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When summer harvests are at their peak,
every kitchen gardener can relate to the happy challenge of putting
all that great produce to good use. If you really have a surplus,
give a call to local homeless shelters or ask your local
Agricultural Extension office if your community has a ”Plant a Row
For the Hungry” program as these organizations are set up to help
distribute fresh food to those who need and want it.
In our
own kitchens, hot weather and a focus on the garden makes us all
look forward to lighter, fresh tasting meals. It’s a perfect time to
bring your vegetables to the center of the table and feature them in
colorful satisfying main dishes. All over the country both good home
cooks and innovative chefs are recognizing that using fresh
vegetables and herbs as the centerpiece of a meal is a practice of
long standing in many of the world’s great food styles. If you enjoy
Mediterranean, Indian or Chinese meals, for example, you already
know that vegetables are the key ingredients in their most delicious
dishes. The range of flavors you’ll find in your “pick of the crop”
summer vegetables can add a whole new dimension to everyday as well
as special occasion lunches and dinners.
 Main Dish Vegetables
One great way to use extra summer squash is to cut them in half
lengthwise and scoop out their flesh (saving it for another use). Use
the zucchini shells as holders for your favorite fresh homemade ravioli
filling mixture, then cover and bake until tender and top with fresh
tomato or cheese sauce.
Or make zucchini pizza: slice the squash into thin ¼ inch slices and
brush with olive oil then bake at 400 degrees about 5-7 minutes, just
till tender. Top with well-seasoned pizza sauce, fresh chopped basil and
grated cheese and pop under the broiler for a few minutes until the
toppings are hot and bubbly This is a sure-fire way for kids of all ages
to eat zucchini!
 Many of us are familiar with traditional stuffed cabbage rolls but try
some variations using the abundant bright green leaves of nutritious,
tasty Swiss chard. Cut out the chard stems and reserve. Then dip the
leaves briefly in a big pot of boiling water to make them limp. Put a
tablespoon of stuffing in the center of each leaf, tuck over the ends
and roll up the leaves like fat cigars. A filling made of a rice
mixture seasoned with sautéed garlic and onion, fresh chopped herbs,
lemon juice and toasted chopped nuts is delicious. Another filling I
like is a combination of rice, sautéed mushrooms and grated cheese or
try sautéed Italian or Chinese sausage, bread crumbs and herbs bound
together with a beaten egg. |
Renee's Garden shopping list:
Zucchini, "Tri-color Mix" includes
seeds for buttercup yellow, and
bright
and dark green squash.
Chard,
"Bright Lights" is highly ornamental with
sweet, mild flavor
in a rainbow of colors.
Basil, "Italian Pesto" has a full bodied, zesty flavor and
glossy dark green
leaves
Tomato, "Rainbow's End" includes 3
different color coded seeds for a
rainbow of the best heirloom varieties.
Eggplant, "Italian Trio" includes seeds
for succulent purple-black, magenta
and rose white fruits.
Peppers, "Jewel Tones Sweet Bells"
include gold, red and orange hybrid
bells in one packet.
Squash, "Summer Scallop Trio"
include 3 different pattypans in yellow
bright green and dark green.
To purchase these and other Renee's Garden Seeds,
click here
You'll find more great recipes
in
Renee's cookbooks:
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After
stuffing and rolling up the chard leaves, chop up the reserved chard
stems and put into a big deep pot. Lay the chard bundles over the stems
and add enough seasoned chicken or vegetable broth to cover the stems.
Steam/braise the rolls for 7-10 minutes until cooked through, then serve
with or without grated cheese. With a loaf of crunchy bread and a robust
wine, these stuffed rolls make a savory dinner (and terrific leftovers
to heat in the microwave for lunch the next day).
Don’t
neglect to make full summer nights extra memorable with a big aromatic
pesto feast. Combine in a food processor: 3 cups of loosely packed fresh
basil leaves, ½ cup chopped parsley, 3-5 large garlic cloves, ½ cup pine
nuts, 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, ½ teaspoon pepper. Add ½ to ¾ cup of
fruity extra virgin olive oil and process just enough to make a smooth
paste. Add one cup of freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese and salt
to taste. Serve over hot pasta, using a little of the pasta water to
help spread the sauce evenly, or enjoy the pesto on grilled portobella
mushrooms or hot baked potatoes. 
I
also like to halve fully ripe tomatoes, brush with olive oil and chopped
garlic and bake them at 350 degrees for an hour or so until they are
tender and concentrated in flavor. Then top with a generous dollop of
pesto sauce and pop under the broiler just for a minute or two. With
crusty bread to sop up the juices, this makes a fabulous supper dish!
Pesto sauce is also great with fresh grilled corn on the cob. A
combination of grilled vegetables, like eggplant slices and chunks of
sweet peppers and summer squash topped with pesto sauce and served over
rice is another great main dish meal.
