Summer Session: Week 7

Let’s chat about round veggies for a sec. You may have noticed that in addition to the traditional shaped squash we are also growing a round ball shaped type.  These little guys can be used in the same way their longer brethren are.  One of the things we are most excited about is stuffing them!  Halved and hollowed a bit, filled with meats or more veggies and tossed in the oven for a bit to soften, topped with fresh tomato (they’re coming, I swear) and you’ve got a darling little dinner!  We have found that keeping them in the fridge is ideal, it keeps them from drying out on the inside too much. 

And now, lemon cucumbers.  These yellow orbs are delicious and can be used just like their long slender friends.  When I made the recipe below, I used lemon cucumbers in fact.  I find them to have a sweeter taste and a thinner skin than some of the green slicing cukes I’ve had over the years.  They’d surely make a mighty good gazpacho or simply sliced and dipped in hummus as is my favorite way to cucumber!  😊

Happy Eating!

-Liz

Charred Cucumber Salad with Herb Yogurt

Cooked cucumber.  Sure, you’re probably thinking I’ve lost it.  Prior to making this, I would have told you this sounded awful.  But! I needed to find a new way to use cukes other than salads and things.  So I trusted this recipe and went for it.  The charred edges, and you do need to hold out moving the cukes around much so you can achieve good charring, they make the cucumber amazing.  The inside is still crispy and refreshing, reminding me almost of a firmer summer squash.  A perfect summer side, and if you have a cast iron pan do this on the grill as a little smoky flavor would be awesome here. 

1-2 unpeeled cucumbers, cut into good sized chunks. 

1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 Tbsp for yogurt mix

1 cup yogurt

1/2 tsp. salt, plus more for seasoning

½ bunch scallions, thinly sliced

A handful of parsley, rough chopped

About ¼ C Additional herbs for the yogurt.  These can be more parsley or dill, lovage, basil, a combo? Whatever is easiest. Do it.

Salt and pepper

Optional: Stir a couple pinches of dukkah seasoning into the yogurt.  A mix of cumin, sesame, almond, coriander and black pepper this blend can be found in good spice shops or in the barn from The Kitchen Imp. 

Lay out the cucumber on paper towels, dabbing moisture away from the cut sides.  This will help them get a better char.

Stir a glug of olive oil and the herb mix into the yogurt, season with salt and pepper to taste.  (and that dukkah!)

Heat the frying pan with a glug of oil until smoking. Sear the cucumbers (in batches if necessary) without crowding the pan, allowing enough space for the steam to evaporate. Hold your nerve and let the skin blister and burn slightly (watch out for splatter). Flip to sear the other cut sides.

Remove from the pan and sprinkle with salt.

Toss the cucumber with the scallion and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Dot with the herb yogurt and serve.

Adapted from Ruffage

Summer Squash Fritters

Summer squash has this odd tendency to accumulate.  You think you’re using it, but there just seem to be more on the counter or in the fridge.  This uses a decent amount of squash and I mean, who doesn’t like a crispy pancake?!? These types of fritters are one of the best ways to use all kind of vegetables, just shred em up and fry em! They keep in the fridge reasonably well and can also be frozen once cooked.  Try serving it with some of that herb yogurt from the first recipe.  Or throw a crispy fried egg on top and call it good. 

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini

1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste

2 scallions, sliced thin

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.

Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor.

In a large bowl, toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time, or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away. This is an important step, you’d be amazed at how much liquid goos out of these squash!

Return deflated mass of zucchini shreds to bowl. Taste and if you think it could benefit from more salt (most rinses down the drain), add a little bit more; we found 1/4 teaspoon more just right. Stir in scallions, egg and some freshly ground black pepper. In a tiny dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the mixture into the zucchini batter.

In a large heavy skillet — cast iron is dreamy here — heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula. Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter. I like to make sure that the fritters have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting and getting extra crisp.

Adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Scallion Cream Cheese

Nope, we’re not making cream cheese from scratch, we’re just gussying up the old store bought stuff a bit. Simple and easy but it makes me feel like it’s the weekend at my favorite bagel place back in Rhode Island even if it’s a Wednesday and I’m sitting in my kitchen putting off mopping the floor and changing the cat box.    If nothing else this will give you a reason to eat a bagel every day of your life, or until you run out of this cream cheese.  Plus it will make me feel better about my own now slightly out of hand bagel habit if I take you all down with me.  😊

8 oz cream cheese.  Get a good brand, this is supposed to be decadent. 

½ C chopped scallion

1-2 tbsp heavy cream

With a stand or handheld mixer or by hand if you’ve got forearms of steel, furiously mix the cream cheese and heavy cream together.  Add scallions and mix till it’s all combined.  Eat. 

…In fact, I’m going to go make a sandwich with this very concoction, sliced cucumber, smoked trout, fresh lettuce and maybe, just maybe a little slice of tomato! 

*As always, use these recipes as a guide, nothing is hard and fast, taste as you go and adjust spices and seasoning as it suits you.