The CSA is going full tilt even as the leaves are starting to turn. I have been completely inundated with corn and tomatoes and have no idea what to do with myself. The fridge is a vegetable minefield. I have no freezer space left, even after giving away food right, left and center. My friends are starting to say "no" to the vegetables. Well, some of them, anyway. The other friends have their mouths full, so they can't say no.
In all of this chaos, the only thing to do is make soup. I've become completely enamored of homemade soup, as I have previously posted, but I have to say that my soups have really gotten to the next level this summer. Mark Bittman wrote about the joys of preserving summer produce in soup form in one of his recent NYTimes posts, and the recipe below is adapted from his corn chowder recipe. I like that it is simple but not Johnny-One-Note on the corn. Without the half and half, this soup freezes incredibly well. Thaw before reheating - otherwise the veggies will get all starchy from the microwave.
Corn Chowder with Potatoes and Peas
1 tbsn butter
1 medium onion in 1/2" dice
4 cups water
4 cups vegetable stock (homemade or whatever)
4 ears corn, husked and cleaned of thread, kernels planked (retain cobs)
1/2 package (about 1 1/2 cups) baby peas
5 medium-size yukon gold potatoes in 1/4" dice
2 cups baby carrots in 1/2" pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional, and only if you would otherwise want to add some kind of smoked meat to this recipe. You know who you are).
half and half, for serving (optional, or go for fat-free)
1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onion until golden and translucent. Add water, stock, and corn cobs. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
2. After 45 minutes of simmering, add the potatoes and carrots. Bring back up to a boil and boil briskly (carefully avoiding boiling over) for about 15 minutes. Reduce to a simmer, remove cobs and check potatoes and carrots - they should be done but not totally mushy. Add corn kernels and peas and stir for about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree about half of the soup (don't burn yourself) in the pan, then stir to further blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve as is or with a dollop of half and half (I use fat free) to bring it all together. Great with a crusty piece of bread.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Notes from the Eastern Shore
Dear Blogosphere,
This post is coming to you from the beautiful Eastern Shore of Maryland. It is late afternoon and I am taking a break from editing Beloved Professor's new con law article to bring you this late breaking news flash:
Life is good.
How is it good, might you ask? It is good in many ways. Last week was a little stressful for me. I was studying for (and, consequently, took) a standardized test that is a pre-requisite for sitting for the bar exam. More importantly, I was waiting around, trying not to be impatient, while Big Boston Firm took its time to evaluate my summer work and its own needs/wants/desires to determine whether it would like to give me a job. The additional good news is that they decided to make me a permanent offer. Yay! Very exciting news (particularly given the law school loans and the downturn in the economy). Think of how many cooking gadgets a first year associate salary could buy!! The mind boggles.
In any case, the shore has been a great respite from the stress, particularly because every type of delicious produce known to man is in peak season. The corn - OMG! - it is amazing! The peaches are the earthly embodiment of the Divine - the most delicious things in the world. The tomatoes are so fresh, they melt in your mouth. To that end, I used the veggies at hand as they were intended to be used - as close to fresh-picked as possible.
To that end, I made a frittata with the fresh produce and some fresh herbs from the farmers' market that I thought was pretty groovy. This is NOT a traditional frittata (which means "fried" in almost all Romance languages) because it is not cooked on the stove and finished in the oven, but is primarily cooked in the oven. This is because I am not capable of doing a frittata in an oven-safe AND range-safe pan. I spend hours scraping charred egg out of my lovely cast-iron, and I therefore refuse to do the whole stovetop-to-oven thing. You could add corn shaved from the cob to this recipe and it would also be good. Or green beans. Or spinach. Really, any veggies you have on hand that go well with salt (so, not beets or carrots) would work well here. It's a great meal for dinner when paired with a salad and some rolls, or for lunch or breakfast as-is.
More postings later - hope you all enjoy the produce.
That's A Lotta Frittata
1 large or 2 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced in 1/4" horizontal slices
2 large zucchini or yellow squash, also in 1/4" slices
1/2 medium onion in 1/4" dice
2/3 c. shredded low-fat sharp cheddar or other cheese with a bite
8 eggs or equivalent fake egg product (I like EggBeaters, but whatever works for you)
1/4 c. chopped fresh herbs (I like a mix of thyme, oregano and basil, but whatever you have handy would work)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. EVOO or cooking spray
1 small frying pan
1 non-stick pie tin or tart pan
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Thoroughly grease the pie tin/tart pan with cooking spray or EVOO. In the frying pan over medium heat, cook the onions until beginning to turn golden brown (about 7 minutes). Add the butter and cook until a nice deep golden color has developed. Remove from heat and place in medium mixing bowl (set aside to cool).
