Stuffed Summer Squash

My favorite thing about spring and summer is the farmer’s markets. I’ve loved them ever since I was a little kid, begging my mother to take me the waterfront market in my hometown.

I was enamored with the flowers – dinnerplate Dahlias that were easily the size of my head, the crafts – beads and bits and bobs and amazing wood carvings from the local tribes, and the food, oh lordy the food – vegetables in every shape and size and color, more than the mind could process at once.

I still have that sense of giddy excitement when I walk through a market, myriad possibilities running through my brain, challenging me to create and experiment. The opportunity to talk with the people who are growing my food, to interact with the people in my community – it’s bliss. Pure and simple bliss.

While walking through a farmer’s market recently (or possibly three…) I spotted these gorgeous globular summer squash that were just begging to be stuffed. They make a beautiful side dish or, if you get them just a bit bigger than this, a lovely main course along with a salad.

Stuffed Summer Squash

4 globe summer squash

8 oz. Shitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups cooked brown rice

4 oz Taleggio cheese, cubed

Preheat the oven to 425⁰

Slice off the tops of the squash and scoop out the center of the squash. Rub them down inside and out with a little olive oil and season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a heavy bottomed skillet sauté the shitake mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil until the mushrooms start to brown. Add the brown rice and cook just long enough to warm through. Remove the mixture from the skillet into a heat proof mixing bowl and toss with the cubed Taleggio cheese (you can do this in the skillet, but it might get a little messy). Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide evenly between the 4 squash. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet (or in a casserole dish) for about 30-35 minutes, or until squash is tender.

sour cherry galette

Sour cherries are an elusive fruit. They grow only in a few areas in the country, are impossible to find in a grocery store (fresh, at least), and even at a farmer’s market one would be lucky to find them more than one or two weeks out of the year.

If you do happen to find them, though – buy them. A lot of them. Don’t tell your friends. Don’t tell your family. Don’t even tell your neighbor’s dog. Keep them all for yourself and make this galette.

Galette is just a French word for “we’re too lazy to make two crusts and call it a pie.” It all comes together in about an hour, which is only a little bit longer than it will take you to devour this entire tart.

Sweet-tart cherries, flaky, buttery pastry – it’s a match made in heaven. Add a bit of vanilla ice cream on the side if you’re so inclined.

I prefer to eat mine directly out of hand, eyes closed in bliss, pastry crumbs dropping all around me. It’s the only civilized way.

Sour Cherry Galette

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, chilled, cut into cubes

¼ cup cold water

1 quart (about 4 cups) sour cherries, pitted

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

Preheat the oven to 400⁰F

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together. Work the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers, until like small crumbs. Add the ice water and mix until it becomes a soft dough, adding more cold water if needed. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the pitted cherries in the sugar and cornstarch, let sit for at least 15 minutes. Roll out the pastry dough until about 1/8^th inch thick. Mound the cherries in the center, leaving at least a two inch border. Wrap the pastry edges around the cherries, pleating the dough where needed. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and cherries are cooked through. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

 

Spinach Dip

While I was in North Carolina recently, a friend of mine reintroduced to me to the wonder that is cold spinach dip. Between the two of us we polished off nearly a whole container along with some pita chips and more wine than two people should ever consume in one evening.

After returning to Maryland I was still craving it, but wasn’t interested in all of the preservatives in the store bought dips. A little tinkering and I had exactly what I wanted. Make sure you really get all of that liquid out of the spinach or sauté some fresh. You’ll have a gross, soggy mess on your hands if you don’t.

Also, use the flat of your knife to turn the minced garlic and the salt into a paste, it will incorporate much more thoroughly and you won’t run the change of biting into a hunk of raw garlic. Just mince the garlic, sprinkle the salt over it, and scrape the salt into the garlic with the flat of the blade. It’ll turn into a paste after about 15 seconds of scraping.

Sadly, the bad news is that making this dip means you will eat it. All of it. Possibly in one sitting.

Spinach Dip

1 cup light mayonnaise

1 cup light sour cream

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed of all excess liquid, and chopped

½ cup water chestnuts, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

 

Spicy Zucchini Pancakes with Green Goddess Dressing

What better way to celebrate Summer Solstice than with Spicy Zucchini Pancakes and Green Goddess dressing?

I’ve always been a fan of shredded vegetable fritters, whether it’s potato latkes or little zucchini pancakes like this. One of the most important things to remember is to squeeze as much moisture out of the shredded veggies as possible or you’ll end up with a hot soggy mess in your skillet.

I wanted to add some heat to the pancakes to contrast the cooling effect of the Goddess dressing, hence the addition of the red pepper flakes. Adding them is entirely up to your taste, but I think it adds the perfect amount of complexity to the combination to contrast the herbiness of the dressing. Obviously, use your own discretion at the amount to add and remember – it doesn’t take much.

This recipe makes about 8 little pancakes, perfect as an appetizer for four people or a meal (along with a nice green salad) for two.

Spicy Zucchini Pancakes with Green Goddess Dressing

For the pancakes:

 1 zucchini

1 shallot

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

¼ cup egg whites (or 1 egg, beaten)

½ cup panko bread crumbs

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)

Shred the zucchini and shallot in a food processor, season with a little salt and pepper. Dump the veggies out onto a paper or tea towel and squeeze out all the excess liquid. Mix together with the remaining ingredients. Take about two tablespoons and form into a patty, fry over medium-high heat for about 1 ½ minutes each side or until browned and warmed through.

For the dressing:

½ cup chopped herbs (I used basil, tarragon, and chives)

½ cup light mayonnaise

½ cup light sour cream

1 tablespoon vinegar (anything but white, I used champagne, but tarragon or white wine would also be nice)

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Mix together all ingredients in food processor until thoroughly combined, or in a small mixing bowl with an immersion blender. Let chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes for the flavors to blend sufficiently.

Charoset

Unlike the majority of our gentile celebratory foods, which gain a spot on our tables simply for being delicious, Jewish cuisine is notorious for the symbolism of each item present.

Matzo and only other unleavened breads because the when the Jews left Egypt they didn’t have enough time for leavened (chametz) bread to rise and/or because it was easy to carry with them on their journey back to Israel.

Bitter greens to symbolize the embittered life of enslaved Jews in Egypt and salted water to represent the tears of the people.

There are many other symbolic dishes that represent various struggles and tribulations in Jewish history, but I admit the most appealing (speaking only of taste) is charoset.

Charoset is said to represent the mortar the Israelites used while bonding bricks in Egypt. There are two different kinds: Sephardi, which is cooked and usually paste-like to more closely resemble the mortar of ancient times, and Ashkenazi, which is more rustic and always contains nuts, apples, cinnamon and sweet wine – ingredients King Solomon used to describe the children of Israel.

I like the Ashkenazi version because, well, I’m not Jewish and I can pick on taste alone. I’d like to try making it with pistachios instead of the traditional walnuts, but I’m not sure if I get in trouble for messing with the recipe too much.

Click to read more ...