In the heat of August, it can be hard to get too excited about cooking over a hot stove or oven. With the recent summer bounty of tomatoes and peaches, it's easy to make use of fresh produce without breaking a sweat! Here are two very simple, but delicious, ideas for how to use the recent bumper crop.
Peach, tomato & basil salad
Serves approx. 4
Ingredients
- 3 large heirloom tomatoes
- a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes
- 2 peaches
- a handful of fresh basil
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 shallot, minced
Instructions
- Prep salad ingredients: Cut large tomatoes and peaches into small cubes; cut grape tomatoes in half (or quarters, if you prefer); tear basil leaves into small to medium sized pieces. Lightly salt the tomatoes once you cut them.
- Make the dressing: Mix oil, vinegar, minced shallot, and a small pinch of salt and pepper into a sealed container or jar; shake vigorously. Add more of any ingredient to taste. (Detailed guidance available here.)
- Arrange the tomatoes, peaches, and basil on a plate and dress lightly. Serve alongside your favorite entree or for a special treat, top the salad with fresh burrata cheese and torn prosciutto. Enjoy!
Peach and tomato toast
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 heirloom tomato
- 1 peach
- 4 slices seeded bread (I like the seedy whole grain from Lost Bread Company; you can find them at the Saturday Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza)
- 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese or farmer's cheese (you can use more if you want a more cheese-forward toast); I like the dill farmer's cheese from Chaseholm Farm, also available at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket
- Olive oil
- Salt (preferably a larger flaky salt)
Instructions
- Toast bread -- I like to do it in the broiler with a dash of olive oil to get it extra crispy
- Thinly slice tomatoes and peaches
- Spread a thin layer of cheese over the toast
- Layer tomatoes and peach on top of the cheese
- Top with a little drizzle of oil and a few salt flakes
Scallion and Arugula Macaroni Salad
Scallions and arugula - macaroni salad - this one isn't online anymore but it's an old recipe from 101 cookbooks, and is one of my favorite things to do with scallions. (You can also just use the scallion sauce recipe in a bunch of things if you don't want to make the pasta salad) Macaroni Salad
Leftovers are great for a couple days, but the pasta continues to absorb the sauce, so you might want to moisten things up with a bit of mayo at this point, or creme fraiche, or some salted plain yogurt.
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/4 cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced green onions {~3-4 bunches}
3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
fine grain sea salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
zest and juice of one lemon
1/3 cup / 2 oz grated Parmesan4 big handfuls arugula
1 large apple, dicedCook the macaroni in a large pot of well-salted water per package instructions. Set aside at least 1/2 cup / 120ml pasta water. Then drain pasta and set aside.
In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Add most of the green onions, all of the garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften, and the garlic begins to take on some color, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a couple minutes.
Use a hand blender or food processor to puree the green onion mixture along with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, zest of the lemon, half the lemon juice, and the reserved pasta water. Puree and taste. The green onion flavor should be assertive. Stir in the Parmesan.
Combine the macaroni with the green onion sauce in a large bowl. Toss well. Add the arugula and most of the apple and toss again. Taste, and add more pepper, salt, or lemon juice if needed. Serve topped with the remaining apple and green onion.
Makes enough for a crowd or potluck.
Leafy Greens Sandwhich
CSA member Robin suggests the Peanut Butter and Greens Sandwich from Lukas Volger and says, “I was skeptical about this before I tried it, but it's fantastic. Make a big batch of marinated greens, and then use leftovers for these sandwiches.”
Consider Roasting Tomatoes: A Way to Preserve the Bounty
Robin, one of our members, shares this tomato recipe from Smitten Kitchen. They say it is a great way to preserve a bounty of tomatoes if you can't eat them all fresh. Roast a bunch, and pop them in the freezer and eat once tomato season is over!
KYOTO-STYLE SAIKYO MISO HOT POT SAIKYO NABE
From Donabe - Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking.
Shared by CSA member Salome Blignaut
Featured CSA veggies: green cabbage, carrot, potato, broccoli
Notes on the cookbook: I’ve found that many of the recipes in this beautiful book feature ingredients or cooking methods that can make it a stretch to incorporate regularly into my cooking. However, I wanted to share one of a few wonderful, classic stews (nabe) that can easily be adapted to be made vegetarian, to use of vegetables on-hand, and can be cooked in any pot on the stovetop (no donabe required). This particular miso hot pot is rich, comforting, and immune-supportive in cool weather.
KYOTO-STYLE SAIKYO MISO HOT POT SAIKYO NABE
SERVES 4
EQUIPMENT: One 2.5-quart/2.5 L or larger classic-style donabe
VEGAN OPTION: Omit the pork or use tofu
SHIME (FINISHING COURSE) SUGGESTION: Add ramen to the remaining broth.
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 head green cabbage (about 10 ounces/300 g), cut into strips
1 medium carrot (about32 ounces/100 g), julienned into 1/8-inch (3 mm) strips
1 head broccoli (about 8 ounces/240 g), cut into bite-size pieces
1 russet or white potato (about 8 ounces/240 g), peeled and julienned into 1/4-inch (5 mm) strips 1 pound (450 pork belly, cut into bite-size pieces
4 cups (1 L) kombu and Bonito Dashi
Saikyo miso or other sweet white miso
2 tablespoons white sesame paste (tahini is fine)
1/2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar or more if desired
Karashi (Japanese mustard),
for serving: can substitute Dijon mustard for a milder flavor
“We tasted this nabe dish at the historic headquarters of the Saikyo miso maker Honda Miso in Kyoto, and we fell in love with the creamy broth and elegant flavor. The secret ingredient is a splash of vinegar, which adds a refreshing accent to the sweet miso flavor. You can also adjust the amount of Saikyo miso in this dish according to your taste."—Naoko
To cook the vegetables and meat. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Add the cabbage and blanch until it's partly cooked but still crisp, about 30 seconds. Strain the cabbage out of the water and let it cool down.
Using the same pot of water, repeat the process, first for the carrot and then for the broccoli, blanching each for 30 to 60 seconds.
Finally, blanch the potato in the same pot of water for about 2 minutes, until slightly tender, and drain.
Heat a sauté pan over medium and sauté the pork belly pieces just until the meat is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
To make the broth: Pour the dashi into the donabe, cover, and set over medium-high heat. As soon as the broth starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer. In a bowl, whisk together until smooth the Saikyo miso and sesame paste with a ladleful of broth from the donabe, and then stir the mixture into the donabe.
Add the cabbage, potato, and pork belly, side by side, followed by the broccoli and carrot, pushing them between the other ingredients. Cover and bring back to a simmer and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and drizzle with the vinegar.
Serve in individual bowls at table, with the karashi on the side.
