09.02.10
The time has nearly come to leave for our 2 week visit home to Indiana. Greg and I leave bright and early tomorrow morning. Again, there will not be a “fond of” Friday post. We will be fondly driving through Chicago about that time. (I hope fondly…sometimes traffic is horrible.)
I’ll be back at the dabble Monday, September 20th. You can follow me on twitter (thedabble) or flickr (thedabble). I might add a few lines about what I’m doing or where I’m going and a picture or two. Maybe.
Today is errand day which is why this will be brief. Have a great couple of weeks! I know I will. Here I come, new nephew (and family/friends)!
Before I run…walk away with pep in my step, here’s a simple recipe for some of that delicious sweet corn available now. No description; I think the ingredients speak for themselves. Simple and perhaps my last 2010 summer recipe. Geesh!
Herb Buttered Potatoes and Corn
Serves 8
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Ingredients:
2 ½ lbs. baby red potatoes, scrubbed clean and halved or quartered (your choice)
6 ears of sweet corn, shucked and kernels removed form the cob
3 tbsp butter
¼ cup fresh basil or parsley (or herb of your choice)
coarse salt/freshly ground pepper
In a large pot, cover potatoes with water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove, keeping the water, into a large bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
Bring the water back to a boil and add the corn kernels. Cook for a minute and drain. Add the corn to the potatoes and toss with the butter and basil or parsley. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve warm. Feel free to add a little smoked paprika or cayenne for a kick.
   
09.01.10
September 1st-did you breathe in and out deeply thinking about all that is September when you woke up like I did? Part summer and part fall, this is the month I love above all the others. Not just because it’s my birth month. Regardless, I would adore September.
 Coming soon: this view When I was learning to write in cursive, in elementary school (not last week), September was my most practiced and admired word to write. I still try to write it as much as possible as an adult.
The word just evokes sensuous feelings and the actual season can be filled with sunny days, a slight breeze (sometimes more than slight) and cool nights or cleansing rain showers that require a slower pace and an umbrella. The best time to have outdoor parties is now in my mind. Sept-ember. It makes me want to wander around an orchard, forest and winery simply taking autumn in.
I’d enjoy a trip to the Oregon coast right about now to meet up with friends in a cottage by the ocean, with a patio and fire pit, waves gently crashing and sand beneath my feet, wrapped in a blanket with simple picnic plans and seafood aplenty on the menu, venturing to nearby towns and snapping pictures along the way. That would be my coastal September.
My Midwest September means bonfires in the somewhat chilly evenings, hay rides, apples (!), squash, pears, sweaters to keep warm (I have and collect wraps like they are platinum), mosquito-free camping, progression towards the leaves changing, a difference in the local produce and ultimately, I get that last hoorah before the winter doldrums. October and beyond tend to put me in a funk until November 24th which is our anniversary (2 years this year) and then I return to despondency.
What does September mean to you?
 Heirloom Zebra Tomatoes Food tastes better in September. With the transition of the harvest fast approaching, what I prepare also changes. I make cozy meals no longer in need of being summer appropriate. However, if I choose to, I can prepare what is left of the summer produce before it disappears. In my opinion, that allows my cravings to be met from a larger array of ingredients and more experimentation in my recipes, thus making food taste better.
To go with this pleasant, mellow time of the year, I’m going to provide my go-to recipe for roasted tomato sauce since tomatoes are plentiful right now. This is a great sauce to freeze for a few months and pull out when those doldrums have arrived.
Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce
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Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/3 cup onion, thinly sliced
3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 2 tbsp dried thyme, dried oregano, or dried basil (your choice)
dash of red pepper flakes (for oomph)-optional
olive oil over the top
coarse salt/freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 350F. Quarter large tomatoes and halve small tomatoes. Place them on a baking sheet or in a deep casserole dish in a single layer. Place the garlic, onion, herb and optional flakes over the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 1 to 1 ½ hours, stirring halfway through. Remove when the tomatoes are very soft and basically mush. The scent should be amazing by now.
Discard thyme sprigs if using those and cool the tomatoes. In a blender, food processor or food mill, crush the tomatoes to a sauce (whatever consistency you like). You can use immediately or freeze. If freezing, allow the sauce to cool and then place in freezer bags. This will keep up to 2 months. To take it to another layer for the adults, simmer the sauce with white wine on low heat after you thaw it. The taste of summer can live on.
08.31.10
Less talking, more packing, dabbler! My bedroom is a mess. I hate to admit that I am considering bringing 8 pairs of shoes for a 2 week trip. Never thought I was THAT person.
Anyway, this will be quick with fewer words but the same delicious caliber of recipe that I try to provide 4 days a week.
This one came with angels singing and the skies parting because it can help anyone with an overabundance of yellow summer squash. YELLOW SUMMER SQUASH!
