JULY MUSINGS; CORN and ZUCCHINI

July Musings: Corn and Zucchini

          “The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye” may be in “Oklahoma”, but not in Maine this year. Usually I look for the first ears to appear at Beth’s Farmers Market by 4^th of July, but this year our cold and extended spring has postponed such harvest for more than two weeks. Very likely, anticipation will make those roasted ears on the grill so much sweeter.

          Zucchini has the reputation of being quite aggressive and persistent.  They fool complacent gardeners and produce unexpected results overnight and hence require constant vigilance. My vigilance was pleasantly rewarded a couple of weeks ago, when despite the cool spring, one of my plants in a pot on the patio had a first creditable zucchini to pick. It is now consistently yielding a couple of them each week. My Latino zucchini variety sports dark ridges and is more dense than other varieties.  It is wonderful grilled with just a baste of Italian dressing and when thinly sliced complements any salad. 

          Steamy summer days make us turn to cool salads and cold soups. Gazpacho is an annual favorite, especially a bit later in the summer when tomatoes become plentiful. My equal favorite is the White Gazpacho, which relies partially on cooked vegetables including zucchini and yoghurt for creamy refreshing texture and herbs for extra flavoring.

                             White Gazpacho

          Scrub and cut two 8 inch zucchini and one cucumber in 2 inch chunks. If you are using regular cucumbers, peel leaving only narrow strips of rind. Do not peel zucchini. If using overgrown zucchini with tough rind, it must be peeled.

1)    Place cut up zucchini and cucumber in a 3 quart pot and cover with 3 cups of chicken broth.

2)    Add: 1 chopped garlic clove, 2 cut up celery stalks with leaves, ½ cup chopped parsley, ½ chopped onion, 1 tsp. thyme, a dash of red pepper flakes and 1 tsp. salt.

3)    Bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes.

4)    Allow to cool and puree in a blender with 2 tblsp. white wine vinegar, Blend in 2 cups yoghurt and correct consistency with extra broth and flavoring with salt and pepper.

5)    In a large bowl stir in diced: ½ red and green peppers each, ½ seedless cucumber, 2 Roma tomatoes, 2-3 tblsp. chopped chives.

6)    Allow flavors to blend in the refrigerator and serve cold with more chopped chives or parsley on top.

Zucchini Frittata

          This dish needs to be cooked in a 9 inch cast iron or other ovenproof pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1)    In a small bowl beat 4 eggs with ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and ½ cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

2)    Thinly slice 2 small zucchini, 3 scallions and mix with 1 chopped garlic clove and ¼ cup chopped parsley.

3)    Heat 1 tblsp. grapeseed or olive oil in pan and sauté chopped vegetables until limp and slightly golden.

4)    Pour egg mixture over the vegetables and bake for 10-12 minutes until eggs are barely firm in center of pan.

5)    Slide on serving plate and serve warm or at room temperature. Can be served as an appetizer cut in wedges or squares.

Corn and Zucchini Fritters

          Fritters are really vegetable pancakes and can be made with different vegetables. Corn and zucchini pair well in flavors, but the zucchini first needs to be salted and drained, to remove the extra liquid.

1)    Coarsely shred zucchini on a box grater to make 1 ½ cups. Sprinkle with 2 tsp. salt set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse off the salt in a sieve and squeeze dry.

2)    In a medium bowl beat 2 eggs with: ¼ cup water, ½ tsp. salt, 1/3 cup flour mixed with 1 tsp. baking powder until smooth.

3)    Stir in the eggs: ½ cup cut up scallion with greens, 7 small slices jalapeno pepper thinly sliced (optional), drained zucchini, 1 cup corn kernels (excellent if have kernels from grilled corn).

4)    Fry heaping tablespoons of the mixture in a little vegetable oil about 5 minutes to the side.

5)    Drain on paper towels and serve warm with sour cream and/or fresh salsa.

