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Thursday, August 23, 2007

Menu of the Week

posted by on August 23 at 17:27 PM

Ordinarily, I try to confine my food-related Slogging to weeks when I’m in charge of Morning News, when I bring you all the Recipe of the Day. But with the farmers’ markets in full swing and so many incredible summer recipes in the papers and on the food blogs, I can’t resist throwing together an out-of-order summer menu. Most of these recipes are quick and require minimal (if any) oven time, and make use of produce that’s currently available in farmers’ markets. (Most are also vegetarian.) And yeah, it’s a big menu, but I’m not saying you should make all of it at once. But you should. And then invite me over. Thanks.

Appetizer 1, adapted from Well Fed

Green Goddess Dip with Crudite

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(Photo credit)

Ingredients
For the Green Goddess Dip:
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup packed watercress, washed
2 tablespoons tarragon leaves
3 tablespoons chives, minced
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 salt packed anchovies, rinsed and bones removed
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream (can be lite)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the crudite:
3 or four pounds assorted raw vegetables, such as jicama, cucumber, baby squash, cherry tomatoes, or interesting radishes like the ones pictured above)

Puree the parsley, watercress, tarragon, minced chives, garlic, anchovies, lemon zest and juice and 1/4 cup grapeseed oil in a blender or food processor until it resembles pesto. Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise and sour cream in a large bowl. Stir in the herb puree, vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into the mayonnaise and sour cream mixture. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Cut vegetables into similar-size pieces (slice cucumbers, halve baby squash, etc.) and serve with dip.

Menu continues below the jump.

Appetizer 2, adapted from Curd Nerds

Squash Blossoms stuffed with goat cheese

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(Photo credit)

Ingredients
20 very fresh zucchini or other edible squash blossoms
11 oz. creamy mild goat cheese
Fresh herbs: Thyme, basil, parsley, chervil, etc.
Olive oil
2 large, ripe tomatoes
Garlic, optional
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Inspect squash blossoms for bugs and dirt. If dirty, brush with a soft pastry brush, and remove any insects. Set aside.

Mix goat cheese with a tablespoon of olive oil and a little of the freshly chopped herbs. Add garlic if you want, finely minced or pressed. Using a narrow teaspoon or a pastry bag, place about 1 tablespoon of goat cheese (less if blossoms are small) inside each squash blossom. Close blossom. Brush each with a little olive oil and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside.

Finely chop the tomatoes (including their juice) and mix with a little olive oil, more fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Set aside.

Broil the squash blossoms for three to five minutes, until the edges of the blossoms are a little browned and crisp and the cheese is soft and just beginning to melt. Serve immediately, topped with a tablespoon or two of the tomato sauce.

Salad: Blue Cheese Coleslaw, adapted from NPR

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(Photo credit)
Ingredients
1/2 small head green cabbage
1/2 small head red cabbage
4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled Roquefort blue cheese
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cut the cabbages in half and then in quarters and cut out the cores. Shred the cabbage finely using the slicing blade of a food processor. Transfer into a large bowl, discarding any very large pieces.

Shred the carrots using the shredding blade of the food processor, pushing them into the bowl with the feed tube pusher. Add to cabbage.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt and pepper. Pour enough mayonnaise dressing over the grated vegetables to moisten well and toss. Add crumbled blue cheese and parsley and toss with vegetables. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Soup: Gazpacho with Watermelon and Avocado, adapted from the New York Times

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(Photo credit)

Ingredients
4 large ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored and cut into chunks
2 cups seedless watermelon, diced small
Two two-inch-thick slices of day-old baguette (about 3 ounces), cut into pieces
2 large cucumbers, trimmed and cut into chunks
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 ice cubes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 avocado, peeled and diced small

In a blender combine tomatoes, 1 cup watermelon, bread, cucumber, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and ice cubes. Purée until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Chill in refrigerator until very cold, at least 30 minutes. Serve, garnished with remaining chopped watermelon and avocado.

Vegetable: Mexican Corn on the Cob, adapted from Homesick Texan

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(Photo credit)

Ingredients
4 ears of corn
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 lime wedges
1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Cayenne to taste

Light the grill. While the grill is heating, soak the corn in water in in the sink. Grill corn until cooked to your liking. Once grilled, let it cool for 5 minutes, and then pull husk layers down. While warm, spread 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon mayonnaise on the corn. Sprinkle about two tablespoons of cheese over the corn, then add some cayenne pepper and a dash of lime.

Main course:
Marinated Fish with Salmoriglio, adapted from Last Night's Dinner

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(Photo credit)

Ingredients
For the fish
White vinegar
2 pounds fish fillets, such as wild salmon, arctic char, ruby trout or halibut, with or without skin
Salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For salmoriglio sauce
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pour a little vinegar over the fish fillets, then rinse them under cold, running water and pat dry with paper towels. Put the fish on a plate. Rub a little salt over the skinless sides of the fillets and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Spread half the bread crumbs over the fillets and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon olive oil; turn the fillets and repeat with the remaining bread crumbs and olive oil. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the salmoriglio sauce: In a food processor, combine the thyme leaves, lemon juice, mustard and salt. Pulse for 1 minute. Add the butter and process until completely smooth. With the machine on, add the olive oil in a thin, constant stream until fully incorporated. Season the sauce with salt and pour into a sauceboat.

Light the grill. Grill the fish, skin side down for skin-on fillets, for about 5 minutes; turn the fillets and grill just until they flake, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer the fish to a platter. Pour the salmoriglio sauce over the fish fillets and serve.

RSS icon Comments

1

Thank you!

Posted by Michigan Matt | August 23, 2007 5:27 PM
2

Why mix them up? Most of the ingredients would make a fine meal just by their lonesome ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | August 23, 2007 5:51 PM
3

looks great, i especially like the "but you should. and then invite me over."

Posted by rob | August 23, 2007 6:33 PM
4

Thanks for the Foodie treat! I love the delicious restaurants and markets growing up around my Condo. As Seattle get denser, Foodies like us can look forward to better and better dining.

Posted by Foodie | August 23, 2007 7:16 PM
5

I've got some killer tomatoes in my garden right now (killer as in amazing, not the B horror movie). Alas, I have no time to do anything with them.

Someone please come get them and cook up something tasty.

Posted by Sean | August 23, 2007 10:44 PM
6

Good goddess that's a lot of trouble to go through just to have an excuse to eat some radishes. Just eat them for devi's sake, and get it over with.

Posted by kinaidos | August 24, 2007 12:35 AM

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