Fruit Salsa Time!

Summer!  Summer, summer, summer-summer.
Oh, we all are such amazing cooks
(and better than average photographers)
when we get to work with food like this!

There was rain.  And it is still raining.  I feel so much more at home.

I've just about adjusted to all this sun, the early tomatoes, the super sweet fruit, the early peppers (sunny & spicy).  And then it rained.  That means I can keep freaking out about my hot kitchen.  But that's not going to stop me from making this warm (hot) weather deliciousness.

There's not much to say, except, "make fruit salsa."
And make it like you can't make it any other time of the year.

Oh, yeah - and if you have some crab (because it is crab season), use the beautifulness to go with your crab - because that's what I made it for the 1st time.  But some nice grilled chicken - or just with some fresh cheese (cotija, mozzarella, goat cheese) you cannot go wrong.  (Crab - quick how to clean, and a pretty awesome ceviche recipe as well.)

1.  Use tomatoes so ripe you can peel them without that dunk in hot water.

That means they will be softer than you are used to.
But do it - because just this once - you CAN!

2.  Use that fruit that's getting away from you.  This is where to use that fruit that's about to go south.  If it is especially juicy (sluuuuuuurp) fruit - cut on something that can catch the juice to add to your salsa.

Nectarines.  Peaches may get all the press,
but I love the little extra acid of the nectarines.
And the smooth skins.  The non-fuzzy skin is also a plus.

3.  It IS summer, so use your summer onion - the Sweet Onion.

4.  And explore your pepper options.  Ask about heat levels, and then choose what will make you happy.  

And if you want to get hotter - but regulate the heat, you can remove some of the pow-pow by taking out some, or most of the seeds and the white membrane.

The seeds have some heat.
But the most heat lies in the white membrane
that connects the seeds to the flesh.
Use this knowledge wisely - and to your advantage.

This is a much calmer pepper -
all the fruitiness, and less of the heat.

5.  Fresh herbs.  I used basil here, but oregano, parsley and even a little mint or fennel fronds can add that special something.

6.  Acid, Salt & Pepper.  You need a gentle acid - nothing too harsh.  Right now the salsa is pretty sweet, and you want to blend the acid with the sweet, not slash harshly through it.

Some good vinegars; white balsamic, champagne, or rice.  Maybe a little lemon or lime juice if you have it about.

Add salt (and pepper if you want) to bring it all together.

Oh summer.  You are lovely.

Gyro-Style Zucchini Sandwiches

I had one of those moments where I said, "More zucchini?  ^^ Oh!  Thanks! ^^"  (Yes, those are my sarcastic eye-brows.)

And uhhhhhhhhh..........

I have come to realize - zucchini is the tofu of the vegetable world.  You can make it almost whatever you want it to be.  But MAKE is the key.  You must MAKE it into what you want.
So this time, I will make it into a tasty sandwich.  Today, next week, and a couple of times in the future.

Now it was time to press on.
Several of them were grated for their role in zucchini pancakes and Mexican chocolate zucchini bread, but there is still more zucchini coming!

And it's not just one kind of zucchini.  It is many kinds of zucchini - 

Oh yeah, and summer squash - the zephyr yellow green (above) and the patty pan (below).

And dinner.  It is time for dinner.  And I have a thing about zucchini that's only been cooked enough to be hot, but the zucchini is soft... and to my tongue... slimy.  I like to get the excess water out of my zucchini.  (Unless it is tiny - then char and eat crunchy!!!)

What the heck - lets go for something where it is so dry, it is pleasantly chewy.  Gyros.  And that means I get to use the one herb that loves my yard - oregano.

All righty then.  I sliced my zucchini into rectangles.

This was the 3 zucchini in the 3rd picture.
I cut off the crooknecks and they
went into the tomato relish.

So - start taking the water out with a marinade and drain.

