August 24, 2011 CSA Delivery

Recipe Suggestions from Conne Ward-Cameron

Roasted Peppers
Cucumber Sangria
Garlic Dill Pickles
Baked Squash Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip
Squash with Feta, Walnuts and Dill

When I see a bouquet of peppers like those in this week’s box, I’m so excited. You can eat them fresh, sliced into salads or stuffed with rice and cheese or grilled alongside a few links of Riverview brats. But that’s not my plan for those peppers. I’m going to roast them. It’s a matter of a few minutes to turn those peppers into an ingredient that will flavor our meals for many weeks to come.

Roasting peppers is easy, but it does require a flame. Or I guess you could do this under a broiler, but I’ve never tried. I do this on my stove, placing the peppers directly on the gas burners. I use as many burners as it takes to do as many peppers as I have. You can put several over one burner. Turn on your exhaust fan and put your tongs in your hand. Have a paper bag nearby. Watch the peppers, turning them on the burner until they’re blackened all over. Doesn’t have to be completely black, but the more blistered and charred the skin the easier it is to remove the skin, and the more delicious complex flavor your peppers will have. Once each pepper is as roasted as you like, drop it into the paper bag and close the top. This allows the pepper to steam and that makes the skin easier to remove. Let the peppers cool and then remove them from the bag and using your fingers, peel off the skins. If a few bits remain, it’s ok.

Now, you can cut the peppers into strips and layer them in a jar with olive oil. Maybe add a few garlic cloves, some sprigs of rosemary …. some ground black pepper. Up to you. You’ll need to refrigerate that jar, and remember that the olive oil will go solid when cold. You can also just slip the peppers into a freezer-worthy bag and store them that way.

Once you have roasted peppers tucked away, delicious pasta sauces, wonderful grilled sandwiches and the world’s best pimento cheese are now at your fingertips.

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Let’s talk cucumbers. I’ve got two ideas for you. One drink, one pickle.

Cucumber Sangria
From The Deen Brothers Get Fired Up: Grilling, Tailgating, Picnicking, and More”by Jamie & Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark (Ballantine Books)
Serves 6

One 750-milliliter bottle dry white wine
1/2 cup brandy
1 cup green grapes, washed and halved
1 cucumber, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 green apple, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 cup seltzer

In a large pitcher, combine the white wine, brandy, grapes, cucumber, and apple. Stir the mixture well, pressing the fruit to the bottom of the bowl. Just before serving in cups with ice, add the seltzer.

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Refrigerator dill pickles could not be easier to make. Last year when my garden was producing a huge crop of cucumbers, I made up the brine and refrigerated it. When I came in with my cucumbers-of-the-day, I would rinse them and put them into quart jars, add dill, etc. and fill the jar with brine. Tucked into the spare refrigerator to “ferment”, these pickles make half sours in a day or two, and full sours in a week. They’ll keep for a month or so, but really not much longer since they’re not processed. The nice thing is that you can just make up a jar or two. So if you want to give it a try, don’t worry about needing 3 pounds of cucumbers. Make up the brine and fill your jars with as many of this week’s cucumbers as you want to pickle. We’ll cross our fingers that there are more cucumbers in our future.

Garlic Dill Pickles

About 3 pounds of cucumbers
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons pickling salt (Kosher salt is fine – just don’t use iodized salt)
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 teaspoons dill seed
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon red chili flakes

Wash quart jars and lids thoroughly in warm, soapy water

Wash and dry cucumbers. Cut into chips, spears or leave whole, depending on your preference.

Combine vinegar, water and salt in sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Equally divide garlic cloves, dill seed, black peppercorns and red chili flakes between jars. Pack prepared cucumbers into jars as tightly as you can without crushing them.

Pour the brine into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace (that's the amount of space between the surface of the brine and the rim of the jar). Wipe rims and apply lids and bands (don't screw them on too tightly).

Let jars cool before putting them into the refrigerator. If you’re using canning jars and lids, note that your jars may seal during the cooling process. That doesn't mean they're shelf stable. Still refrigerate. Let pickles rest at least overnight before eating.

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And a few more squash recipes.

Baked Squash Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip
This recipe came from King Arthur Flour. If you still have an onion from earlier this season, you’re golden. If not, Vidalias will still be at the market for a few more weeks.

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium sweet onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
3 medium squash, unpeeled, cut into 3"-long stick
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon mixed Italian herbs
olive oil spray
2 large eggs or 3 egg whites, lightly beaten

To make the dip: Melt the butter in a medium frying pan over moderate heat, and add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, then caramelize. This should take between 10 and 15 minutes. The lower the heat, the longer it takes, but the less likely you are to burn the onions. Once the onions are a medium brown, remove from the heat and add the vinegar. Place the onions and vinegar into a small food processor. Add the honey and mustard, and process or blend until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

To make the squash sticks: Place the squash sticks in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the tablespoon of salt. Let the zucchini drain for 1 hour or longer; rinse and pat dry. Combine the Panko, Parmesan, and Italian herbs; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spray the parchment with olive oil.

Dredge sticks a few at a time in the egg, then roll in the crumb mixture. Place the sticks on the prepared baking sheet. Bake sticks for 12 minutes, turn over, and bake for an additional 8 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Serve immediately, with sweet onion dip.

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And finally, an idea for turning that squash into a salad.

Squash with Feta, Walnuts and Dill
Raw zucchini is wonderful when sliced very thin, carpaccio-thin. In this recipe it's topped with feta, dill, and walnuts for a Greek spin, but it would be equally delicious with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, basil, and pine nuts. Don't be tempted to save time and toss the zucchini with the other ingredients in a bowl—it will turn watery, and won't be nearly as pretty. This recipe comes from the food blog, Once Upon a Chef.
Serves 4

1 pound squash, sliced very thin
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 small lemon, cut into wedges

Arrange squash slices in overlapping concentric circles on four dinner-sized plates. Drizzle squash lightly with extra virgin olive oil (about 1-1/2 teaspoons per plate), then season each plate with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide crumbled feta and walnuts over each dish, and then sprinkle with fresh dill. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

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Hope you’ll enjoy one or more of these ideas.

See you over next week’s box.

conne

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