Early Summer Offerings

Evanston Farmers Market June 27th.

Salad of Sugar Snap Peas, Radish and Ricotta Salata

There's a chef's booth at the Evanston farmer's market where each week a chef demonstrates a recipe made of a seasonal ingredients. This week it was this salad made of snap peas and radishes - both very abundant at this week's market. I tried a little sample and was pleased with the crunch and the bright dressing.

Most notable about this salad is that the snap peas are sliced on the bias. They break apart into little ovals and release some of the little peas inside making the snap pea nearly unrecognizable but very interesting looking. The radishes are sliced thin too, so the salad is somewhat labor intensive. If you want to make it for a large group of people, be prepared to be slicing for a while.

The chef at the market (whose name I don't remember (sorry!)) said you could use any salty crumbly cheese. She had used queso fresco (Jeanette! I'm thinking of you) instead of ricotta salata and it was delish. When I made it at home I used feta because I had some to use up. That was also good. You could also use a farmer's cheese and of course the ricotta salata. All are crumbly, salty and very fresh pressed cheeses.

The other thing about this recipe is that it calls for balsamic vinegar. The chef at the market had used champagne vinegar. When I made it at home I went for white balsamic (my fave) I could see using cider vinegar too. You want something with a hint of sweetness, I think.

The main thing is to make this salad now, while its major ingredients are at their peak.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Radishes, Mint and Ricotta Salata


3/4 cup sliced radishes
4 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced (about 1 1/4 cups)
4 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn (about 1/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch kosher salt, more to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

1. In a large bowl, toss together the radishes, peas, ricotta and mint.

2. Using a knife or a mortar and pestle, make a paste of the garlic and salt. Place in a small bowl and add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and stir well to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil, stirring constantly, and add pepper to taste.

3. Pour dressing over salad (I didn't use all the dressing) and toss well to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Yield: 4 servings.

Spring on a Plate

This one is as much for my benefit than for yours. I clipped this from the Food Section of one of our local papers, either the Trib or the Times, I can't remember anymore. It is from a couple weeks ago. Chances are highly likely that I will lose this clipping, as I do all clippings. So I figured it would be a good idea to type it in here so I have it for posterity. It's a really good recipe. Restaurant quality in taste and appearance, but easy to execute.

The reason I say restaurant quality is that I've had dishes like this in restaurants before. Chefs being seasonal and and playing off the pink of salmon and green of peas. It a classic combo: salmon, peas, mint, bacon. It all goes together to create beauty and goodness. Everything is light, but then you get a little taste of bacon for richness and a hit of smoky/salty/chewy to make you want another bite. The recipe calls for sugar snaps but I used both those and regular frozen peas. It is adapted from the book Olives and Oranges; which is a delightful name for a cookbook, isn't it?

Salmon with Sugar Snap Peas and Bacon

6 servings (I played around with the proportions when I did this. Used 3/4 lb. salmon for two and 1 slice of bacon) The rest I just eyeballed. If you don't like mint, I think tarragon would work well too.

2 lbs. salmon fillets

1/2 t sea salt

coarsely ground pepper

2 T olive oil

3 slices, thick-cut bacon, cut into slivers

1/2 onion, minced (make sure to keep it small here, you don't want big pieces of onion)

1/2 c water or white wine

1 lb. sugar snaps, trimmed (I used about 1/2 c sugar snaps, and 1/2 cup frozen peas)

1 T unsalted butter

1/4 c chopped fresh mint

Place salmon skin side up on a foil-covered baking sheet. Brush skin with oil, season with 1/4 t salt and pepper to taste.

Place bacon in large skillet, cook, stirring over med. heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to paper-towel lined plate. Add onion to skillet, cook over med. heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add water, increase heat to high. Heat to a simmer; cook 2 minutes. Add peas and remaining 1/4 t salt. Cook until peas are tender and water has evaporated, about 5 mintes. Add butter and mint, stir. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat broiler, broil fish until skin is crispy and fresh is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plates. Spoon peas and bacon of fish.

