GARDEN FRESH......

Garden Fresh…..

            This is the time of the year when our spring garden ambitions are bound to catch up with us. The call of freshly turned soil and those packets of seeds with names to conjure garden bounty were easy enough to indulge on sunny cool days of spring, with just enough rain in the forecast to assure that all those seeds are going to grow. So, like most gardeners I followed the Pied Piper temptations. The mid to late summer price is having to spend hours in the harvest mode.

            The shelling peas are almost finished, lettuce and endive are still thriving, baby-  cucumbers make a tempting snack right from the garden, green peppers and the first cherry tomatoes are starting to color, the French Fingerlings are blooming and yielding the first small rosy potatoes and yes, the first zucchini has made it’s appearance. This year even my erratic raspberry patch is producing a crop.

            Harvesting in July heat is less than pleasant, but the product means enjoyable garden-fresh produce for everyday meals. Many of the vegetables can grace the table as appetizers in raw form with an herbed dip or need only to be cooked to tender crisp. Others are combined to produce everything from salads to sides to deserts.

                                                Herbed cream cheese dip

            With a mixer blend 3 oz. room temperature cream cheese with 2 tblsp. each mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir in 1 minced clove garlic (optional), 2 tsp. minced onion, ¼ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. dry mustard, 1 tblsp. lemon juice, ¼ tsp. thyme, dash of Tabasco and 2 tblsp. minced parsley or chives. Allow flavors to blend for a couple of hours in the refrigerator and serve in a shallow bowl surrounded by a variety of vegetable spears.

            Cherry or grape tomatoes make a wonderful addition to many salads, but also can be effectively used in cooked dishes.

                                                Roasted tomatoes with shrimp and Feta

            In an 8x8 inch baking dish mix 1 ½ pints cherry or grape tomatoes (slice larger ones in half), 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tblsp. olive oil, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and 1 tsp. coarse salt. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir in 1 lb. peeled, deveined fresh medium shrimp and ½ cup chopped jarred roasted peppers and continue to bake 10-15 minutes until the shrimp turn pink. Remove from oven and toss with 3 oz. crumbled Feta cheese and 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice. Serve on boiled rice, noodles or with crisp French bread.

            A very versatile staple for deserts this time of the year is berry coulis. Coulis is a thick rich sauce made of vegetables or fruit to give flavor to either meats or deserts. Sorrel coulis with it’s tart flavor goes well with seafoods and roasted tomato-red pepper coulis can accompany a variety of dishes. This time of the year blueberry-raspberry coulis is great on everything from ice cream to puddings to poached pears and even tapioca.

                                                Blueberry-raspberry coulis

            In a 4 quart pot combine 2 cups rinsed fresh Maine blueberries, 2 cups fresh raspberries, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 1 ½ cups sugar and ¼ tsp. ground cloves.  Bring to boil and stirring occasionally cook on low heat for about 15 minutes, until berries are falling apart and the mix starts to thicken. Press mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove the seeds and the skins. Press with a spoon or spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. The coulis is ready to serve or will keep refrigerated for a couple of weeks for multiple uses.

            The joys of eating garden-fresh in the summer can not be overestimated. Fortunately for those who do not have their own productive gardens, Farmers Markets, roadside stands and even the supermarket allows one to participate in this seasonal pleasure. In fact, there are times in this gardener’s summer when all that wonderful bounty might be more welcome in absence of the backache and the company of too many friendly horseflies.  

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

HEARTY COLORFUL SALADS

Hearty Colorful Salads

            In a wishful mood, one could paraphrase Gershwin’s “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess” as “Summertime, when the living should be easy”. For meals we tend to focus on the ease of cooking on the grill and large leafy salads. But there are other equally appetizing and colorful offerings for the table and many of them feature fresh peas.

            If your acquaintance with peas has been limited to the canned or frozen varieties, this is the time to venture forth and get up close and personal with peas as they come from a garden, farm market or a vegetable stand and discover the flavor and texture of fresh peas.  Well, there is the necessary activity of shelling them before you have a small bowl of those plump tiny green globes ready for cooking. One possibility is to enlist your children or grandchildren for the activity, but be ready to lose some in the process as they discover how delicious a snack these peas make right out of the shell. They won’t even notice that it is a ‘healthy’ snack.

Once shelled, the peas require only five minutes of cooking in water with a dash of salt or chicken bullion to be ready to serve for dinner. If you want to dress them up, add tiny onions or make a cream or cheese sauce, but fresh peas have delightful flavor of their own, possibly enhanced with a small dab of butter.  Like corn, peas will taste best soon after harvest.  They will keep in the shell in the refrigerator for a day or so, but once shelled should be cooked reasonably quickly. Oriental or snap pea pods will keep refrigerated for a week in a closed container.

