Corn, Chard and Tomatoes: Late Summer Farm Fresh Lunch

Fresh from the farmers' market for a guest lunch: sliced heirloom tomatoes with basil and chives, diced cucumbers with red onion rings, dill and cider vinegar, and as the centerpiece a galette (free form pie) of chard, corn off the cob and red peppers held together by fresh ricotta and made magical by mint. Richer than you can imagine! A memorable feast of colors, textures and tastes accompanied by a bottle of dry Rosé. With a fresh blackberry clafoutis for dessert.

Here's some how-to:

Corn and Chard Galette
serves 6 because it's rich

 Dough
1/3 c cornmeal
1 1/2 c all purpose white flour
1 stick unsalted butter, in pieces
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
3-4 tbsp bubbly water

In a food processor or mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, butter and olive oil. Whiz or blend with a mixer until the mix looks like coarse meal. Add the vinegar and 3 tbsp bubbly water and whiz or blend to make a dough. Add the extra tbsp of bubble water if you need it. (This, the vinegar and the olive oil make a very flaky crust.)

Put the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, lightly flour the bottom one and the top of the dough, and flatten into a disk about 1" think. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.  (You can do this a day ahead.) Remove 10-15 minutes before you want to use it.

Eventually you will also need 1 egg and 1 tbsp whole milk.

Filling
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 lg sweet onion, minced
1 bunch chard leaves (removed from stems), chopped
4 ears of big kernel corn, corn off the cobs
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 sm fresh red chile, seeded and minced
6 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced thin
pinch of ground cinnamon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1 lg egg yolk
9 oz fresh ricotta
3/4 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 400º.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Sauté stirring until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add chard and continue to cook until it's tender, maybe another 3 minutes. Add the garlic, corn, chili, olives 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir once and remove from heat. Add 1 tbsp mint.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 c Parmigiano, cinnamon, 1 1/2  tbsp mint, egg yolk, 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend well. Add the chard mix in the skillet and blend everything together. Set aside and make the crust.

The dough should have been on the counter for at least 10 minutes. Add a little flour to the bottom piece of parchment and the top of the dough. Cover the top with parchment again and roll the dough into a round about 12-14" wide.  Make sure it isn't sticking to the parchment. Add cornmeal if it is.

Slide the dough from the bottom piece of parchment onto a lightly buttered baking sheet. If you can't get it off just put it on the parchment onto the baking sheet. Discard the top sheet of parchment.
Spread the filling thickly on the dough leaving a 2" perimeter. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmigiano and chopped mint leaves.  Fold the edge of the dough up and over the filling about 1 1/4". If it's too sticky, refrigerate the whole thing 5 minutes.

In a small dish, whisk an egg into 1 tsp whole milk and paint this "wash" all over the exposed dough. Bake the galette at 400º until the crust is golden brown, 40-50 minutes. When you remove it from the oven, sprinkle sea salt on top and let it cool at least 10 minutes before serving.  It's also fine at room temperature.

BLACKBERRY CLAFOUTIS for 6-8

3 cups blackberries                 1 tbsp vanilla

1¼ cup milk                             1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar                           2/3 cup sifted all purpose flour

3 extra large eggs                    1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 7-8 cup pie plate or baking dish. Put all ingredients except blackberries in a blender or food processor and make into batter. Spread blackberries all over the buttered baking dish and pour the batter evenly over them.  Bake 1 hour or until the clafoutis is puffy and brown and a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.  Eat the leftovers for breakfast
Cucumber Salad
for 4

Peel and chop 2 big slicing cucumbers into a medium bowl. Cut a small fresh red onion into rings and half rings if they are large. Combine with the cucumbers. Add 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Season with 3 tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tbsp olive oil.  Like that more or less.