Salt, pepper, onion powder.
Alternate zucchini and sprinkle of seasoning mixture

Zucchini draining marinade: sprinkle a mix of 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of onion powder.  Zucchini, sprinkle, layer zucchini, sprinkle etc.....

The salt and onion powder are both very good at sucking water out of the zucchini, while adding flavor.

And after an hour of draining I pulled out the zucchini slices.  I did use my fingers to strip off most of the spices so they wouldn't be too salty.

I tossed the drained zucchini with a little olive oil, chopped garlic and oregano.  And then grilled the heck out of those drained zucchini slices. 

Zucchini Grilling Toss:
oil - 2 tsp
garlic - 2 cloves
oregano (& basil or parsley) small handful, chopped

I love my cast iron griddle.
These slices will cook just as well in a skillet
or on the grill - as long as they are thick enough. 

As far as I'm concerned, half the experience of gyros are the sauces - and I love an excellent tzatziki.

"Traditional" tzatziki always contains yogurt (thicker the better - check), cucumbers (check), some acid (lemon juice or maybe vinegar - check), often chopped garlic (check) and herbs (often dill and/or mint - welllllllll...........)

So I did a little digging, and it turns out the actual combination of herbs is less important.  Tzatziki, it turns out, belongs to a Mediterranean family of sauces that contain thick yogurt, cucumber, acid, (sometimes garlic) and herbs (also cacik, jaj, or even tarator - hey I bet tatar sauce has some history with....  And while raita - of Indian origin with yogurt, cucumbers, garlic & salt, but often has chilies in it, I can't believe it has no relation.)  So the fact that I had no dill or mint, but instead parsley, oregano and cilantro presented no problem.

Summer Tzatziki (cacik, jaj, tarator or mild "no chili" raita) 

can be thrown together this way:

Ingredients:

cucumber - 1 medium

garlic - 1-2 cloves (you decide)

lemon juice* or vinegar 1-2 tsp (you also decide)

salt (& pepper if you like) to taste

tender leaf herbs (anything you'd eat out of hand*) a handful or 2.

Equipment:

knife

cutting board

bowl - for draining

bowl - for serving

Prep:

Peel the cucumber and chop into cubes about the size of the top joint of your pinky (under 1/2", close to 1/4"), sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp of salt and let it sit for about 30 - 60 min.

Cook:  

Quickly rinse the cucumber, and squeeze it dry in a paper towel or two.  Stir the cucumber

Chop the garlic and herbs.

Stir them into the yogurt.  Add lemon juice/vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

This will keep for a week and a bit in the fridge.  But you'll likely eat it all up - on this, and crackers, pretzels and as a dressing.  (It can be thinned with dairy, oil or vinegar & oil)

(Nom, nom, nom... sampling, sampling.  No really!  This is for research.)

*tender leaf herbs - these are the things you'd chop up and happily eat raw.  Basil, sorrel, parsley, cilantro, dill, fennel, chives, mint and the like.

*******

Half way there.  

Since I was serving this to my raw tomato hating husband... but I wanted the sweet/acid punch of tomato along with the herby, creamy yogurt, I had to come up with...

Sundried Tomato Relish

Ingredients:

1/4 C sun/oven dried tomatoes packed in oil

1/4 C roughly chopped zucchini (this is where those crook neck pieces went)

1 tsp (or so) white balsamic vinegar (champagne or cane juice vinegar will sub in.  Or rice vinegar in a pinch)

salt & pepper to taste

Equipment:

blender

Blend the tomatoes and zucchini together.  Then adjust the sweet/sour balance with the vinegar, and add just enough salt and pepper to make it taste delicious.  This will be pretty thick and spreadable, and good for this sandwich and many others.

*****

Then all you need is the warmed pita bread, add the grilled, spice zucchini, tzatziki, tomato relish and even a confirmed carnivore will enjoy.

Pro Tip: As long as you state Up Front that this is a Zucchini Sandwich in the gyro style, even Total Carnivores will be happy.  Only people who feel like they've been fooled will be annoyed.  And even they might forgive you.

