I am so excited! I collected my first harvest of the season from my little vegetable patch this morning; haricot verts or French green beans!
Haricot Verts are long, thin beans that are very tender. They have a subtle, sweet flavor and I love'em!
As it is early in the harvest, I don't have a lot of beans, but I didn't want to leave them on the vine too long...they have a tendency to get tough, or worse, become dinner for the resident chipmunks. Tonight, I am going to make a refreshing salad using my beans and farm fresh cherry tomatoes. With the cold spring we've had, my tomatoes are about 2 weeks off pace...but there are loads of little green gems on the vines!
French Bean Salad serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound fresh French green beans (Haricot Verts) , washed and stem ends clipped
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 half medium red onion , sliced thinly
1 cup canned chick peas, rinsed and drained ( or you can cook dried peas according to package directions)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (I use thyme, parsley and basil)
1 tsp sea salt and 10 grinds of coarse ground black pepper
Method
In a large pot of boiling water, plunge the beans and blanch for about 30 seconds. Drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain and set beans on a towel lined sheet pan.
In a bowl, mix the red wine vinegar with salt and pepper. Add the red onion and allow to soak for a few minutes. This method mellows the red onion which can sometimes be hot/spicy/overly pungent.
In a large serving bowl, add the beans, chick peas, tomatoes, and herbs. Add the onion and vinegar mixture. Toss gently. Drizzle with the olive oil.
Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking.
Serve with grilled meats and crusty bread.
Wine recommendation: A lovely, chilled 2009 Rose'
Bon appetit!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Cool As a Cucumber!
We've done it Groton...welcome to the Dog Days of Summer! We are looking ahead to a few days of ninety-plus degree weather and frankly, who wants to cook, even over a grill outside?
My suggestions for feeding the family on days such as today...1) get your cooking done early in the day and 2) eat soup...COLD...t really is refreshing, simple and takes advantage of local, in season foods!
This soup recipe is lovely and light...and with the exception of the the shrimp...is a no cook recipe!
Chilled Cucumber and Herb Soup with Shrimp (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients
2 large English cucumbers, unpeeled, seeded and chopped
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced for garnish
1/2 Vidalia onion, minced
4 scallions, sliced (both white and green parts)
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped ( extra dill for garnish)
1 tsp fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup baby spinach, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 16 ounce container of fat free Greek yogurt
1 16 ounce of fat free or low fat sour cream
1 cup of low sodium vegetable broth
8-12 cooked large shrimp (tails-on)
Method
In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, sour cream and broth together. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. Fold in the cucumbers, onion, spinach and scallions. To puree, transfer the mixture, in batches, into the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the steel chopping blade attachment. Process until the soup is smoothly pureed (pour into another bowl). Continue the process for the remaining soup. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the soup for at least 2 hours.
Ladle soup into chilled bowls and place 2 cooked shrimp per serving on the soup. Drizzle lemon juice over soup and shrimp and garnish the soup with chopped fresh dill and cucumber slices.
*********
This next soup recipe is strange but good...and very refreshing!
Chilled Cherry Soup (serves 4)
Ingredients
2 cups pitted cherries (set aside in 1 cup increments)
1 cup of dry white wine (I prefer Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup fat free Greek Yogurt
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of clove
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Sliced orange and mint leaves for garnish
In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a steel chopping blade, process all the ingredients except 1 cup of cherries and the garnish. Process until coarsely pureed. Remove soup to a large bowl. Add remaining cherries, cover and chill thoroughly (about 2 hours). Garnish with mint and a slice of orange.
******
This next recipe is one of my favorite summer salads. I first had it about 4 years ago on a visit to NYC. We stopped in at the patio restaurant at Rockefeller Plaza on a blazing hot afternoon and I saw this strange conglomeration of ingredients listed as an heirloom tomato salad...it was weird but deliciously cool!
Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad (serves 2-4)
Ingredients
2 cups seedless watermelon, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces ( I have used many of the other colored watermelons for this salad...it makes a jazzy and fun presentation)
1 cup assorted heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved (various sizes and colors)
2 large heirloom tomatoes sliced (I like Pink Brandywine or Zebra tomatoes for presentation)
1 small English cucumber, seeded and cubed
1cup crumbled Feta cheese
2 tsp fresh mint leaves, torn
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and pepper
Vinaigrette
1/2 cup Champagne or cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup warm water (to help incorporate the honey)
1/4 cup lavender honey
1 small shallot minced
2 tsp poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste
(Mix all ingredients in a mason jar and shake to mix thoroughly)
Method
Arrange the fruit and vegetables on a chilled serving platter. Sprinkle with the cheese and herbs, salt and pepper. Lightly drizzle the salad with dressing. Serve immediately and portion onto chilled plates.
