Garden Tomato and Smoked Salmon Pasta

It's time for tomatoes, people!  I've posted a similar recipe before but thought now is a good time for some tomato inspiration.  We received a massive, bright red, plump and juicy tomato in our farm box this week and since I had some smoked salmon in the fridge I knew what I was going to make. This pasta recipe is one of those classic summer pasta dishes that highlights seasonal ingredients like basil, Vidalia onions and tomatoes, and it's a perfect weeknight meal because it comes together in less than 20 minutes.  Also, it kind of reminds me of a bagel, which I love.    


Serves 2-4

1/2 lb pasta (any kind works though I've been partial to perciatelli lately)
olive oil
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed       

2 medium to large vine ripe tomatoes

~ 8 oz smoked salmon, chopped
1 oz cream cheese
handful of fresh basil, torn or chopped
pepper
parmesan, for sprinkling

Bring a pot of water to boil and meanwhile heat some olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Saute onions and then add garlic and then tomato, turn heat to medium high.  As tomato is cooking down place pasta in boiling, salted water and stir.  Let tomato cook for a few minutes and smash pieces with wooden cooking spoon.  Turn heat to low and stir in cream cheese and smoked salmon (the salmon will cook through quickly).  Add some fresh pepper (the smoked salmon provides enough saltiness).  Drain pasta and toss into sauce and let pasta soak in the tomato sauce.  Add fresh basil, stir and serve.  Top with parmesan.   

Zucchini Banana Bread

I've always found the concept of shredding up a zucchini and baking it in some bread to be very odd, but it just seems to be what people do.  So who am I to argue?  Especially when I have a lot of zucchini sitting around.  I started looking up recipes but there are just so many it made my head hurt so I decided to use the basic template for my favorite banana bread, and I even threw in an extremely large, extremely ripe banana.  I decided to decline the popular addition of chocolate, or nuts, so I could share with my daughter, and I think it's perfect this way.  The texture is nice and smooth and I think the chocolate would be too overpowering and make me feel shy about eating this for breakfast.  If you've exhausted all your zucchini recipes I encourage you to bake some bread while these beautiful veggies are still in season.


1 medium zucchini, shredded, moisture squeezed out
1 1/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t salt
3/4 to 1 c sugar (depending on how sweet you like your bread)
2 eggs
1/2 c canola oil
1 large or 2 small overripe bananas, mashed
1 t vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and line with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, whisk flour and baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl, combine sugar, eggs and oil and beat on high speed with a handheld until creamy and light.  Mix in mashed bananas and vanilla and beat until combined.  Stir in dry ingredients until incorporated and then stir in zucchini.  Pour batter into pan and bake for about one hour.  

Lamb Meatballs

One of the things that drew me to WGG (the produce/farm box service we use) is their a la carte meat section.  While it's incredibly easy to access local produce, finding local meat can require more of an effort and I love that WGG does the research for me.  It's like having my own localvore meat librarian.  I decided to add some ground lamb to a recent delivery of mine and after the experience I can say with certainty I will be making a habit of adding more meats to my deliveries in the future.  Taken from WGG site:  Border Springs farm is in Patrick County, Va. on 60 acres of pastured land at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the North Carolina border. Shepard Craig Rogers raises grass-fed, Animal Welfare Approved, certified naturally grown Katahdin and Texel sheep. He breeds them to create lamb with a sweet fat profile and a delicate, yet earthy, meat flavor.  And here is a nice piece in the Washington Post about the farm. 


Given the sweet profile of the lamb I thought making kabobs would be a good idea.  Of course being half Pakistani I think making kabobs is always a good idea.  But you can call them meatballs, because they're round?  The key is to let the meat marinate in the spices for a few hours, and don't be shy with the spices because the meat truly is delightfully sweet, and it works really well with the earthiness of some cumin and heat from some garam masala.  Freshly chopped mint is another must as mint and lamb are a perfect marriage.  I served these wrapped in some naan (Trader Joes) with sauteed eggplant and some thick yogurt sauce (also from Trader Joe's).  While the idea of local and humane meat or organic meat has always appealed to me (I've always had a preference toward halal), now that I have a child, it's even more important to our family and I hope to be able to make it sustainable in our household (though I'm sure my husband will bring home some Australian chops from Costco from time to time....which are actually halal btw, all Australian lamb is).        


