Spring and Summer Cooking

As much as I'd like to take credit for this recipe, I cannot! This comes from the wonderful cookbook of Susan Branch, Heart of the Home: Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen, Little, Brown and Company.  page 90. The only thing I changed was the addition of broccoli, as we just finished harvesting our last bits of broccoli and sugar snap peas from the spring crop. It is now late June. This is a delightful main dish for the early summer season. 

Delicious served warm over ice cream, or with shortbread, or spooned over angel food cake or pound cake! Pick rhubarb stalks, wash and cut into small pieces. Combine 6 cups of chopped rhubarb with 1 cup white sugar, 2 tablespoons of water and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cook in a large saucepan on low heat until sugar starts to melt and a bit of liquid forms in the bottom of the pan. Slowly turn the heat up to medium low, add a lid and simmer lightly for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until rhubarb is soft and the consistency is thick and not watery or runny. Cool until just warm.

Don't you hate watery, limp cucumber salad? Well, not this one. Here's how to keep the dressing from getting things soggy: Use plain Greek yogurt, but take time to strain it first! Place a paper coffee filter into a strainer, spoon the yogurt on top of the filter, then place a small clean plate over the yogurt, weighted down with a small object such as a can of peas. Let this stand and self-strain for one hour. You can allow the liquid whey  be discarded or you can place the entire strainer into a larger bowl to catch the whey and use it in another recipe. Now your yogurt will be nice and thick. In the meantime, slice the cucumbers and combine with a bit of Kosher salt, draining over a colander for about 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and blot dry with  paper towels.  Transfer cucumbers to a serving bowl, add sliced red onion, and anything else you like, such as green or red bell peppers, celery, parsley, etc. Now mix the dressing: add to the thickened yogurt a bit of lemon juice, a splash or 2 of red wine vinegar, some white pepper, and a teaspoon or 2 of dill weed, using a metal whisk. Add the dressing to the cucumber mix and chill before serving! I didn't give exact amounts of yogurt and other ingredients on purpose: it all depends on how many cucumbers you have. In general for a large bowl of salad it takes approximately 6 large or 8-9 medium cucs and about 12-16 ounces of yogurt, depending on your preference!

By Labor Day we have a boatload of tomatoes, cucs, onions, peppers, herbs...and hot temps, so gazpacho makes a hit. No-cook, use a food processor with a steel blade for the chopping, mix together in either a glass or stainless steel container and chill at least 12 hours before serving! 24 hours is even better! Here is how I made this double batch: about 14 medium size chopped heirloom tomatoes, 2 green peppers chopped, 3 cloves chopped garlic cloves, 3 cups tomato juice (we made ours last year and froze in quarts but you can use commercially jarred tomato juice), 2 jalapeno peppers chopped, 2 medium Spanish onions chopped, 6 medium cucumbers chopped. Add to mixture: chopped fresh chives, parsley, basil leaves to taste preference. Add dried tarragon, 2 teaspoons white sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 can of beef stock, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste, 2 teaspoons paprika, and for heat: hot sauce or Sambal, or chili paste to your preference. Use half of this recipe for a single batch of gazpacho (each batch feeds about 6 people).

The old school favorite, and still as good as ever. Perfect for your Easter table too! Don't buy pre-grated carrots in those plastic bags! The recipe is easy but demands to be made this way. Shortcuts result in either dry tough carrots or watery salad. Soak 1/2 cup of dried raisins in a bowl of warm water. Start with one pound of peeled carrots. Grate by hand or in a food processor with grating attachment. Drain the raisins. Open a small can or pineapple tidbits (not crushed) and drain. Combine the grated carrots, drained soaked raisins, drained pineapple tidbits in a bowl (glass, ceramic, or stainless steel). Sprinkle one tablespoon of granulated white sugar over the top. Measure 1/2 cup of mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip) and mix it in to the salad. Refrigerate and serve. Yes, I know there is a lot of sugar in this between the raisins, carrots and granulated sugar. It isn't something I recommend having every day, especially if you are watching your glucose levels. I use it only for a special holiday meal such as Palm Sunday or Easter. Once in a while works fine for most people!