And finally, how about baking up some of those tomatoes? This recipe comes from the “Green Market Baking Book” by Laura Martin. Once you’ve enjoyed it fresh from the oven, you could vary the experience by toasting slices until golden brown.
I am sorry to say that I have no idea where I got this recipe. The combination of white beans with greens is a classic though, and the addition of Parmesan adds a jolt of umami that makes the combination so satisfying. You could use every green in the box in this stew – mustard, kohlrabi, collard and turnip. And substitute that jar of canned tomato sauce if you don’t have fresh tomatoes left from previous weeks.
Thanks to Andrea B. who picks up her Riverview box in Grant Park for sending in this recipe from the February 2010 issue of Cuisine magazine. he recipe headnote says it’s an iconic South American stew called locro, and a perfect winter meal when served with crusty bread. This would be a great use for that jar of tomato sauce in this week’s box.
Adapted from a recipe in “The Sweet Potato Lover’s Cookbook” by Lyniece North Talmadge.
Perfect with your leftover mashed sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving, or make it with sweet potatoes prepared especially for this dish. I’ve added rutabagas to the filling. Yum.
And I love this idea that I’ve seen in lots of places – and when you’ve tired of tomato salads and tomato sandwiches (yes, it could happen!), you may be looking for an idea for those gorgeous big tomatoes. Easy, elegant – a fabulous quick supper, brunch or yes, breakfast dish.
Serves 4 as a main dish Preheat the grill. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper; marinate at room temperature for 5 minutes. Thread the shrimp onto metal skewers or wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. While shrimp is…
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Adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman who writes the “Recipes for Health” series for the New York Times.
This refreshing summer salad can sit in the refrigerator for a few hours without deteriorating, so it makes a great choice for bringing to work or to a summer picnic. There was a hot pepper in my box which I will use for this recipe, or you can substitute one of the other sweeter peppers. Since the cucumbers in my garden are coming in like crazy, I’ve got everything I need for this salad. And of course you could substitute bulgur or some other grain for the quinoa.
The crumb-cheese filling recipe below would be just as good stuffing the tomatoes or peppers.
If you think your squash might be a little mature and need some tenderizing, scoop them out and then boil for about 2 minutes in a mixture of water, garlic and whatever herbs you have on hand or that go with your filling. Drain upside down while you prepare the filling.
And this recipe for tomato soup was a fabulous surprise. No cooking at all, and absolutely delicious. I served it to Marcia, MellowBellies’ intrepid photographer, this evening and she kept saying, “It’s so sweet!” That was just because of the fabulous MellowBelly tomatoes. You’d only want to make this when you have really wonderful summer tomatoes. But it couldn’t be easier and I think it will keep for several days in the refrigerator. It does separate when it settles, so just shake it up before serving. The recipe came from the August 2010 issue of Woman’s Day magazine.
I’ve been experimenting with cold soups this week, and I’m really enjoying these two options which use a number of items from this week’s box.
I‘ve been a huge fan of gazpacho since my first taste at the Peasant Uptown at Phipps Plaza (which means I’m really dating myself since they’ve been closed for years). Spicy, flavorful tomato gazpacho, topped with shrimp … and served with their cheese toast …. it opened my eyes to the pleasures of cold soup. Now most summers I keep a half gallon jar of gazpacho in the refrigerator as soon as the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers come in.
Recently I’ve been seeing recipes for watermelon gazpacho, and this week I finally tried it out. Delicious! Here’s one way to make it, but I’ve seen it demonstrated by chefs at local farmers’ markets using many variations including adding tomatoes, using more hot peppers, or varying herbs like using dill. I liked this recipe because it used what I have in my garden and box right now. You could leave out the crab, or substitute shrimp. The sweet seafood is a nice foil for the spicy fruitiness of the soup.
