Zucchini tomato strata

Italian zucchini tomato strata

Adapted from “Betty Crocker: The Smart Dinner” as printed in today's Variety section under the "Sunday Supper" spot. It's a good choice for this time of year, since you're likely to have these ingredients on hand.

Ingredients

6 cups 1-inch cubes of stale bread

1½ cups shredded cheese, divided (the recipe called for Italian, but I used what I had, which was a mix of Gouda, Parmesan and a savory-onion variety from the Wisconsin cheese guy at the market)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups chopped zucchini

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

5 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon salt, divided

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Method

If baking immediately, preheat oven to 325.

Grease an 9-by-13 pan. (I confess I forgot this step, but I somehow got by with it and it came out fine and didn't leave a mess in the pan.) Place bread cubes across the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top of bread.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook garlic until fragrant. Add onion and cook until just starting to soften. Add zucchini and tomatoes and cook about 3 minutes more. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread mixture over top of cheese layer in the pan.

Mix eggs, yolks, milk, Sriracha, oregano, basil, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Pour over vegetable layer. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

At this point the strata can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Or bake immediately, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes until set, golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out cleanish. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving. (If you're preparing it advance, I'd let the pan come up closer to room temperature before baking, and/or allow a longer baking time.)

Rating: Really rather tasty. I had only tried this recipe because I had a ready supply of tomatoes (finally!), some zucchini that was otherwise going to wind up as compost before too long, and a whole gob of bread cubes in the freezer, since this is the time of year it doesn’t last long on the counter before going bad and freezing bread cubes is my way of buying time. My expectations for some reason weren’t high, and this far exceeded them, once again proving the marvelous versatility of a strata as a tasty way to use up odds and ends. A perfectly nice summer-flavored meal that’s as hearty as any meat dish. Worth repeating anytime you're faced with the same ingredients.

As for servings, it makes either 6 really generous pieces or 8 more reasonable servings, so it sort of depends on what you're serving on the side.

Garlic scape pesto pasta and garlic brie toasts

Garlic festival is this weekend in Hutchinson, home to everything from black garlic to garlic ice cream. Clearly, it's time to get your garlic on.

These recipes use garlic at two stages: garlic scapes and fresh bulbs. Growers cut the tops off garlic plants in early summer so the bulbs don't waste energy flowering and concentrate on bulb production; the result is garlic scapes. They look like a lighter green, solid green onion and you can find them at farmers markets or some coops in season. They have less bite than garlic bulbs, but lots of garlic flavor and are fun to experiment with.


Garlic scape pesto pasta
From  epicurious.com

Ingredients
10 large garlic scapes
1/3 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound cooked pasta

Method
In a food processor, puree garlic scapes, pistachios, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in olive oil while motor is running and mix until emulsified. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Toss with al dente pasta. Sauce can be made ahead.

Rating: A very bright, flavorful pesto. The garlic flavor is noticeable, but much more muted and less harsh than mature garlic cloves. Would make a lovely pesto for a crostini appetizer with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.

Speaking of appetizers, these are delightful:



Garlic brie toasts
A friend made us this appetizer to serve along with gin and tonics. She said we were the guinea pigs for it, and we were very willing. Not sure who to credit for the original idea because I believe a cookbook was involved, but if I find out, I'll pass it along.

Ingredients
22 slices of baguette
8 really large garlic cloves, the fresher the better
8-ounce round of brie

Method
Slice garlic as thinly as possible. This is where the bigger garlic cloves really help, since it's easier to slice big cloves with a mandoline (or a knife) than it is the teensy ones. Cover bread slices with the slivers of garlic.

Slice brie thinly and place over garlic. Broil until brie is bubbly and turning golden.You want to leave them in long enough so the garlic gets cooked a bit but before the brie tries to melt off the bread.

Rating: Sometimes simplicity is stupendous. These are sublime when made with the first fresh garlic of the season. Our friends used garlic they'd just harvested from their garden and we used some from the farmers market. They were good even without the gin and tonics, although perhaps not quite as relaxing. (Thanks again, Sonja and Bernie.)

