Recipe: Cucumber Watermelon Salad

A refreshing salad that underscores the sweetness of summer watermelon with salty cubes of feta is perfect for when the heat hits hard. Cucumber adds crunch and basil is fragrant and delicious, although mint would work very well here too. We lingered over this salad with drinks and good friends while the kids chased each other around on a bright summer evening. It almost made me feel like summer could last forever...

Ingredients:
- 2 medium or 3 small cucumbers
- handful of basil
- 1/2 of a small watermelon
- 200 g feta cheese
- apple cider vinegar
- olive oil
- salt to taste

Steps:

1) Chop cucumbers and watermelon into small cubes.

2) Prep basil by washing gently and pulling leaves off the stem. This is a great task for young kitchen helpers like our friend, Laila.

3) Mix cucumber, watermelon and basil together with a sprinkle of salt. Drizzle with apple cider vinegar and olive oil and stir.

4) Chop feta into small cubes and add to salad. Mix gently and serve.

Info

Comment

Recipe: Baked Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini is the perfect cross between the firm and meaty squash we eat in the fall and the juicy, tender veggies of the summer. This recipe takes full advantage of those delicious qualities and produces a light tasting yet substantial fritter. With pan-fried fritters I always start out excited to make them and then quickly get bored of standing at the stove flipping individual fritters every 2 minutes. Instead I use that early enthusiasm for fritters to spoon batter into muffin trays and pop them in the oven, where the fritters can all bake simultaneously without needing me to stand around holding a spatula.
The key to fritters that crisp up and turn golden brown is to thoroughly drain the excess water out of the zucchini before mixing it in the fritter batter. You will be surprised at just how much water a zucchini contains, and when in doubt you should give it another squeeze for good measure to get as much out as possible. These fritters are about as versatile as it gets. Serve hot with something savory like pulled pork or chickpea curry, or have it cold the next day with a chutney or cucumber raita.

Ingredients:
- 1 large or 2 medium zucchinis
- 2 scallions
- 3-4 garlic scapes
- 1/2-1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- fat or oil to grease the mini-muffin tray

Steps:

1) Grate zucchini using largest size grater.

2) Place grated zucchini in a strainer and sprinkle lightly with salt to help draw out water. Leave to drain for at least 10 minutes. Before using, squeeze as much water as possible out with your hands or in a cheesecloth.

3) Slice scallions thinly and finely chop garlic scapes.

4) Beat eggs and add drained zucchini (remember to give it several squeezes to thoroughly drain it), scallions, garlic scapes and salt.

5) Stir veggies and egg together until everything is coated in egg, then add the flour and mix well. The end result should have a chunky batter-like consistency.

6) Grease mini-muffin tray and spoon zucchini batter to fill muffin wells completely.

7) Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes until tops are golden brown and a toothpick in the centre comes out clean. If using regular sized muffin trays you will need to bake for 40-50 minutes.

8) Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on a rack. Can be eaten hot or cold.

I made the larger size version for dinner tonight heaped with pulled pork on top. Yum!

Info

2 Comments

Recipe: Raw Kale Salad

While I mostly boil or roast kale, I've learned to appreciate the speediness and tastiness of preparing it raw by massaging it. This sounds like a strange thing to do, but it turns out that a little elbow grease and the right kind of dressing will break down and soften kale's tough fibers and cell walls much in the same way that cooking does. Any oil plus an acid (like a vinaigrette dressing) can be used to wilt raw kale with a few minutes of rubbing the dressed kale between your fingers. Even just marinating raw kale in vinaigrette for several hours in the fridge will soften it, but the massage method is my new favorite go-to prep for its speediness and simplicity.

Ingredients:
- handful of kale
- handful of basil
- 1/2 pint shelling peas
- 1/2 pint snow peas
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Steps:

1) Place each leaf upside down (stem side up) and using a small, sharp knife cut the stem out.

2) Switch to a larger knife and slice kale into thin ribbons.

3) Place kale ribbons into salad bowl and add lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Massage for 2-3 min to tenderize. Put aside to continue softening while you prep the rest of the salad.

