The Best of the Summer

I've finally fixed my website.  Whew, that took forever.  I've got a "best of" post for you all this week.  I also added a search feature on the right, so you can look at previous years for more veggies ideas.  Enjoy!

1. New Potatoes

2. Make the most of the hard and crisp new potatoes.  Their skins are so thin they slip under your fingers.  These cook up creamy and silky with a mild sweetness--a once a year treat.  I like them best with green beans and a little bacon.  I drink up the braising liquid, a.k.a. pot liquor, after I eat a bowlful.

Green Romano beans have a great beans flavor.  I like to cook them with tomatoes and onions with plenty of olive oil.  The color dims but the the flavor is wonderful.  These are tender with no strings to pull. 

Yellow Zucchini & Garbanzo Bean Pancakes

1 medium zucchini, shredded with the large holes of a box grater
2 Tbsp. grated onion
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour (also known as besan or gram flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
sunflower or other vegetable oil

In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients until no dry bits of flour remain.

1. in a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium high heat.  Drop a tiny bit of batter into skillet, if it sizzles the oil is hot enough.

2. Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter into pan and use back of spoon to spread batter to 1/2-inch thickness.  Cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  

3. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream, if desired. Serve immediately.

Tips:

Use any veggie you like: shredded butternut squash, sweet corn, slivered cabbage, chopped broccoli...or a combo of these, get creative.

• These will hold in a warm oven for up to 30 minutes.

• The simple flavor of these pancakes is a great foundation for spicy salsa, slivers of ham, or smoked salmon.

• If you can't find garbanzo bean flour, use 1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus a 1/2 tsp. baking powder.

Makes about 8 (3-inch) pancakes

Kale is a brassica--which means it's in the cabbage family along with broccoli and turnips.  That also means you should cook them a little or a lot.  If you cook them briefly the sulfur in the leaves never develops that "rotten egg" stinkiness.  OR if you stew them a long time in a brothy braise that sulfur blows off and leaves behind a mellow sweetness that marries so well with smoked meats.  A meaty smoked turkey wing does wonders for a pot of braised kale.  Add cornbread to make it a meal.

Evicting Hitchhikers on Your Broccoli

Cute little green worms tucked into your organic broccoli is good sign.  Who wants to eat something that the bugs don't even want?!  Simply pull the broccoli into florets and soak them in cold salt water for about 10 minutes before cooking.  Lift out the broccoli and you'll see the worms have let go.

Arugula

I love to use arugula anywhere you would use lettuce.  It also is a great addition to pesto or in a creamy soup.

Radishes

Here is an ode to radishes.  Twist off a couple of these little gems from their bunch, rinse off the sand and dip them in salt. My mouth waters from the memory of the crisp, sweet, barely spicy crunch.  

I embrace my midwestern Swedish heritage with the open face sandwich.  Soft wheat bread spread thickly with butter and topped with tender garden arugula and sliced radishes all scattered with flakes of sea salt.  Next time I'll add a few slivers of red onion.  

Have you ever tried cooked radishes?  You should.  These were braised in a with a little bit of salted water, then buttered and seasoned with salt, pepper and few chives.  They taste like the sweetest, mildest turnip you've ever had.  A little bacon wouldn't hurt either.  

Sautéed Cucumbers

A nice change of pace on the side of a spicy barbecue.

1. Peel cucumbers.  If they are very fresh and young you can skip this.

2. Cut into 1/2inch thick chunks or slice for a silkier finished dish.

3. Melt a little butter in a skillet over medium high heat.

4. When butter is foamy, add cucumbers and cook, turning occasionally, until beginning to brown in spots.  

5. Season with salt and pepper.  Add chopped herbs (dill, tarragon, parsley are all nice), and serve.

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

For each quart jar of pickles:

1. In a clean glass quart jar drop 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, one green dill seed head, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 bay leaf.

2. pack jar tightly with raw, trimmed vegetable sticks, slices, and spears.  Try carrots, green beans, cucumbers, jalepeno peppers, zucchini, and radishes.

3. Prepare pickle brine and pour hot brine over vegetables to cover.  Cap tightly and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to a month or more.

Quick Pickle Brine
for each quart of pickles:
1 1/4 cups cider or white vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. salt
In a small saucepan, stir together all brine ingredients.  Bring it to a boil and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
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Tomatoes
We wait for them all year and here they are.  Here is a good link to some fun tomato ideas.
​Here is another good message about storing tomatoes.