Finally, this last recipe does involve some cooking...boiling water...for about 6 minutes!
Tortellini Pasta Salad (serves 6-8)
Ingredients
2 packages fresh tortellini (I like the Chicken and Prosciutto or 3 Cheese blend flavors)
1 small can of medium black olives, halved
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 large jar of marinated artichokes drained, oil reserved
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced and cut into half moon shapes
1 tbsp minced sun dried tomatoes
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 large handfuls of washed baby spinach, stems removed
6 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed or mini mozzarella balls
Salt and pepper to taste
Vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or use the oil from the marinated artichokes)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp each fresh and chopped: parsley, basil, thyme,oregano
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
(season with salt and pepper to taste)
Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and follow cooking directions on pasta package. Add carrots to the pasta at beginning of boiling time. After cooking, drain and rinse the pasta and carrots to cool them down.
In a large bowl, add all the salad ingredients. Add cooked ingredients. Toss together gently. Lightly dress with vinaigrette. Let it sit, covered for a few hours to allow flavors to meld...add more dressing if needed prior to service.
Serve with crusty bread...add grilled chicken, shrimp or sausage to make this a dinner salad!
Chill out!
My suggestions for feeding the family on days such as today...1) get your cooking done early in the day and 2) eat soup...COLD...t really is refreshing, simple and takes advantage of local, in season foods!
This soup recipe is lovely and light...and with the exception of the the shrimp...is a no cook recipe!
Chilled Cucumber and Herb Soup with Shrimp (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients
2 large English cucumbers, unpeeled, seeded and chopped
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced for garnish
1/2 Vidalia onion, minced
4 scallions, sliced (both white and green parts)
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped ( extra dill for garnish)
1 tsp fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup baby spinach, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 16 ounce container of fat free Greek yogurt
1 16 ounce of fat free or low fat sour cream
1 cup of low sodium vegetable broth
8-12 cooked large shrimp (tails-on)
Method
In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, sour cream and broth together. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. Fold in the cucumbers, onion, spinach and scallions. To puree, transfer the mixture, in batches, into the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the steel chopping blade attachment. Process until the soup is smoothly pureed (pour into another bowl). Continue the process for the remaining soup. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the soup for at least 2 hours.
Ladle soup into chilled bowls and place 2 cooked shrimp per serving on the soup. Drizzle lemon juice over soup and shrimp and garnish the soup with chopped fresh dill and cucumber slices.
*********
This next soup recipe is strange but good...and very refreshing!
Chilled Cherry Soup (serves 4)
Ingredients
2 cups pitted cherries (set aside in 1 cup increments)
1 cup of dry white wine (I prefer Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup fat free Greek Yogurt
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of clove
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Sliced orange and mint leaves for garnish
In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a steel chopping blade, process all the ingredients except 1 cup of cherries and the garnish. Process until coarsely pureed. Remove soup to a large bowl. Add remaining cherries, cover and chill thoroughly (about 2 hours). Garnish with mint and a slice of orange.
******
This next recipe is one of my favorite summer salads. I first had it about 4 years ago on a visit to NYC. We stopped in at the patio restaurant at Rockefeller Plaza on a blazing hot afternoon and I saw this strange conglomeration of ingredients listed as an heirloom tomato salad...it was weird but deliciously cool!
Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad (serves 2-4)
Ingredients
2 cups seedless watermelon, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces ( I have used many of the other colored watermelons for this salad...it makes a jazzy and fun presentation)
1 cup assorted heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved (various sizes and colors)
2 large heirloom tomatoes sliced (I like Pink Brandywine or Zebra tomatoes for presentation)
1 small English cucumber, seeded and cubed
1cup crumbled Feta cheese
2 tsp fresh mint leaves, torn
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and pepper
Vinaigrette
1/2 cup Champagne or cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup warm water (to help incorporate the honey)
1/4 cup lavender honey
1 small shallot minced
2 tsp poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste
(Mix all ingredients in a mason jar and shake to mix thoroughly)
Method
Arrange the fruit and vegetables on a chilled serving platter. Sprinkle with the cheese and herbs, salt and pepper. Lightly drizzle the salad with dressing. Serve immediately and portion onto chilled plates.
Finally, this last recipe does involve some cooking...boiling water...for about 6 minutes!
Tortellini Pasta Salad (serves 6-8)
Ingredients
2 packages fresh tortellini (I like the Chicken and Prosciutto or 3 Cheese blend flavors)
1 small can of medium black olives, halved
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 large jar of marinated artichokes drained, oil reserved
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced and cut into half moon shapes
1 tbsp minced sun dried tomatoes
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 large handfuls of washed baby spinach, stems removed
6 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed or mini mozzarella balls
Salt and pepper to taste
Vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or use the oil from the marinated artichokes)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp each fresh and chopped: parsley, basil, thyme,oregano
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
(season with salt and pepper to taste)
Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and follow cooking directions on pasta package. Add carrots to the pasta at beginning of boiling time. After cooking, drain and rinse the pasta and carrots to cool them down.