4) Slice basil into similarly sized ribbons and combine with both types of peas (snow peas coarsely chopped and shelling peas shelled).

5) Add all to salad bowl along with sesame seeds and mix well. Other seeds like pumpkin or hemp or nuts like walnuts or pine nuts are delicious possibilities too.

Info

Comment

Recipe: Lettuce and Pea Soup

It may seem strange to cook lettuce and make soup out of it, but chilled soups for hot weather tend to follow different rules than the heavy soups of winter. Here wilted lettuce with sweet shelled peas makes for a light and fresh-tasting lunch on a sweltering July day. If you've grown a bit tired of salads through the leafy spring this cold soup is a refreshing change as we await the meatier (so to speak) veggies of mid-summer.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 head of lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 pint of peas, shelled
- 4 garlic scapes, chopped coarsely
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup milk
- salt to taste
- a handful of parsley, chopped
- (optional) a handful of mint, chopped

Steps:

1) Heat pan on medium-low and melt butter. Add garlic scapes and lettuce and sauté until leaves are wilted, about 1-2 minutes.

2) Add stock and simmer on low for 5 minutes.

3) Add peas, parsley and mint and stir for 1 minute.

4) Remove from heat, add milk and puree. Taste and add salt as needed.

5) Chill and serve cold with a dollop of yogurt and mint garnish. Makes 2 large or 4 small bowls of soup.

Info

Comment

Recipe: Creamy Garlic Scape Dressing

The curly green stems that garlic plants send up in June and July have a mild flavour with a hint of garlicky bite. Eaten cooked or raw they are versatile and delicious. You can try a classic garlic scape pesto, throw them on the grill for a summer BBQ or use them wherever you might want a fresher, slightly sweet version of garlic's taste. Here I made a creamy yogurt salad dressing to compliment an early summer salad.

Ingredients:

Salad
- lettuce
- radishes
- Hakurei turnips

Dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3-4 garlic scapes, chopped

Steps:

1) Prepare salad ingredients and set aside in a salad bowl.

2) Coarsely chop garlic scapes and add to blender with other dressing ingredients and puree.

3) Check consistency of dressing while pureeing. If you prefer a creamier dressing, add a bit more yogurt, for a thinner dressing add some water. Extra dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Info

Comment

Recipe: Beet Pasta

The way beets colour everything they touch is amazing (if sometimes overwhelming when it feels like my entire kitchen has turned red). In this dish they lend their vivid scarlet hue to a comforting bowl of pasta. And don't even think about tossing out the beet greens after you've peeled and chopped your beets. Greens can be easily incorporated into many beet recipes, this one included. The addition of Parmesan gives this dish a bit of heft, but you could leave it out or substitute a different cheese if so inclined.

Roasted beets are also delicious cooled and sliced into a salad.

Ingredients:

- 5-6 beets, peeled
- 300 g dry pasta
- 100 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 500-750 mL water, depending on pasta cook time
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 small onion, chopped
- olive oil for drizzling
- salt to taste

Steps:

1) Chop beets into quarters and place in an oven safe dish or pan. Drizzle with olive oil until evenly coated and cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 450 F until tender, about 20-30 minutes.

2) While beets are roasting, heat another pan on medium-low and cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes.

3) Chop beet greens. The stems can sometimes be a bit fibrous so you can opt to discard these or trim off the woodier ends. Add greens to onions and cook until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.

4) Add garlic, dry pasta, water and about 3/4 of the grated Parmesan. Mix thoroughly until liquid is creamy from the cheese. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer. If pan starts to look dry add a bit more water and stir. Depending on the type of pasta it will take approximately 8-12 minutes to cook.

5) While pasta and veggies are simmering, check on the beets. When fork tender remove from the oven and puree. Adding a bit of water to the blender can help it puree smoothly. Add pureed beets to the pasta.

6) Mix beet puree in with the pasta thoroughly. If pasta is not yet cooked, simmer until complete. This is a good point to taste a noodle and see if you need to add salt.

7) After you plate the pasta sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over top. An alternative topping if you're going cheese-less is chopped parsley or chives. Prepare yourself to be blown away by the beautiful colours and flavours!

Info

1 Comment

Eva Mae Farm