P.S. For make ahead fans:  This zucchini can fridge or freeze and then be heated in the toaster or re-roasted in the oven... and still work!

P.P.S.  Some people feel that a tahini drizzle is essential for a true gyro experience.  I'm on board.  In fact, I have a recipe.  Drizzle away.  (Tahini is part of umami heaven).

Tahini Drizzle: for extras

Tahini - 2Tbs (or 3 Tbs sesame seeds ground to paste)

garlic - 1 clove crushed or minced

salt - 1 pinch

oil - 2 tsp (olive is best)

lemon juice - 2 tsp (or cider vinegar)

parsley (optional) - healthy sprinkle

Eggs 'n' Herbs 'n' Lettuce

Hello sunshine!

Even if you are hiding behind a cloud, I know you are there.
Even if it is raining so hard the drops bounce and fall a second time, I know you are there, because it isn't dark.  And my cat is starting to do his passive-aggressive SUPER LOUD purr in my ear before the alarm goes off.
Which is his oh-so-gentle way of saying, "Hey lady! You, with the thumbs!  It is light outside, so why are you sleeping.  Change my water so I can splash it around and then come nap in your warm spot."

Anyway, it also means that the Farmers Markets are open and the herbs I repotted are keepin' up with the weeds, and the hens all over the Pacific NorthWe(s)t are cackling away over their new spring eggs.

Egg Salad time my friends!

Egg Salad Sandwich - the good kind

(for 1 sandwich - multiply as needed) 

Ingredients:

handful of herbs

(parsley, cilantro, basil, chives, oregano, maybe a little mint - whatever is available.)

2 eggs

lettuce

mayonnaise

1/2 tsp mustard

salt & pepper to taste

bread

Equipment:

pot with a lid

slotted spoon

kitchen towel

"cereal" sized bowl

fork

Prep:

Fill the pot about half full of water, enough to cover the eggs, plus a little.

Place the eggs in gently, and out on high heat.  

Keep an eye on it while rinsing and chopping up the herbs.

Also give the lettuce a quick rinse and dry.

As soon as the eggs come to a full, rolling boil.  Turn off the heat and let them sit there for about 5 minutes.  If you end up letting them sit for half and hour, they will still be fine.

Cook:

Remove the eggs from the hot water with a slotted spoon.  Place them on the kitchen towel so they can dry and cool enough to handle.

Give them a few gentle knocks on the counter, and peel off the shell.

Tear the peeled eggs in half, and put them in the cereal bowl.  Start mashing them with a fork.  Add a spoonful of mayo, the mustard, and the herbs.  Mash until chunky, but well mixed.  If it looks too dry, add a little more mayonnaise.

Taste for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper until it tastes just right.

Spoon some on to some bread, toss a lettuce leaf on top, finish making the sandwich and enjoy.

Variations:

There's no rule that says you HAVE to make it a sandwich.  Crackers are good, as are sliced veg, tortillas or other flatbread.


Popping egg salad inside a hollowed out cherry tomato makes you look fancy!

My favorite lazy way to make hardboiled eggs is in my electric kettle.  Put in the eggs, hit the on switch, and get back to the eggs in a bit.

(Paleo and Gluten Free people - ignore the bread but still go make this)

(For my longest readers - yes, this is a revisit, but THIS time, I wrote down a recipe!)

Trout Salad (take that Tunafish)

So I have this leftover trout.  We grilled the trout (last post), ate all we could, but still had these tails and a bit of filet left.  So I peeled off the no longer crispy skin.

The cold trout from the fridge was nice and firm, so it was easy to peel the flesh off the bones.

check one more time for those tiny, pesky pin (cough cough) bones.

Chop up the fish, with some celery, herbs (chives, parsley, cilantro, dill?, maybe a tiny bit of tarragon?, anyway, nothing too strong that will strong arm the delicate flavor of the trout).  A little bit of sweet onion or very finely chopped shallot can add some nice flavor too.

