Summer is here—the share is getting bigger and bigger!
You might have noticed that I often call for mashing a clove of garlic with coarse see salt with the side of chef’s knife into a smooth paste to add to dressings, etc. OPB did a stop-motion video of me doing this trick in case you’ve been curious. This comes in handy in the Green Bean and Potato dish with Basil Parmesan Dressing. Happy cooking!
Celery and Walnut Risotto
Sweet Onion and Parsley Salad
Cucumber and Avocado Salad
Green Beans and Potatoes with Basil and Parmesan
Fried Tofu with Cucumbers and Green Beans
Grilled Summer Squash with Salsa Verde (Italian Parsley Sauce)
Summer Squash with Lentils, Parsley and Bacon
Celery and Walnut Risotto
This is a strikingly good combination of flavors.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely diced
6 large stalks celery, preferably with some leaves still attached, divided
3/4 cup walnuts, divided
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons fresh sage, finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
Salt
1 rounded cup risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli, or the like)
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 quart chicken stock
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
Finely chop 1/4 cup of the walnuts and set aside.
Toast the remaining 1/2 cup of the walnut pieces in a dry skillet over low heat until a shade darker and toasty smelling. Chop fairly finely and set aside.
Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan.
Separate the leaves from the celery stalks and set the leaves aside. Cut 5 of the celery stalks into 2 or three thinner stalks lengthwise (depending on how large/wide your stalks are) and then cut them crosswise into small dice.
Chop the remaining celery stalk very finely along with the celery leaves and set aside separately.
Heat the butter in a heavy pot or deep skillet. When foaming add the onion, celery, oregano, sage and finely chopped, raw walnuts and several pinches of salt. Stir well and cook over medium high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often. Don’t brown the vegetables. Add the rice and cook for 3 more minutes and then add the wine. Stir well and cook for a few minutes until the wine has been absorbed. Now begin adding the hot chicken stock one ladle at a time. Stir regularly after each addition and add the next one, when the rice begins to dry out. Continue cooking in this manner until the stock is used up. When you add the final ladle of stock also add the remaining finely chopped celery stalk and leaves and parsley. Stir well, turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let rest for a few minutes. Then stir in 1/2 the parmesan and the black pepper and taste for salt. Adjust as needed. Serve hot topped with the toasted walnuts and more Parmesan.
Sweet Onion and Parsley Salad
–inspired by Saveur
This is so refreshing a delicious.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
1 small to medium Walla Walla Sweet, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups lightly packed parsley leaves
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers (or brined), rinsed well and drained
¼ cup best olive oil you have
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest from one lemon, finely grated on a micro-plane
Grilled crusty bread, to serve
In a medium bowl, toss together mint, onion, lemon juice and salt and pepper; let sit until onion softens, about 10 minutes. Add parsley, capers, oil and zest, and toss until evenly combined. Serve immediately with grilled or toasted bread.
Green Beans and Potatoes with Basil and Parmesan
Serves 4
4-5 medium firm fleshed potatoes, scrubbed
3/4 lb green beans, trimmed
Salt
3/4 cup basil leaves
2 medium cloves garlic
1/2 – 2/3 cup coarsely grated Parmesan (I use the large holes on a box grater)
1/2 cup good-tasting olive oil
Cook the potatoes in a large pot of salted water until tender but not falling apart. Remove from pot when tender and set on a cutting board to cool. You can cut them in half to speed cooling. When the potatoes are done, add a bit more salt to the water and bring to a rapid boil. Add the green beans and cook for 3 1/2 – 4 minutes, depending on size of beans and your taste. Drain and rinse with cold water or set in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside to dry off a bit.
Mince the garlic and mash it with the side of a chef’s knife like so. In a small bowl mix the garlic paste, basil, Parmesan, olive oil and salt to taste to make the dressing. Toss it with the beans and potatoes and adjust seasoning to taste.
Cucumber and Avocado Salad
–inspired by smittenkitchen.com
I didn’t have parsley but had dill leftover from last week and used it and chives.
There are a many ways to adapt this quick salad. Use plain yogurt instead of mayo or use a vinaigrette instead of the mayo and hot sauce.
Serves 2 -4 depending on what else is being served
1 large cucumber, washed and chopped into chunks
3 tablespoons finely diced Walla Walla Sweet (or 2 scallions or a 3 Tbs chopped chives)
1 large avocado, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Juice of half a lime, plus more to taste
Salt and hot sauce (Sriracha, Tapatio etc. ) to taste
1/3 cup chopped parsley
Combine cucumber, onions and avocado in a bowl. Whisk together mayo, lime, parsley and seasonings, adjusting levels to taste. Drizzle salad with dressing and gently toss.
