Solstice: the fall of summer

Markets overflow with colors and produce right now but it won't last long. So it's tempting to buy as much as you can. Local farm food is so much healthier and trustworthy than that industrial stuff in your supermarket, even Whole Foods. You want to hang onto it as long as possible. So what to do? I've posted freezer fixes and jarring solutions. What's here is a mishmash with emphasis on prolonging the life of fresh produce in the fridge, particularly the most fragile: tomatoes, peppers and corn. Hint: roast and oil.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

This is how to handle those full to the brim green cartons of luscious cherry tomatoes. (I like to call them cheery tomatoes.) It works best with the larger orbs, particularly the striped and more purple varieties. Roasting cherry tomatoes will revolutionize them for you: I can just eat them off the plate but they definitely jazz up a cracker or celery stalk stuffed with soft cheese, a cream cheese slathered bagel, a slice of grilled fish, a burger and pasta dishes. They bring vitamin C to mac and cheese and can garnish any stir fry.

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400º.
Wash and dry the tomatoes. Slice them in thirds (have the stem end on your right) and lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Lightly cover them with olive oil, being sure every slice is oiled. Season with your best salt. Optionally, grate or mash a large garlic clove and sprinkle it over the tomatoes. Put tray of tomatoes in the oven and roast until they start to blacken at the edges, about 15 minutes but check every 5.
   To save this a week or more, pack them in a lidded jar and pour olive oil in. Store in the fridge.
   
Piperade

This is far from the first time I've posted this old favorite, a Basque tradition. It's also in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking, served with a grit souffle. I can't praise it enough...for its vivid colors, vitamin boost,  flavor and versatility. Perfect for omelets, burgers, pasta sauce, in stir fry chicken, on pork chops or loin roast, with fish, beside rice and dhal, or in rice with hot sausage (Hungarian lescko). Plus can be frozen for that midwinter moment you are desperate for something colorful, quick and nutritious.

What you need for this:
fresh med/lg bell peppers of every color you can find (green, yellow, orange, red, purple)  Get at least 3 colors.
1 med Poblano or other mildly hot pepper like Fresno chili or Jalapeno.
For every 3 bell peppers you need 1 large red/purple onion and 2 lg garlic cloves.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 lg tomato (some prefer this without tomato so consider tomato optional)
Olive Oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

What you do with all that:

Remove stem and seeds from all the peppers. Wash and dry thoroughly. Slice them lengthwise into thin strips.
Peel the onion and slice it into very thin disks. Halve the disks.
Mince the garlic. If using tomato, finely chop it.
Heavily coat the bottom of a large sauté pan, wok or skillet with olive oil. Warm over medium/high heat. Add onions and cook 3-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add peppers, oregano and garlic. Stir to blend with onions and oil. Be sure there is enough oil in the pan so nothing sticks and burns. Over medium heat, sauté peppers and onions, stirring occasionally until peppers start to soften, maybe 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato if you are using one. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Continue cooking until the peppers are very soft but still have their shape and the tomato has dissolved, 10-15 minutes.
OPTIONS: You can add a pinch of smoked paprika for an authentic Spanish/Basque flavor. You can stir in a handful of chopped fresh cilantro leaves just as you turn off the heat at the end. Or, for less peppery flavor, stir in finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves. If you want this spicy hot, put a thinly sliced Serrano pepper or two in the mix.

Leek patties 

No annual fix a leek post this year so I include this beloved recipe from years past because it continues to be a lipsmacking crowd pleaser. And I love eating them. They can be served hot or at room temperature. They can be an appetizer, lunch, brunch, picnic, or part of a tapas/mezes presentation. Tightly wrapped, they can stay in the fridge 3-4 days although they might be a bit less crisp by then.  Traditionally they are served just with lemon wedges. I've found they can also be served with a dab of the red pepper sauce I posted under  Farm to Freezer 2 weeks ago and become more filling with tsatsiki/raita (yogurt cucumber sauce).

Makes 12, serves 6-8

6 lg leeks, white and light green parts only

1 tbsp fresh chives, minced

2 eggs, beaten

½-2/3 cup dried breadcrumbs

1 tsp coarse sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp corn or other vegetable oil for frying (olive oil will smoke up too fast)

1 lemon

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and crosswise and rinse to clean.

Put leeks in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to simmer and cook uncovered about 25 minutes, until leeks are soft.

Drain well. Wrap leeks in a heavy towel to squeeze out as much excess water as possible.

Coarsely chop the leeks. Put in a bowl with the chives, salt and pepper. Stir in the breadcrumbs. (Enough to take up any remaining moisture in the leeks.) Blend in the eggs. 

Make 8 patties that are about ½ inch thick.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Arrange the patties in the pan so they don’t touch (you may have to do this in two batches) and cook until brown on the bottom side, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes so both sides are evenly browned. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Serve with a squirt of lemon juice and a wedge of lemon.

Optionally sprinkle minced fresh flat leaf parsley on the plate.

Fennel braised with olives

This is the best intro to autumn. Fennel is often sliced into a crunchy salad with black olives, purple onion and orange or mandarin slices. It's light licorice flavor is refreshing. Sometimes it's roasted with olive oil, sea salt and then served meltingly hot with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Here's a new take: cooking it with lemon and olives. It's essentially a side dish, perfect for pork or roast chicken.

1 c olive oil
4 fennel bulbs, trimmed, and cut into wedges (save fronds)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
1 lemon, peel only, in thin strips
1/2 bottle dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
4 bay leaves
12 Kalamata olives (pitted is helpful when eating this dish)

Heat oven to 350º.
Heat the oil over medium in the deepest frying pan/skillet you have. Put in the fennel in the oil and sauté stirring occasionally until it's lightly browned. Add garlic and lemon strips. Cook another 4 minutes over low heat. Add wine, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 3-5 minutes. Add the thyme, bay leaves and olives. Transfer everything into a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes or until fennel is very tender to a fork.  To serve, finely chop the feathery fronds and scatter over the fennel.

Corn and tomato curry

A freezable finale to summer's finest. Vegan unless served with yogurt.

serves 4

Coconut or olive oil

2 tsp cumin seed

1 tbsp black mustard seed

2 tsp fennel seed

1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 sm red chili peppers, seeded and sliced into thin strips 

4 ears of corn, huske, kernels cut off and saved

1 tsp turmeric

pinch of ground cinnamon

3 tbsp coconut cream

4 med/lg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

2 lemons (juice of 1 only, other quartered)

fresh cilantro leaves (from a bunch)

  

In a large cooking pot, heat over med/high enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Add cumin and mustard seed and once they pop, lower heat to med/low and add fennel seed and onion. Sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and 1 of the chilies. Continue cooking another 5 minutes until the garlic starts to brown. Stir in turmeric, cinnamon, coconut cream and tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes until tomatoes have become a sauce. Add corn plus 2/3 c water, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until the corn kernels are totally cooked.  Add lemon juice and stir to blend. Remove from heat. Scatter in the remaining sliced chili and cilantro leaves.  Serve hot with the quartered lemon, basmati rice, raita and flatbead. Or cool completely and freeze in airtight containers to spice up a cold winter day.