Pickled shallot, candied pecan green salad with maple-porcini dressing

This salad could be a good wintertime salad, but the pickled shallot and maple dressing works well as a contrast to summer's grilled fare. Note that you'll want to start this recipe a bit in advance, so maybe pull it out on a weekend instead of a weeknight.

Greens with birch-mushroom dressing, fried pecans and pickled shallots
Adapted from "The New Midwestern Table" by Amy Thielen

Ingredients
2 small shallots, thinly sliced horizontally
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
2 cups boiling water
Small handful dried mushrooms such as porcini
1 tablespoon butter, plus a touch more
¼ cup pecans

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons maple syrup (or the original held out the possibility of the more exotic birch)

8 ounces mixed salad greens

½ cup shaved pecorino cheese

Method

Combine ¼ cup sugar with lime juice, shallots, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Let stand for at least 30 minutes.

Pour boiling water over mushrooms in a small bowl. Let cool, then squeeze dry and chop finely.

Lightly butter a small plate. In a small saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon sugar until it becomes liquid and browns. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and the pecans and toss to coat. Remove from heat and pour caramelized pecans out onto the buttered plate to cool.

In a small sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook briefly until it sizzles. Add in sherry. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix in remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Strain shallots. In a large serving bowl, toss mixed greens with maple-mushroom dressing, shallots, pecans and pecorino.

Rating: Tangy-sweet with the pickled shallots tart against the candied pecans. (We only had chopped pecans on hand, which worked, but I suspect whole pecans would be better.) Certainly repeatable. 

Blueberry coffeecake scones

Yes, it's still blueberry season. Lots of pressure not to waste the glorious deep blue gems. And yes, I know I could just freeze them. But if I turn them into something tasty already formed in the freezer, it's a double win.

This is one of my standby blueberry recipes and makes a lovely Sunday breakfast with a nice pot of tea. They don't really need butter or lemon curd since they have the crumb cake topping and have a coffeecake-like texture. They take a little longer to mix up and bake than regular scones, but they're worth a bit of fuss and muss.

Blueberry coffeecake scones
From "Simply Scones," by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright. There's a reason this delightful little book is still in print. I bought mine in the late 1980s and have been happily turning to it ever since. It covers the range from sweet to savory and once you've got the variations down, you can experiment on your own.

Ingredients

2¼ cups flour

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold butter, cut into small chunks

2 eggs

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon lemon zest

1½ cups blueberries (if you have to use frozen, thaw and drain them well first)

Crumb topping

Method

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or fork.

Combine eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix into flour mixture. Yes, it’s sticky. Fold in lemon zest and blueberries. Now it’s even stickier.

Transfer dough to baking sheet, patting into a 9-inch circle with lightly floured hands. Cut into 8 wedges using serrated knife or baking scraper, but leave in a circle.

Top with crumb topping, pressing mixture into the top of the scones. At this point things look pretty shaggy, but they come around in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Crumb topping

Mix ¾ cup flour, ¼ cup packed light brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add ¼ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces. Mix in with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Harvesting last year's tomatoes this year

Last fall, one of the herb pots we brought in to overwinter had a small volunteer tomato that had yet to blossom. We kind of ignored it, and while we watered the pot, we eventually forgot about the tomato and figured it had just withered and died in the cold, not-too-well-lit basement.

Then come spring when we tried taking the herb pot back out to the patio, we realized the volunteer tomato hadn't died, it had just gotten really tall and scraggly and wrapped itself around the plant light, poor thing.

We unraveled it, stuck the pot back outside and figured the shock of relocation would finally do in the plant and then we'd yank it out. Nope. It still looks pathetic and is using a sturdy basil plant as support, but we just harvested two little red tomatoes from it. I love food with a backstory.

Also fun in this year's garden: purple peas. Sure, they're the same green color inside, but they look pretty on the vines, have pretty purple blossoms and are easier to harvest because they standout against the green vines.

Roasted potato salad, cucumber cilantro salad, dilly beans

I do so love picnics, and this was a lovely day for one. We found a nice shaded spot far away enough from the trail to be reasonably civilized. Just wish those concrete picnic tables were more comfortable for napping afterward.