1 lb ground lamb (from WGG, or directly from Border Springs)
1 t ground cumin (or more, to taste)
1 t garam masala (or more, to taste)
1 t paprika
1 clove garlic, pressed (or a spoon of garlic paste or a cube of frozen crushed garlic, thawed)
1 T finely chopped mint
1 chili (jalapeno) ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 T panko
1 T whole milk
salt, pepper      


Combine everything in a medium bowl and let marinate for a few hours.  Form into small meatballs.  Heat a shallow layer of oil in a large pan and cook meatballs until brown on each side.  Let cool on a paper towel lined plate.  In the same pan you can saute some chopped eggplant.  Toast some naan and serve with eggplant and meatballs along with some yogurt sauce (tzatziki or the like).  

Mini Blueberry Pies

I cannot stop buying blueberries.  I can't remember ever going so blueberry crazy in past summers, but of course we now have another mouth to feed.  And her little mouth loves blueberries.  And she'll hide them in her cheeks.  And a half hour later I'll see purple drool.  Most blueberries make their way into our smoothies, or oatmeal, or pancakes, but I had to make pie.  Of course when I hear the word pie, the next word that comes to mind is not "easy".  But that's just what these little bite sized pies are....totally, completely, ever so easy.  The crust is just three basic ingredients mashed together (taken from my mini pecan tart recipe) and the filling is essentially blueberries with some lemon curd.  You can find lemon curd with the preserves at a grocery store that carries imported sweets (like Whole Foods, World Market) and it lasts forever in the fridge.  If you don't have lemon curd you can follow the basic template for a blueberry pie filling which is some fresh lemon juice and a bit of zest, and increase the sugar.  I'm going to try peaches and blackberries next.....

Makes about 24 (one mini muffin pan)

For crust:
3 oz cream cheese at room temp
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temp
1 c flour

For filling:
~ 1 (to 1.5) cup sliced blueberries (or keep them whole if you want)

1 T sugar

1.5 (to 2) T lemon curd, or to taste

2 t corn starch


Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon curd and corn starch in a small bowl.  Mix together cream cheese, butter and flour in small mixing bowl (I use a fork to cut the butter and cheese into the flour).  Form dough into small balls and flatten and then press around into mini muffin pan.  Spoon filling into each tart.  If you feel your tarts are not filled high enough with blueberries (they shrink down so they can be filled up well) simply slice up a few more (or keep whole), stir in a bit of lemon curd, and add to each shell.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.   

Zucchini Risotto

There are those for whom making risotto is a pleasure.  They sip wine as they stir, they hum to some jazz, they sway through their kitchen.  I want to be that person, and in fact each time I decide to make risotto I am naive enough to think that I am one of those persons.  Yet there I am, halfway through the cooking process, cursing the short grain rice, willing it to cook faster, thoroughly annoyed at how many times I have to stir it, staring at the clock thinking "I have so many things I need to be doing" never mind the "WHY am I standing in front of the stove on a hot day like this?!".  But then once the risotto is done it is so incredibly satisfying my painful memory of the process is erased and I fall into a blissful starch coma.  So for those that love making risotto, or for those that just want a bowl of the creamy pearls badly enough I encourage you to add some summer squash.  Instead of chunks of veggies I love how the shredded zucchini wrapped itself around the grains of rice.  The texture was perfect, and don't be scared to add a lot of zucchini, I think I had at least two cups of it.     


