Sautéed Zucchini with Bacon & Thyme
This simple recipe from the Homegrown Harvest cookbook is packed with flavor.
Ingredients:
1 pound zucchini
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pieces thick-cut bacon, cut into cubes or lardons
1 tablespoon freshly-chopped thyme
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Trim the zucchini and cut into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet, add the bacon and fry until golden brown and crispy.
2. Add the zucchini cubes and fry over brisk heat for 3-4 minutes, tossing them around in the pan from time to time, until the cut sides start to turn golden.
3. Add the thyme and plenty of black pepper, also adding salt, if needed. Season with the lemon juice and serve immediately.
Roasted Ratatouille Toasts
A delightful spin on the classic stew, this time slathered on toasted Pain au Levain bread as a starter!
Method:
1 heirloom tomato, roughly chopped
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half, others left whole
½ eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 zucchini or summer squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
⅓ cup olive oil
2½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 loaf Pain au Levain bread, sliced into ½-inch-thick slices
½ cup crumbled sheep’s milk feta
½ cup basil, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large roasting pan, toss the tomatoes, eggplant, squash or zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic with red pepper flakes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned and the tomatoes have released their juices. Stir the vegetables halfway through cooking, and then toss again once they have been removed from the oven.
2. Remove the vegetables from the oven and increase the temperatures to a broil. Lightly brush each slice of bread with olive oil. Place them on the upper rack of the oven and toast until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.
3. Top each toast with a generous portion of the ratatouille mixture, and then add a little crumbled feta on each. Garnish with the basil and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Summer Grilling Recipes
Honey Sweet corn to smoky-spicy peppers, this week’s array of local summer treasures invites you to bust out the barbecue and get to grilling. Highlighted by other summery produce such as zucchini, cucumbers, melon, Walla Walla sweet onions and a plethora of sun-ripened heirloom tomatoes, plus fresh focaccia bread, fragrant herbs and edible flowers, this box is fit for lingering on the patio, all the way down to the gourmet s’mores kit to enjoy at night’s end.
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Grilled Summer Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich
This satisfying sammie is extremely adaptable: Tuck in some grilled chicken, add a little spicy salami or throw in even more veggies.
Lemon-Herb Mayonnaise
In addition to a sandwich spread, this zingy mayo is also fantastic on grilled corn (trust us!).
Grilled Corn & Poblano Salad
Smoky, a little spicy and very summery, this salad with a snap to prepare.
Grilled Potato Salad with Sweet Corn, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Fresh Basil
The combination of sweet corn and grilled potatoes is a hit here.
Cucumber Melon Salad with Feta
A true homage to summer, this salad from The Splendid Table is cool, crisp and juicy.
Zucchini Ribbons with Lemon & Basil
This incredibly fresh side from Alice Waters’ Art of Simple Food II is seasoned with just the right amount of fragrant basil and zesty lemon.
Pear Crostata with Blueberries
This rustic tart is fantastic served for dessert—and then breakfast the next day.
Grilled Summer Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich
This satisfying sammie is extremely adaptable: Tuck in some grilled chicken, add a little spicy salami or throw in even more veggies.
Ingredients:
2 heirloom tomatoes, thickly-sliced into rings
2 zucchini, sliced into long, thick wedges
1 Walla Walla sweet onions, peeled and thickly-sliced into rings
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed of green ends and thickly-sliced into rings
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Focaccia bread loaf
Lemon-Herb Mayonnaise (see recipe)
Method:
1. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange the vegetables on the grill grate and cook 3-4 minutes per side, until all the veggies are softened and slightly charred. Remove and set aside.
3. Cut a loaf of focaccia in half lengthwise, and spread both sides with the Lemon-Herb Mayonnaise. Layer on the tomatoes, zucchini slices, fennel and onions rings on one side, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then top with the other bread half. Cut into wedges and serve.
