DEBORAH CROMBIE: Help! Saturday is farmer's market day here and I just go bonkers. I can't seem to help myself. No matter how good my resolutions, once I get there and see all the produce displayed in the stalls, I will buy it until I can't carry any more. Every week as I struggle back to the car I swear I'm going to buy one of those collapsible wagons that I see other people using, but then I promise I won't buy so much the next time...Here's SOME of today's haul, and I still have cukes, peaches, and zucchini left from last week.
And what about the okra? The last time I made fried okra I swore I wouldn't do it again anytime soon--it's just too much trouble. (The secret is egg, then flour, then cornmeal, but ugh, you end up with a whole kitchen covered in sticky, floury mess.) I'm contemplating gumbo, but that may fall by the weekday wayside. I'd love some other okra suggestions.
One thing I don't need any help with is these babies--
Little Shishito peppers. Usually I toss them in a scorching hot, dry non-stick skillet with a little flaky salt until they start to blister, then serve with aioli spiced up with some Spanish smoked paprika. Yum! And the hubby doesn't eat them, so all the more for me.
Tonight, however, I'm going to throw them in the grill basket. We're cooking some fancy cheddar/jalepeno burger patties from the local butcher, with some fresh corn.
So REDS and readers, whatcha cookin'? And please share your favorite end-of-summer recipes!
Wow . . . there’s some yummy stuff there, Debs . . . . Despite the mess, I’d make fried okra because, yum.
ReplyDeleteWhat am I cooking? The onions and peppers are going into the chicken lasagna, the blueberries will become blueberry pot pie, and best of all, the apples will get shredded and added to the batter for the apple cider donut cake.
Here’s the recipe for the blueberry pot pie . . . .
Make sweet dumplings . . . .
Mix together to make a soft dough:
1-1/2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
In a Dutch oven or other large pot with a lid, mix together and cook until it just comes to a boil:
3 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
Drop dumpling dough by spoonfuls over the berries
Cook 10 minutes, then cover the pot and cook another 10 minutes without removing the lid
Serve warm
If you like, top the berry pot pie with hard sauce or whipped cream or even some ice cream . . . .
sounds lovely Joan. Now I need the apple cider donut cake recipe!
DeleteThe apple cider donut cake recipe is actually a slightly tweaked version of a Betty Crocker recipe, so it starts out with a box of cake mix . . . .
DeleteApple Cider Donut Cake
In a large mixer bowl combine
1 box super moist yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding [can be sugar free if you like]
1 tablespoon powdered milk crystals [dry]
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Beat on medium speed for two minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
Peel, core, and shred two apples. Stir into the batter.
Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan [I use Baking Pam]
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tester [or toothpick] inserted in center comes out clean.
Let stand for 20 minutes, use spatula to loosen cake if necessary; turn out onto cooling rack sitting over a piece of waxed paper.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter; mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Brush top and sides of cake with melted butter; press 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture up side and top of cake with hand. Let stand for 20 minutes; repeat using remaining cinnamon mixture.
Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Joan, yum!
DeleteThe blueberries sound so easy, Joan, and really easy.
DeleteThe pot pie is very easy, Debs, and delicious. The recipe came from the side of a blueberry box that years ago we would buy at the blueberry farm . . . .
DeleteYummy! I love okra cooked with onions, garlic, and tomato to cut the slime. A hot pepper wouldn't be remiss in the mix.
ReplyDeleteI would (and will this afternoon) cut those cherry tomatoes (although mine are gold) in half, 1/2-inch cube the cuke, add small cubes of feta and pitted Kalamata olives, sprinkle on fresh oregano leaves, and drizzle with olive oil - Greek salad at it's best.
I was thinking of a salad, too, but instead of olives, I'd use tiny cubes of watermelon, and maybe some red onion, and instead of oregano I'd use basil.
DeleteLove the Greek salad, Edith. Hope I can get some feta at the store today. They were out last week. And love a watermelon salad with feta, red onion, and arugula.
DeleteOoh, arugula! What a great addition, Debs.
DeleteI'll put arugula on anything:-) But it is wonderful in the watermelon salad.
DeleteLOL Debs, a support group. There are worse addictions than veggies. I will go on the computer in a few minutes and link my 2 favorite, decadent chocolate chip zucchini bread & cake recipes. When it comes to vegetable recipes, your old Moosewood Cookbook should have some suggestions. Half the soups I make are from that old cookbook.
ReplyDeleteJoan, love your blueberry recipe. I'll try it soon. Great that it takes 3 cups of berries instead of 6 or 8.
For the okra and peppers--this is a little fussy to make but it makes so much you can freeze for a rainy day. https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2012/09/screw-roux-stew-from-lucy-burdette.html. and yes, yesterday I made vegetable beef soup with carrots, celery, sweet potato, corn, green beans, limas, and about 16 small tomatoes whirred in the food processor.