Stir in just enough mayonnaise to hold the salad together, add salt and pepper to taste.

Admire momentarily before spreading on crackers and enjoying thoroughly.

Egg Salad and Herbs

Egg Salad

Another one of those things that started out as a really good idea, but has gotten pushed around, over simplified, had all the love and originality removed, and we have been made too afraid of fats to appreciate the good the ones in their whole food form do.  And there are few things "whole-er" than eggs.

The laziest way possible to hard boil eggs.
Pop them in your electric kettle, fill to the "full" line,
press the go switch, and get back to the eggs any time
from 5 min to a half an hour later.

Tap gently all around on a hard surface
then peel off the shell - in a nifty strip if you
and your eggs are good.

Work through your eggs
and look - no icky green with the gentle boil.

torn in half is a nice way
to start the salad.

Add a few handfuls of chopped herbs - parsley, cilantro, chives,
oregano, and more cilantro

mustard, salt, pepper and mayonnaise
maybe a little lemon juice if you have some.

ciabatta rolls and lots of fresh summer lettuce 

Enjoy the good summer greens!

Spring, Herbs & Tuna Salad

Spring is really here, the new herbs are potted, the old ones repotted at last, and I've finally got a sunny day, so my garden has a chance of growing.

dill, new oregano and tarragon peeking through in the back

And to celebrate the herbs it is Tuna Salad Day*.  Also because it is Tuesday, but that's another thing.  And really it is more of a Take Back Tuna Salad day.  I don't know how we let this perfectly nice, low-stress, tasty way to transform leftovers into something delicious into a vilified sink of greasy blandness, but we have.

It must stop now.  Lunches, snacks and dinners need to be revived with the real deal, and we can all make it ourselves, especially when we're in a hurry, or have nothing in the the fridge.

Basic Tasty Tuna Salad

Eat as a sandwich, or my favorite, scooped up with grainy-seedy crackers. 

Equipment:

fork

knife

cutting board

small bowl

measuring spoons

Ingredients 

3 oz tuna - or other leftover fish (about 1 small can's worth/ 1 generous palm full)

1 garlic clove or a bit of leftover onion

1/2 rib of celery or *additions*

1 tsp mustard 

2 Tbs mayonnaise

splash of vinegar

salt & pepper 

bread or crackers (or tortillas?  flatbread?)

Prep & Cook:

Place the tuna in the bowl.  Slice up the celery and smash, peel and finely chopped the garlic (or something similar to the onion).  Add these to the tuna.  Stir in the mustard, only 1Tbs of the mayonnaise. Taste.  

Add salt, pepper and vinegar until it tastes almost right.  

Taste!

Stir in some of the rest of the mayonnaise until you get to a taste and texture you like.  This may mean a bit more mayo, vinegar, salt & pepper (maybe even a bit more mustard) and it may mean less than the full 2Tbs.

Always add a bit, and then taste again.  Easy to add more, tough to remove.  Let your own personal taste be your guide.

But that is only the basic recipe.  Back to the herbs that brought me here.  Time to get out the scissors and start clipping to make up some spring time specialties.

My three favorite combinations so far this spring have been:

1) French Inspired Tuna Salad 

Take out the watery sweet celery and instead use 

-a few leaves of nice sour sorrel

-a few leaves of mysterious licorice-y tarragon 

-and some lemon (or regular) thyme.  

If it is in your fridge, go for the spiky flavor of dijon mustard.  

Maybe add a few more leaves of sorrel as the lettuce on your sandwich.

oregano front, marjoram next to the ball

2) Italian Leaning Tuna Salad - 

If you have some oil packed tuna - this is a great place to use it.

Track down all the Mediterranean leaning herbs (even that "Italian Seasoning Blend" will do in a pinch!)

