Savoring Summer
It's the time of year to make the most of fresh and delicious fruits and vegetables.
High summer is what a gardener waits for all year long. This is when many fruits and vegetables explode on bushes, on vines and in perfectly hoed rows.
In my own home garden, I am like a kid in a candy store, not knowing what to choose to harvest first. Those cute-asa-button yellow cherry tomatoes called SunGold are as sweet as any candy, and I pop them in my mouth by the handful as I fill my basket. Some will go into salad, some I will dry for winter use, and some I will make into a refreshingly light tomato sauce for pasta.
Over by the sunniest side of the garden are beautiful and shiny purple eggplant. Those will go into a classic eggplant parmigiana, and some will be pickled, too.
By my count, there are more than twenty kinds of vegetables in the garden. Looking over this expanse of man-made creation, I am grateful for the magic of soil and seed. As the yields come in—and it is usually all at once, during July and August—I am ready with a plan to turn long yellow Italian beans, green striped zucchini, sturdy Swiss chard with rainbow-colored stems, bright red tomatoes, quilted looking leaves of kale and a host of others into a minestrone soup as I think ahead to cold winter days when a bowl of soup made with vegetables from my garden will bring back those sunny memories.
Grander garden thoughts get the better of me as I harvest an abundance of tomatoes and think to myself: What if I fill some crepes with a mixed vegetable combination? Why not?
Once I finish gathering all the vegetables, I head over toward the little garden shed where, on either side, my husband has planted a variety of blueberry bushes, along with peach and cherry trees. Harvesting the blueberries is especially challenging since the birds get first dibs and pluck the perfect ones, leaving me the hard-as-a-rock green ones. Still I manage to get enough to sprinkle on cereal or add to a risotto that I learned to make years ago when visiting friends in northern Italy.
Even if you do not have a home garden, a local farmers’ market or roadside stands offer the best of the summer season. So take advantage of it while you can. Summer’s passing is swift, and with it goes the availability and taste of fresh fruits and vegetables. Now is the time to savor the best. NHH
Yellow Tomato Sauce Makes about 2½ cups
This yellow tomato sauce is made from the SunGold cherry tomato variety, which grows well in my garden. Sweet as sugar and plump with a mild flavor, this sauce goes together in minutes and is best made in season. Use the sauce for pasta, for fish or in risotto.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups coarsely chopped yellow cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook until soft.
2. Stir in the red pepper flakes. Add the yellow tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well.
3. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
4. Off the heat, stir in the basil.
Recipe from Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy by Mary Ann Esposito
Risotto with Blueberries Serves 6
I was so surprised to have this dish in northern Italy, never having thought to add blueberries to risotto. But it is a perfectly delicious accompaniment to chicken or duck dishes.
4½–5 cups chicken broth
6 tablespoons butter
½ cup finely minced white onion
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine, divided
1 cup fresh blueberries
Recipe from Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy by Mary Ann Esposito
1. In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer and keep warm.
2. In a large, heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until very soft—do not allow it to brown; it should remain colorless and almost seem to dissolve. Add the rice, stirring to coat each grain with the butter-onion mixture. Lower the heat to medium-low and add ½ cup of the white wine.
3. Cook, stirring constantly, until all the wine is absorbed. Add ½ cup of the chicken broth and cook, continuing to stir, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining ½ cup of wine. Add 4 cups of the broth, a half cup at a time, while continuing to stir—allow the rice to absorb each addition of liquid. The rice should be al dente, not mushy. If necessary, add up to ½ cup more of broth.
4. Reduce the heat to low and add the blueberries. Cook, stirring to mash the berries slightly until they have softened. Serve at once.
Hot and Spicy Zucchini Coins (Zucchini all'Arrabiata)
Serves 4
Test your taste buds with tender, small-size zucchini coins sautéed in olive oil and mixed with just a teaspoon of hot red-pepper paste. This is a hot and spicy, perfect side dish that can go with anything.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 small zucchini, ends trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch round coins
1 teaspoon hot red-pepper paste or 1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino cheese
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-size sauté pan and, when the oil begins to shimmer, add the zucchini and stir a few times.
2. Cover the pan, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes, or just until the zucchini begins to brown.
3. Stir in the pepper paste or pepper flakes, and cook 2–3 minutes longer, just until the zucchini is tender.
4. Stir in the parsley and cheese. Sprinkle with the coarse salt and serve hot.
Recipe from Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites
Crepes with Vegetables and Cheese Serves 8 as a first course
These elegant crepes make a wonderful first course or a light supper with a green salad.
Crepe Batter (see recipe below)
1–1½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese, well drained
1 large egg, beaten with a fork
1½ cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus an additional 11/3 cup
1 cup seeded and diced fresh plum tomatoes, drained of their juice
21/3 cups chopped cooked broccoli
¼ cup minced fresh parsley Grated zest of 1 lemon Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for buttering the pans and more for serving
1. Lightly butter a 6- or 8-inch crepe pan or a frying pan, and heat it over medium heat until the pan is hot. Add ¼ cup of the Crepe Batter and swirl the pan to make sure the bottom is evenly coated with a thin layer of batter.
2. Cook for 1–2 minutes, or until the crepe is lightly browned on the underside. Flip it over and cook the other side until lightly browned.
3. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes between sheets of wax paper as each crepe is made. Lightly grease the pan every so often to prevent the batter from sticking.
4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-inch-by-12-inch baking dish.
5. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg and 1½ cups Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and mix well.
6. Add the tomatoes, broccoli, parsley, lemon, salt and pepper, and combine well.
7. Spread about ¼ cup of the filling over each crepe and roll up into a cylinder. Place the crepes in a single layer, seam side down, in the buttered dish. Drizzle the melted butter over them and sprinkle with 11/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
8. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until piping hot. If you wish, put the crepes under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese. Serve immediately with additional melted butter on the side.
Crepe Batter
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, beaten
1 large egg yolk, beaten
1½–1¾ cups milk, divided
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. Sift the flour, salt and nutmeg together in a large bowl.
Add the beaten eggs and egg yolk, 1½ cups of milk, and the butter.
2. Whisk the mixture until smooth and the consistency of pancake batter.
3. Stir in the cheese. If the batter seems too thin, add a little more flour; if too thick, add a little milk.
Recipe from Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy by Mary Ann Esposito
