Salad

Grilled Peppers with Saffron Vinaigrette

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This makes for a good mini salad in a multi-course meal, or try it over crostini for an appetizer you can make ahead and keep in the fridge waiting for the moment to strike. It also just has a lot of yummy tips for how to best bring out the flavor in peppers, and the dressing is a fantastic addition to your repertoire. This recipe is from one of my favorite books: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (by Deborah Madison, which my family lovingly refers to as the family potluck bible. If you’re interested in canning those peppers from the market and save Summer for the coming Winter, check out this old time method.

Directions:

Grill and peel a selection of different-colored bell peppers (directions below), allowing 1/2 pepper per person. Be sure to reserve any juices that collect in the bowl while they’re steaming.  Slice the peppers into halves or quarters, scrape out the seeds, and layer the peppers on a platter. Make Saffron Vinaigrette with Basil (see recipe below), adding any reserved pepper juices. Toss the peppers with vinaigrette to moisten and serve garnished with sprigs of basil and Nicoise olives.

How to grill and peel peppers:

roasted peppersPlace whole peppers directly on a gas burner (on your stovetop) or on the grill. Roast the peppers until the skin becomes wrinkled and loose, turning them frequently with a pair of tongs. If you want the peppers to be soft and slightly smoky, roast them until the skins are completely charred. Set the peppers in a bowl, put a plate on top, and let them steam at least 15 minutes to loosen the skins.

If you wish to grill bell peppers without peeling them, slice off the top of the tip of the pepper, open it up, and remove the veins and seeds. Brush with olive oil and grill, skin side facing the fire, until the skins are puckery and lightly marked but not charred. Turn the grill on the second side for a few minutes, then remove and season with salt and pepper. Leave the peppers in large pieces or cut them into strips as desired.  Skinny peppers and chiles can be brushed with oil, grilled whole until just blistered, then sprinkled with salt.

Saffron Vinaigrette with Basil

For a saffron lover, this dressing will become a favorite. Use it with summer vegetables- roasted peppers and potatoes, grilled zucchini, tomato salads, grilled fennel. Or add finely diced tomatoes to the dressing and spoon it over grilled or roasted eggplants.

oil with saffronIn a bowl, combine 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons snipped chives, 1/2 teaspoon grated or minced orange zest, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Warm 2 tablespoons of oil right over the heat in a small measuring cup, crumble in a pinch of saffron threads and let stand for a few minutes. Add this oil to the dressing and whisk in 6 more tablespoons of olive oil, Add 2 tablespoons of snipped or torn basil leaves just before using. Makes about 1/2 cup of dressing.

Three ways we Cantaloupe

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Play outside the melon with these three recipes for salsa, sorbet, and salad that expands the can-do in cantaloupe:

 

Melon Salsa

Ingredients for Melon Salsa:

  • 2 cups diced Cantaloupe (1/4- to 1/2-in. cubes)
  • 1 cup diced cucumber (1/4- to 1/2-in. cubes)
  • 1/2 cup very finely chopped red onion. To take the sting out, after dicing up, sit in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then take out, pat dry with a paper towel, and continue)
  • 1 serrano chile, stemmed, halved, and sliced
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions (that’s it!)

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  2. Make ahead: Up to 1 day, covered and chilled.

 

Shaved Cantaloupe and Prosciutto Salad

Ingredients for the Cantaloupe Salad

  • 4 slices (1 oz.) thinly sliced prosciutto
  • 1 recently ripened cantaloupe, halved, seeded, and rind cut off (the less ripe, the easier and cleaner the shave for the salad, but the riper, the sweeter.  Find your sweet spot 😉
  • 8 to 10 large mint leaves, sliced thinly
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 350°. Set a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Lay prosciutto on rack and bake until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully. Let cool, then break into shards and chips.
  2. Shave off ribbons of cantaloupe onto a large serving platter, using a vegetable peeler, mandoline, or very sharp knife (really! Sharpen your knives folks!). Sprinkle prosciutto and mint over melon shavings. Drizzle oil very lightly over salad.
  3. Note: Nutritional analysis is per 3/4-cup serving.

 

Cantaloupe Sorbet

Ingredients for Cantaloupe Sorbet:

  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded cantaloupe (about 1/2 cantaloupe)

Instructions:

  1. Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Transfer to 11x7x2-inch glass dish and chill until cold, about 2 hours.

  2. Puree cantaloupe in blender until smooth. Add to sugar syrup in dish and stir until well blended. Freeze until almost firm, stirring occasionally, at least 3 hours or overnight.

  3. Transfer cantaloupe mixture to large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until fluffy. Return to freezer and freeze until firm (do not stir), at least 3 hours or overnight. (Sorbet can be prepared 3 days ahead.) Cover and keep frozen.

 

Recipes are from Sunset (my favorite west coast magazine) and Epicurious.

