Weekly Fridge Pic - August 16

Taken on Monday, but I'm trying to get back in the swing of the blog.  We have lots of tomatoes, so a new thing I tried this week was my own homemade, very basic, marinara.  I used all those cherry tomatoes and some large ones.  Instead of trying to peel the wee cherries, I tossed them in the blender with a splash of water, hit Liquefy and let it go to town.  Then I pressed them through a mesh strainer until nothing was left but seeds and skin (total time here: about 30-40 minutes, so not bad).  It did take a bit longer to cook down because of the extra water, but came out really tasty!

Also on the menu this week is stuffed pattypan squash (tonight), eggplant parmesan (with that homemade marinara), butternut squash linguini with bacon and goat cheese and Friday Night pizza with fresh tomato, mozzarella, basil and pepperoni.  I'm also thinking of making a hot pepper sauce with those red peppers as a gift to my heat-loving spouse.

Here's last week (August 9).  We got a monster bag of mozzarella at Costco that I separated for storage in the deep freeze.  I've begun making Friday night "Pizza Night" since I found a terrific pizza dough recipe that I'll share soon.  Last week's menu included fresh country ham, scalloped potatoes, eggplant lasagna (try adding pesto to your ricotta for a veggie summer delight!), squash/tomato cassserole with ground beef (mini burgers for the kids) and icebox pickles, which have become a summer standard around here.

Since joining a CSA, we naturally eat a lot less meat and instead have lots of great fresh veggies, veggie sides and rice/quinoa, fresh bread on our table.  It's really a wonderful way to be connected to the cycle of nature.  And here, all this time, I though salads with lettuce were natural summertime food!  Not so in our home these days.  "Salad" in summer means tomato, cucumber, basil and maybe some squash.  Try some fresh cucumber on your sandwich next time -- the crunch and flavor is far superior to lettuce that was picked weeks ago.

Extremes in a Rectangle

Celebrate Summer Squash

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Summer Squash and Sweet Corn Soup (with a kick)

adapted from Alice Waters

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

pinch saffron

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander seeds (crushed if possible, just some dried coriander)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (go to 1/2 or more if you like it hot)

2-4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thinly

5 medium green or yellow summer squash

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

1-2 ears fresh sweet corn

Heat oil in stock/soup pan.  Add onion, spices and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring often.  Cook until very soft, but not brown.  While this cooks, slice squash into fairly thick slices (3/4").  When the onions are done, add squash and salt to taste.  Cook for a few minutes, then add stock and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook until squash is tender.  Cut the corn off the cob and add half at this point and cook for a few more minutes.  Let it cool a bit and then puree in batches in a blender until smooth.  Add second half of corn, then taste, adjust seasoning and serve hot with a swish of Yogurt and Mint (recipe below).

Yogurt and Mint

Pick a handful of mint.  Pick off the leaves and julienne.  In a small mortar, pound 2/3 of the mint to a paste, then stir in the remaining mint, about 1/3 cup yogurt, 1 TBSP olive oil and salt to taste.  If you like sweet with spicy, add a squish of agave nectar.  Enjoy!