Skip the celery, and instead use

- a sprig of thyme

- a few leaves of peppery oregano

- a sprig of marjoram (if you don't have it fresh, toss in some dried)

- leave out the mayo, and use olive oil to make up the creaminess.  

- use red wine vinegar

Bonus: throw in a chopped tomato if you happen to have some about.

chives almost ready to bloom

3) Swedish-ish Salmon Salad 

OK, this one isn't a tuna recipe, but it was the perfect way to rescue the overcooked parts of the salmon.

- replace the celery with a half a pickle chopped into smallish pieces

- add a few sprigs of chopped dill, until it tastes dill-y enough for you

- add some chives if any are on hand

- use onion instead of garlic, and use thin slices of onion instead of chopped bits

- salt, pepper and mayo, and adjust the vinegar accordingly.

*No I don't know if there is really Tuna Salad Day.  In fact I bet there is one, but this has nothing to do with that.

This need not stop with tuna.  Other leftover aquatic denizens - salmon, shrimp, trout... benefit from the same treatment.  Egg salad is begging to be perked up in the same way.  And chicken salad, or even as a way to use up that last little bit of steak.  Stay tuned and learn the secret to cilantro/basil/sriracha steak salad.  It'll be here soon, now that there is enough sun to keep me awake during the day.

Break out the scissors and get clipping.

Green and Orange

Those are the colors of the Autumn CSA bag.  A bit of purple - late plums and some beets, a little red - in the apples.  But green and orange prevail.  It is hearty leaves, squashes and onions.  If the frost ain't here yet - it is peeking at me from around the corner.

(Truffle salt... pipe down.  You could be here, but not everyone has you.  I  know, you are ever so clever with fall stuff.  Another day, you will get more of your due.)



This week's challenge:

delicata squash or sweet potato squash*  (see below for trivia)
leeks
arugula

The other things I needed to make this AMAZING!**

vinaigrette dressing - (vinegar, mustard, garlic, s&p, and oil)

metal spoon
flipping spatula

salad bowl
good knife & cutting board

1/2 sheet pan/baking sheet
smoked paprika, oil, & salt &

sauté pan, lid, salt & chicken broth

How it went down:

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds & peel it.  Toss on the baking sheet with oil, salt & smoked paprika.  Put that in the oven for 15 minutes, check for doneness (fork tender?)  Flip to brown the other side, 10 more minutes - remove when the pieces are a bit brown on the edges, and temptingly tender.

Cut the tough green parts off the leeks.  Cut them in half, longways, and rinse to remove any sneaky sand between the leaves.  Place them cut side down in the sauté pan with a little oil over medium heat.  When they start to sizzle and get a little cooked looking, turn them over, cover the bottom of the pan with chicken broth, lower the heat to simmer, clap on the lid for no less than 10 minutes.  (Longer is better, just check and maintain moisture in the pan).  Cook until the leeks are at least tender, and at best have melted.

Wash the arugula.  Tear or chop if they are big leaves.

When the leeks are done, roughly chop them into large bite size pieces, toss them with the arugula and dressing.
Make lovely piles of bitter-sweet salad that are a mix of crunchy & soft, cold and warm.
Top with the warm, crispy-edged, creamy-inside, gently smoky-spicy slices of squash.

Someday, I need to take some pictures before we all dig in.
Someday....

Why This Works: 


Arugula is bitter, so the savory and sweet flavors of the leeks and spiced squash mellow it out.
The creaminess of the the squash and melted leeks contrasts with the crispness of the raw arugula.
The melted leek and squash are essentially sweet, so the sour, salty and garlic flavors of the dressing contrast with them.

This is a salad of contrasts, but ones that balance and support each other, rather than clashing.

*Delicata trivia

Delicata is an heirloom (up until recently not commercially produced) squash.  It is a small, long squash (as opposed to a ball).  It is usually about the size of 2 large onions side by side.  It's skin is ridged, and always has yellow on its striped skin.  Stripes can be green, orange or cream - and are often a combination of the three colors.

