I realize that this is my third post in a row about farmers' markets. It will be the last one for a while I promise. Last night, I used the produce mentioned in my last post to make a delicious, fresh, vegetarian dinner.
Smooth Tomato Gazpacho
This recipe is from the August issue of
Martha Stewart Living. My food processor doesn't have a "puree" setting so my soup, while good on its own, was even better as a sauce for the fritters. As with all recipes I use, I altered it a bit from the original recipe.
2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved and cored
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1 small garlic clove
2 ounces blanched almonds, toasted
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
- Puree (or grind) tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic, and almonds, water, vinegar, oil, and 2 1/4 teaspoons of salt in a blender until smooth; season with pepper.
- Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (the flavor is so much better after it sits in the fridge for a while). Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper just before serving.
This is another Martha recipe. I used yellow summer squash instead of zucchini.
2 medium yellow summer squash
1 medium onion
1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (recipe called for parsley)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
- Grate squash on the large holes of a box grater (I roughly chopped them and put them in the food processor for about 4 pulses). Place squash in a paper towel and squeeze dry. Repeat with onion.
- Mix together squash, onion, cheese, flour, and herbs. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in eggs just before frying.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, coat skillet with 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. Scoop mounds (2 tablespoons each) of the squash mixture into skillet; flatten slightly using a spatula. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer fritters to paper-towel-lined plates to drain.
The recipe suggests serving these with plain yogurt and apricot jam, which I thought was too brunch-y for dinner, but sounds yummy.
This one is from Food Network. The farmers' market corn was absolutely incredible but oh how I wish we had a grill.
2 ears of corn, shucked
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 lime, zested and juiced (or, if you have to shop at Kroger in Dallas, TX, 2 Tablespoons of bottled lime juice - don't they grow limes in Texas?)
2 teaspoons salt
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Mix butter, cilantro leaves, lime, and salt in a small bowl.
- Coat each ear of corn in the cilantro lime butter and wrap in foil.
- Roast until hot and steaming, about 30 minutes.
I've made Martha's homemade bread recipe and found that all of her recipes have a similar theme: they are labor-intensive (relative to most things I make) but very delicious!
- CAR -
