Summer vegetable orzo

Our freezer always has tons of little odds and ends that I couldn’t bear to throw out. Problem is, I often forget what’s in there or can’t figure out a use for it, like the five or so egg yolks that were leftover from some baking project. Finally, though, the three tablespoons of pesto (from a batch I made at the height of summer), got put to good use in this vegetable orzo. With red pepper, tomatoes, zucchini and fresh mozzarella, it captures the flavors of summer, just as we head into fall.

Summer Vegetable Orzo, adapted from epicurious

8 ounces orzo (about 1 1/3 cups)
5 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
2 medium zucchini or summer squash (about 9 ounces total), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 red or yellow bell pepper, quartered
3 tablespoons pesto
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 heirloom tomatoes (8 to 10 ounces total), cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.
Whisk 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar in small bowl. Brush zucchini and bell pepper with oil mixture, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk pesto, lime juice, 3 1/2 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl for pesto vinaigrette.
Broil zucchini and bell pepper until crisptender, about 8 minutes per side (Alternatively, these can be grilled). Transfer to work surface and let cool. Chop zucchini and bell pepper; add to bowl with orzo. Add vinaigrette, tomatoes, sliced basil, and mozzarella; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve cold or at room temperature.

Saffron risotto with butternut squash

A while ago (sorry, Richard!) I got an e-mail from a friend telling me about one of his friend’s horrendous food allergies and asking me if I had any recipes he could use. I started thinking about it, but then law school started and I never followed up. The first thing that came to mind, though, was risotto, and all this time I’ve been thinking about when I’d get the chance to make it. This weekend I finally used a recipe I bookmarked some time ago. I absolutely love all of the components, but together, I wasn’t sold. The sweetness of the squash didn’t work for me with the rest of the ingredients. It was still good, just not as good as the asparagus or butternut squash and sage variations I’ve made in the past (which all follow the same basic method).

I’m really tired/feeling lazy, so here’s the link to the recipe. I followed it fairly closely except for using bacon and cutting down the proportions a little. I think swapping the squash for shrimp would be very good.

Watermelon and cucumber salad

I kind of picked some weird recipes to use up the diverse box of fruits and vegetables we got this week. And on this one, we were just “eh.” I think I’d prefer a different mix of seasonings, as the watermelon and cucumber work well together on their own but this dish just seemed to have too much going on. We served it alongside a very good steak prepared by my husband and jazzed up with a Penzey’s grill blend.

Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Hoisin-Lime Dressing, recipe here

1 1/2 large English hothouse cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes seeded watermelon
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts

Combine cucumbers and watermelon in medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours. Drain; discard liquid.
Whisk lime juice and hoisin sauce in small bowl to blend. Pour dressing over cucumber-watermelon mixture and toss gently. Season salad to taste with pepper. Sprinkle salad with cilantro, mint, and then peanuts. Serve immediately.

Corn salad

We have some good friends in Little Rock who have taught us a lot about food. They’d have us over for dinner regularly, and very rarely was something on their table not made from scratch. So it’s funny to me that I served them a practically inedible dish one time they were over at our house for dinner. It was a corn salad that called for roasting jalapenos, and for whatever reason, I added way too many. The guys, who like hot stuff, were able to choke it down, but the wife and I couldn’t bear it. I remember her asking, “Do you have any crackers? Milk?” No and no. And we just had to wash it down with water.

This salad was a different story, though. While a few bites were too spicy for my taste, for the most part it was a wonderful combination of flavors that complemented the fresh-from-the-farm corn. We’d never had jimaca before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but the white flesh is a tad sweet and adds a nice crunch.

Albuquerque Corn Salad, from Cooking Light Aug. 08

4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup chopped jicama
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)
1 3/4 cups thinly sliced green onions (about 8 onions)
2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cilantro (optional) for garnish

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add jicama and jalapeño to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add corn and remaining ingredients; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with cilantro.

Heirloom tomato salad

If you don’t like raw tomatoes, you might as well stop reading here. It’s a shame to miss out on a perfect summer dish, but I understand it’s a pretty common aversion. This month’s Cooking Light had a feature on heirloom tomatoes, and the greens, yellows, oranges and reds were just beautiful. I’d never actually bought any tomatoes that weren’t red before, so I was delighted that our CSA farmer had some yellow heirlooms (he told us the name, but I can’t remember), as well as some cherry tomatoes to go with the usual reds. So pretty! I balked at buying three types of fresh herbs and skipped the mint, but next time I think I’ll skip the parsley instead.

Heirloom Tomato Salad, Cooking Light

2 cups assorted heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon drained capers, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
2 pounds assorted beefsteak heirloom tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 (1/2-ounce) slices sourdough bread, toasted or grilled

1. Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle tomato mixture with salt and pepper; toss gently. Serve with bread.

