This Summer's Produce- Thanks for the Memories, Plus Recipes

According to the MN DNR's Summer Glory Index, this has indeed been one of the best Minnesota summers on record (MN Summer Glory Index).  We had a great CSA (community supported agriculture) season, as well, through Untiedt's CSA program (Untiedts).  Each week I picked up a box that weighed about 18-22 lbs, and got busy on prepping and using the contents.

I met the challenge of using all of the box contents.  Here are a few of my best tips and recipes:

Kale:
Boy we got a lot of kale this year.  I made kale chips frequently (kale chips).  I chopped it and added doses to salads.  I blanched and froze it for soups in the winter.  We made kale and fruit smoothies with the new blender.

Cucumbers:
We LOVE dill refrigerator pickles.  See recipe below

Beets:
We also received a bunch of beets this year:

Since I'm the only one in the family that really likes beets, I found a fabulous refrigerator beet pickle recipe- see below.  Additionally, my husband tried his hand at a beet smoothie.  He said it was "OK."

Beet Smoothie

Tomatoes:
We were graced with many, many tomatoes, including from our own garden:

We have a favorite gazpacho recipe- see below. On several occasions, when faced with too many tomatoes at once, I choose to stew and then freeze them.  I wash, core and quarter them, then throw them in a stock pot and simmer over medium heat until they're well-stewed and have reduced a lot of their water.  I then freeze them in containers to add to chili throughout the winter.

Stewed Tomatoes

Salads:
With all of the lettuces and vegetables, we had some incredible salads this summer.  Here is one of my favorite chopped salad (and dressing!) recipes: Chopped salad with creamy balsamic dressing

Chopped Salad

The family house dressing, however, is my mom's maple mustard vinaigrette recipe-see below.  If we run out, there is a family uproar.

Zucchini:
Here I must confess that none of us are real fans of zucchini or summer squash.  It's bland.  It's rubbery raw, but then it gets watery when you try to cook it.  I've used it in zucchini "pasta" and stir fries, and the old standby- chocolate zucchini bread (because you can make many things palatable with the addition of chocolate, below).  This year I tried zucchini fries, and those were pretty good (below), and a great batch of ratatouille (also below).

Ratatouille

Onions:
We love baked onion rings (below).

One of our best summer produce memories will be the opportunity we had to tour Untiedt's CSA farm.  Farmer Jerry drove us around by tractor and stopped along the way so we could gorge ourselves silly on raspberries and strawberries.  It was a hot July day, and the berries were warm and fantastically sweet.  We pledged to try to remember the sensations during the winter.

Garlic Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Note- Brine recipe sufficient to fill 2 Qt jars filled with cucumbers

2 pounds Kirby cucumbers
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons pickling salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled (3 per jar)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper per jar 

 1 teaspoon dill seed per jar 

 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns per jar

Wash the cucumbers.  In a large saucepot, combine vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a simmer.

Arrange jars on counter and dole out the spices to each. Pack the cucumber firmly into the jars. You don't want to damage the cukes, but you do want them packed tight.

Pour the brine into the jar, leaving approximately ½ inch headspace.

Tap jars gently on countertop to dislodge any trapped air bubbles.

Apply lids and let jars cool. When they've returned to room temperature, place jars in refrigerator. Let them sit for at least 48 hours before eating. 

Pickled Refrigerator Beets

 Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pickled_beets/#ixzz3l0lFOXxn

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

This recipe uses a basic vinaigrette, heavy on the vinegar to offset the sweetness of the beets, but you could easily use any favorite vinaigrette. A little olive oil with salt, pepper, and balsamic is lovely. Try sprinkling a little orange zest in with the beets, or adding some lime, lemon, or orange juice to the dressing for a citrus note.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch (4 or 5) beets
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• Salt and pepper

Method

1 Remove greens from beets, save for future use (see beet greens recipe). Scrub the beets free of any dirt.

2a Boiling method. Place the beets in a medium saucepan and cover with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil on high heat then lower the heat and maintain a simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets, until they are easily pierced with the tines of a fork.

