This week’s box included: romaine lettuce, collards, tomatoes, red potatoes, fresh garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, green beans, green bell peppers. You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne over the years.
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The first bell peppers of the season and the ones in our box were huge! I am not a person who generally enjoys green bell peppers raw, so those will get cooked here (smaller “lunchbox” peppers that usually appear later in the season are eaten out of hand, generally dipped into some yogurt seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice). But for these, I’ll be browsing through the pepper recipes we’ve posted through the years. Maybe the Mexican Stuffed Peppers or an abridged version of Meat and Rice Stuffed Peppers? Peppers that big sort of call out for stuffing and being featured as a main dish.
Last week’s green beans were so tender and delicious. I just steamed them and put them into a composed salad. I haven’t bitten into this week’s batch of beans, but the pods seem more filled with beans so I’m guessing these may not be as tender as last week. I’m probably going to go very old-school, tip and tail them and them stew in a little chicken broth until very, very soft. That’s also what I’m going to do with those collards. I cut the stems out of the last bunch of collards, cut the leaves into narrow strips, and then cooked them with a tiny amount of chicken broth. When tender, I added a few tablespoons of barbecue sauce. We’ve run so many collard recipes in the AJC over the years, and the ones people seemed to like best were the ones that had a little sweet and a little heat in their seasoning. Barbecue sauce makes that simple and we always have barbecue sauce around here because I’m always having to write about local and regional barbecue sauces. Probably six bottles in my refrigerator right now.
Lettuce made another appearance and our lettuce was a little wilted, but so am I in all this heat. I popped it into the sink with some cold water to revive. Peeled off the damaged outer leaves and wrapped it in a damp dish towel and then put it into a produce bag. That’s the same treatment the last bunch of lettuce got and believe it or not, the quarter of a head that we didn’t eat still looks great. We’ll use it up this evening in a salad with some of those Kirby cucumbers and those gorgeous tomatoes.
Lots of yellow summer squash and zucchini this week and I’ve got three new zucchini recipes below. It’s interesting to me that you seldom see “crookneck squash” recipes except in blogs or cookbooks devoted to Southern cooking. Seems everyone writes recipes for zucchini. But those zucchini recipes generally adapt perfectly well to yellow, or crookneck, squash so feel free to use whichever of your squash in these recipes. I particularly like the unusual (for squash recipes) combination of ingredients in the pasta salad.
Zucchini Pashtida
From “The Jewish Holiday Table” by Debra Ferst
I particularly like this recipe because it uses yogurt and just a little bit of Parmesan to make the custard that bakes with the squash, so a different creature from our typical Southern squash casserole.
Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons panko
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 or 3 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
Salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup finely grated hard cheese such as Parmesan
1/4 cup whole milk
Pepper
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie plate with olive oil, dust with panko and tap out any extra panko.
In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until very soft. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Increase heat in skillet to medium-high and add oil if needed. Add zucchini, sprinkle with salt and saute until sliced have softened but are not completely cooked through. Add to plate with onions.
In a large bowl stir together eggs, yogurt, grated cheese and milk. Season with a teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Fold in onion and zucchini. Pour into prepared pie pan and sprinkle with a little more panko and cheese. Bake until firm, about an hour. Let cool a little before serving.
Canal House’s Marinated Zucchini
From “Canal House Cooking Volume No. 8”
From the book: “The summer side you can make whenever you have 15 minutes, and then completely forget about. Because the zucchini is already cooked through and relaxed, the marinade seeps in more quickly and thoroughly than had the order of operations been reversed. The zucchini boats become bright and aromatic, but hang onto their fresh structure and sweetness. It’s just about the simplest, best summer side, whether you’re serving it to a dinner party, your family, or just you.”
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 pound very small zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise
Salt
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Pepper
A small handful fresh basil leaves, sliced
Working in batches as needed, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the zucchini cut side down in one layer in the hot skillet and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Use a fork or tongs to turn the zucchini over, then cook them until tender, about 2 minutes, reducing the heat if the zucchini get too dark. Transfer the zucchini to a shallow dish and sprinkle with salt.
Whisk together the garlic, vinegar, and remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the zucchini and add the basil. Gently toss everything together and adjust the seasonings. Let the zucchini marinate at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving. Alternately, let marinate longer in the refrigerator. Tightly covered, marinated zucchini will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Roasted Zucchini Pasta Salad
The New York Times
From The New York Times: “This pasta salad is loaded with two pounds of zucchini, roasted until golden and caramelized, then tossed in a tangy garlic-tahini dressing. Roasted sunflower seeds bring crunch and nuttiness. (Pepitas, slivered almonds or chopped walnuts are other great options.) Golden raisins add unexpected pops of sweetness that round out the tart lemon. The zucchini can be roasted a few hours ahead or even the night before. Make the pasta salad a few hours ahead and keep refrigerated; bring to room temperature and give it a final toss before serving.”
2 pounds zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick (8 cups)
1 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
1 pound short pasta, such as medium shells or fusilli
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed sheet pan, combine zucchini, scallions and 3 tablespoons of the oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then spread in an even layer. (It’s OK for the slices to overlap.) Roast until tender, stirring halfway, 20 to 25 minutes.
When zucchini is almost done, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente; drain.
In a large bowl, combine lemon juice, tahini, garlic, the remaining 6 tablespoons of oil and 3 tablespoons of water; season with salt and pepper and whisk until well blended.
Add the warm pasta, zucchini mixture, sunflower seeds and raisins to the dressing. Season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Stir in the cheese and parsley.
The pasta salad can be made a few hours ahead and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and toss well before serving.