In a large bowl, add all the salad ingredients. Add cooked ingredients. Toss together gently. Lightly dress with vinaigrette. Let it sit, covered for a few hours to allow flavors to meld...add more dressing if needed prior to service.
Serve with crusty bread...add grilled chicken, shrimp or sausage to make this a dinner salad!
Chill out!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Liberty, Equality and Ratatouille
It is Bastille Day! With the local farm stands and markets filled with loads of fresh vegetables, missing Paris a bit, and thrilled by the US Women's Soccer team's victory over France, I have decided to celebrate Bastille Day with one of my favorite French summer classics: Ratatouille!
Last year in Paris, Bill and I watched the French National Day festivities on TV while our daughter and her college friend braved the crowds and downpours to experience it first hand. We were privileged, however with front row balcony seats, in our apartment, to the amazing fly-over of dozens of military aircraft, old and new. The fete concluded with jets streaming "bleu, blanc et rouge" colored smoke, as they screamed over our flat in the 5th arrondissment.
With the weather being miserable and the girls returning soaked to the core, I made my version of Ratatouille. The traditional French dish consists of luscious summer veggies and herbs (in the Provence tradition), stewed together and serve with rice or pasta. I like to serve mine over grilled, garlic toasts, which soak up the flavorful juices.
This year, I am happy to reprise this meal in my Groton kitchen and serve it to some dear friends who are stopping by to help us remember our time in Paris! We'll raise a glass of champagne, listen to La Marseillaise and perhaps eat a little cake too...
Ratatouille
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
1 large eggplant, unpeeled, diced
2 medium zucchini, sliced (half moon shapes)
1 medium summer squash, sliced (half moon shapes)
1 Cubanelle pepper, seeded and diced
4 large tomatoes, seeded, and diced ( Or you may use a 28 ounce can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large celery stalks, sliced (I like run a vegetable peeler down the back of celery stalks to remove the strings)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
2 tsp fresh parsley minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry red wine
Garnish: grated Grana Padano cheese
Method:
In a large deep sided saute pan, heat the oil until shimmery, then cook the onions and garlic over medium heat, until golden about 4 or 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the dried herbs and cook for about 30 seconds, to release the oils in the herbs.
Stir in the vegetables, vinegar and wine, and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add some water or vegetable broth if the melange is too dry...the veggies should have a soupy or stew-like consistency.
Add the fresh herbs and garnish with cheese.
Serve over grilled French bread, flavored with garlic butter.
Bon appetit!
Last year in Paris, Bill and I watched the French National Day festivities on TV while our daughter and her college friend braved the crowds and downpours to experience it first hand. We were privileged, however with front row balcony seats, in our apartment, to the amazing fly-over of dozens of military aircraft, old and new. The fete concluded with jets streaming "bleu, blanc et rouge" colored smoke, as they screamed over our flat in the 5th arrondissment.
With the weather being miserable and the girls returning soaked to the core, I made my version of Ratatouille. The traditional French dish consists of luscious summer veggies and herbs (in the Provence tradition), stewed together and serve with rice or pasta. I like to serve mine over grilled, garlic toasts, which soak up the flavorful juices.
This year, I am happy to reprise this meal in my Groton kitchen and serve it to some dear friends who are stopping by to help us remember our time in Paris! We'll raise a glass of champagne, listen to La Marseillaise and perhaps eat a little cake too...
Ratatouille
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
1 large eggplant, unpeeled, diced
2 medium zucchini, sliced (half moon shapes)
1 medium summer squash, sliced (half moon shapes)
1 Cubanelle pepper, seeded and diced
4 large tomatoes, seeded, and diced ( Or you may use a 28 ounce can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large celery stalks, sliced (I like run a vegetable peeler down the back of celery stalks to remove the strings)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
2 tsp fresh parsley minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry red wine
Garnish: grated Grana Padano cheese
Method:
In a large deep sided saute pan, heat the oil until shimmery, then cook the onions and garlic over medium heat, until golden about 4 or 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the dried herbs and cook for about 30 seconds, to release the oils in the herbs.
Stir in the vegetables, vinegar and wine, and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add some water or vegetable broth if the melange is too dry...the veggies should have a soupy or stew-like consistency.
Add the fresh herbs and garnish with cheese.
Serve over grilled French bread, flavored with garlic butter.
Bon appetit!
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