I challenge anyone who says anything other than 'summer' as their favorite season to give me a really, truly good reason. Yes, the first snow fall is magical and lends winter its five minutes of charm; red leaves and pumpkins are nice things about the fall; spring's floral explosion is a welcome respite from the winter's dreary cold. But let's consider this rationally: summer has the best food.
I've always liked summer best, mostly because my birthday lands squarely in the middle of it, but I've never truly appreciated summer the way I do now until this year. And it's all because of two 4x12 foot plots of land in my backyard: the garden.
Before I get into the wonders of my garden's bounty, I must disclose that I lived with a garden for the first 18 years of my life, and didn't like it. While there are certain things I remember fondly, like the amazing sauce my mother would make from our tomato harvest and freeze for the winter, mostly I remember with disdain tasks such as weeding and picking green beans.
Over the past few years, my feelings towards gardening have slowly changed, starting with a tomato plant or two in pots on my porch, and eventually evolving into the full-fledged garden I have now. It has been great, and has provided us with something between a trickle and a bounty for several months now. We started with lettuce and spinach, continued with peas and cabbage, and now our daily harvests include tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, and even a few ears of corn.
The corn was a 'just to see if I can do it' experiment, and even though the ears have been freakishly small and runty, the corn has tasted as good as any of the best I've ever had. I turned last weekend's small harvest into a roasted corn salad. Like all of my best recipes, I didn't keep exacting records of ingredient amounts, but I don't think you could go too wrong with this. The secret lies in the addition of a little bit of rice vinegar, which somehow balanced and coalesces all of the other flavors. Try this salad--the fresh vegetables and herbs combined with the flavor of the grill are a testament to the wonders of summer and will remind you why summer is (or should be) your favorite season.
I still hate picking beans.
Roasted Corn Salad
Serves 2-4 as a side dish
2 ears corn, shucked
1 jalapeno
1 tomato
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
salt and pepper
Heat grill to high. Roast corn, jalapeno, and tomato until beginning to char on all sides. Cool to touch. Using knife, scrape corn kernels from cob. Peel, remove seeds, and dice jalapeno. Chop tomato. Combine corn, jalapeno, tomato, vinegars, olive oil, parsley, and tarragon in bowl. Mix thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Continued Adventures with Anchovies
It started so innocently, and now I just can't get enough of recipes with anchovies. I also can't seem to get enough pasta, and have been aided in this summer pasta obsession by a recent issue of Bon Appetit.
The recipe I'm highlighting in this post will probably disgust most of you at the list of ingredients, as it includes some of the most maligned vegetables I can think of (excluding lima beans). Cauliflower? Gross. Zucchini? Yuck. And on top of these misunderstood vegetables, there are the anchovies. I know, I know, double yuck. Once again readers, you will have to trust that I know what I am talking about--this dish is great! I even ate it for leftovers two whole days in a row, and we all know my feelings on leftovers more than once. Roasted cauliflower is fantastic! Perfectly sauteed fresh zucchini screams summertime! Anchovies! And all of this with croutons on top!
[Between my garden, job, a summer class, travel, and all of the other things I'm doing, my blog has suffered during the past month. Have no fear, I'm still here, dutifully eating at new restaurants and trying new recipes. I'll try to keep my infinite wisdom coming in slightly more regular intervals.]
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling generously salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/3 cups pasta cooking liquid. Set pasta and cooking liquid aside separately.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large deep nonstick skillet or large pot over medium-high heat. Add bread cubes and sauté until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool. Reserve skillet or pot.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to same skillet or pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and garlic and sauté until zucchini is golden brown and crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cauliflower and anchovies and sauté until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add drained pasta, reserved 1 1/3 cups pasta cooking liquid, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/3 cup parsley, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano cheese and toss to coat. Season pasta to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide pasta among 6 bowls; sprinkle with fried croutons, remaining parsley, and additional Parmesan cheese and serve.
The recipe I'm highlighting in this post will probably disgust most of you at the list of ingredients, as it includes some of the most maligned vegetables I can think of (excluding lima beans). Cauliflower? Gross. Zucchini? Yuck. And on top of these misunderstood vegetables, there are the anchovies. I know, I know, double yuck. Once again readers, you will have to trust that I know what I am talking about--this dish is great! I even ate it for leftovers two whole days in a row, and we all know my feelings on leftovers more than once. Roasted cauliflower is fantastic! Perfectly sauteed fresh zucchini screams summertime! Anchovies! And all of this with croutons on top!
[Between my garden, job, a summer class, travel, and all of the other things I'm doing, my blog has suffered during the past month. Have no fear, I'm still here, dutifully eating at new restaurants and trying new recipes. I'll try to keep my infinite wisdom coming in slightly more regular intervals.]
Orecchiette with Cauliflower, Anchovies, and Fried Croutons
1 large head of cauliflower (28 to 30 ounces), trimmed, cut into 1-inch florets
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided (I cut this down a bit by using less at each step)
1 pound orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta) or medium-size shell pasta
1 1/2 cups 1/3-inch cubes crusty country-style bread
3 medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1/3-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
7 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
1/3 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cauliflower florets with 1 tablespoon olive oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until cauliflower florets are tender and beginning to brown in spots, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling generously salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/3 cups pasta cooking liquid. Set pasta and cooking liquid aside separately.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large deep nonstick skillet or large pot over medium-high heat. Add bread cubes and sauté until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool. Reserve skillet or pot.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to same skillet or pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and garlic and sauté until zucchini is golden brown and crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cauliflower and anchovies and sauté until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add drained pasta, reserved 1 1/3 cups pasta cooking liquid, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/3 cup parsley, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano cheese and toss to coat. Season pasta to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide pasta among 6 bowls; sprinkle with fried croutons, remaining parsley, and additional Parmesan cheese and serve.
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