This week’s box included: cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, potatoes, sweet peppers, Kirby cucumbers, watermelon, garlic, tomato, okra.
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Suzanne here, pinch-hitting for Conne who is out of town this week. Conne will be sad about missing the dill flowers in this week’s box. I related to her comment a few weeks ago about finding it difficult to grow dill. Me too. Basil is easy. Dill, no clue.
Fresh dill is such a treat! Of course you can whip up a traditional Garlic and Dill Pickles with those little Kirby cucumbers and garlic also delivered this week. Then there’s potato salad with dill, too. Or slice some cucumbers, a little onion, and dress with sour cream/yogurt mix, drop of honey, splash of vinegar, and dill. Swiss Chard Dip with Garlic, Yogurt and Dill can make use of any greens you froze a few weeks ago in a dip for slices of fresh peppers & cucumbers. If you do end up with dill by the end of the week, you can always chop and dry it on a cookie sheet.
After spending too much time making dinner last night – a no-no in summer, right? – my goal for the remainder of the week is to practice minimalist cooking, with minimal dirty dishes to match. Last night’s dinner was beef barbacoa, rice, watermelon, sweet & sour cucumbers, and corn on the cob. So many dirty dishes!
It’s likely I was celebrating being back in my own kitchen after ten days on the road traveling to the Madawaska Kanu Centre (MKC) in Ontario. In addition to a week full of daily paddling instruction, their kitchen kicks out homecooked meals three times a day. I grabbed some of their recipe cards from the gift store. The boys have chosen the following recipe for this week. Looks easy, uses that single old leek, celery, and the tomato from yesterday that was a little bruised, and can get served with leftover rice and pan-fried okra tossed in cornmeal, my favorite okra treatment.
Lentil Soup
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 teaspoon curry
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
5 cups water or stock
2 cups red lentils, the split kind
¼ cup barley
2 tbsp vegetable soup bouillon
2 carrots, chopped
1 leek, sliced
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
In a large pot, sauté onions and garlic in a little bit of olive oil and butter over low heat until softened. Add spices. Combine water, lentils, barley, soup bouillon, and vegetables, let simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Add more spices and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in fresh parsley 15 minutes before serving.
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MKC puts their freshest produce forward by serving cut fresh veggies with a dip at every lunch and dinner. The recipe cards didn’t include my favorite dip from the week, but I am going to make this Caesar salad dressing and serve it with sliced peppers, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes.
Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing and Croutons
Place dressing ingredients, in order, into the blender. Blend until smooth.
To make the croutons, Cut leftover bread into 1” cubes. Toss cut bread in a mixture of olive oil, salt (or seasoned salt), and any favorite fresh or dried finely chopped herbs. Spread out on a cookie tray and bake in the over at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn over with spatula after 10 minutes.
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Finally, corn. Still harboring corn cobbs in the produce bin? If you haven’t already, lop the top off so that if there is a corn ear worm present (or their damage), you can limit any more loss. Corn ear worms are impossible to avoid in organic farming, especially because we don’t use pesticides – even the certified organic ones. Refrigerator-dehydrated corn still on the cobb can be revived with an hours-long soak. With fresh corn, that same long soak fills the kernels to practically bursting. Thanks to my sister for that tip!
What’s easier to clean up after than a sheet pan meal? If you still have corn around, try this recipe from the New York Times Cooking trove.
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Spicy Corn
Serves 4 – 6
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1¾ teaspoons fine sea or table salt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ cup finely chopped basil, plus more for garnish
2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
⅓ cup chopped pickled jalapeños, plus brine from the jar
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (from about 4 ears)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
5 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, sliced into rings
1 lime, halved
Season the chicken all over with ¾ teaspoon of salt. In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, basil, garlic and 2 tablespoons jalapeño brine. Add the chicken to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss together corn, pickled jalapeños, olive oil, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and half of the scallions (save remaining scallions for serving).
Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet, spacing it out. Roast for 12 minutes. Spoon the corn mixture onto the empty parts of the baking sheet. Drizzle chicken and corn with oil. Continue to roast until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes longer, stirring the corn once while roasting.
Turn the broiler on high and broil the chicken and corn until golden brown in spots, 2 to 4 minutes (watch carefully so it doesn’t burn, though a little blistering is nice).
Garnish chicken and corn with basil, remaining scallions and fresh jalapeño slices. Sprinkle with more pickled jalapeño brine and squeeze with lime juice. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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Can’t resist also passing along this last recipe that I ran into while looking for the above recipe at cooking.nytimes.com. This one makes use of dill, corn, cherry tomatoes, and green beans. Bonus: you can bake it wrapped in foil packages on the grill. The combo with the coconut milk sounds divine.
Coconut-Dill Salmon with Green Beans and Corn
Serves 4 – 6
1 (2-pound) salmon fillet (skin on or off)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
Coarse kosher salt (such as Morton) and black pepper
1 cup unsweetened coconut cream or coconut milk
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 lemon
1 cup chopped fresh dill
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears corn)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, lightly crushed open or sliced into halves
Heat an outdoor grill to high (see Tip). Pat the fish dry with paper towels and place on a large strip of heavy-duty aluminum foil (or 2 stacked sheets of regular foil) on a sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.
In a small bowl, combine the coconut cream, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Zest the lemon right into the bowl and squeeze in 2 tablespoons juice. Stir in ½ cup dill. Pour half of the dressing over the fish and set the other half aside. Wrap the fish in the foil by turning up the sides and crimping them together to form a packet. Use another strip of foil if necessary to make a tight seal.
On another large strip of foil, toss the green beans with the remaining teaspoon of oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Wrap the beans in the foil to form a packet.
Place both the salmon and green bean packets on the grill and cover if using a gas grill. Grill until the green beans and salmon are cooked through, about 10 minutes. To test the fish for doneness, remove the packet from heat, cut a slit in the top with a knife and slide the knife into the fish. It should be tender. Using two tongs or wearing oven mitts, carefully transfer the fish packet to a large serving platter and open the top.
Open the green bean packet, transfer the beans to a large bowl and add the corn, tomatoes, remaining ½ cup dill, half of the reserved dressing and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat.
To serve, top the fish with some of the vegetables and remaining dressing. Serve immediately with the remaining vegetables and dressing or refrigerate until ready to serve.
TIP: Alternatively, cook the fish and green beans in a 450-degree oven. Place the packets on a baking sheet and cook for 13 to 15 minutes.