2b Roasting method. Rub the beets with olive oil and wrap them in foil (you can wrap them all together, no need to wrap them individually). Roast in a 400°F oven for an hour or until they are easily pierced with a fork. Let them cool to the touch.

3 If you have boiled the beets, drain them and rinse them cold water. Use your fingers to slip the peels off of the beets. The peels should come off easily. Discard the peels. Quarter or slice the beets.

4 Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. The dry mustard will help to emulsify the vinaigrette. Adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a half hour at room temperature.

Mom’s Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

2/3 C. maple syrup

1/3 C. apple cider vinegar

2 shallots

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp course mustard

½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 C. canola oil

Put all ingredients except oil in food processor or blender and blend until pureed.  Add oil and blend.

Creamy Balsamic Dressing
(makes 1 2/3 cups of dressing)

4 cloves garlic, grated
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons Morton's Nature's Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup extra light olive oil

Combine and blend

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Read more: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-zucchini-bread/print#ixzz3ThzanPOm

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 50 min. + cooling YIELD:24 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups shredded peeled zucchini

Directions

• 1. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended. Stir in zucchini. Transfer to two 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray.
• 2. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

Favorite Gazpacho
3 lbs peeled and seeded tomatoes, chopped (blanch a few seconds to peel)
1/2 lb cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 C red or white onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 C olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp tomato paste (or substitute ketchup)
1 C spicy V8 juice (regular tomato juice is fine, too)
2 Tbsp worcester sauce
1 C beef or chicken broth (substitute if you want it to be vegan-often I'll just use more tomato juice)
1/4 C fresh basil, finely chopped

Mix and chill

Gazpacho

Crispy Zucchini Fries with Basil Parmesan Dipping Sauce

From Meredith Deeds

Serves 6.

Note: Looking for something that tastes decadent but isn’t? These panko-coated zucchini strips, baked to golden perfection and paired with a creamy, cheesy herbed dipping sauce should fit the bill. Panko are bigger and lighter than the traditional breadcrumb, which could be substituted.

• 1/3 c. low-fat buttermilk

• 3 tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise

• 3 tbsp. low-fat sour cream

• 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

• 2 tbsp. chopped basil

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/2 c. flour

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs (see Note)

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 tsp. paprika

• 4 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, then cut into 3- by 1/2-in. strips

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mayo, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, basil and garlic. Set aside.

Stir together flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Lightly beat eggs in a second shallow bowl, then stir together the breadcrumbs, olive oil and paprika in a third shallow bowl. Working in batches, dredge zucchini in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, pressing to coat.

Place zucchini onto the wire rack atop the baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Place on a serving platter and garnish with a sprinkling of Parmesan. Serve the dipping sauce on the side.

Easy Ratatouille

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Total Time: 45 min

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 25 min

Yield: A generous quart, 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

·         1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed

·         1 1/2 cups small diced yellow onion

·         1 teaspoon minced garlic

·         2 cups medium diced eggplant, skin on

·         1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

·         1 cup diced green bell peppers

·         1 cup diced red bell peppers

·         1 cup diced zucchini squash

·         1 cup diced yellow squash

·         1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes

·         1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

·         1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Set a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the eggplant and thyme to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the green and red peppers, zucchini, and squash and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for a final 5 minutes. Stir well to blend and serve either hot or at room temperature.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

·  YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 4 onion rings)

2 large onions, peeled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup flat beer
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut the onion crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices, and separate into rings. Use 16 of the largest rings; reserve remaining onion for another use. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in beer and egg white (batter will be thick). Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip 5 onion rings in batter, letting excess drip off. Add onion rings to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Place the onion rings on a jelly-roll pan. Repeat procedure of dipping onion rings in batter and cooking in remaining oil, ending with 6 rings. Coat the onion rings with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until crisp. Serve rings with ketchup.