As a vegetable, zucchini is low calorie and extremely versatile in a variety of dishes from salads, soups, casserole side dishes to bread and sweet breads. As the summer progresses, even this variety may become tedious, but July still holds the novelty of plenty for this bounteous vegetable.   

 

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine 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)

COOL SUMMER MEALS

Cool Summer Meals

Independence Day this year slipped away quietly without bands, parades and fireworks as social distancing has become a norm in the past months. We had our traditional red-white and blue potato salad, grilled sausages, corn and of course watermelon, but it was easy to be nostalgic for the 4^th of July celebrations from past years. Still, summer is here and the few recent hot days, make us turn to cooler fare.

          A wire fence around the sorrel pot on my patio kept the woodchuck family finally at bay, and my sorrel regrew. Sorrel is not a green familiar to most in the US, but it is favored in Northern Europe and in France for it’s tangy tart flavor for soups and sauces. It is similar in appearance to spinach tempting to be included as flavoring in green salads. I have always liked it as a basis for a light summer soup.

                             Sorrel and Barley Soup

Wash and trim stems of a large bunch of sorrel. If leaves are very large, cut in half.

1)    Rinse a 2/3 cup of pearled barley in several changes of water until water is no longer cloudy.  Place in a pot with water to cover 2 inches, add ½ tsp. salt and cook for 30 minutes with occasional stirring and drain.

2)    In another pot place 4 cups water, 1 finely chopped onion or 2 tblsp. dried chopped onion, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. celery seed, 1 tsp. dried oregano, small pinch of red pepper flakes and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add washed sorrel and cook for 2 minutes. Then stir in coked barley.

3)    Serve warm with chopped hard boiled egg in each bowl, or cold with a tablespoon of sour cream.

4)    For a gluten free soup omit the barley but add a peeled and diced large potato to the onion and flavorings at the beginning of the cooking period.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Cooking summer pasta, whether to be served hot or cold, is best with medium sized pasta that allows the sauce or dressing to adhere to the cooked pasta

1) Vinaigrette: 6 tblsp. wine vinegar, 3 tblsp. olive oil, ¼ tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp. celery seed, salt and pepper to taste.

2) Cook 8 oz fusilli or rotelle in salted boiling water to al dente.  Drain pasta and in a large bowl toss with the vinaigrette while hot. Allow to cool.

3) When cool, add diced: ½ red and ½ green peppers, ¼ cup red onion, 1/3 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives, ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese and 4 oz grape tomatoes cut in halves. Toss all ingredients together and chill 2 hours before serving.

4) If you wish for a more colorful effect, toss with a drained and rinsed a can of black beans. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and hard-boiled egg slices.

          Summer fruit delights in July are peaches and plums. Plums sometime seem like the underappreciated cousin in this pair. We all love peach pie and peach crumble, but plum cake or clafoutis are not among most cook’s favorite recipes. This year the stores have been featuring bagged plums, which are excellent for either or those deserts. Here is a recipe for a plum desert that is very easy to prepare and is moist and delicious.

                             Plum Brown Betty.

1)    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Butter heavily a 2 ½ quart casserole with lid

2)    Toast and cube 3-4 slices white bread. You should have 3 cups of bread cubes.

3)    Halve 5-6 small plums and toss with 1 tlsp. lemon juice

4)    Layer 1/3 crumbs, 1/2 plums, ¼  cup sugar, 2 tblsp. walnut pieces

5)    Repeat the layer

6)    Finish with the last layer of bread cubes and sugar

7)    Dot with ¼ cup butter and cover with the lid or tightly with aluminum foil

8)    Bake 20 minutes, uncover the casserole and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the top layer starts to brown.

9)    Cool slightly and serve warm or cold, with or without whipped cream.

“Roll out those lazy, hazy, carazy days of summer” sang Nat King Cole long ago. That’s one good idea that hasn’t changed with the times.

         

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine 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)