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!