I went to the Farmer’s Market in Columbia City and got some goodies.
Kale, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, and a green bell pepper. Tonight for supper it’s going to be gazpacho, zucchini fritters, and crispy kale.
I was pretty skeptical of this the first time I tried it. I didn’t believe kale would actually get crispy in the oven. All you do is toss kale with a little oil and salt and bake it for about 20 minutes. It comes out a crispy delicious bite. I’ve never tried it, but I think adding a pinch of powdered garlic, seasoned salt, or cayenne would be tasty.
Most zucchini recipes I’m pretty indifferent to. Zucchini bread, grilled zucchini, zucchini sauteed with bacon and onions with melted cheese are all ok, but to me they’re just a way to use up the endlessly proliferate vegetable. These zucchini fritters on the other hand are wonderful to eat. A crunchy crust, and the zucchini in the middle can only be descibed as creamy. Just delicious.
It hit a 104 degrees here today, a perfect day for cold soup.
Gazpacho. Easy to make, you can do it ahead and it will keep for days, and deliciously light and bright to eat. We like this chunky recipe.
6 side dish servings
1 1/2 pound tomatoes, seeded and chopped.
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar (more or less, depending on how acid your tomatoes are)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (more or less to taste)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
Stir well
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired
Refrigerate several hours before serving
Makes about 6 hamburger sized fritters.
From Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything.”
2 pounds zucchini
1 or 2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup bread crumbs, plus more for dredging
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (no, you cannot use the stuff in the green can!)
1/4 cup minced fresh basil or oregano (or a teaspoon of dried)
salt and pepper
oil for frying
Finely grate the zucchini.
Combine zucchini, egg, onion, bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and herb. Shape into patties. You may need to add more bread crumbs or the second egg to make it hold together. Thick patties will be creamy in the middle after cooking, thin patties will be crispier.
Refrigerate the patties for an hour or more before cooking to firm them up.
The patties will give off lots of liquid, you’ll want to drain them a time or two while they refrigerate.
When ready to fry, dredge the patties in bread crumbs or flour.
Pan-fry in hot oil, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides.
Enough for a generous appetizer for two
1/2 pound kale, leaves broken into 2 inch pieces. Discard the stems.
1/4 t salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Wash and dry kale
Toss kale in a bowl with the olive oil and salt
Place on a wire rack on a cookie sheet in a single layer
Bake without disturbing for 20 to 25 minutes
The leaves should remain dark green, if they’re turning brown they’ll get bitter.
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