I really wasn’t sure what to do with all of the squash from my friend’s garden still in my kitchen. Lucky for me, this recipe just fell into my lap when I was perusing the interweb for tank tops. Go fig! I was hesitant at first since this is a pureed soup and I’m not the biggest fan of those types. Wrong, wrong, wrong was I. (We watched Star Wars last night.)
Don’t worry, I will hold your hand through this for the others who might also have an aversion to this particular style of soup. This was delectable. Buttery, velvety and topped with pistou, to cut through some of the creaminess, it’s wonderful and surprisingly filling.
Pistou is similar to pesto with olive oil, garlic and basil (or another herb) but does not include pine nuts (or another nut) and cheese. It’s a thinner sauce than the thicker concoction that is pesto. To confuse you, some do add cheese to their pistou but traditional versions do not include that ingredient. This is a typical condiment, often made with a mortar and pestle (not with mine), found in France on bread, pasta and soups. I think placing it on summer vegetables or using it as a dip would be tasty too.
Drizzled over this Smitten Kitchen recipe, adapted by me, enhances the individual flavors that will impress. YELLOW SUMMER SQUASH…I can’t get over it.
Bookmark/print/whatever you do mark this recipe for the present or future. This is one that I think you’ll come back to again and again when that season rears its gorgeous face.
I changed the sweet potato to your average baking potato and changed the mint/parsley combination in the pistou to a simple basil and garlic combination.
 Yellow Summer Squash Soup with Pistou Summer Squash Soup with Basil Pistou Sauce
Serves 4 to 6
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Ingredients:
6 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced crosswise
2 lbs. yellow summer squash, halved and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 potato (1/2 pound), peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (yellow, red, white, Russet…your choice)
4 cups chicken broth (veg works too)
coarse salt/freshly ground pepper
Pistou:
1 ½ cups fresh basil
1 large clove of garlic, cut in half
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Soup: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, cook onion with a few pinches of salt, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the squash, carrots, potato, and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, until vegetables are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool, about 15 minutes.
Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth (be careful with hot liquids) and transfer to the cleaned or a new pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low until you serve.
Pistou: Pulse the basil and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the oil, then the water and salt, blending until it transforms to a sauce.
Serve the soup topped with a swirl of the pistou in each bowl.
08.30.10
Our weekend was a perfect break from the previous crazy week. Greg had a long, aggravating 5 days and my week was full of technical problems with projects and this blog. We spent time with our friends (having one of the best steaks we’ve ever eaten Friday evening), caught up on our shows, bought some new nephew clothes at garage sales (along with a few other things), ate on the porch at Chapati Indian restaurant in town (amazing) and ran errands in preparation for our trip to Indiana.
Ready to leave now and I’m pretty sure Greg is as well. We want the wind blowing in our hair, feet on the dash (at least mine), sunglasses on, our tunes playing and to track the miles behind us (promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep, miles to go before we sleep…).
Too bad we have to make it through this week first. That reminds me, I will not be posting a “fond of” Friday post. We should be cruising near Chicago about that time.
The breeze was blowing this weekend. A cool and welcome wind to the end of these hot summer days. Before summer vanishes and the idea to grill passes, try this next recipe. Grilled halloumi cheese marinated in a caper vinaigrette.
 Find this cheese and grill it! I’ll tell you more about halloumi cheese if you’ve never heard of this salty, Middle Eastern delight. Most likely found in a specialty store (I found my package at my local co-op), packed in brine, halloumi is a creamy, slightly tangy, part sheep and goat’s milk (although the cow’s milk version can be found too) cheese. It’s popular and produced on the island of Cyprus and in the Middle East. Like few other cheeses, it can be grilled or fried because of its high melting point. It’s wonderful without cooking too.
I paired my grilled halloumi with tomatoes and basil in the leftover vinaigrette the cheese was marinated in for lunch. I recommend putting it in salads, topping bread, as a sandwich, or coating it with breadcrumbs as a snack or appetizer. I’m in love with this cheese. I’ve been using it in recipes where I normally add feta or mozzarella. If you come across it, give it a try.
 Halloumi Cheese and Tomato Salad Halloumi Cheese and Tomato Salad in a Caper Vinaigrette
Serves 4
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Ingredients:
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tsp capers
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 lb. halloumi cheese, cut into 2 thick slices
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh basil
1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes (of your choice-heirloom, cherry, beefsteak, etc.), cut into slices or in half
In a bowl, mix the oil, capers, garlic and rosemary. Add the sliced cheese, turning to coat, and cover. Marinate for an hour.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (or fry in a pan over medium-high heat) and grill the halloumi until browned, about 2 minutes each side. Keep the vinaigrette the cheese was marinated in-set aside. Cool and cut into smaller pieces and toss with the basil, tomatoes and leftover vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper and serve with bread if you’d like.
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