This week’s box included: watermelon (rattlesnake striped or yellow-skinned), cantaloupes, Kirby cucumbers, green beans, salad cucumbers, garlic, cherry tomatoes, spaghetti squash, bell peppers, poblano pepper, jalapenos, eggplants, cantaloupes, kale. 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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Meloncopia is here, with a spaghetti squash throw in to throw off those of you who received a yellow-skinned watermelon in the same box. If you’re not certain which yellow oblong vegetable is which, cut it open before accidentally putting a watermelon into the oven. It’s happened.
Suzanne here, pinch-hitting for Conne this week. I think that Conne would be marveling over the early arrival of spaghetti squash. It’s the first of the winter squashes we harvest each year. Like all winter squashes, they keep for very long periods of time out on the counter – if you don’t feel like turning the oven on this week, worry not.
Need ideas for spaghetti squash? We’ve got ‘em. How about Spaghetti Squash with Kale Pesto and Burrata to make use of this week’s kale or Curry Spaghetti Squash Cakes from Chef Hilary White to use some of your fresh cornmeal? The squash cakes recipe describes the basic process for roasting spaghetti squash in case you want to get creative with toppings.
Cooked, shredded and cooled spaghetti squash could get a smear of a fun cold topping like muhammara. I just tried this spread for the first time, purchased from Aleppo Kitchen’s tent at the Grant Park Farmers Market. Made with roasted red peppers, walnuts and spices, they recommend enjoying it for breakfast with your morning tea. At the moment, I’m enjoying muhammara folded into one of their super-thin pitas with cooled cucumber slices and cucumber relish.
Yes, the Sweet Cucumber Relish recipe that Conne called our attention to last week is a winner! Delicious, and a great way to crunch through any excess cucumbers that you have on hand. Can it be true that I’m feeling like I don’t have enough cucumbers this week? Thanks to this recipe, yes.
More cucumber inspiration, courtesy of Karen Tedesco of the blog Family Style Food. This dish can be served as a salad, cold condiment, or tossed with chunks of tofu and a cold pasta such as soba.
Peanut Chili Crisp Cucumber Salad
Spicy Peanut Sauce:
1 tablespoon peanut butter (sweetened or unsweetened)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili crisp
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh garlic
¼ teaspoon flaky salt, or kosher salt
Cucumber Salad:
1 pound cucumbers, sliced into ¼ – ½ inch thick rounds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, or chopped roasted peanuts
Make the peanut sauce. Whisk the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a bowl, or shake together in a lidded jar until blended.
Put cucumber slices in a large bowl. Drizzle the peanut sauce over and toss gently until the slices are evenly coated with the dressing. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds or peanuts and serve.
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Keeping cool is the theme this week. My happiest dinner lately was cold cold gazpacho with potato salad, watermelon slices, and a seafood salad from the deli. We have four different gazpacho recipes on our website, including watermelon gazpacho that (surprise!) has no tomatoes in the recipe.
I’m curious about another watermelon recipe from the NY Times. It looks to approximate the addicting fruit salads Chef Parnass serves at Talat Market.
Watermelon Salad with Fried Shallots and Fish Sauce
For the Dressing:
4 medium garlic cloves
2 – 12 fresh Thai bird’s-eye chiles (or part of a jalapeño), stems trimmed.
3 tablespoons palm sugar (or light brown sugar)
¼ cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
For the Salad:
½ cup homemade or store-bought fried shallots
3 pounds watermelon, rind removed, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ small red onion
1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 -inch slices
Large handful of roughly chopped mint leaves
Large handful of roughly chopped cilantro leaves
½ cup roughly crushed or chopped roasted peanuts
Step 1: Prepare the dressing. Combine garlic, chiles and sugar in the bowl of a large mortar and pestle. Pound into a fine paste. Add fish sauce and stir with the pestle until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the lime juice and stir with the pestle to incorporate. Alternatively, you can combine the garlic, chiles, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a blender. Blend until the garlic and chiles are finely chopped, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 2: Prepare the salad. If using store-bought shallots, toast them dry in a large skillet over medium-low heat until deep caramel brown and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Season generously with salt and transfer to a bowl.
Step 3: Combine watermelon, onion, cucumber, mint, cilantro, peanuts, half of the fried shallots and ¼ cup dressing in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing as desired. (Reserve excess dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.) Transfer salad to a serving platter and sprinkle with remaining shallots. Serve.
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