This week’s box included: tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, delicata squash (the first winter squash of the year), salad cucumber, kirby cucumbers, peppers, okra, watermelon, garlic, casaba melon.
—————————–
So glad for two melons in this week’s box – a small seedless red watermelon and a canary melon. When I’ve been working in the garden, nothing is more refreshing than cold melon. Nothing.
But if you’re like my husband and tired of just plain old melon (how is that possible?), and if you’re lucky enough to have a fig tree, or access to someone’s figs, or luck into a pint at a farmers market, then try this melon sorbet with roasted figs from Miller Union – a recipe that we posted 9 years ago. It hasn’t lost its appeal. And when I make it, I do the granita version, but freeze the melon puree in a freezer-safe bag instead of in a metal pan. There’s just no place in my overstuffed freezer where I have an area that would hold a flat metal pan safely. So I’ve learned I can freeze the mixture in a bag, then let it thaw a little bit and put it in the food processor (works better for me than a blender) to roughly chop. So amazingly refreshing on these humid days.
Two melons … AND … the delicata squash have arrived! Delicata is a Riverview tradition (I had never seen one – or at least paid any attention to one) before I began participating in this CSA. It’s a squash that probably puzzles first-time CSA members. Check out the delicata squash page on Riverview’s website for information on storage and maybe a dozen recipes. The most important thing to know … that skin is edible. No peeling required.
When there are more than one, I like serving them stuffed at dinner parties and each half becomes an entrée. When we just get one, as we did this week, at least in our box, then I’m likely to do something simple like a variation on the Parmesan-crusted delicata squash recipe on the website, just scaling down a bit.
I am delighted to see lots of peppers which I plan to saute along with some onions that have been sitting here to make a relish that I love inside grilled cheese sandwiches. A grilled cheese sandwich with a cold dish melon cubes? That’s perfect summer eating, if you ask me.
And I leave you with one tomato recipe from “Salad Pizza Wine” by Janice Tiefenbach, Stephanie Mercier Voyer, Ryan Gray and Marley Sniatowsky. Delicious. And not as complicated as it might seem, but a very impressive dinner dish. It’s just a tomato salad with a few delicious extras.
Tomato Tonnato
Fry the capers: Pat and dry the capers. In a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Check to see if the oil is hot enough by adding a single caper—if it sizzles, it’s ready to go.
Add the capers to the pan and fry until they crisp up and start to look like crystals, about 5 minutes. You’ll notice the capers change color and open as they cook. Reduce the heat as necessary to avoid burning. Transfer the capers onto a paper towel–lined baking sheet to absorb the excess oil.
Assemble the salad: Spread the tomatoes evenly onto a large plate. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with seasoned breadcrumbs, chives and crispy capers. Add a few dollops of tonnato and finish with dill flowers or sprigs.
Seasoned Breadcrumbs
Toast the bread: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Trim off any thick part of the crust and cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until completely dry, but not browned, about 1 hour. Don’t worry, it’s OK if the pieces take on a tiny bit of color. Cool fully, then place in a food processor and pulse into crumbs. You want the crumbs to be roughly the same size—small, but not powdery.
Add the seasoning: In a medium bowl, toss to combine the pulsed breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Tonnato
“I know we said we don’t really have rules in the kitchen, so let’s call this one a tip. Never buy water-packed tuna! It’s not nearly as good as the oil-packed versions, so you’re basically doing yourself a disservice by doing that. Tonnato is a classic Italian condiment that is often dumbed down to being tuna mayonnaise, but it’s so much more than that. Tonnato is packed with flavors that can spruce up a lot of dishes: use it as a dip for vegetables, spread it on warm bread, serve it with sliced veal for a classic vitello tonnato or make Tomato Tonnato.”
In a blender, combine the anchovies, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, egg yolks, half of the olive oil and half of the white wine. Pulse until smooth. Add the tuna, capers, salt, pepper and remaining olive oil and white wine. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more lemon juice, salt and pepper. The tonnato will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
…