1.5 cup short grain, arborio rice
~6 c chicken stock
2 medium zucchini, shredded (I used a food processor)
1 onion, chopped    
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 T basil pesto
1/4 c parmesan
salt, pepper
olive oil, butter


Warm stock in a pot.  In a medium pot or dutch oven heat some olive oil and butter and saute onion.  Add garlic.  Next add rice and let toast and coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Ladle some stock and stir rice, when stock is nearly all absorbed add more stock.  Repeat the process, for what feels like forever.  I can never seem to get my time or portions to match other recipes.  I always need more liquid and I always need more time (nearly an hour).  Just make the risotto how you make your ristotto.  AND THEN, once the risotto is nearly done, stir in zucchini and let cook down (5 minutes or so, until zucchini is tender).   Add some peas if you desire, and then add some fresh pesto (it will turn a beautiful pale green), parmesan and some butter and make a few final stirs.

Broccoli Fritters

I feel like making fritters out of everything lately, don't you?  Corn, zucchini, blueberries (I mean, that'd be good, right?).  But there is definitely a special place in my heart for the combination of broccoli and cheese.  I was inspired by Smitten Kitchen's recipe, though I used pecorino romano with a bit of cheddar instead of parmesan.  The cheese was nearly too sharp for my taste so if you prefer a more mild taste use whatever cheese preference you have.  I think some goat cheese would be a great addition.  These are delicious served with a dollop of sour cream (seasoned with lemon or such, or just plain)  



1 medium head of broccoli
1 large egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or any kind of flour - I used chic pea flour)
1/3 cup grated cheese
1 small clove garlic, minced
salt, pepper, paprika
oil for frying


Chop broccoli in large chunks and steam your broccoli until tender but not mushy.  Drain and let cool.  In a medium bowl beat egg, add flour, cheese, garlic, seasonings.  Finely chop broccoli and add to bowl and stir.  Form into small patties (about 8 or so).  Heat shallow layer of oil in a cast iron skillet and fry patties (about 3-4 at a time) on each side until crisp.  Let cool on paper towel lined plate.    

Roasted Corn and Zucchini Soup

If you can't think of what to do with all your summer veggies, MAKE SOUP.  I'm not yelling at you I'm just really excited about this kind of soup.  I've already made this twice in one week since my kitchen was bursting with summer squash and corn.  Roasting the veggies deepens the flavors even more and is a simple step with a worthwhile result.  I highly encourage you to get a Vitamix (as though I don't say that often enough) as it's easily the most used item in my kitchen.  Between soups, pestos, smoothies and baby foods my Vitamix can often be used four times in one morning.  I honestly can't imagine life without it.  But back to this soup, that just screams summer in my opinion.  It's light, it's satisfying  and it has a lovely sweet flavor that I know children will love (if my daughter is any indication).  


3 ears corn, kernels sliced off
2-3 zucchini (or combination of zucchini and squash), chopped in large chunks
2 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 T sour cream
1 T basil pesto (optional)
~ 4 cups chicken stock
seasonings


Toss corn and zucchini along with garlic and shallots with some olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika and roast in a medium roasting dish at 400 for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, warm the stock in a large pot.  When veggies are done toss them in the pot, add sour cream and pesto and either puree with a hand blender or in a Vitamix.  Adjust stock portion depending on the consistency you prefer.   

Pesto and Arugula Orzo

I've posted this salad before but I wanted to dedicate a new post as it truly is a special salad in our house and it's nearly always on my menus this time of year.  There is something so harmonious about the combination of sweet basil pesto and peppery arugula.  This salad pairs so well with meat dishes and is a great dish for entertaining since it's served at room temperature.  I usually use baby arugula but some unruly, grown up arugula came in our farm box recently so I chopped that up.  I also tend to let the orzo cool before tossing it but decided to stir the warm orzo with the arugula leaves to wilt them down a bit.  I used to add toasted pine nuts for some great crunch, but I don't use pine nuts anymore.  If you feel inspired to add something for crunch (sliced almonds?) and it works well please let me know!

For around 4 servings:

1/2 cup uncooked orzo   
~1/4 cup fresh basil pesto
~ 2 cups arugula, chopped

Cook orzo accordingly, and let cool for a bit (toss with some olive oil).  Stir in pesto, coating pasta well (add more pesto if needed).  Toss with arugula, and add some olive oil, salt and pepper.