Recent Dishes from My Garden

Despite the hail damage, we've been eating like kings on produce from our garden and my sister's garden (thanks, sis!). Here are some dishes we have enjoyed.

Eating Well Magazine's

Golden Summer Squash and Corn Soup.

This is even better as leftovers.

Makes 4 servings, scant 1 cup each

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, chopped
2 medium summer squash (about 1 pound), diced
3 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme or oregano, divided
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 1 large ear; see Tip) or frozen
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add squash and 1 teaspoon herbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash starts to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add broth and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the squash is soft and mostly translucent, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the soup to the pan and stir in corn. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is tender, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with the remaining 2 teaspoons herbs and feta.

There's also a really nice article in this issue of Eating Well called "Building a Healthy Food System in Rural America: How a handful of organic farmers, world-class cheesemakers and a locavore restaurant transformed Hardwick, Vermont—a poor, rural town—into a foodie mecca."



And last, but not least (and in my lunch today),

Pete Marczyk's zucchini recipe printed in Westword's Cafe Society blog:

Zucchini and Corn Latke

2 eggs
1 cup zucchini, shredded
corn, kernels from one ear, cooked
chopped chives
2 tbsp diced onion
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (panko)

1) Mix eggs, breadcrumbs and flour with zucchini and corn. Check for consistency (flour should absorb most of the liquid), salt and pepper to taste.

2) Heat a combination of olive oil ("olive oil and squash are like Rogers and Astaire," Pete says) and grapeseed oil ("higher smoke point," he notes), then take a handful of the mix and and press it down with a fork in the oil until it's about a half inch thick, the size of a small pancake. Cook until brown, turning it once.