmesan (or aged Asiago called Asiago Stella available at Pastaworks/City Market), cut or broken into small-ish chunks
½ cup toasted, cooled pumpkin seeds (see headnote)
1/3 cup good-tasting olive oil (or more)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice (to taste)

Process the cheese in the food processor until quite fine. Add minced garlic and toasted pumpkin seeds and process again until the seeds are finely chopped. Add the parsley and process again until its very finely chopped. Add oil, sea salt and pepper. Pulse a few times and taste. Adjust for salt and add just a touch of lemon juice. You don’t want a pronounced lemon flavor, but just a little to brighten everything up.

Cook With What You Have Salade Nicoise

I take the idea of Salade Nicoise and adapt it all summer long, i.e. take fresh and/or cooked vegetables, good Oregon Albacore (usually canned), and barely hardboiled eggs, drizzled with an herby dressing, as a complete, fabulous dinner.

For this week’s share you could use the beans, new potatoes, Walla Walla Sweets and parsley (in the dressing). You could also grill some of the summer squash and add it to the mix and you can grill the onions or slice them very thinly and leave them raw.

Quantities are of course to be adapted to suit your needs and can be varied in all ways. You just want enough dressing for everything to scale that up if you’re using more vegetables.

Serves 4

¾ lb green (Burgundy or yellow) beans, trimmed
¾-1 lb potatoes, scrubbed and cut into thumb-sized chunks
1 large tomato, cut into 3/4-inch wedges
Summer squash, sliced and broiled or grilled (see headnote)
4 eggs, hardboiled (but just barely –see note below)
½ or more of a Wall Walla Sweet, sliced thinly (or more onion, grilled—see headnote)
1-2 cans albacore (5-6 oz) or fresh if you have it, seared

Dressing:

10 sprigs parsley (more or less), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar (more to taste)
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
5 tablespoons good-tasting olive oil (more to taste)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or aioli if you happen to have some made) or Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper

My favorite way to hard-boil eggs is to bring the water to a boil and then immediately turn off the heat and set your timer for 8-9 minutes. Then drain the eggs and run under cold water. This will give you perfectly cooked eggs with firm but slightly creamy yolks—no chalkiness or gray lines in site. Eggs like this are perfect for this kind of a composed salad. Peal eggs and cut into quarters.

Bring a large pot of water to which you’ve added 1-2 tablespoons kosher salt to a rapid boil. Put in the beans and brink back to a boil as quickly as possible. Cooking really brings out the flavor in green beans and after 5-6 minutes you loose the “squeak” that you get if they’re not quite done enough. Drain them after 5-6 minutes and run under cold water. I don’t bother with the ice-bath method but you certainly can.

Cook potatoes until tender.

Arrange the quartered eggs, beans, potatoes and onions and squash (if using) on a large platter. Put the tuna, broken up into pieces in the center. Mix all dressing ingredients together well and drizzle over everything. Serve with good crusty bread.

Grilled/Broiled Summer Squash with Parsley Garlic Sauce (Salsa Verde)

This takes a little time but is delicious and beautiful and lovely on a hot day.

3 medium zucchini or other summer squash, thinly sliced long-ways (if zucchini) about ¼-inch thick
Olive oil for brushing squash
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 medium to large clove garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ – 1/3 cup good olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper

You can cook the squash one of three ways. You can brush with olive oil and broil on sheet pan, flipping once browned on one side until slightly browned and tender on both sides. You can grill on the barbeque or you can cook in a large heavy skillet on the stovetop in just a touch of olive oil. All work great. The stovetop is probably the fastest. However you cook them, once cooked spread them out on a platter in a single layer.