Fried Tofu with Cucumbers and Green Beans
This is a perfect summer dish when cucumbers are prolific. It’s a nice one-dish meal with minimal fuss.
It serves quite a few so halve the recipe if you’d like. I like to make it with cucumbers and green beans but carrots cut into matchsticks or thin half rounds, briefly cooked, would make a great substitute.
Serves 4, generously
Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
2-3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 jalapeno, minced (seeded if you want it less spicy)
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice or part rice vinegar (more to taste)
1 teaspoon sugar
Salad:
1 12-14-ounce package firm tofu, cut into 3 slabs, pressed and patted dry
Oil for frying
4 cups cooked rice—hot, warm or at room temperature but not cold|
2-3 cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and sliced about 1/4 inch thick on a severe diagonal
2 cups green beans, cooked in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes and cut into 2-inch lengths or 2 cups carrots, thinly sliced and cooked in boiling, salted water until just tender (optional)
1/3 – ½ cup toasted peanuts, roughly chopped
In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients and taste to get a good balance of hot, salty, and sour. Sweeten with sugar if you like. Everything else in this dish is fairly mild/bland, so the sauce should be strong.
Cut each slab of tofu diagonally both ways to form diamonds. Pat the tofu dry again. Heat about 2-3 tablespoons oil in a wok or frying pan and, when it is hot, fry the tofu until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Don’t crowd them or they’ll stick together and cook more slowly.
On a platter or individual plates, place first some rice and then the fried tofu with a drizzle of the sauce. Add the cucumber and carrots or beans, if using, and pour on some more of the sauce and garnish it with the peanuts. Be generous with sauce and pass it at the table as well.
Grilled Summer Squash with Salsa Verde (Italian Parsley Sauce)
Simple, delicious and beautiful on a hot day, any day, really. You can use other summer squash in place of the zucchini if that’s what you have. I began making this dish for my family when I was in high school and it’s remained a standby.
This will make more salsa verde than you need but it’s so good with grilled meats, seafood, eggs, as a sandwich spread. .. you’ll surely find a use for the rest of it.
3 medium zucchini or other summer squash, thinly sliced long-ways into planks about ¼-inch thick or into rounds at a steep angle (as in photo)
Olive oil for brushing squash
1 smallish bunch parsley, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup or more good olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
You can cook the squash one of three ways. You can brush with olive oil and broil on sheet pan, flipping once browned on one side until slightly browned and tender on both sides. You can grill on the barbeque or you can cook in a large heavy skillet on the stovetop in just a touch of olive oil. All work great. The stovetop is probably the fastest. However you cook them, once cooked spread them out on a platter in a single layer if you cut the squash in planks or tossed if you cut them into rounds.
Mix all the salsa verde ingredients together, taste and adjust seasoning. Then drizzle/spread/toss sauce over squash. Let rest for 15 minutes if you can before serving. Serve at room temperature.
Summer Squash with Lentils, Parsley and Bacon
Lentils get overlooked a bit in the summer but I especially love salads with small green lentils in the summer. You can make them ahead of time and then have a robust, room temperature dish for whenever you need it.
Serve 4+
1 cup small French green lentils or other small lentils that keep their shape when cooked
Splash of olive oil
1 Walla Walla Sweet, diced
4 cups summer squash, cut into small chunks –for zucchini I quarter them lengthwise and then cut them into 1/3-inch chunks (more or less depending on how much you need/want to use)
4 slices bacon, diced
2 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar or a combination (or more to taste)
2 small-ish garlic cloves, crushed and then minced
3 (or more) tablespoons good olive oil
Sea salt and pepper (to taste)
1/3 cup chopped parsley
Cook the lentils until tender, about 15-20 minutes (this will vary depending on the kind of lentil you have). You want them to be tender but keep their shape so check frequently.
Drain them and immediately toss them with the vinegar, garlic and olive oil. Set aside.
In the largest skillet you have, heat a splash of olive oil over high heat and add the bacon and onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. You want the onion softened and bacon rendered but not crisp. Remove the onions and bacon from skillet and add to lentils.
Add another splash of olive oil and the summer squash and a few generous pinches of salt. Cook the squash over high heat for about 7-8 minutes until browned and beginning to soften.
Add the warm squash to the lentils along with the chopped parsley and the additional olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and/or vinegar.