Inside My Fridge - August 8, 2011

I still have loads of cucumbers! In addition to cucumber salad and many batches of icebox pickles, the last of which you can see bottom-center. I tried a version of this tomato-cucumber soup that was quite nice, but need a creamy, cold cucumber soup this summer, so I'll find one this week.

We have oodles of pattypan squashes, which are possibly now my favorite squash. I've been slicing them and layering in a pan with olive oil, salt/pepper and a bit of parmesan, then baking. Simpler is better for truly fresh food and it doesn't get much more simple than that. My dad has promised me several of the cute-and-tiny pattypans which I plan to stuff with cheesy breadcrumbs and maybe some bacon. My husband wants to try an oyster stuffing for these as well, so if anyone has any recipes, let me know.

The paper bag contains some not-totally-ripe tomatoes from our CSA. This is a great tip for those massive heirlooms you grow at home that split if you leave them on the vine, but are green on top if you pick them when the bottoms are ripe. Just put them in a paper bag for a few days; this captures the ethylene gas and allows them to finish ripening to delicious perfection.

Also, you may see the store yogurt on the bottom shelf and wonder if I've given up making my own. Funny story there...my three-year-old became constipated, which given the amount of fresh (mostly raw) fruit and vegetables she eats is rather odd and the pediatrician recommended adding some probiotics and specifically mentioned Activia so we immediately procured some. A little research over the weekend indicates that, yes, homemade yogurt does indeed contain lots and lots of probiotics, so that's good to know for certain. Oh, the funny part of the story? As it turns out, between my husband and myself we'd given her an inhuman amount of cheese over the previous two days. Communication failure there...

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Placating with Plating: Pork, Rice, Squash

You eat with your eyes first. But adult eyes and child eyes often see things a little differently. Who cares? Does it really make that much difference if the priority is an appealing balance of colors or enough "white space" on the plate or just making sure the food is not touching more than necessary?

Tonight's dinner: Jasmine rice with peas/carrots, free-range pork chops and a medley of roasted yellow squash, pattypan squash, garlic chunks and kohlrabi. A little freshly-baked wheat bread rounds out the meal. For some reason, many children, including mine, seem to prefer their food as segregated as possible. Should we call it "deconstructed" instead? It's not terribly hard to manage generally, so I try to honor that preference without being ruled by it, as evidenced by my rather brazen addition of peas/carrots to the rice.

The biggest differences between kid/adult plates are onions and veggie portioning. I topped my rice with sauteed onions and orange-pineapple jus from the pork pan. The kids got one piece each of yellow squash, pattypan squash and kohlrabi, while my plate is piled high with all those plus some garlic chunks. The bright green, orange and yellow of the veggies are offset brilliantly by the white rice and white plates, so this was a colorful and appealing early summer meal.

Not counting the bread, this could easily be a 40-minute dinner. The bread baking takes about an hour (counting time necessary to preheat the oven), so technically it's an hour prep. Swapping fresh bread for heat-and-serve rolls or skipping bread altogether makes pork chops one of my favorite "go to" meals after a hectic day on the go. I'll include a rundown after the break.

Dinner doesn't need to be fancy. Heck, it doesn't even need to be homemade. Really, it doesn't even have to be dinner -- it could be breakfast. It just needs to be time together to share and nourish body and soul.

For the record, the children ate rice, peas, carrots, bread/butter and pork. It was not surprising that they didn't touch the squash, but they did ask what each one was called and (amazingly) no one disparaged this vegetable that still holds a strong "yuck factor" for them both.

This Tennessee gal loves her Volunteers (plants that is...)

Go Big Orange! Scarlet Nantes - beautiful and delicious

Lettuces: Bunte Forellenschluss (my favorite), Winter Density and Grandpa Admire's.

I love peas in the pod.

Sunflower and the bean stalk, inspired by The Three Sisters.
Now how will I ever pick the beans?

Again, I have squash in the flowerbeds. (Did you know that was my inaugural post on this blog?) All of these are volunteer though; they just came up on their own. Beautiful, isn't it? That large broccoli plant is gone now, replaced with marigolds, moss roses and sweet alyssum (also volunteer). I'm amazed at what comes back each year and also at how perfectly one crop fades into the next. As the squashes sputter out in a few months, the moss roses and alyssum will explode into mounds of color that last into fall. I can pick up other flowers here and there on sale to fill in any bare spots. 

I say these are "squash," because that's what I planted in that area last year, but this one is looking much more melon-like to me. With volunteers, you are thankful for whatever you get because it's more than you expected. Not unlike my alma mater's football team, now that I think of it....

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!

Braised Cukes: Adventures in Slimedom

Well, I'm not a Top Chef.  I'm not even a Middle Chef.  I'm a pretty good home cook, even on the fly, and can make food that is tasty for adults and possibly children, depending on their mood-of-the-day.

Tonight, I tried something new....Braised Cucumbers  which is apparently from Julia Child's cookbook, which I must admit, I do not own. But I have the internet, right?

My husband challenged me: did I have time to do this before he left for his night shift?  I followed the directions precisely.  It smelled wonderful.  We were both excited to taste. And  then, slippery...greasy...slimey cucumber.  I was devastated.  I'd put on an apron over my nightgown, for God's sakes!!  My poor husband was disappointed too.  He'd hoped for the best, and hoped I could deliver.

Now that I had the stove fired up, something very primal wasn't going to let me allow my dear husband to leave without something fresh and tasty for his supper later.  So I crushed up and tore up (yes, ripped and tore!) a few cloves of garlic.  Didn't I say primal?

Indeed, my man must be fed. I tossed that garlic in the pan with the leftover cucumber-braise butter and, while it started to simmer, sliced up the squashes and zucchini I harvested this morning while I was battling/squishing squash bugs.  Oh yes, I am now a bug-squisher, though I do wear gardening gloves to do it.  I think this makes me a wimp-ass, but my mother begs to differ and is just glad that I am not resorting to pesticides.

At any rate, once the garlic starts to smell really, really good, it's time to add any fresh farm veggies you have in the fridge.  Mine was that squash and zucchini, which I browned for a few minutes before adding a hefty splash of chicken stock and covering the pan for a few minutes.  Let this simmer, covered, for about as long as it takes to uncork and pour a glass of wine and have a nice sip or two. This is the perfect time to remember that sweet corn from Avalon Acres and take about 30 seconds to slice it right off the cob.  Toss that in with some halved cherry tomatoes and some torn basil leaves and you've got a tremendous side dish (or main dish with some rice/quinoa).

So, obviously, an amazing dish.  Alll grown/picked today or within a day or so (for the corn).  

Here's what I have learned from my adventures in Slimedom: Don't be afraid to try something new...but be prepared to improvise!!

Recipe after...