Pan-Fried Peppers with Lemon & Garlic

Seasoned with slivered garlic, this Bon Appetit recipe is a favorite for enjoying fresh peppers.

Ingredients:
½ pound Jimmy Nardello peppers, or any combination of late summer peppers, left whole
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more for serving
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Method:
1. Heat heavy large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil and swirl skillet to coat. Heat until oil is very hot and begins to shimmer, about 1 minute.

2. Add whole peppers and ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt; stir constantly until peppers are blistered over half their surface, occasionally shaking skillet, about 2 minutes. Add thinly sliced garlic and continue to stir constantly until the peppers are blistered all over, about 2 minutes longer (some will be soft and some will be slightly firm, depending on size).

3. Transfer peppers to paper towels to drain briefly, then place in a medium serving bowl. Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice; sprinkle generously with additional coarse sea salt and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Watermelon with Fresh Mint & Lime Syrup

Try this sweet-tart syrup with your favorite summer melon.

Ingredients:
1 watermelon
½ cup sugar
¼ cup thinly sliced mint leaves
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

Method:
1. Stir the sugar, 2 tablespoons of water, lime zest, and 1½ tablespoons of the lime juice in a small heavy saucepan over high heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a boil. Let the syrup cool completely, and then refrigerate it until cold.

2. Strain the chilled syrup into a small bowl and stir in the mint. Allow the mint to infuse into the syrup for at least 5 minutes.

3. Set the melon on a work surface and with a sharp knife trim away the rind and cut the melon into 2-inch chunks. Transfer melon to a large serving platter and pour the cold syrup over the melon, and serve.

Roasted Purple Tomatillo Salsa

Great served with chips, or mixed into rice, this awesome salsa also makes excellent sauce for enchiladas!

Ingredients:
1 pound purple tomatillos, husks removed
3-4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and quartered
1 jalapeño pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup chopped green onion
Olive oil

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 500°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

2. After husking the tomatillos, rinse them well in cool water (they can be sticky). Cut the stems and hard portions (if any) off the tomatillos and cut any very large ones in half.

3. Combine the tomatillos, unpeeled garlic, onion, and the jalapeno on the lined baking sheet. Spritz with extra virgin olive oil until lightly coated and toss the ingredients with your hands to make sure they are all well-coated.
4. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. If the vegetables have not charred, turn the broiler on to high and cook for 3-5 more minutes or until the skins of the peppers and tomatillos begin to turn black. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

5. When the vegetables have cooled, carefully squeeze the skin of the roasted garlic, releasing the soft, roasted garlic clove, into the jar of a blender or work bowl of a food processor. Add the remaining roasted vegetables and then add the salt, pepper, and lime juice. Process until the desired consistency is reached and then transfer to a serving dish.

Cozy Comforts

It’s time to come in from the damp and cozy up to this week’s lineup of farm-fresh produce and pantry provisions, which includes such highlights as Skagit River Ranch’s organic Italian sausage, egg grattini pasta, our housemade chicken stock, Pain au Levain bread, locally-milled flour and filomena cheese. Also accompanied by fingerling potatoes, baby leeks, braising greens, baby golden beets and beautiful garden-grown herbs, this box will do wonders to ward off any rainy day blues (as will a spoonful of carrot cake almond-walnut butter!).

Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:

Sauteéd Winter Greens with Buttered Baby Leeks
Sublime herb- and cheese-kissed crumbs finish these sautéed greens.

Cara Cara Orange & Sunflower Shoot Salad
This crisp, citrus-kissed salad is both bold in flavor and beautiful in presentation.

Carrot & Apple Sauté with Rosemary
This beautiful combination sings with fresh flavor!

Butter-Braised Carrots with Thyme
Braised in sweet butter and tossed with garlic and thyme, these carrots are truly sublime.

Roasted Golden Beet & Carrot Dip
This beautiful spread is delicious slathered on toasted Pain au Levain.

Roasted Cara Cara Oranges
These gorgeous oranges are a wonderful addition to a cheeseboard; or, remove the rinds and toss into a salad!

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