Mix all the salsa verde ingredients together, taste and adjust seasoning. Then drizzle/spread sauce over squash. Let rest for 15 minutes if you can before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Green Curry Summer Squash Soup
–adapted from Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson

4-5 medium zucchini or other summer squash, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 a medium onion, thinly sliced
4-5 small potatoes, scrubbed well but no need to peel and cut into small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 2 heaping teaspoons green curry paste (Thai and True brand or Mae Ploy or homemade!)
1 can full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable broth or stock
1/4 cup Thai basil or regular basil leaves, packed and roughly chopped (saving a bit for garnish)
Salt
Squeeze of lime juice to taste (optional)

Cooked white or brown, long grain rice

Put a large soup pot on medium high heat. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of the solid part of the coconut milk that makes up about the top fourth of the can, to the hot pan. Add the 1-2 teaspoons (depending on how much heat you want) of green curry paste and mash it up with the back of a spoon and blend it into the coconut milk. Fry this mixture for a couple of minutes until it becomes fragrant.

Add the sliced onion and fry for a few minutes until it softens. Add the squash and potatoes, several generous pinches of salt and cook, stirring often for 3-4 minutes. Then add the garlic, the remainder of the coconut milk and the broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add most of the basil (reserving some for a garnish) and cook for another minute or two. Adjust seasoning and add a squeeze of lime juice, if using.

Serve hot over rice and garnished with more basil.

Beans with Lentils, Parsley and Possibly Prosciutto

Lentils get overlooked a bit in the summer but I especially love salads with small green lentils in the summer. You can make them ahead of time and then have a robust, room temperature dish for whenever you need it. You want to cook the beans well for this recipe, getting them a bit browned in the pan.

You can add pork in one of two ways—in the form of diced bacon that you sauté with the onion and beans or in the form of thinly sliced prosciutto you have on the side—to this dish or not at all. If you don’t and if you do have some walnut oil, use that for the dressing.

1 cup small French green lentils or other small lentils that keep their shape when cooked
½ – 3/4 lb Burgundy or Yellow Beans, washed, trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch lengths
4 slices bacon, diced or 3 ounces prosciutto thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or more red wine vinegar if you don’t have sherry vinegar)
2 small-ish garlic cloves, crushed and then minced
3 (or more) tablespoons good olive oil
½ cup finely diced Walla Walla Sweet (or more to taste)
Sea salt and pepper (to taste)
¼ cup chopped parsley

Cook the lentils until tender, about 20 minutes (this will vary depending on the kind of lentil you have). You want them to be tender but keep their shape so check frequently.

Drain them and immediately toss them with the vinegars, garlic and olive oil. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the beans with the diced bacon (if going that route) in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. You want to get the beans tender and a bit caramelized.

Toss the warm beans and bacon with the dressed lentils, season generously with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. If you are serving this with prosciutto, omit the bacon and serve prosciutto on the side with some good, crusty bread.

Savory Bread Pudding with Chard

I make this dish for dinner though I it seems to be a more typical brunch dish in America. I grew up eating eggs for dinner in a variety of forms and I highly recommend it!

This is another wonderful dish to have in your CSA cooking repertoire since you can add most any vegetable. You could add some of the summer squash from this week’s share too. And I always of bread (or bread ends of good crusty bread) either in the fridge or freezer and some eggs and milk which are the basic ingredients for this dish. You can also add sausage or leftover chicken if you like as well. You can make it drier with more bread or more custardy with more milk and/or eggs. The point is don’t feel you half to follow the below quantities and just use the technique to use up whatever you have or use your favorite veggies/herbs. It also makes excellent leftovers either served at room temperature or reheated.

5 eggs
3 cups milk
5-6 large slices bread, cubed (or various ends for a total of about 5-6 cups of cubed bread)
½ an onion, diced
1 bunch chard, washed, stems diced and leaves cut into ribbons
Couple of sprigs of parsley, chopped (optional)
Grated cheese (cheddar, or parmesan or crumbled feta or goat cheese) (optional)
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 (or 400 if you’re in a hurry). Cube the bread. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and milk. Salt and pepper generously and add the chopped herbs. Heat a little olive oil in a sauté pan, add onions and chard stems and sauté for about 7-8 minutes until softened. Add the chard and sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Add sautéed veggies to bread mixture. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish, top with grated or crumbled cheese, if using and bake for about 30 minutes, or until set and slightly browned on top. Again if you’re in a hurry turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to get the cheese and top nice and crusty.

Note: You can assemble the bread pudding in the morning and let it rest in the fridge all day before baking. It’s actually even better if the bread has time to really soak up the custard.