August 15, 2012 CSA Delivery
Recipe Suggestions from Conne Ward-Cameron
Ratatouille
Linguine with Cantaloupe and Sausage
Peppered Tuna with Crowder Peas
Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Salad
Green Beans with Sautéed Onions, Bacon and Basil
Melon Sorbet with Roasted Fig, Tupelo Honey and Sea Salt
I don’t know what today’s box said to you, but to me, it shouted, “Ratatouille!”
I mean all you needed was for the Swancys to tuck in a little bottle of olive oil and you’d have everything you need to make this classic summer dish. Garlic, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes ….. you do have some olive oil in the pantry don’t you? And a few onions left over from earlier in the year?
And no, those Asian-type eggplants are not the traditional eggplant used in France, but does it really matter?
* * *
Ratatouille
This is James Beard’s recipe, adapted from his book, “Beard on Food.” You know – the James Beard of the James Beard Awards that our chefs are all so anxious to win every year?
This is a classic Provencal dish, perfect with grilled meat or fish or as a filling for an omelet or as dinner all by itself. The Beard folks note that in France it’s often presented as an appetizer with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Toss in one of those jalapenos if you like.
1/2 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups green or red peppers, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups eggplant, unpeeled and coarsely diced
1 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried
Dash of cayenne pepper or Tabasco (optional)
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and very gently sauté the garlic; do not let it brown. Move the garlic to a cool part of the pot. Add the onions and cook slowly, letting them soften before combining with the garlic. Add the peppers, eggplant, and zucchini.
Blend these vegetables together well by mixing them with a wooden spatula and shaking the pan. Then add the seasonings, including the cayenne pepper or Tabasco.
Cook for about 10 minutes over very brisk heat, stirring almost constantly, then add the tomatoes. Let the tomatoes blend in, and cook the ratatouille down to the consistency you like. Some want their ratatouille extremely crisp and chunky, and others prefer it cooked to a thick, soft mixture. If you feel it is too dry, you can add a little additional liquid, such as tomato juice, water, or broth, and let it blend and cook down. Check the seasoning before serving and add more if necessary.
* * *
Linguine with Cantaloupe and Sausage
Riverview CSA subscriber Andrea B. sent me this recipe and a note the last time we had a melon in our box:
I thought I'd share a recipe back. It’s from Publix. It's not fancy, in fact at first it sounds quite odd, but it is delicious and a great way to use the cantaloupe we'd been getting. I hope there will be more later in the summer so I can make it again! It's great with Riverview farms sausage (I used cheddarwurst the last time) .... and Charlotte tells me that the pigs love cantaloupe, so I guess they are meant to go together!
8 oz linguini pasta
6 oz chicken (or pork) Italian sausage (2–3 links)
3 cups cantaloupe chunks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups baby arugula leaves (3 oz)
1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup shredded Romano/Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta following package instructions.
While pasta is cooking, preheat large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Remove casing from sausage and place sausage in pan; cook 3–4 minutes, stirring to crumble meat, or until no pink remains. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.
Place cantaloupe in same pan; cook and stir 8–10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in cream, lemon juice, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and red pepper into cantaloupe; cook and stir 1–2 minutes or until sauce has reduced by about one-half.
Stir in arugula, basil, reserved sausage and cooked pasta. Top with cheese; serve.
* * *
Peppered Tuna with Crowder Peas
As pretty as those lady peas are earlier in the year, it’s crowder peas that really make me happy. Try this adaption of a recipe from ages ago in Southern Living. I think they served it on salad greens and topped it with bernaise sauce. You could serve do the same but instead of bernaise sauce, just whip up a little vinaigrette.
1 quart water
3 cups crowder peas
3 to 4 jalapenos (or to taste!)
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
Bring 1 quart water to a boil and stir in peas, jalapenos and and Cajun seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes or until peas are tender.
Coat tuna evenly with oil; sprinkle evenly with salt and ground peppers. Cook in a large hot skillet over high heat 5 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Serve tuna with peas. Done!
* * *
Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Salad
Amy Wisniewski from Chow.com took all the ingredients of Eggplant Parmesan and created a grilled bread salad.
For the dressing:
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
8 ounces (about 1/2 loaf) crusty Italian or French bread, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
6 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium garlic clove, peeled
13 to 15 (10-inch) wooden or metal skewers (soak the wooden skewers in warm water for at least 30 minutes to avoid burning on the grill)
1/2 pound plum tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 pound eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
15 medium fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler and crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
For the dressing:
Whisk the oil, vinegar, shallots, and oregano in a medium nonreactive bowl until combined and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
For the salad:
Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high (about 375°F to 425°F).
While the grill is heating, arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Using 1 tablespoon of the oil, very lightly brush the tops of the bread and season with salt and pepper. Flip the slices over and brush with 1 more tablespoon of the oil; season with salt and pepper.
When the grill is ready, place the bread on the grill and set the baking sheet aside. Cook, flipping once, until grill marks appear on both sides and the bread is crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Return the grilled bread to the baking sheet and lightly rub one side of each piece with the garlic clove (you will not need to use the entire clove). Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl; set bowl and baking sheet aside.
Thread the tomatoes and eggplant onto separate skewers, and place on the reserved baking sheet. Brush all of the skewers with the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the tomato and eggplant skewers on the grill, and cook, turning occasionally until the tomatoes are softened and warmed through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato skewers to the baking sheet. Continue to grill the eggplant until softened and all sides are slightly charred, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the eggplant skewers to the baking sheet.
Remove the tomatoes and eggplant from the skewers and place in the bowl with the bread. Immediately add the mozzarella and basil and toss to combine. Whisk the dressing again and pour over the salad. Add the Parmesan and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature.
* * *
Green Beans with Sautéed Onions, Bacon and Basil
This recipe was distributed at a chef demo at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market last year. Simple, classic, delicious.
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium tomato, chopped
Basil, balsamic vinegar, for garnish if desired
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove cooked bacon and set aside. In the fat remaining in the skillet, cook garlic and onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add green beans and sauté until beans are as tender as you would like. You can cook them 5 minutes or 30 minutes. When the beans are ready, stir in the tomato and season to taste. Garnish if you wish with chopped fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
* * *
Melon Sorbet with Roasted Fig, Honey and Sea Salt
This recipe comes from Justin Burditt of Miller Union. For simple syrup, combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and heat just until sugar dissolves. You’ll want an ice cream maker for this, or you can freeze the mixture in a freezer-proof container and stir it every half hour or so to break up the ice crystals and make a sort of granita. Since figs are widely available from your own tree or at a farmers market, this is a perfect August dessert.
1 melon, juiced or pureed to equal 1 quart liquid
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup simple syrup
1 pint figs
Honey
Sea salt
In a bowl, whisk together melon juice, lemon juice, salt and simple syrup. Put in ice cream maker and freeze.
While ice cream is freezing, prepare figs by splitting them in half and roasting at 325 degrees for 7 minutes.
When ready to serve, scoop out ice cream, add figs and drizzle with honey and sea salt. Yum.
* * *
Six recipes is enough! So many ideas with this week’s box. Hope you’ll enjoy at least one of these. See you over next week’s box.
conne
***
return to recipe list
|
