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  • Warm Green Bean and Potato Salad with Summer Savory
    • 8 ounces green beans, rinsed and ends snapped off
    • 1 1/2 pounds Yellow Finn potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
    • 2 tablespoons minced purplette onions
    • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons summer savory leaves, chopped
    • Salt and fresh-ground pepper

    Preparation

    1. 1. In a 4- to 5-quart pan over high heat, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well and rinse with cold water until cool (or plunge in ice water); drain again.
    2. 2. In same pan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add potato slices and cook until tender when pierced, 10 to 12 minutes; drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
    3. 3. Meanwhile, in a 1-cup glass measure, combine onions and vinegar. In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan over medium heat, combine olive oil and summer savory. Stir occasionally until savory is limp and slightly darker and oil is fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. If oil sizzles, reduce heat slightly.
    4. 4. Pour half the oil mixture into vinegar mixture and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over warm potatoes and mix gently to coat. Top potatoes with green beans and drizzle remaining oil mixture over beans. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    Borrowed from Sunset

  • Caprese

    A simple, easy, and delicious way to enjoy the best flavors of summer: basil & tomatoes!

     

    An array of tomatoes, preferably different colors

    A handful of basil

    Mozzarella - fresh or packaged

    Good olive oil

    Sea Salt

     

    • Slice your tomatoes about 1/4" thick, into rounds. If the tomatoes are really big, you can cut the rounds in half.
    • Slice your mozzarella into rounds, 1/4" thick.
    • Arrange your tomatoes atop your mozarella, garnish with a basil leaf (or sliced ribbons of basil, for a slightly less intense flavor)
    • Arrange on a plate and drizzle all over with good olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
    • Enjoy as an appetizer or center-of-the-plate treat!

     

  • Oven-roasted summer squash

    Makes 4 servings
     
    2 Tbsp.  olive oil
    2-3 Tbsp.  lemon pepper
    1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
    1 lb.  new potatoes, scrubbed and dices
    1 1/4 lbs. summer squash;  combination zucchini, crookneck, etc., in 1 inch cubes
    1 large red onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
     
    1.  Put oil, lemon pepper, rosemary (crush first) and potatoes into plastic bag.  Shake well to coat.
    2.  Add squash to bag;  shake again to coat.
    3.  Spread veggies on shallow baking pan.  Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees, stir vegetables, and continue roasting until brown, about 20 minutes. 

  • Southwestern style squash

    Makes 6 servings
    1 large onion, chopped
    1/2 cup bell pepper, minced
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 Tbsp.  corn oil
    1 cup corn kernels
    1 lbs. summer squash and/or zucchini
    4 roasted hot peppers, seeded and peeled (optional)
    1/2 cup hot water
    salt to taste
     
    1.  In heavy skillet over medium-high heat, saute onion, sweet pepper, and garlic in oil.  Add corn;  cook and stir until uniformly browned. 
    2.  Cut squash into matchsticks.  Cut chilies into long thin strips (try kitchen scissors).  Add squash, chilies, water and salt in skillet.
    3.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.  Serve with hot tortillas.

  • Late Summer Minestrone

    This is a somewhat-involved soup, made entirely from scratch, but it relies on all your current veggies, plus a few that are still to come.

    Vegetable broth

    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 large carrots, peeled, sliced
    • 2 medium onions, sliced
    • 1 medium fresh fennel bulb, sliced
    • 1 medium celery root (celeriac), peeled, sliced
    • 1/2 head of garlic, crushed (with peel)
    • 6 large fresh Italian parsley sprigs
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 1 large fresh rosemary sprig
    • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 16 cups water

    Garlic croutons

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
    • 3 cups 1/2-inch cubes baguette or rustic country-style bread

    Vegetable soup

    • 1 cup dried cranberry beans or cannellini (white kidney beans)
    • 4 small carrots, peeled, sliced
    • 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 medium white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
    • 1 cup sliced trimmed Italian pole beans or green beans (about 5 ounces)
    • 1 cup 1/2-inch cubes peeled celery root (celeriac)
    • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
    • 4 kale leaves, thinly sliced crosswise
    • 2 1/2-pints red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
    • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
    • Freshly shaved parmesan or asiaggo cheese

     
    Preparation
    For vegetable broth:
    Heat oil in very large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots and next 7 ingredients. Sauté until vegetables are golden and begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato paste; stir to blend. Add 16 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 1/2 hours.
    Strain vegetable mixture, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. Measure 13 cups broth and pour into large bowl (reserve remaining broth for another use). Season broth with salt. DO AHEAD: Can be made 5 days ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.
    for garlic croutons:
    Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add bread cubes; stir until crisp and golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat; cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
    For vegetable soup:
    Place cranberry beans in medium bowl; add enough cold water to cover beans by 2 inches. Let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain. Place beans in large saucepan; add enough cold water to cover beans by 3 inches. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Drain beans; set aside.
    Bring 13 cups vegetable broth to simmer in large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots and next 7 ingredients to broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Soup and beans can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill beans. Cool soup slightly, then chill until cold. Cover and keep chilled. Rewarm soup over medium heat before continuing.
    Add cranberry beans and kale and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cherry tomatoes and parsley; simmer just until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.
    Ladle vegetable soup into bowls. Garnish with garlic croutons and shaved cheese and serve.

  • Sourdough Panzanella with Summer Vegetables

     
     
    Ingredients

    • Sourdough bread, cut into 1″ cubes (about 3 cups)
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
    • 2 summer squash, sliced on a diagonal
    • 1 bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1″ cubes (use red, orange, or yellow for nice color!)
    • 6-8 cherry tomatoes cut in half, or chopped heirloom or slicing tomatoes
    • 1/2  onion, cut in 1″ cubes
    • 4-5 fresh basil leaves, cut in strips

    Vinaigrette

    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
    • Salt and Pepper to taste

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet, spread out the chopped garlic, onion, squash, peppers and tomatoes and coat with one tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 15-18 minutes, stirring once, until just starting to soften and release juices.
    2. In a large frying pan, heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil. Toss in the bread cubes and season lightly with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the cubes are crusty and slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
    3. To make vinaigrette dressing, firmly whisk together all ingredients until blended. Season to your tastes with salt and pepper.
    4. In your serving bowl, toss together the bread cubes and vegetables. Pour dressing over the bread and vegetable mixture and then set aside for thirty minutes to let it absorb the flavors. Before serving, stir in strips of fresh basil.