Scallops in a nest

Late summer means there are so many beautiful vegetables just waiting to realize their potential at the Morningside farmers market. I've posted on my favorite simple approach to seasonal perfection before: just splash the veggies in question with olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, broil for a couple minutes, then toss with fresh, torn basil leaves. Voila. This time my vegetables served as a cozy nest for quickly grilled scallops finished in lemon and butter. I had some beautiful variegated sweet peppers that I sliced up into strips......and a couple green, hot ones. These I de-seeded before slicing into half moons. For some reason I'm really stuck on cutting different members of the same general vegetable family into different shapes for cooking--does this make any sense? Like if I had two kinds of potatoes--say, one purple and one Yukon Gold or something--I would cut the purple one into slices and the Yukon maybe into rounds. OK, anyway. So I had okra, tomaotes and my peppers all tossed together with some olive oil and salt and pepper.They were broiled for about 3-4 minutes, then tossed with fresh basil.Meanwhile, I rinsed and dried my pound of medium-sized scallops and brushed my grill pan with some olive oil while getting it good and hot over medium-high heat. I didn't want to cook these guys very long but I did want them to get a little browned from the high temperature on the outside while staying sweet and tender inside. Scallops can get rubbery, which is no fun for anyone.After just 2 minutes on my hot grill pan, I added a chunk of butter, a handful of minced parsley, and a splash of beer from the bottle Phil was drinking (I wanted them to have a little liquid so they wouldn't dry out and Phil gracefully consented to drink a beer for that purpose).After another minute or so, I turned off the heat and stirred in the juice and a few slices from 1 lemon. The scallops went into a nest in the center of the vegetables and there was much rejoicing.

Goat cheese & summer tomato pizza

My August tomato bounty resulted in a delicious goat cheese pizza! This recipe does not include any red sauce--instead it is layered with however many different types of tomatoes you feel like slicing up. I used the same dough recipe as when I made pizza last time, but I added a little less water and a little more olive oil so it came out more crackery or flatbread-like. It worked well with the simple goat cheese-basil/arugula-tomato topping, although I rolled it thinner this time and so needed to keep a good eye on it while baking to beware of burning. After rolling it out and stretching over my baking sheet, I sprinkled about 3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese all over the surface of the dough.I sliced zebra and plum tomatoes into thin 1/4" rounds before laying them out over the goat cheese crumbles.Here it is before baking, with a mixture of arugula and basil (mostly basil) scattered over the cheese and tomatoes. I also added a drizzle of olive oil and a very light sprinkle of salt and pepper right before I put it in the oven.Baked at 350 for about 10 - 12 minutes--those perfect summer tomatoes get really sweet in the oven. Easy peasy.

August tomatoes

Of every different size, shape and color...Just waiting to be made into something.What would you suggest?

Grilled summer vegetables

These are happening right now at the farmer's market: small patty pan squash, beautiful sweet peppers, and miniature zeppelins of eggplant.The squash look like UFOs.When you slice them crosswise they look more like stars--either way, we're in outer space.I marinated the veggies in olive oil, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, and a little balsamic vinegar. They grilled up beautifully. They went on a platter, surrounding perfect grilled flank steak. I love summer.

Mango black bean salsa

This is super yummy and works equally well as a salsa (especially with salty blue corn chips) or as a topping for grilled fish, chicken or pork--kind of the perfect summertime relish. