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Soak up the rest of the summer with these flavorful recipes.
Summer has a flavor like no other. Always fresh and simmered in sunshine.
โ Oprah Winfrey
RECIPE: Summer Parchment-Wrapped White Fish With Olive Tapenade
- Yield: Serves 6โ8 1x
Description
Chef, teacher, and cookbook author Pascale Beale offers a succulent summer dish thatโs bursting with the flavors of the French and Italian Riviera from her cookbook A Menu for All Seasons: Summer.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pitted black niรงoise or kalamata olives, divided
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon, divided
- 1/3 cup and 1 1/2 tbsps olive oil, divided
- 2 large red onions, diced
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 1 lb mixed tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 lbs sea bass or other white fish, cut into 4-oz filets
- 1/2 cup white wine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ยฐF.
- Prepare black olive tapenade: Place 1 cup of the olives, half of the lemon juice, all the lemon zest, 1/3 cup olive oil, a pinch of salt, and 5 grinds of black pepper in a small food processor or a mortar and pestle. Process, or grind, the olives until they form a coarse paste. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the red and yellow onion. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions are completely soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Set aside.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper or foil to three times the size of the filet. Spoon a large tablespoon of the tomato mixture into the middle of the parchment paper. Place the filet on top of the tomatoes. Spread some of the tapenade all over the top of the filet. Drizzle a little white wine and lemon juice over the fish and add 2 or 3 olives to the package.
- Carefully pull the sides of the parchment paper up over the fish. Fold the parchment over itself to seal the long top edge, but donโt fold them up too tightly as you are making a little tent or pouch for the fish to cook in. Seal the parcels by tucking the ends in under the fish. Repeat with the remaining filets. Place the finished packages in a baking pan.
- Bake the fish for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the filets, allowing 12 minutes per inch.
- To serve, carefully open the packages (they will be hot and steam will be released when you open them), and, using a spatula, remove the fish with the onion and tomatoes. Carefully pour the cooking juices around and over the fish.
Notes
This dish is perfect for all the beautiful tomatoes that are available at this time of year. Use yellow, red, heirloom, pear โ the choice is yours. They can all be Roma, but a little variety adds extra depth to the sauce.
RECIPE: Rainbow Carrot Salad
- Yield: Serves 8
Description
This is a jazzed-up version of the simplest of salads, one I used to eat in France as a small child: Salade de carottes rรขpรฉes. Basically, grated carrots, lemon juice, and olive oil. My grandmother made this salad for my brother and me all the time. Itโs also ubiquitous bistro fare, a simple national dish that anyone growing up in France knows well. American food writer and Parisian transplant David Lebovitz wrote a blog post about this salad stating that one should refrain from messing about with the original. However, when I spied these rather extraordinary, elegantly tampered, multicolored carrots at the market, I couldnโt resist a little tinkering with the recipe. I like to think my lovely grandmother would have approved.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh, assorted multicolored carrots, peeled and grated (use a box grater)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice and zest of 2-3 lemons
- 2 Tbsps parsley, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- 8 dates, pitted and chopped (Barhi or Medjool if possible)
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Waste-Saving Stock
Carrot shavings, along with other veggie scraps, can turn into a delicious homemade vegetable stock. While peeling and grating carrots for this recipe, save the scraps in a large bag and store it in the freezer. Once you have enough odds and ends, bring them to a boil for a yummy food waste solution.
RECIPE: Sautรฉed Summer Squash, Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes and Toasted Almond Salad
- Yield: Serves 4โ6 1x
Description
Green City Growers manage Fenway Farms at Fenway Park in Boston, and this recipe takes advantage of summer crops.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa or couscous according to the package directions.
- In a separate pan, toast the almonds with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Slice the squash and zucchini into 1/2-inch size bites. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half (this allows for more juices in the dish).ย
- In a sautรฉ pan, heat the olive oil. Add the squash and zucchini, and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add the sliced tomatoes and allow the juices to mix and the tomatoes to soften for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place the cooked quinoa or couscous on a plate. Using a spoon, scoop and pour the squash and tomatoes onto the quinoa. Top with shaved Parmesan and toasted almonds. To add a little green, sprinkle with fresh oregano. Easy, quick, and very delicious! Enjoy.
Notes
Green City Growers recommends โSungoldโ or โSupersweet 100โ cherry tomatoes like they grow โ look for locally grown cherry tomatoes where you live.
RECIPE: Rhubarb Pie with Lattice Top
- Yield: Makes 1 pie 1x
Description
Iโve made this pie for over 40 years. The dough is pretty standard, with variations occurring in the type of fat used and the specific amounts of salt, sugar, and flour. With salt, I tend to err on the side of less rather than more, but you can add more (and also more sugar) if preferred. My addition of orange juice to the crust is a bit unusual, but I like the result.ย
Ingredients
The crust
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 4 Tbsps cane sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
- 1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed or from a carton)
The filling
- 5 cups fresh rhubarb, washed and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 scant cup cane sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ยฐF. Have ready a 9-inch pie pan (preferably glass).
- Mix together the flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the cold butter into this mixture until you achieve a cornmeal consistency. (To do this, you can use a pastry blender or two knives slicing crossways to one another, or just use your hands. Alternatively, put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture reaches the desired consistency, then place the mixture into a bowl.)ย
- Pour in the orange juice and, using your hands, quickly mix and form the dough into a ball. Cut the ball in half and let it rest for a few minutes.
- Roll out each half between two pieces of wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness.ย Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, until the wax paper will pull away from the dough easily.
- While the dough is chilling, mix together all the filling ingredients and set aside.
- Remove one sheet of chilled dough from the fridge and peel off one side of the wax paper. Create the bottom of the pie by placing the sheet, dough-side down, into the pie pan, then peeling off the second piece of wax paper. Press the dough into the pan so no air space remains, then flute the edges.
- For the lattice top, take the second sheet of dough out of the fridge. Remove the top layer of wax paper and cut the dough into strips slightly less than half an inch wide.
- Scrape the filling into the pie pan. To crosshatch the top crust, lay down half the strips across the entire pie, spacing them evenly. Then place the remaining strips across these at an angle, again, evenly spaced. (I donโt take the time to weave them, because I want to get the pie in the oven quickly once the filling is in the pie pan, to avoid a soggy bottom.) Sprinkle the lattice with sugar.ย ย
- Place the pie on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350ยฐF, and bake for about another 60 minutes. A glass pie pan helps you see whether the bottom is brown enough. When done, the pie should be golden brown on top and bottom.
Choosing Organic Cane Sugar
It is best to limit the amount of sugar in your diet, but life is all about balance! When you do use sugar, organic is the better option. Compared to white sugar, organic cane sugar is minimally processed, so it still retains some minerals like calcium, iron, and potassium and has a slightly lower glycemic index โ making it the (marginally) more nutritious choice. Organic cane sugar is also derived from organic sugar cane, meaning it is free from the harmful chemicals associated with sugar that comes from the conventionally grown stuff. Plus, choosing organic supports farmers who prioritize sustainable farming practices that protect soil health and reduce the risk of water pollution. Sweet!