Potato and squash torte

I ran across this beauty last week on one of my favorite cooking blogs, smittenkitchen, and since we had potatoes in our CSA box, I made sure to get some squash and zucchini also while we were at the market. The original recipe calls for it to be made in two 8-inch cake pans, but I made it in an 11-inch tart pan. I thought that meant I would need fewer ingredients, but my potatoes ended up being a little sparse on top. So while my execution wasn’t perfect, it still tasted very good.

Summer Squash and Potato Torte, from Bon Appetit, June 2001

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
12 ounces yellow crookneck squash, zucchini or regular yellow summer squash, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
6 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans or an 11-inch tart pan. (Directions below assume tart pan.) Set aside 1/4 cup sliced green onions. Toss remaining green onions, cheese, flour, thyme, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend.
Layer 1/3 of potatoes in concentric circles in bottom of prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Layer 1/2 of squash in concentric circles atop potatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/3 of cheese mixture. Repeat with 1/3 of potatoes, then rest of squash and 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/3 of cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of potatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/3 of cheese mixture and press gently to flatten.
Cover pans with foil. Bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until tortes begin to brown and potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes longer. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cool. Cover with foil and chill. Rewarm, covered with foil, in 350°F oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.)
Cut each torte into wedges. Sprinkle wedges with 1/4 cup green onions; serve.

Summer succotash

This side dish looked so bright and cheery, I think I would have liked it even if it just tasted ho-hum. But it was way better than that, delicious even. While the original recipe called for heavy cream, I diluted it to make half and half, and I still thought it tasted rich. Traditional succotash calls for lima beans, but we used edamame. Either would work.

Succotash, adapted from epicurious.com

2 tbl. olive oil
3 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 ears corn, kernels removed
2 cups edamame
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup half and half

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat. Cook squash about 2 minutes, then add scallions, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add beans and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add corn, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add half and half and cook, stirring, until liquid is simmering and vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes.

Corn pudding

I sure know how to make a vegetable unhealthy. We ate this corn pudding with our tomato tart, and it stood up well to the competition. Creamy with just a hint of sweetness.

Vanilla Corn Pudding, from The Glory of Southern Cooking

3 large eggs
3 cups fresh corn kernels, plus any milk scraped from the cob (about 4 ears)
2 tsp minced onion
3 tbl flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbl sugar
Red pepper to taste
Ground nutmeg to taste
2-4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (recipe called for 4, I just used 2)
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until frothy, then stir in the corn and onion. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, pepper and nutmeg, and stir until well blended. Stir into the corn mixture. Add butter, half and half and vanilla and stir until blended.
Pour mixture into well greased 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish, place the dish inside another pan. Place pans in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the bigger pan to come one-quarter of the way up the sides of the baking dish. Bake pudding for 15 minutes, stir to distribute the corn evenly, and continue baking until the top is golden brown and knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 45 minutes longer, depending on the width of the dish.

Ratatouille

Before last summer, I’d never even heard of a dish called ratatouille. But my brother wanted to see the new Pixar cartoon (called Ratatouille, of course), so we went. It turned out to be an adorable film about a cartoon rat who wants to be a famous French chef, and ratatouille was his greatest triumph. We were in Little Rock this past weekend for a wedding, and I got to visit the fabulous farmer’s market downtown. I just picked up what looked good – squash, zucchini, tomatoes, Japanese eggplant, basil and blackberries – and later realized I had almost all the ingredients for ratatouille. I took an easier route and made a more traditional stew-like version as opposed to Remy’s finely sliced creation. We just ate it alongside bread, but it would probably be yummy over a starch, also. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t wow a French food critic, but it was good and summery nonetheless.

Click below for recipe

Quinoa chard pilaf

A few months ago, as a coworker of mine was telling me why he considered certain conventional foods disgusting (I’ll spare you the details), he mentioned his deep love for quinoa. I’d never heard of it, but the next time I was in the bulk food section at a local natural food store, I saw it was on sale. So that was enough to sell me. I picked up a bag and brought it home, but I never had a use for it until I ran across this recipe that combines quinoa and chard. Apparently this grain is high in protein, and it really puffs up when you cook it. So that’s to warn you that this recipe makes a lot of food, and that’s even after I cut it down. The original called for mushrooms, but since I don’t like ‘em (much to my husband’s dismay), I took one reviewer’s advice and added a can of tomatoes instead, which worked nicely.

Quinoa Chard Pilaf (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup lentils
Can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups swiss chard, stems removed and chopped roughly

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute 5 minutes, until onion is tender. Mix in quinoa, lentils, and tomatoes. Pour in the broth. Cover, and cook 20 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat. Gently mix chard into the pot. Cover, and allow to sit 5 minutes, or until chard is wilted.