 

 

Summer Green Bean Salad

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This is a great meal to prepare ahead of time and just have waiting for you on a hot day in the fridge. Martha Stewart has actually got a pretty cool selection of recipes, which is where I found the base for what I’m sharing with you below.  I’m finding the best as they come into season and will post them here, of course.

My goal is that we can use the tags that I put on each recipe for you to find something to do with each bit of produce that you pick up.  Does that sound like a good plan? To see the categories and tags that we have so far, click the three horizontal lines on the top left corner there.

This recipe is catered towards the heirlooms that we’ve got coming into the store lately. I love the light crunch from the beans, which are only partially cooked and cooled, the juicy salty and sweet tomato, and the sweetness of the corn.  I’d like to experiment with not cooking the corn on this one.  Comment below on your thoughts!

Remember the neat trick we showed a couple of weeks ago on trimming your green beans in seconds?  Check it out here beneath our last green bean recipe.

  • Coarse salt
  • 3 ears corn, husks and silk removed
  • 1 1/2 pounds green beans, stem ends snapped off
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and gently smashed
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 1/2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 medium Heirloom tomato, sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • 2 cups of small, mixed red heirloom tomatoes, halved

 

  1. They say to cook the corn until tender in a large pot of salted water (5 to 7 minutes). Remove corn with tongs and set aside on a cutting board to cool. Using a strainer, remove any corn silk remaining in the pot. I like the taste of raw corn though, and I’d recommend trying it with raw kernels or if you’re near a grill, grilled corn. Yum!

  2. Add the trimmed green beans and return to a boil, and cook until very tender, about 8 minutes (timing may vary depending on the size of the beans). Meanwhile, cut the corn kernels off the cobs and put kernels in a large bowl. Drain the beans in a colander, shake to remove excess water, and put in bowl with corn. Add garlic and 3 tablespoons of oil. Toss well and let stand at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend; refrigerate if longer than 30 minutes. I think that this is a great recipe to try making ahead and storing in the fridge for the following day. It holds up well and lets the flavors marinate just a little bit more.

  3. If necessary, bring beans and corn to room temperature by removing them from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, remove the garlic and add the remaining tablespoon of oil along with vinegar, onion, and sliced tomatoes. Add salt to taste and serve at room temperature.

 

If you’re trying the recipe, make sure to leave us a comment below! We’d love to know how it went!

Caprese Salad

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We have our first tomatoes of the season coming in, and you know what that means? One of my favorite Summertime treats: caprese salad. With simple fresh ingredients and limited cooking, the secret to the perfect caprese salad lies in the quality of ingredients.  So below I’ve got not just how to put together a caprese salad, but what makes for the best tomato, the best mozzarella, and how to create a balsamic reduction.

Ingredients needed:

  • Fresh Mozzarella
  • Tomatoes
  • Basil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Salt & Cracked Black Pepper

What makes the perfect mozzarella?

For fresh mozzarella (the type you will need for a caprese salad) there are two dimensions: Flavor and texture. It goes without saying the the fattier the mozzarella (the higher fat content/percentage in the milk used for making it), the stronger the flavor. Check the fat content on the package to find the one that works best for you. Texture change as the cheese ages.  The fresher/newer the cheese, the firmer and more elastic it is. This if the type of cheese that you will likely want for a caprese salad.

What makes the perfect tomato?

For a caprese salad, you will want a firm tomato with tender unblemished skin (as you will not be peeling them). Especially good tomatoes will feel heavy for their size and will be filled with juice when you cut into them. If you are growing them yourself, pick them off the vine just as their color is starting to change from orange to red.  Keep them indoors out from direct sunlight (but not in the fridge) for 4-5 days.  This will help them develop but not overripen and draw out more flavor.

How do you create a balsamic reduction?

A balsamic reduction will intensify the complex flavor of the balsamic to a state of become almost a glaze or sauce on its own. To create a balsamic reduction, pour 1 cup of balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Once hot, drop the temperature down to low and let it reduce down to half its original size (about 10-15 minutes), stirring consistently and watching it carefully. Burning it is an easy task, so keep the overhead fan on with all that vinegar in the air and watch it carefully.  You will know that it’s done when it coats the spoon when you take it out but the reduction is still pourable. If you end up going too far and it’s not pourable, stir in a little water and cook back down to the desired point. Use on your caprese salad, or as a drizzle over beef.  If you love balsamic, check out the balsamic black pepper strawberry jam recipe here!

 

Directions for the Caprese Salad:

  1. Make your balsamic reduction (see above) and let cool down to room temperature.
  2. Cut your tomatoes into thick slices.
  3. Cut your mozzarella into slices of the same thickness as the tomatoes.
  4. Lay your slices of cheese and tomato interchanged on a plate, layering leaves of basil in between.
  5. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the salad, sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper to taste.