Dragon’s tongues? Just when I was suffering green-bean fatigue (big bags, three weeks in a row), these variegated beauties showed up in my sharebox yesterday. Purple dapples on a yellow base, they taste more like wax beans than classic haricots verts—and when you cook them, the purple fades away (mostly), revealing bleached, pearlescent pods. Holy…
Category: ate it up
consumed
Pesto alla Trapanese
Thanks, Zeppoli. Until dinner there one night last week, I’d forgotten how much I like Trapanese, the Sicilian pesto that subs almonds for the pine nuts in its ubiquitous, basil-laden Genovese cousin. Such a brilliant, simple, fresh dish. I’ve seen lots of variations – in proportions, in peppers (some use vinegar-cured pepperoncini, some use the…
You say tomato smoothie, I say gazpacho
Sure, you could go formal (here’s the classic—Hemingway’s favorite—from Casa Botin). But when the tomatoes are softening on the counter before your very eyes, why not take a couple of the ugly ones and turn them into something beautiful? Lunch. In less than 10 minutes. Single-serving gazpacho 2 small, ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped…
Swap-Box Hero: Okra Edition
I might’ve thought we were close enough to the Mason-Dixon line for our CSA picker-uppers to consider okra a treat, but based on the end-of-night swap-box contents for the past two weeks, it’s vegetabilis non grata in these parts. Truth be told, one of those bags last week was mine: I traded in a pound…
Blackberry-Pecan Chicken Salad
I’m not sure I’ve ever made the same chicken salad twice. Too many variables. Chicken, of course, but poached or roasted or grilled or fried? Curry? Parsley? Cilantro? Tarragon? Heat? Something for crunch (celery, nuts, or fried noodles?). Something for sweet (grapes, raisins, craisins, berries, apples, or pears?). A little something to bind it all…
O Caponata! My Caponata!
The blue ribbons in this week’s sharebox were actually purple: Six perfect, wee eggplants. I dispatched three of them straight away Monday night (a Meatless Monday), sauteéing a quick pasta topping that included onions, patty-pan squash, Malabar spinach, and a confetti of cherry tomatoes, all from this week’s share. The remainder I earmarked for a…
All Ears: Sweet Corn to Savor and to Save
I’ll own it. I’m a bit of a corn snob. Not for a particular variety of corn, though I do celebrate the day in August when the first Silver Queen comes in. Nor for corn from a particular place, though I grew up smack in this country’s Corn Belt (seriously, my middle school was literally surrounded…
Squashapalooza Day VI: Zucchini-corn fritters
Squash remaining: 2. Days remaining: 2. That’s right, I took a day off. Squash-free Friday. It may just catch on. Back at it Saturday night, though, when we found a half-hour gap in the rain to grill out some burgers for dinner. Must. Have. Zucchini. The grill was the obvious choice, but I’ve made or…
Squashapalooza Day III: Curried squash and carrot soup
Squash remaining: 6. Days remaining: 5. One of our Pennsauken picker-uppers mentioned Monday that her go-to zucchini user-upper was a curried zuke soup. Mmmm. And Hmmm. So this morning, after Greg the Plumber restored my kitchen to working order, I started chopping and sautéing. In about 45 minutes, I had a tasty jarred lunch for…
Squashapalooza Day II: Pizza with shaved zucchini
Squash remaining: 7. Days remaining: 6. Special monkey wrench: No running water in the kitchen. So no real cooking until the sink gets fixed. Genius solution: Order a Margherita pie from the wood-fired place down the street. Wash zucchini in bathroom sink. Pick up pie. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of zucchini onto hot…
Boxing Day 