Fresh Tart

So, as I mentioned yesterday, I had a cooler full of fresh, delicious CSA veggies to work with for dinner tonight.  I opted for pasta, tangled with ribbons of collards, fennel, and spring onions, as well as bites of zucchini (the zucchini was not from my veggie share - it was just chilling in the fridge, biding its time, waiting for a veggie dish needing some moisture and the ability to absorb the flavor of garlic, yeah).  But really, any tasty combination of vegetables would work - choose what you like.  I had intended ziti or penne - the thickness stands up nicely to a coarse "sauce" - but when I opened the cupboard, alas, the thickest, heartiest shape I could find was linguine, so linguine it was.

I seared the veggies on the grill, chapa-style (yes, again - what can I say, not heating up my kitchen is a nice thing in the summer).  Wait, I should back up - I started by searing two slices of bacon, chopped.  When it was crisp, I removed to a large bowl and then added the ribbons of collard greens and zucchini to the pan (and drippings).  Collards are tougher than, say, spinach or chard, so need a longer cooking time and some moisture (zuchhini adds quite a bit of moisture, but I added a few drizzles of water as well) to achieve truly tender.  Make sure to add a sprinkle of salt as you stir.  When both achieved melty and lightly charred, I added a clove of minced garlic, stirred it around a bit, and then transferred the whole pan to the bowl with the bacon (toss, toss).

I then added a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to the hot pan, then stirred in the fennel and onions (and a sprinkle of salt) and saute-seared them until also lightly charred.  I scraped them into the bowl with the bacon, collards, and zucchini, added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a crumble of Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste, and the veggies were ready to toss with pasta.

Here's how to finish - cook pasta (1/2 lb. to serve 3-4) according to package directions until al dente.  While the pasta cooks, in a small skillet, saute one clove of minced garlic and 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes in 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil, until garlic is just barely colored.  Remove from heat.  Just before draining the pasta, reserve 1/4 c. of the pasta cooking water.  Drain the pasta, return to the warm pot, and toss with the garlic/oil, reserved water, and salt and pepper to taste until "creamy" (the starch in the cooking water creates a bit of a "sauce").  Toss in the vegetables and an additional grating of cheese to taste.  A shower of freshly minced herbs would be nice.  I use probably 2/3 veg to 1/3 pasta - a perfect opportunity to enjoy a small taste of pasta (no more than a couple of ounces) with lots of delicious vegetables (go whole-wheat pasta if your family won't revolt - mine, sadly, would/has).

Enjoy thoroughly.

...chapa being the process of cooking food on a skillet over a hot (600-degree) fire (technique from Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way).  Tonight I grilled thinly-sliced fennel, onions, and wild mushrooms (tossed with chopped herbs and fresh-sqeezed lemon off-heat) before searing Vital Choice Wild Seafood King Salmon fillets, rubbed with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with salt before setting them in the hot pan.  Five minutes (two minutes on one side, three on the other) is all it takes for crusty, just-done salmon.  Tonight I topped the fillets with Whole Foods' pineapple-n-mango salsa (found in the produce section - would be tasty on any fish), seriously delicious.  From chopping to plate, I'd say about 20 minutes - very, simply doable after a long day at work, and coming in easily at less than 400 calories.

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

I'm always looking for yummy zucchini recipes - I love zucchini, plus I end up with a boatload of it with my summer community-supported-agriculture (CSA) veggie share from La Finca Organic Farm in Willow River, Minnesota.  (I pick up my first share of the season later today, in fact; I'll have details over the weekend, although a preview email reveals my treasure will include salad greens, saute mix of dark leafy greens, garlic shoots, French breakfast radishes, and arugula - NICE!)  Although zucchini isn't showing up in my share, at the farmer's market, or in your gardens quite yet, it's worth checking out this NYTimes Recipes for Health dish, zucchini ragout with polenta.  Lightly simmered zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and fresh herbs, spooned over creamy polentaaah...  Looks simple, healthy, filling, and divine - good combo.

Other happenings this weekend include John's brother and his two children coming in for the weekend.  I'm planning on roasting a couple of whole chickens tomorrow night, on the grill, using my beloved Weber poultry roasters.  While the chickens rest up, more chapa vegetables (see below), this time a seared warm "salad" of Swiss chard, mushrooms, sweet onion, and tomatoes - a nice pairing with roasted chickens, I think. More to come, so stay tuned...

...and have a great weekend!

I'm really enjoying the concepts and recipes in my new cookbook, Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way, by Francis Mallman.  In particular, I'm a bit obsessed with cooking vegetables on a chapa - (from the book) a flat piece of cast iron or a cast-iron skillet set over a fire.  I'm using my big Le Creuset cast-iron skillet, set on my Weber gas grill.  I preheat the grill until it's very hot (600+ degrees F), then lay the pan on the grate and preheat it until it's hot too.  Most of the recipes in Seven Fires are cooked on a chapa, which quickly sears and caramelizes food - perfect for vegetables.  I mean prrrrrfect. I've created two insanely simple and delicious dishes so far - one Friday night for my friend Michelle (alongside salmon), the other tonight for just John and me.  Tomorrow?  Yep, but more on that in a second.

Let me back up a bit and explain the two dishes I've already made.  The first was Burnt Fennel and Zucchini with Parmesan, Lemon, and Basil (recipe here).  The technique is to thinly slice the vegetables, separately toss them with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, then cook them separately (fennel first, pictured above, then the zucchini) on the hot (unoiled) chapa until tender and blackened in spots.  The warm vegetables are tossed together and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, chopped fresh herbs, and crumble of Parmesan cheese.  I plated the vegetables over a slice of grilled whole-grain bread, and served alongside salmon fillets that I also cooked on the chapa (Arthur, if you're still looking for a way to achieve crisp salmon skin, this may be the answer, since the pan is so much hotter than you can achieve indoors).

Tonight, armed with my new technique/experience, I rustled around in the cooler and unearthed wild mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, English peas, and spinach.  I grilled each vegetable one at a time, scraping into a serving bowl as I went along, finishing with a handful of quickly-toasted nuts, minced fresh herbs from my pots on the deck (basil, mint, oregano), a crumble of Parm, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  Frankly, that was dinner - whole-meal-worthy and truly yummy.

I was needing a just-vegetables dinner after Saturday's not-moderate feast, uff.  Stacey, Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius Williams, and Michelle (here for the weekend) joined us for a pool-n-grill Saturday, sunny and hot and perfect for a barbecue.   I slow-braised two spice-rubbed pork shoulders pretty much all afternoon in the oven, then finished them on the grill, crisping up the exterior and slathering them in barbecue sauce.  We ate the pork pulled apart on rolls, with a side of blue-cheese coleslaw, fresh farmer's market snap peas, and apple pie a la mode for dessert.  The wine - thanks to Stu, so delicious.  Blast!

So tomorrow, more chapa vegetables, this time to toss with pasta.  I'm thinking more swiss chard, garlic, and sweet onion, as well as the one little slice of pancetta I have left from last week's Springtime Fava Bean Salad with Poached Egg (like I said, I'm seriously digging this book).  Stay tuned...