Salsa, Salsa

Everything conspired for salsa this week - two pounds of tomatoes and Walla Walla onions. After my previous salsa disaster I vowed to chop all those tomatoes by hand on my next attempt! Wrong. How could I chop with the Blendtec poised and ready on the counter. I added a few extras - garlic scapes, chile powder, salt - then pulse, pulse, pulse it is done! Tangy tomato taste jumping off the tortilla, mingled with a hint of garlic fresh.


Salsa Verde had not been on my radar. In fact, I don't remember ever trying it. Sounds positively sinful when I say it. But now I know! We received a pound of tomatilloes so I googled to figure out what to do with them. To say I modified a recipe would be a huge overstatement. I basically created my own based on what I had in the kitchen. Broiled the tomatilloes. Tossed them in the blender. Threw in four garlic scape heads (only), Ile de Re salt, chile powder and three scallions. I did not expect SWEET! I wanted to just eat it with a spoon but since I'm an adult I drizzled it over refried beans and ate it with a fork, each serving having ample salsa verde and a wee bit of beans.


One more reason to love the surprise treats in the CSA box. Wonder what I'll discover next week?! Oh, but let's not forget the fruit. How about some Pear Ginger Crisp?

Cucumber Heaven

Doesn't that pear make you want to stare into her rosy cheeks and admire her voluptuous shape and savor the prospect of taking a bite out of her. That's just what I did. Over and over again. So juicy fresh. And look at those fascinating cucumbers. They're the intellectual counterpart to the sexy pear. When I was growing up, all summer long my grandmother had a batch of sliced cucumbers swimming in white vinegar spiced with salt and pepper brewing in the fridge. Biting into them was an exciting encounter with tangy crunch. I rarely make them though they are one of my favorite summer snacks. Benedicta hasn't caught on to this one so every slice waits patiently to be devoured by me alone. They've been reappearing in different shapes and colors over the past couple weeks and they all taste swell soaked in vinegar. I keep refilling the bowl, and adding a dash more salt and pepper and vinegar. So simple, so so scrumptious.

Vegan Pesto

10 years ago I had a plot in a community garden. I grew cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and zinnia.  That was the summer I fell in love with pesto. The rich flavor of blended herbs is a poor man's version of green gold. When I quit eating cheese, pesto was probably the biggest sacrifice. So I searched my vegan cookbooks and weeded out the pesto recipes that were trying to be something other than traditional. Since we still have garlic scapes I diced them as a replacement for garlic. They maintained a woody texture that made me a little nervous but I proceeded with abandon.

 

Next came salt from the Ile de Re, followed by toasted walnuts and basil. Pulse the blender and pour in olive oil. It's looking a lot like pesto. Next add some Nutritional Yeast while the angel hair dances in boiling water. Time for the taste test and hallelujah - pesto is back on the menu!! It is indistinguishable from the romano and parmesan version. One batch made supper for three nights and it's on the docket again for next week! Happy days of summer are here to stay!

Leek and Potato Puree

These vegetables are too beautiful for words. Luscious leaves, curvy forms, magnificent colors, sinewy roots. Such bountifully crunchy promise of meaty meals. All without the meat! Leeks in our bin meant stopping at Whole Foods for some red potatoes for an attempt at Vichyssoise. I didn't find a vegan recipe so I modified a standard from The Joy of Cooking. The last ingredient was a pint of cream. Um, that was not going to work. So I went for potato soup with leeks. Vegetable broth instead of chicken, scallions from last weeks harvest, potatoes, leeks sauteed in vegan butter and salt and pepper. As a potato soup it was tasty but having ruined the gazpacho I wanted to give the Blendtec another go.

 

There it is waiting for a twirl. I put half in and pressed soup. Miracle! It came out so creamy you'd think I added a quart of cream. I have no idea how that happened. The potatoes were creamy not starchy. The leaks took on a sticky texture. That combination? Must be. It was so good I wanted to eat it for breakfast. Benedicta slurped it at every opportunity and in a day it vanished. I have more potatoes. But will there be more leeks? If not, I'll buy some and see if the store-bought can hold up to farm-fresh.

 

Fennel and Zucchini Bread

 

The fennel arrived large and bulbous with lacy fronds symmetrically spaced around the top like a princesses tiara. I'd never seen anything like it and there were no cooking instructions attached. So I googled and lucked out on simple and tasty directions. Cut everything away except the little bulbs inside. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and bake. It's a good thing the recipe was easy because they sizzled down to tiny crunchy morsels that barely filled an appetizer plate. The licorice zest bounced around with the toasty vinegar to form a sensation that requires expletives of "Amazing" between every bite!

Next up zucchini bread. I've been making a vegan version weekly. I add all the ingredients, then grate the zucchini and stir. The first time I made it the batter seemed way too dry so I added extra water. When the zucchini went in I realized that all the moisture from the zucchini was plenty to silken up the batter. The thing I love about this recipe is it is FILLED with zucchini. Talk about yummying up your vegetables! I find with gooey stuff the best approach is to throw your hands in and pretend it's a mudpie. Voila!