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Your editor recently returned from a cooking course in France, where this post's title was a bit of significant wisdom about the importance of careful and creative presentation in cooking. The first day at the school, while jet lag was still intense and vivid, Chef Robert Ash made a tomato salad that is an excellent way to tear through some of the summer produce. Here's what he did, and what I did yesterday.
Take plenty of ripe tomatoes and cut them into thinnish slices -- say, a quarter inch. Lay them on a plate or tray, and salt them liberally. "Liberally" means to taste, of course, and for some people salt is a natural seasoning -- and for others, steeped in our wise culture of care around healthy food, it's kind of scary to actually USE salt on PURPOSE. Ash emphasized the value of salt used carefully in this case to aid the tomatoes in giving up their liquid and concentrating their flavor.
Over the next few hours, I poured off liquid every 15 minutes or so. Then I cut up some cherry tomatoes, more for color and contrast than any other reason. I took some of the farm's basil and shredded it with my fingers (lots of cooks feel that cutting basil with a knife damages its flavor) and scattered it on the tomatoes. I also happen to have fresh oregano on the back deck, so I put on some of that, and also snipped on some of the chives I have on the back deck as well. Don't get hung up on this; if you have the herbs, great, and if not, it's not the end of the world. The basil is the most important of all of them.
Then, I cut some mozzarella into stars with cookie cutters (my wife Carol's idea) and put the shapes on the salad. Finally I sprinkled on some olive oil and poured balsamic vinegar into a spray bottle, then sprayed a few shots over the salad. Done. Vegans will of course choose to omit the mozzarella.
Last recipe (this week, we hope) from Amelia Fratianni. Amelia's brought us three solid recipes this week, for which we are VERY grateful indeed. This one, for Grilled Vegetable Panini, is a hat trick, providing destinies for eggplant, zucchini and basil all. Amelia, we'll welcome more any time. And any member is always welcome to follow her example.
We remain grateful to member Amelia Fratianni for her search the Web for more and better recipes. Fratianni says "I never liked beets, but this recipe changed my taste buds," and as your Editor was no fan of beets as a child, he's listening. Further, Fratianni says she "used mixed pepper, recommends "more orange" And your editor feels strongly that orange is always undersold in recipes, so he agrees taste untasted. Also, she notes she substituted blue cheese, and also "prepared as suggested and then decided to julienne the beet greens and
toss with other ingredients."
Your trepid blog editor was hard at work today on a tomato consumption strategy. Luckily, the editor recently returned from France, where he attended a weeklong cooking course (he is not making this up) where he learned on Day One a fine, although not remarkable, tomato salad.
Basically, what you need to do is take a mess of tomatoes (in France, they were called "Heart of Beef") and cut them thinnish. Layer them on a large plate, salt them, and let them sit an hour, then drain it off. Then let them sit another hour, drain it off. And another hour -- then drain it off.
Then, the editor's family required some mozzarella, which the editor is always happy to provide. Finally, a little oregano and hand-shredded basil, some chives and some balsamic vingar and olive old finished it off. Snacky, and that many fewer tomatoes in the world.
Member Amelia Fratianni suggests this recipe for Portugese Kale Soup, and notes that she used beef vegetable and water instead of beef broth, and also spicy italian sausage (with the casing off) instead of chourico (which is not necessarily available in your most familiar meat aisle).
Fruit shares are now for sale. The price is $65. The fruit share is one half-peck bag a week for nine weeks -- starting at the end of August and going until the end of the CSA. Most weeks the share will include new and different varieties of apples, but depending on how the season has been for the grower, there may also be peaches, pears and grapes. The fruit comes from Autumn Hills Orchard in Groton.
Autumn Hills is an IPM orchard (not organic). Buying from Autumn Hills is a great way to support a local farmer and to get the freshest fruit possible (the apples are incredibly crisp!). Shares can be purchased at the CSA pickup in Westborough, or by sending a check in the mail to Heirloom Harvest, PO Box 1031, Westborough, MA 01581. The check should be made out to Heirloom Harvest.
August is the month when we get the heaviest harvest coming off of the fields. This year you can look for a lot of peppers, eggplants and -- yes -- tomatoes, which are just now coming on line. The Cantaloupe harvest looks good too. Soon we will probably start harvesting potatoes.
There are non-toxic flowers, and then, there are truly edible flowers. The nasturtiums sometimes available to shareholders are the farms have a peppery crackle and a soft, toothsome texture. Member Amelia Fratianni recommends the following extraordinary exploitation of the colorful, unusual flower.
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
25-30 nasturtium leaves, stems removed
4 cups chicken broth (or water)
1 1/4 cups milk
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
nasturtium blossoms for garnish
Melt the butter in a stock pot. Add the onion and cook until soft but not browned, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and nasturtium leaves and continue cooking until the leaves are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and milk to the stock pot. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper, then bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Serve garnished with fresh nasturtium blossoms.
Makes 6 servings.
