Italian Summer Recipes
The Italian summer calls to mind visions of a crisp glass of wine, homemade pasta and garden-fresh produce simply and beautifully prepared. Hence, this week’s box captures the flavors of summer by way of Italy with locally-crafted bucatini pasta tossed with our own fragrant housemade basil pesto and Grana-style cheese, plus a fresh sourdough baguette and a bevy of beautiful salad greens and ingredients like beets, carrots and sugar snap peas. Also included for this relaxed, refreshing meal: A classic French rosé and the first of the summer raspberries. Mangia!
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Grana Cheese with Honey & Red Pepper Flakes
The success of this lovely appetizer depends entirely on the quality of the ingredients, so don’t scrimp!
Beet Salad with Raspberries, Grana Cheese & Shaved Fennel
Tossed with a raspberry-honey vinaigrette, this showpiece salad boasts beautiful color.
Piracicaba Broccoli with Crispy Lemon Crumbs
This recipe courtesy of Top Chef’s Gail Simmons adds crunchy, lemon-tinged bread crumbs for a show-stopping finish.
Carrots Marinated with Garlic & Oregano
This room-temperature dish packs in the flavor and makes for a lovely side dish on a hot day.
Glazed Hakurei Turnips
These buttery glazed turnips are sure to delight.
Grilled Green Onions
Sweet and delicious with green tops, these onions are at their best grilled.
Grilled Corn Salad with Sweet Peppers
This warm salad is crisp and crunchy, boasting a wonderful smoky flavor from the perfectly-charred corn and peppers.
Ingredients:
4 ears sweet corn, shucked
2 sweet peppers, halved and seeded
2 ½-inch-thick onion slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
1 tablespoon finely-chopped chives
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Place corn on the grill rack; grill 20 minutes or until charred here-and-there, turning occasionally. Place in a large bowl; cover with foil. Leave in a warm location 10 minutes, then cut corn kernels off cobs, encouraging clusters to stay intact, if possible.
2. Meanwhile, place the peppers and onions on grill rack, and grill 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop both the peppers and onions.
3. Combine the chives, cream, oregano, vinegar and garlic with a healthy pinch each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add peppers, onions and corn; toss gently to coat. Serve warm.
Spring Color Recipes
This week’s lineup is truly color-rich, from fresh-picked rainbow Swiss chard, purple kohlrabi and red cherry tomatoes to beautiful lemon, lime and Cara Cara citrus fruits and pickled carrots from the farmhouse kitchen. Accompanying this bright roster are tangy sheep’s milk feta cheese, a crisp rosé wine, multigrain bread and sweet Kugelhopf cakes to help polish off your spring feast.
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Grilled Potato Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs & Mustard Vinaigrette
Accented with mustard vinaigrette and spicy arugula, this potato salad boasts big, bold flavor.
Kohlrabi & Turnip Slaw
This crisp slaw is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled meats, or even served atop burgers.
Rainbow Swiss Chard Gratin
Creamy with just a hint of mustard, this rustic gratin is wonderful served with this week’s multigrain bread.
Charred Green Onion Gremolata
This smoky sauce is wonderful atop grilled chicken or fish, or slathered on grilled bread.
Green Garlic Salad Dressing
Flavor-packed ground mustard, vinegar and green garlic stalks mix beautifully in this easy vinaigrette.
Lemon-Lime Curd
This classic curd recipe from Gourmet magazine will soon be a new favorite!
Cara Cara Orange Compote
This tart-sweet spread is lovely served alongside this week’s Kugelhopf cakes.