Roasted potato salad with sour cream and shallots
Adapted from Saveur. Note that you'll want to make this shortly before serving. I finished right before we lit out for our picnic.

Ingredients
2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered or cut into eighth depending on size (you're looking for bite-size pieces)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, some coarse salt and pepper. Roast until golden and tender, stirring about half way through, 25-35 minutes depending on your oven (I did 25 minutes on convection setting). Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile in remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil sprinkled with some salt, cook shallots over low heat until softened. Add garlic and cook another minute or two. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix sour cream, mustard and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well. Toss with slightly cooled potatoes. Mix in fresh parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Rating: I liked roasted potatoes, and I like nearly all potato salads, and this is the logical outcome of blending the two. Nicely deepened flavors on the potatoes, and the sour cream dressing works. Might be interesting to try it with an different herb such as dill or tarragon. Very easy to fix and viable repeater. Very nice change of pace from those cubes drenched in yellowy cream sauce found in tubs in some grocery stores. Serves maybe 4ish.

 

Cucumber salad with red onion and cilantro
Inspired by a couple of recipes, including this one from Laylita.com, which I was congratulating myself on still being able to read it all these years past college Spanish, and this one from thefoodcharlatan.com.

Ingredients
3 small cucumbers, very thinly sliced (mandolin thin)

½ small onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

¼ teaspoon cumin

 
Method
Combine cucumbers and onion in a bowl. Combine olive oil, lime juice, cilantro and cumin in a small bowl. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with cucumber mixture and chill unless serving immediately.

Rating: Refreshing counterpoint to the creamy potato salad. Comes together very quickly, and it's a good picnic candidate since the ingredients won't spoil quickly. Probably serves about 3.



Dilly beans
Adapted from "Put 'Em Up," by Sherri Brooks Vinton

Ingredients
1 pound green beans, ends snapped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tablespoons dill weed
½ tablespoon dill seed
12 black peppercorns
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon salt

Method
Blanch beans for 1 minute in boiling water. Put in an ice bath to stop cooking or else stash them temporarily the freezer. Drain well. Pack beans vertically into two pint canning jars. Divide garlic, dill weed and seed and peppercorns among the jars.

Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over beans and top with canning lids. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: In the original recipe you skip the blanching, use hot sterilized jars and process the sealed jars in a hot water bath. I've modified some of the ingredients from the original, so don't try to make it and process it in a water bath, since the proportions have been altered and it's always best to do any actual canning with a recipe exactly as written since it's been tested for food safety.  Since I just had a small amount of beans left on hand (not the 4 pounds the original recipe called for), I was just opting for a quick refrigerator pickling route.

Rating: A good use of green beans when you've got a lot to use up and want to make something that will keep for a bit. A nice spot of crunch. Satisfies the all-important pickle/relish component on the picnic plate.




We rounded out the meal with some fresh berries. Still need that nap.

Blueberry margarita and 5 other delightful uses for blueberries

 

It's blueberry season, and this year I have what passes for a bumper crop in my yard: Three small bowlfuls so far, with more coming ripe. That plus the fabulous bounty from Hazelwood Creek Farm available at the farmers market makes me happy to be in a blue mood.

Midnight Blue Margarita

From drinkoftheweek.com

Ingredients

1½ ounces tequila

½ ounce blue curacao

¾ ounce blueberry syrup*

½ ounce lemon juice

Blueberries for garnish, optional

Method

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with blueberries if desired.

*For blueberry syrup, combine ½ cup water, ½ cup sugar and ½ cup blueberries in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool, then strain out blueberries.

Rating: You definitely taste the blueberries -- and the tequila. Not that it's a bad thing. Always better to be reminded of why you shouldn't have a second one even though you might be tempted because the first one goes down so easily.

Five other ways I'll be using up the bounty:
 

Blueberry bran muffins, very scarfable:

Whole wheat blueberry scones

Blueberry cream cheese ice cream
















Blueberry turnovers




Blueberry cream cheese baked French toast