The "sweet potato" designation comes from the particularly dense, sweet, orange flesh - that is pretty close to that of a sweet potato.  In fact I could see using them interchangeably.  The important point being delicata will grow in colder climates where sweet potatoes won't grow.

This squash is delectable, won't last as long as some hard/winter squashes, but does pretty well.  Any recipe with it will work with other sweet, dense fleshed squashes.  Its flavor is subtle and fine, so lends itself to applications where you want to taste the squash - soups, baked squash, salads.

**Variations!


The sweetness of this squash makes a great ingredient to play with.  Pomegranate seeds would be a natural as would balsamic vinegar or oranges (orange marmalade?  That could be interesting....)

Truffle salt is a natural here, so that means sautéed mushrooms would go great - but would need the boost of plenty of garlic, or some glazed onions.

Nuts that combine a sweet and bitter element - pecans, pine nuts or hazelnuts would make great additions as well.

Sweeter indian curries (whether spicy or tame) are a natural with this squash.  Anything tomato-y would overwhelm the squash, but ones that depend heavily on herbs and spices would be excellent.

Baked with lots of thyme or rosemary or sage or oregano... anyway, this squash plays very nice with herbs.

Zucchini Pancakes - 2 Ways

The end of summer is approaching, and in gardens and farmer's markets everywhere, the attack of the giant zucchini is commencing!

 To be frank, these giant zucchini have lost the tenderness and sweet appeal of the manageable zucchini the require only one hand to pick up. When they start to out weigh small pets and babies it is tempting to pass them by, or send them straight to compost (where they will faithfully grow your first zucchini plants of the year).

Five Acre Farm from Whidbey Island
is starting to see the monsters!

What if there were a recipe that actually took advantage of the drier, starchier, large zucchini, and possibly some other late summer veggies?

 Well, it turns out there is! Zucchini pancakes - and the versatility is impressive.

 One mixture gives you two pancake options - a flat, griddle/sauté pan pancake, or something more along the lines of a pan fried latke/potato pancake option.
 And there are do ahead/make ahead and customization options as well.




 1. You can make this recipe start to finish and consume everything in one go.
 2. You can grate the vegetable matter in the summer, freeze it... Only to bring it out in the fall or winter, thaw it, drain it, and mix up the pancakes from there.
 3. You can make lots of pancakes, freeze the extras and reheat them as you need them.
 4. You can flavor these pancakes to better suit their use, with your own add-ins, dill, basil, oregano, parsley and jalepeno peppers have all particularly successful.
 5. These are a great side dish, and make the best base for huevos rancheros - ever.

Zucchini Pancakes with bacon and (greek) yogurt for breakfast.
A great start to a day spent replacing faucets.

The Recipe: Zucchini Pancakes - 2 Ways 

This is a proportional recipe - all around 2 Cups of grated zucchini.
I'm going to guess you will have a different amount. Double or triple or halve as you need.
The best news is the recipe is very forgiving, and a little more or a little less is not going to mess things up. And I have yet to figure out how to add half an egg.


Equipment:
Large knife
Cutting board
Mixing bowl - medium or large depending on how much zucchini you are taking on
Grating Device - I highy recommend a food processor for this one
Salad spinner or collander
Non-fuzzy cotton kitchen towels
Measuring cup
Mixing spoon/spatula
Flipping spatula

 Griddle/sauté pan
 -OR- Dutch oven/deep sided skillet/fryer

Ingredients:
2 C grated zucchini
1 C grated potato
1/2 an onion - also grated
1/2 C flour - gluten free flours/flour mixes work well here, you need the starch, not the stretch
1 egg Pinch of salt and pepper
Handful of your favorite herbs, roughly chopped (start with dill if undecided, that's the classic.)