                        Snap pea and Radish Salad with Yogurt

            Wash 1 lb snap peas, remove the strings and halve on the bias and combine with 8 large radishes thinly sliced. Toss with ¼ cup olive oil, 2 blsp. white balsamic vinegar, 1 Tblsp. rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.  Yoghurt base mix: 1 ¼ cup whole milk yogurt, 2 scallions thinly sliced, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, 2 tblsp lemon juice, ½ tsp. grated lemon zest and ½ cup lightly packed torn fresh basil leaves. Spread yoghurt base mix in a shallow bowl, top with the vegetables and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

                        Dilled Ham and Pea Salad

Cube ¾ lb. lean ham in ¾ inch pieces. Add: 2 chopped scallions with the green parts.  Cook 1 to 1 ½  cups of shelled peas (can substitute frozen) in a cup of chicken bullion  for 3 minutes and allow to cool. Dressing mix:3 tblsp. each light mayonnaise and sour cream with 2 tblsp. rice vinegar, 1 tblsp. chopped capers, ¼ tsp. salt and pepper and 2 tblsp. chopped fresh dill. Toss dressing with ham and scallions and stir in the peas. Chill 1 to 2 hours before serving on a bed of tender lettuce.

Another of my favorite ways to feature fresh peas is in a summer potato salad. The green color is outstanding against the creamy white of potatoes. And if you use red potatoes and a bit of chopped red pepper in the salad, you might qualify your salad for honorary membership in the Italian food society: red, white and green being the colors of the Italian flag.

            Red, white and green potato salad

Note: have the dressing ready by the time the potatoes are finished cooking.

 Dressing: Mix together ¼ cup chopped red onion, 2 Tblsp. plain yogurt, 2 Tblsp. olive oil, 4 Tblsp. wine vinegar, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, garlic salt to taste, ¼ tsp. dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste, some chopped parsley (optional).

Scrub and cut in quarters 4 large red (or Yukon gold) potatoes. Cover potatoes in a pot with cold salted water, bring to boil and cook for 12-14 minutes until they can be pierced with a fork.  Drain the potatoes, cool only slightly and cut in about 1 inch pieces. Pour dressing over the warm potatoes and toss.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a separate pot cook 1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh shelled peas (can substitute frozen) in a cup of chicken buillion for 3 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool. Add to the cooled potato salad together with a small red pepper cut in about ¼ inch pieces. Toss gently and chill for 1-2 hours and serve on lettuce leaves. (Serves 4-6). Salad can be made the day before use and kept refrigerated.

Together with some grilled sausage this makes a quick and satisfying home made summer meal. With luck and more sunshine, there should still be some strawberries for picking in July and those with a bit of whipped topping would finish the meal in a handsome way. Any leftover salad can be refrigerated for use the following day.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

QUICK SUMMER MEALS

Quick Summer Meals

            School is finished for the summer! The Maine Mother’s Day to Father’s Day black fly season is over!  Our mosquito and tourist season has just begun! It is finally summer and we are likely to cram in as many outdoor activities in our day as work, weather, summer visitors and level of energy permits.

            All of this means reduced time in the kitchen and planning for meals that require little time and fewer trips to the store for necessary ingredients. Cooking outdoors on the grill is a favorite solution, but there are days when the weather refuses to cooperate and you still wish to put an attractive and fresh meal on your table.

            Various stir fries can be attractively supplemented with fresh vegetables and a salad for this purpose. The usual base for such are pasta, rice or potatoes, but a quick and easy alternative is couscous. This is a staple in the Mediterranean and Africa and is made of crushed durum wheat semolina that has been pressed in very small clumps to look like miniature pasta grains. The quick cooking variety is a summer staple at our house and can be served with a variety of toppings. Quick cooking grits make a suitable gluten free alternative.

                                    Couscous

            In a 2 qt. pot bring to boil:  1 cup water, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 tblsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1 cup quick cooking couscous, cover tightly with a lid and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir with a fork and serve. Optional additions could be adding ¼ cup dried currants or slivered almonds to the pot before stirring in the couscous.

            Two of my recent favorite toppings have relied on shrimp and ham combinations with Feta cheese, which tends to be another useful summer staple for dressing up salads as well as stir fries. The following recipes serve 4, but can be scaled up or down depending on the number of people at the table.

                                    Shrimp Scampi with Feta

            Sauté 1 lb. raw peeled and deveined shrimp with 2 minced garlic cloves in 2 tblsp.  olive oil until shrimp are barely pink. Remove to a warm plate. In the same pan sauté ½ green pepper cut in julienne strips, 1 small onion thinly sliced in ½ tblsp. added oil for 3 minutes. Stir in ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. anchovy paste (optional), 1medim tomato cut in narrow wedges and ½ cup white wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, return shrimp to the pan to warm and stir in 1/3 cup chopped chives and 3 oz. cubed Feta cheese. Cook stirring for 1 minute and serve on top of couscous in shallow bowls.

                        Creamed Ham with mushrooms and Feta

            Cut 3/4 lb. sliced ham in 2 x3 inch pieces. In a large pan sauté:1 medium onion thinly sliced, 1 minced clove garlic and 6 large mushrooms coarsely sliced in 2 Tblsp. butter for 4-5 minutes. Stir in ½ tsp. salt, 1 Tblsp. flour, ¼ tsp. pepper, ½ cup white wine, ½ cup chicken broth and 1 tblsp. balsamic vinegar. Heat stirring to make a sauce. Add the ham pieces and heat through turning several times. Gently stir in ½ cup heavy cream and 2 oz. cubed Feta cheese. When heated through, serve on couscous in shallow bowls topped with chopped parsley.

            These quick and tasty summer meals can serve as a basic template for many variations on the theme. Each could be made with precooked chicken, added red pepper julienne slices or even snow peas depending on ingredients on hand. And best of all, leave more time to enjoy your summer activities.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)