Blueberry sauce. That’s what I made with my little bag of blueberries. Confession – last week’s little bag was still sitting in the refrigerator! When last week’s bag came, I couldn’t decide what to do with a cup of blueberries, and then the week went by. So today’s bag was the incentive to find that first bag (the blueberries were fine) and to make a quick blueberry sauce.
We were having an impromptu dinner for a friend who just returned from Colorado – so she got squash casserole and ice cream topped with fresh blueberry sauce. I just put the contents of both bags of blueberries in a small saucepan, added some sugar and brought it to a boil. Reduced heat, let it simmer, then added a tablespoon of cornstarch that I’d stirred into maybe 1/4 cup water. The sauce simmered and thickened and I took it off the heat We ate it warm over vanilla ice cream. Tomorrow, we’ll enjoy the cooled sauce over melon cubes and stirred into yogurt.
And yes, today’s bounty of squash went into squash casserole. There are some times when you just need to serve good old-fashioned comfort food. Today was one of those days. Our friend had been traveling since 3am Atlanta time and has to go back to work tomorrow. A big pan of squash casserole just seemed to be what she was craving.
Those Cuban peppers are a favorite here. Most of our pepper recipes at https://grassfedcow.com/ingredient/peppers/ don’t distinguish between types of peppers, but those Cuban peppers could be substituted for the bell peppers called for in most of them. More people are coming for dinner tomorrow and they’re getting Chicken Cutlets with Bell Pepper Ragout –https://grassfedcow.com/recipes/chicken-cutlets-with-bell-pepper-ragout/– even though I’ll have to run to the Decatur Farmers Market to pick up some tomatoes.
What so many ears of corn but no tomatoes? That’s what I thought when I opened the box. And now I’m pondering what to do with that pretty eggplant. But so glad to have gorgeous corn to grill along with that chicken and ragout dinner tomorrow. We’ll probably eat all these ears grilled then move onto other corn recipes when the next batch of ears arrives. And the eggplant will probably go on the grill – either sliced and doused in olive oil, or whole so I can make a big bowl of babaganoush.
Here’s the corn recipe that’s on my list for the first time I’m ready to move past grilled corn. The original came from Better Homes and Gardens ages ago.
Fresh Corn Cakes with Garden Relish
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 recipe Garden Relish (see below)
Small fresh basil leaves (optional)
In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add corn and onion. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until onion is just tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Place half of the corn mixture in a food processor. Cover and process until nearly smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in buttermilk and egg.
In another bowl stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cornmeal mixture to the buttermilk mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in the remaining corn mixture.
In a very large skillet heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. For each corn cake, pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet; spread batter if necessary. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Add more oil to skillet as needed when frying remaining cakes. Spoon relish over corn cakes and, if desired, top with basil.
Garden Relish
1 large seeded and chopped sweet pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
In a bowl combine pepper, corn, onion, and basil. Stir in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.