Oil for cooking - amount varies by method (Canola & vegetable oils are fine.  Definitely no place for fancy oils)

Prep:

With the large knife, chop the large zucchini into manageable size pieces.
If the seeds look particularly spongy and dry, scoop them out.
Grate the zucchini, and place the result in your salad spinner/collander for the first round of draining. Go ahead grate it all, you can freeze the extra.

When it is all grated, spread out a thin layer over you kitchen towel,

roll it up and squeeze mercilessly to get out extra water.

You may need to do this in several batches depending on how much zucchini you have.

Measure out your 2 cups, and put the rest in a zip top bag, squeeze out the air and stash in the freezer. Grate the potato and onion.  Use clean hands to stir these together*, add in the herbs, flour, egg, salt and pepper as well.

Combine until just mixed.  (My hands were too goopy to take the photo... and I was getting hungry.)


Cook!

1. Flat Pancake way - heat a griddle/sauté pan over med-high heat. Give it a light coating of oil.
When a bit of the pancake batter sizzles raucously on the surface, it is hot enough. (about 3-4 minutes) Spoon heaping tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. 
Press down with your spatula to flatten then out.
After a minute or two, peek and see if the bottom is browning nicely. If yes, flip! If no, wait until it has, then flip.
Set aside on a cooling rack or paper towels. Eat the first one as hot as you can with some pepper. 

2. Fried Pancake way - heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil in a Dutch oven or other high-sided, heavy pot to 350˚F, or until a dot of batter sizzles merrily, and cooks by the time you count to ten.
(You should be well below the smoke point of you oil, turn it off if you start to see smoke.**)
Fry zucchini pancake patties that are about 2 heaping tablespoons in size. Only cook 2 or 3 at a time so you don't cool the oil down too much.
Each pancake will take about 3 - 4 minutes on each side to get golden brown on the outside, and soft and wonderful on the inside.
Eating of several test pancakes may be required.
 Drain on a cooling rack over paper towels.

For Both Ways -

When you get the timing down,  cook all the rest.
You can keep these warm in an oven that has been preheated to 250˚F and turned off.
Don't cover them, or they will get soggy.
Extras can be refrigerated/frozen, and reheated in a toaster.

*you can also stop and freeze the ingredients here.
** Always have a large lid on hand and a kitchen fire extinguisher when frying.  And NEVER use water to put out a grease fire.

Some quick suggestions: Pan fried zucchini pancakes with lots of dill and a little mint are a classic middle eastern food.  Enjoy with hummus, or yogurt with cucumbers and mint (tzaziki).

Add a north African flair by adding smoked paprika and turmeric to the flour. And serve with the North African version of crockpot food, a Tagine

Add a little sugar, cumin and cardamom for a sweet/ breakfast version, and use a sweet onion instead of a regular one.

Make tiny pancakes, and serve with smoked salmon and a little dilled sour cream for zucchini based party food.

CSA veggies + Farmer's Market Sausage

.... 2 Great Tastes that Taste Great Together.


This week the CSA bag was enormous.  The fruit is rolling in, and they sent it all to us in one day!


But fruit for dinner wan't going to cut it, I needed something more.


Last Sunday, I had picked up so beautiful lamb sausages - mixed with plum & dill.  It sounded vaguely Eastern European, or Scandinavian (all that dill).  It needed salad and the potatoes I still hadn't decided what to do with were the obvious choice.

So.... Link Lab's Plum and Dill Sausages,


with Roasted Dill Potatoes


& Fennel and Purple Cabbage Slaw












The best order to do this all, so everything’s ready together –

 

1.     Slice all the potatoes & veg,

2.     Start the potatoes roasting,

3.     Start the fennel softening,

4.     Start the sausages grilling,

5.     Make the dressing

6.     Get everything on their way to finishing

7.     Quickly soften the cabbage

8.     Serve it up hot!

But to keep you from going bananas (Yes, I’m looking forward to the new Planet of the Apes movie… I admit it.), I’ll separate the recipes in the usual way.