(Note: I cooked the fish using the sear and roast method. Basically searing on top of the stove, flipping and finishing in a preheated 400+ oven.) I don't like to broil. I think direct contact with the hot pan gives a much better finish to your meat or fish.

Spicy Shrimp with Ginger-Garlic Long Beans

From wikipedia: "The yardlong bean is also known as the long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean." Contrary to the description, the long beans I buy are usually only a foot-long. They can be found at markets specializing in asian produce. I'm lucky to have one of these down the block from my house. (You can find them at Fresh Farms on Touhy too.) These beans may look exotic, but in flavor they're really just like a slender green bean. Fine Cooking (issue 99) recently had a recipe using them and I was excited to give it a try. The spicy shrimp and long bean dish is incredibly simple to put together. The beans are cut into 4 inch pieces so they are easier to toss in the pan and eat. We really liked it this dish. The sauce is simple and light. The mirin gives it some sweetness which compliments the shrimp. I could see adding another veg to the beans, maybe some shiitake mushrooms or some fine-cut strips of red bell pepper, or better yet, a red chile.

Evanston Farmers Market - Late spring

It's hard to take pictures of the bounty when my arms are burdened with bags. I'll try to do better next week. The market was gorgeous today. Strawberries were the star. But spring is about green, so the best deals to be had were greens, lettuces, asparagus, onions, radishes and other cool weather crops. I love how the market changes color as the season progresses. Next will come the blues, purples and reds of berry season, followed by the red and yellow of late summer (tomatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini) and last the oranges of late fall. It's not that clear cut, one fades into the next.

Stir-fried veggies

Lately this has been my go-to recipe when I can't get to the market or fail to take out anything from the freezer to defrost. Basically I'll just go through the veggie drawer, gather up what I've got and toss it up into a stir-fry. You can use any vegetables + thin-sliced green onion, and minced garlic and ginger to taste.

My basic sauce is:

1/4 cup cool chicken broth or water
1 tsp. corn starch disolved in the broth or water
2 tsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. chile paste with garlic
1/2 tsp. sugar

In a small bowl, disolve corn starch in first, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Reserve until the end stir-frying.

I'm figuring everyone here can stir-fry so I'm not going to go through that part of it but I'd be glad to help if you need a run through on the method, just drop me a line.

Frittata

This is my second post on frittata I won't talk much. But I wanted to post about it again because I really like this recipe from Marcella Hazan . If you look at frittata recipes, you'll find they often call for a 10-12 eggs which is crazy if you're cooking for two. This one only uses 5 eggs and I usually eliminate one of the yolks (two, if Steve isn't looking.) It theoretically serves 4-6 (maybe as an appetizer?) But it is not uncommon for the two us to eat the whole thing.

My frittata is comprised of grilled zucchini, roasted red bell peppers and goat cheese (some basil for garnish.) You can use any combination of vegetables that you think will work well together. Vegetables are best precooked before going in the frittata. Even if you just saute them a bit in olive oil, or blanch them. This is a also great way to use up leftover grilled vegetables, a small nugget of cheese, or a little ham or bacon. And the flavor fresh herbs will really shine here. Think of what you like and what you have on hand and be creative. Great for a light lunch or dinner.

*Best cooked in an 8-inch pan. I used a 10-inch here and it's a little thin for my liking.

Thai Green Curry with Seafood

My husband and I love any sort of spicy seafood soup . So when I saw this in the May issue of Bon Appetit, it went right in the must try stack. What also appealed to me is that this curry is a one bowl meal. Bok choy and carrots are also included in the mix. I used mussels, shrimp and bay scallops (the little ones.) And I halved the recipe. And since I only needed enough seafood for two, it wasn't very expensive to put together. (The kids got pancakes. I knew there was not a chance they'd eat this) This curry is delicious, warm and spicy, and as a bonus it will clear your sinuses! I served ours with a side of brown rice.