2. Spray the skillet with cooking spray. Mix the grated cheese and chopped herbs together. Layer the veggies and cheese in the following order: zucchini, 1/2 cheese, tomatoes, 1/2 cheese.
3. When the onions are cool enough to handle (lukewarm), crack the eggs into the bowl (beware of shell fragments) and whisk the eggs, 1/4 c. water, a generous pinch of both salt and pepper, and the onions together. Pour into the baking tin. Make sure that the upper layer of cheese is submerged (you may press down on the veggies/cheese to achieve this).
4. Pop in the oven (to avoid burns, try doing so on the baking sheet) and bake for 35-45 minutes. If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover with foil. Watch the frittata after the first 30 minutes. It is done when the center is set and the top is golden brown and slightly crispy. Serve warm or cold, depending on the occasion.
This post is coming to you from the beautiful Eastern Shore of Maryland. It is late afternoon and I am taking a break from editing Beloved Professor's new con law article to bring you this late breaking news flash:
Life is good.
How is it good, might you ask? It is good in many ways. Last week was a little stressful for me. I was studying for (and, consequently, took) a standardized test that is a pre-requisite for sitting for the bar exam. More importantly, I was waiting around, trying not to be impatient, while Big Boston Firm took its time to evaluate my summer work and its own needs/wants/desires to determine whether it would like to give me a job. The additional good news is that they decided to make me a permanent offer. Yay! Very exciting news (particularly given the law school loans and the downturn in the economy). Think of how many cooking gadgets a first year associate salary could buy!! The mind boggles.
In any case, the shore has been a great respite from the stress, particularly because every type of delicious produce known to man is in peak season. The corn - OMG! - it is amazing! The peaches are the earthly embodiment of the Divine - the most delicious things in the world. The tomatoes are so fresh, they melt in your mouth. To that end, I used the veggies at hand as they were intended to be used - as close to fresh-picked as possible.
To that end, I made a frittata with the fresh produce and some fresh herbs from the farmers' market that I thought was pretty groovy. This is NOT a traditional frittata (which means "fried" in almost all Romance languages) because it is not cooked on the stove and finished in the oven, but is primarily cooked in the oven. This is because I am not capable of doing a frittata in an oven-safe AND range-safe pan. I spend hours scraping charred egg out of my lovely cast-iron, and I therefore refuse to do the whole stovetop-to-oven thing. You could add corn shaved from the cob to this recipe and it would also be good. Or green beans. Or spinach. Really, any veggies you have on hand that go well with salt (so, not beets or carrots) would work well here. It's a great meal for dinner when paired with a salad and some rolls, or for lunch or breakfast as-is.
More postings later - hope you all enjoy the produce.
That's A Lotta Frittata
1 large or 2 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced in 1/4" horizontal slices
2 large zucchini or yellow squash, also in 1/4" slices
1/2 medium onion in 1/4" dice
2/3 c. shredded low-fat sharp cheddar or other cheese with a bite
8 eggs or equivalent fake egg product (I like EggBeaters, but whatever works for you)
1/4 c. chopped fresh herbs (I like a mix of thyme, oregano and basil, but whatever you have handy would work)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. EVOO or cooking spray
1 small frying pan
1 non-stick pie tin or tart pan
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Thoroughly grease the pie tin/tart pan with cooking spray or EVOO. In the frying pan over medium heat, cook the onions until beginning to turn golden brown (about 7 minutes). Add the butter and cook until a nice deep golden color has developed. Remove from heat and place in medium mixing bowl (set aside to cool).
2. Spray the skillet with cooking spray. Mix the grated cheese and chopped herbs together. Layer the veggies and cheese in the following order: zucchini, 1/2 cheese, tomatoes, 1/2 cheese.
3. When the onions are cool enough to handle (lukewarm), crack the eggs into the bowl (beware of shell fragments) and whisk the eggs, 1/4 c. water, a generous pinch of both salt and pepper, and the onions together. Pour into the baking tin. Make sure that the upper layer of cheese is submerged (you may press down on the veggies/cheese to achieve this).
4. Pop in the oven (to avoid burns, try doing so on the baking sheet) and bake for 35-45 minutes. If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover with foil. Watch the frittata after the first 30 minutes. It is done when the center is set and the top is golden brown and slightly crispy. Serve warm or cold, depending on the occasion.
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