Spicy Pickled Corn

I'm just starting to get into pickling. I've been drawn to a number of recipes that involve pickling recently. I'm fascinated by the process of preserving fresh produce in this method.

At this time of year it's all about preserving the good produce. Recently, our supermarket had Brentwood corn 6 for $1. Incredible. We picked up six ears and had two for dinner. I dog-eared this recipe in a recent Bon App magazine and gave it a try as way to use up the other four ears of corn. The photo in the magazine was gorgeous and it captured my curiosity.

I made 3 jars. I put up two and one was not filled enough to store so I stuck it in the fridge and figured out how to use it up. I have added the spicy corn to salads, omelettes, and stir fries with good success. It packs a spicy punch so be aware of the heat as you work with it.

I doubled this recipe:

Spicy Pickled Corn

In a large bowl, combine:

• 2 small red dried chilies
• 1 seeded thinly sliced jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 thinly sliced medium red onion
• 2 ears corn kernels cut off of cooked corn cobs (a few minutes in boiling salted water)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Brine

• 1/2 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 cup water

Bring brine to a boil. Pack sterile jars with corn mixture. Pour brine over the corn mixture to fill the jar (I ended up doubling the already doubled brine mixture). Put the lids on the jars and put them in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Or else stick jars in the fridge and use up the contents within a few weeks.

Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta

We were attending a dinner party and we had committed to bringing an appetizer. The theme of the dinner party was a celebration of the end of summer produce. As the date drew closer, we still had not decided on our appetizer. Finally, we decided on making a tomato bruschetta using some backyard tomatoes and CSA box heirloom tomatoes.

But while looking at recipes online, I found this Vegetarian Times recipe so I went for a double bruschetta appetizer. The traditional tomato bruschetta was well received but did not get the raves that this one did.

Serve this during the height of summer or, as we did, in late summer as a reminder of the fresh produce available to us as the days get shorter.

I doubled this recipe:

Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta

• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 2 avocados, pitted and cubed
• bread, sliced

Combine lemon juice, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, oregano, and black pepper in a bowl. Whisk in the oil, then add cilantro and parsley. Fold in avocado cubes. Stir to mix. Spoon avocado mixture onto bread slices (toasting is an option) and serve. Serves 6.

To save time, make the sauce ahead of time but cut the avocados at the last minute.

Limoncello Vinaigrette

Awhile ago, I started to experiment with making some homemade limoncello. After a few experiments, I had a 750 ml. bottle plus a ton of jars of it in the pantry. It's a recipe I still need to get back to and continue to perfect. But that's a lot of limoncello for the occasional "digestivo." I had more than a lifetime supply.  So I have been looking for alternative uses for all of my limoncello.

I tried a limoncello and tonic on a hot, summer day and it was pretty good. But I needed more ideas.

Then, I found this recipe online for a limoncello vinaigrette and thought this might be a good way to make a dent in the limoncello.

I used it for the first time on a recent dinner. We had some beautiful heirloom tomatoes from our box and some mozzarella cheese. I sliced up the tomatoes and topped them with slices of mozzarella. I added some backyard basil chiffonade and a drizzle of the limoncello vinaigrette on top.

On another night, we had an eggplant so I sliced it, tossed it with some olive oil, and roasted them on the barbecue. As they cooked, I brushed the slices with the vinaigrette with excellent results.

Most recently, I marinated some shrimp in the vinaigrette. I went on to cook them in the skillet for a tasty, weeknight pasta dish. Carnivores can try it with chicken.

Here is another idea:
Mario Batali's Grilled Lobsters with Limoncello Vinaigrette

It's a tasty and versatile vinaigrette with lots of possibilities.

Limoncello Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup limoncello
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard (original recipe called for 1 1/5 but 2 or more for me)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I went a little more than that)
• 1/2 extra virgin olive oil
• freshly cracked black pepper
• Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix. Keeps for a week or so.

Nectarine Carpaccio with Basil

We were paging through a recent Vegetarian Times when this recipe caught our eye. We had received some nectarines in our box and we got a few more at our local farmer's market just because it's that time of year.

I was also able to use some just-picked basil leaves from my backyard in this one.

We were having some friends over and we thought this would make a great appetizer.

It comes from Chef Eric Lechausseur, executive chef of Seed Kitchen in Venice, CA. In the write up, he describes how he likes the mixture of fruit and herb because "the nectarine's acidity combines with the freshness of basil for a wonderful flavor."

The ingredients are pretty simple:

• nectarines
• basil leaves
• lemon
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Here's how it works:

You want to start with nectarines that are neither too ripe or not ripe enough. Place the washed nectarine on a cutting board with the "crease" facing you. That way the pit is lined up to give you the maximum number of slices.

Slice off a bit of the peel from the right side to get the slicing started.

Start cutting thin slices.

When you run into the pit, turn the nectarine around and repeat the above on the other side.

You will have a small leftover section on either side. That's your reward for being the cook.