ReplyDeleteLucy, I'm off to buy leeks for cock-a-leekie soup;-))
DeleteSO funny! screw roux soup! xxx
DeleteLOVE the screw roux soup!! I'm definitely making that this week, sans the peppers.
DeleteOh Debs, we haven't been to our public market in two summers now, just not taking chances. But we do have a small stand where they require masks and distancing. Julie gets what we need there. Right now we are pigging out on corn and tomatoes. We really like yellow tomatoes, sweeter, less acidic. I called around to find plants this spring and no one had the Sungolds that I really wanted. But someone had nine plants, varied between cherry and regular size fruit. I said I'd take them, not realizing how many tomatoes nine plants would produce! And all the cherries have turnout to be red. Oh well. Those are good too.
ReplyDeleteYellow tomatoes aren't for canning or making sauce, just not right for that. So, like the zucchini farmers, people are starting to pull the blinds when they see me coming! We have more than we can use. And I'm eating them three times a day plus snacks!
As for okra, I don't mind the slime. My favorite way is steamed whole with butter. I could eat an unlimited amount that way. Or you could do a gumbo maybe? Not sure if your other half eats things like oysters and shrimp and andouille sausage, but he should! Maybe you could make it with chicken. Or tell him the oysters and shrimp are chicken. That works for me.
I was thinking of doing a shrimp gumbo with okra, Ann, but I don't have any andouille. All the recipes say you can't make gumbo without it, but, hey, I can just not call it gumbo...
DeleteI will definitely eat the okra just steamed with butter. Yum. Don't know about Rick, though.
I'm masking up for the market again now, but it's all open so hopefully okay.
Here is the link to Sally's Baking Addiction Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake. I've made it a dozen times and it never disappoints. It uses 3 cups of grated zucchini, untraceable in the cake.
ReplyDeletehttps://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chocolate-zucchini-cake/
And here is the link for King Arthur's Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread which I have also made many times, substituting maple syrup for the honey, because of my allergy.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/double-chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipe
Both of these recipes freeze really well! If you go to either website, you can access dozens of zucchini recipes including a recent KAF one for sour dough zucchini bread.
Judy, those sound terrific! Maybe I will stock up on zucchini next weekend and give one of those a try!
DeleteSeeing the watermelon and tomatoes: watermelon gazpacho! Lived on that two summers ago and I do miss it. Being away from the blender and from the farmer’s market and from a full kitchen have left me with cravings. Next Summer! And, Deborah, like you, I always give into temptation of the market! Happy September, all.
ReplyDeleteHappy September to you! I am always SO GLAD to see it. It hovered at 100 yesterday, but we should start seeing some cooler days now.
Deletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2018/09/19/how-to-cook-the-best-pork-chops-through-thick-and-thin/
ReplyDeleteTime for apple cider glazed pork shops!
Thanks for the link, Margaret! I grilled bone in pork chops last week using a recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Grill Everything book and they were delicious. If I'd thought to take a picture, I'd have posted that recipe today.
DeleteLove cider-glazed chops, too, when it's starts to feel a little more like fall here.
I hear you Debs, in fact I went to my farm stand with a list yesterday so as not to fall victim to all the delicious goodies. Here’s a delicious and easy hack for tomatoes. This works really well with a high speed blender, I actually started in a smoothie cup but had to upgrade to the real blender. The base is tomatoes, then add in what’s in the kitchen. Put some diced/ chopped tomatoes into the blender together with cooked or pickled onion, some zucchini and cukes plus the seasoning of your choice. I see the papers going in. Whirl on high! Then pour the mixture through a sieve to remove all bits of skin, seeds etc which can be difficult to digest. Using a CD large spoon get as much of the mixture through the sieve as works. Check the seasoning - s&p, Worcester sauce, garlic powder etc. chill if wanted and enjoy. Ripe tomatoes, any sort are the key here. Glory in the tomato bounty!
ReplyDeleteNo peppers here, as Rick doesn't eat any bell peppers. But everything else is a go!
DeleteTomorrow, I’m joining my daughter to cook her excess of vegetables. We will cook a tomato and vegetables sauce to put on pastas . She will be able to freeze many portions. No recipe required, just made to our taste with what is on hand. Same with vegetables soup, all vegetables we like simmer in broth and it is done.
ReplyDeleteI don’t eat okra but I know someone who very simply cook them.
In big bowl, she mixes olive oil, curry powder, salt and pepper. She add okras to the mix and toss until they are all covered.
She lays the okras on a baking sheet, making sure they are well separated , not all in a jumble.
Oven at 400F for 15 minutes and she toss half way through to ensure perfect cooking.
Danielle, I'm definitely going to try the roasted okra! Thank you!