The beginning of this recipe is the best – 

Grilled Lamb, Plum & Dill Sausages

Find really good sausages.  Poke em’ so they don’t explode.  Grill ‘em.

If you can’t find these specially, get something else  - and mirror that herb in your roasted potatoes.

I stumbled upon these by Link Lab, 

sold by the sheep farmer at the 

Lake Forest Park Farmer's Market

I love lamb and herbs, so the Plum & Dill
was worth a plunge into the unknown

Here's Linda Martiny herself!
Provider of Tasty Lamb.
Know your farmer.

Poke them liberally to let the juices run (instead of exploding) out.  Grill them up by marking then at high or medium high heat, and then cover and let them cook at medium heat the rest of the way through.

You can check by eye (peek inside and make sure they are cooked through), or poke them with a thermometer, and make sure they are 160˚F (since they contain pork as well).

Roasted Dill (or insert herb) Potatoes

Use 1 medium, or 2 small potatoes per adult

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Per each medium potato -

Large pinch of chopped dill (or other herb)   

Pinch of salt & ½ a pinch of pepper

½ tsp of oil (nothing fancy – the flavor will mostly get cooked out)

Prep:

Start the oven heating to 425˚F

Cut each potato half so it gives you 2 blocky pieces (rather than 2 thin flat pieces).  Cut into slices as skinny or skinnier than your pinky.  Toss with oil, salt pepper and herb.

Spread out in a large flat pan with a lip (large baking pan/half-sheet pan/cookie sheet with a lip).

Cook: 

Slide the potatoes into the oven for 10 minutes.  Pull out the pan,  jiggle, toss and turn the potatoes with a metal spatula to release any stuck ones.  Return the potatoes to the oven for about 10 more minutes.  They are done when they are easily pierced with a fork (hence, fork tender), and maybe have a few crispy edges.  How long they take will depend on the age and variety of the potato, and the size you cut the potatoes.

Fennel & Purple Cabbage Slaw

(Green works fine too, but I had purple)

I made a black bean & garlic dressing to add to make it extra savory, instead of the regular creamy or vinegary dressing.

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb, stalks removed

1 tiny head of cabbage, or half a small head.

½ a regular sweet onion

2 tsp oil (I used bacon drippings…. Extra yum!)

½ tsp salt

¼ C water - optional

1 tsp Chinese black bean & garlic sauce

1 Tbs rice vinegar (+ more to taste)

pinch salt& a few grinds pepper

1 Tbs olive oil (or canola)

Cute tiny purple cabbages

 Prep:  Cut the cabbage and fennel into quarters, through the stem, and slice out the hard core piece from both vegetables.  Then thinly slice the onion, cabbage and fennel.

In the bottom of your salad/serving bowl, with a fork or whisk, briskly combine the black bean & garlic sauce, rice vinegar, salt & pepper.  Continue to stir, and slowly add in the oil. (all dressing ingredients can be placed in a tightly sealing container and shaken.)

Toss with ½ of your sliced onion – and set aside.

Cook:

Heat a sauce pan over medium-low heat with the 2 tsp oil.  Stir in the fennel and ½ tsp salt, and let this begin to sweat and soften the fennel.  This will take a little while, so keep checking in with it.  If it is getting brown, turn down the heat.  Keep stirring occasionally, and checking for softening.  You are going for something that still has a little crunch and plenty of body. 

If after 8 min or so, the fennel is still tough, add the water, and turn up the heat to medium-high and let the fennel simmer. 

As the fennel approaches done, put ½ the sliced sweet onion, and continue to stir to soften.

Right when the fennel and onion are just about done, add in the cabbage, and stir to combine everything.  Let this sit over medium heat for about 5 minutes to just soften the cabbage.

Add this mixture straight from the stove to the dressing and onion mixture, stir to combine. Add any extra vinegar, salt or pepper. Nom!

Ta-Da!

Sizzling sausage, toasty potatoes and irresistible slaw.