Arrange overlapping nectarine slices on a platter. In a bowl, combine the juice of half of a juicy lemon, just under 1/3 cup high quality olive oil, a generous dash of salt, and a good amount of cracked black pepper.
Get enough basil leaves for the number of nectarine slices you have. You will actually want small to medium sized leaves. Drizzle the dressing over the nectarine/basil slices

Serve out in the backyard enjoying the long days of June and the beginning of summer. We served it with a Viognier which worked well with this dish. We decided this was a keeper.

Alice's Carrots

One of the staple items we get in the box is carrots. Bunches of Nantes carrots to be exact. Normally, I would peel and chop one or two raw carrots to add to a salad. Despite our best efforts, there were some weeks when we did not fully utilize the carrots.

While talking to some friends who also get the same CSA box, they said their "go to" recipe for carrots is the glazed carrots recipe (page 298) from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. Since hearing about this, I've made this a handful of times and it's a keeper.

As Alice says, "it's more of a technique than a recipe."

It's deceptively simple and it makes an easy side dish.

It goes like this:

• Peel the carrots (however many you need to feed). If the carrots are fairly thick, you can halve them.
• Put the carrots in a pan and add water to come up about halfway up the carrots. Use a pan big enough to allow you to keep all of the carrots in a single layer.
• Add a good pinch of salt and a pat of butter.
• A few cracks of fresh pepper is always good.
• Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to a simmer.
• Cover the pan and simmer until water evaporates.
• As the water level gets low, shake the pan to distribute the buttery glaze over the carrots.
• I like to let the butter brown the carrots a bit in the pan.
• Prior to serving, you can add some chopped herbs. Parsley, chives, and basil would work.

In the Garden: May 2013

I have one little spot yet to fill but most of the garden is now in the ground.

This year's crop includes:

• 1 San Marzano Roma tomato
• 2 Roma tomato
• 2 Martino Roma Heirloom
• 1 tomatillo
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 green bean
• 8 basil
• 6 kale
• 1 Alpine strawberry
• 1 regular strawberry

I am hoping I get to try my hand at making salsa verde with the tomatillo and jalapeno.

Of course, lots of basil to hopefully make lots of pesto to freeze to use throughout the year.

And then some of the usual suspects for a summer garden. No lettuce this year, since we get a steady supply from the CSA box. Same for the summer squash. 

Nearby, the apricot tree is doing well. The apricots are closing in on their full size but they are still green. We got it trimmed earlier this year and we were told that the trim might cause a smaller crop but that doesn't seem to be the case.  It's still a big tree (despite being advertised as a dwarf) and it because of that it tends to shadow one end of one of the beds. Last year, the zucchini was in that shady spot and I got one zucchini out of it. This year, I put the Alpine strawberry in a pot in the shady spot so I can move into full sun if I need to.

Bok Choy and Tofu Noodle Bowl

Bok choy, or Chinese cabbage, has never been too high on the list of veggies that we just love to eat. But we tend to get waves of it in our box and I try to figure out tasty ways to use it up. So I've been trying different recipes that make the most of our bok choy and here's where I currently stand.

This recipe was inspired by a Sunset magazine recipe that caught my eye. The first time I made it, though, I wrote down a number of improvements to upgrade the recipe. So what follows is my current version of the recipe after making it a handful of times.

It's becoming our "go to" recipe for bok choy and it's a great weeknight Asian noodle bowl experience.

Bok Choy and Tofu Noodle Bowl

Ingredients: (Serves 2- 4)

• 2 pkg. Udon noodles - or substitute another Asian noodle
• 1 pkg. baked flavored tofu - there are many to choose from
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic - minced
• 4-5 baby bok choy - coarsely chopped
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
• 2 green onions, trimmed and chopped
• Ginger powder - a few shakes - or use 1 tbsp. of the real thing, minced
• cooking oil

Directions:

Clean the bok choy. There are lots of places in bok choy for dirt and small critters so give it a thorough washing. Coarsely chop discarding the bases.

Cut the tofu into rectangles.

In a bowl, combine the broth, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and Sririacha. Stir to mix.

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the udon noodles. Now, I got packaged udon noodle in the refrigerated section of my grocery store. Even though I picked up the "original" flavor package, it still came with the seasoning envelope. These things are scary. The first two ingredients are sugar and salt. And then there's a whole host of ingredients that breaks the Michael Pollan rule to not eat stuff your grandmother would not recognize. Instead cook the noodles in a water/broth mix and toss in some soy sauce and/or Sriracha to give the noodles some flavor. Cook the noodles for a few minutes and drain in a colander.

While the water comes to a boil, chop those green onions.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the cooking oil. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute. Add the ginger, bok choy, and tofu and cook for a few minutes. Add the broth mixture and cook until heated.

Divide the noodles among the bowls. Add the bok choy/tofu mixture. Spoon in the sauce from the skillet or wok. Sprinkle green onions on top and serve.