DeleteLove farm stands. Our closest one had a bumper crop of yellow squash and zucchini so I've been grilling and sautéing that. Since tonight is chicken fingers fried in a bit of avocado oil, I'm making parmesan zucchini fries in the oven. Yum.
ReplyDeleteParmesan zucchini fries!!! Tips on making those, please!
DeleteKait, you're the winner of Fatal Family Ties! Email me at deb at deborahcrombie dot com and I'll give you her email address.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYes yes, how do you make those??
DeleteFavourite end of summer recipes...? To take tiny tomatoes off the glorious plants in my partner's garden and pop them in my mouth. Gorgeous! Oh, and the raspberries too.
ReplyDeleteI'm growing Sungolds and a couple of other little yellow tomatoes, but they never make it to the kitchen! I just eat them right off the vines. But raspberries, yum. I don't think we can grow those here, too hot.
DeleteSUngolds! SO delicious, warm from the sun.
DeleteEnvious of the fresh corn! It's done here, alas.
ReplyDeleteA friend loves baby okra fresh, straight off the plant. But I cut it into fat slices and freeze it in quart bags. In the winter when I'm making vegetable soup I tip a cup or two in with the rest of the veggies. The okra pretty much melts, but it adds a nice body to the soup.
Zucchini is also good frozen for later, if it's too hot for zucchini bread now. Shred it, and let it drain--this is the key. When it's dry-ish, pack it flat into freezer bags so they take up less room, in approximately the right amount for your favorite recipe.
When my friend and I were supposed to go out and have pineapple jalapeno margaritas we never did make it, but I'm still thinking about them. You, my dear, could have a holiday drink like that, though!
I could. Trader Joe's will have pineapples and I have jalapenos...hmmm. And thanks for the freezing suggestions! Your friend eats okra raw, Karen? Never tried that. I do eat zucchini and yellow squash raw--I love those in my salads. And my favorite shredded zucchini recipe is the one for shrimp and zucchini pancakes that Hallie posted here on the blog a couple of years ago.
DeleteLet me know how the cocktail turns out. I can't get anyone to go with me, and I really want one before warm weather is over!
DeleteHappy Rosh Ha Shana to everyone who celebrates, Healthy, happy, sweet new year. It begins tomorrow evening and I will be cooking and baking most of the day today and tomorrow in preparation.
ReplyDeleteYou, too!
DeleteYou, too, Judy!
DeleteWe're making corn and hamburgers, too! Anyone have any ideas for cantaloupes? I think they would be delicious if hey are charcoal grilled. But would that work?
ReplyDeleteLet me check my Mark Bittman book, Hank, and I will get back to you. I know you can grill peaches. That may be what I do with my leftover peaches tonight.
DeleteHank, Mark Bittman says to sprinkle cantaloupe wedges with salt and smoked paprika, then grill over medium direct heat. His grilled watermelon recipe sounds amazing.
DeleteWe love grilled peaches. I drizzle them with really good aged balsamic. Add ice cream for true decadence.
DeleteTomatoes tomatoes tomatoes! Just a few more weeks of them. And, dare I say, apples are coming in. Cortlands from an orchard are unlike anything you can get at the supermarket. I'll be making apple pie and apple crumble.
ReplyDeleteGrilled cantaloupe? Perfectly ripe cantaloupe is so hard to find, I'd hate to mess it up.
Hallie, I am so envious of your apples from an orchard. We just don't get those here--it's too warm. One of my best memories of early trips to England in September and October is visiting orchards and eating just picked Cox apples. So good.
DeleteI haven't been to a farmers market in forever or had a garden in even longer. But I do have a good recipe for spicy refrigerator pickles if you have some pickling cukes you want to do something with.
ReplyDeleteDebs, I am laughing. I went to farmer's market JUST to buy plums for a torte I am bringing to a holiday dinner Tuesday. So I also came back with corn on cob, huge first- of-season apples to bake and last of season peaches. Corn was fabulous! I froze some - I"m home alone for a couple of days. Zucchni - love it but there is always too much. I tried a new recipe this week - happy to share if wanted - that was delicious: oven baked ground chicken meatballs with shredded zuchini mixed in. Moist and tasty. Good w/ the feta sauce of recipe and also good with easy soy-ginger sauce.
ReplyDeleteWould love the recipe, Triss!
DeleteFrom NY Times. If it is firewalled, let me know and I'll find another way.
Deletehttps://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021328-chicken-zucchini-meatballs-with-feta?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page®ion=meatballs&rank=3
Thank you, Triss! Got it!
DeleteWhat time is dinner? I think I can get there in time ;-)
ReplyDeleteAw, wouldn't that be fun? I so miss hanging out with my RED besties...
DeleteI usually make a big pot of classic ratatouille at the end of the summer. YUM!!!
ReplyDelete