Week 5: Happy Birthday America!
Happy 4th of July! We are chock full of produce at the farm for you to whip up some amazing dishes for all your upcoming festivities. Delicious dishes cooked with farm fresh ingredients will likely win you bragging rights to boot. Let these recipes inspire you this week and all through the summer!
REMINDERS:
Please return your cleaned glass yogurt containers each week
DILLED POTATO AND PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD
6 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
4 tsp coarse kosher salt
2 lbs cucumbers, very thinly sliced
Few branches plus 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3 1/4 pounds potatoes (about 10 medium), unpeeled
Additional coarse kosher salt
1 cup very thinly sliced green onion
1 cup radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
1/4 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
The day before, make pickles: Pour vinegar and 4 teaspoon salt into gallon-size resealable plastic bag and swish around to combine. Add cucumbers and dill branches; turn several times to coat with mixture. Refrigerate overnight. If and when you pop into the fridge, turn the bag to keep things well mixed.
Cook your potatoes: Although you don’t have to, I also like to boil my potatoes the day before, because I like them very cold, and it seems easier to get it out of the way. Boil them in a large pot salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, then cool completely. I leave them in the fridge overnight.
The next day: Drain cucumber mixture in a colander; if you’ve got an hour, you can drain it that long, but I never do. Discard brine and dill.
Assemble your salad: The original directions called for peeling your cold potatoes but I never do. Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place potatoes in large bowl; sprinkle generously with coarse salt and pepper. Add drained cucumbers, onion, sliced radishes, and remaining 3 tablespoons dill; toss to blend.
1 to 2 hours before serving: Stir mayonnaise into salad to taste. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes: Serves 8 or more. Salad keeps dressed for a day. Salad keeps without mayo for a few days; I add mayo before serving. In both cases, keep it covered in the fridge.
GRILLED OKRA WITH RED-CURRY LIME DRESSING
1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt
1 pound okra, trimmed
Light a grill or preheat a grill pan.
In a bowl, whisk the curry paste with the oil and the lime juice and season with salt.
Double-skewer the okra crosswise onto 4 pairs of bamboo skewers. Brush the okra with oil; season with salt.
Brush the grill grates with oil. Grill the okra over high heat, turning once or twice, until lightly charred in spots and tender, about 10 minutes.
Brush with some of the curry dressing and grill until the okra is sizzling, about 1 minute.
Drizzle the okra with the remaining dressing and serve warm.
HERBED SUMMER SQUASH PASTA BAKE
8 ounces pasta, any shape you like
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 tsp lemon zest
Juice of half a lemon
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2-4 garlic scapes, minced
3-5 green onions, sliced thin and white/pale green parts and dark green tops in separate piles
Pinches of red pepper flakes, to taste
3 tablespoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole fat milk
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 Tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs of your choice (I used a mix of thyme, oregano and mint, but if you only have, say, thyme or oregano, a full tablespoon will likely overwhelm, so use less)
Salt and more pepper to taste
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan or aged pecorino romano cheese, divided
4 ounces (115 grams) mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Cook the pasta: Bring an medium/large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Heat oven: To 400 degrees.
Prepare the squash: Heat a large skillet, add olive oil, and let it heat until almost smoking. Add sliced squash, season it with salt and pepper flakes and let it sear underneath, unmoved, until golden brown. Continue to saute until browned and somewhat wilted, about 10 minutes, trying to get some color on each layer before moving squash around. Transfer to a bowl and squeeze lemon juice over bowl. Add more salt or pepper if needed.
Make the sauce: Reheat your the same pot over medium heat. Melt butter in bottom of pan. Add scallion white and pale green parts and garlic and let sizzle for 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and stir until all has been dampened and absorbed. Add milk, a very small splash at a time, stirring the whole time with a spoon. Make sure each splash has been fully mixed into the butter/flour/onion/garlic mixture, scraping from the bottom of the pan and all around, before adding the next splash. Repeat until all milk has been added, then add lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture simmer together for 2 minutes, stirring frequently; the sauce will thicken. Remove pan from heat and stir in half of chopped parsley, all of mixed herbs and reserved scallion greens. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Assemble dish: Off the heat, add drained pasta, summer squash, 1/2 cup grated parmesan and all of the mozzarella to the pot, stirring to combine. If pan is ovenproof, you can bake your final dish in it. If not, transfer mixture to a 2 to 3 quart ovenproof casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.
Bake: For 25 to 30 minutes, until edges of pasta are golden brown and irresistible. Sprinkle with reserved parsley and serve hot. Reheat as needed.
Notes: Serves 4. Can double recipe and freeze! To freeze, let dish fully cool to room temperature, then transfer, wrapped well, to the freezer. Let defrost in fridge for a day before rewarming in oven. If I have time, I like to rewarm at a lowish head (300 to 325 degrees) with the foil on, then finish it for the last 10 minutes or so at a higher heat without the foil to restore some crisp.
Yogurt Pops
1 cup yogurt
2 cups frozen fruit
1 tsp honey (optional)
Other optional add-ons: spinach/chard, mint leaves, collagen powder, chia seeds, hemp hearts, etc.
Add ingredients in blender and mix until smooth
Add to popsicle molds or ramekins
Freeze and enjoy!
Have a relaxing and safe holiday, see you all at the farm!
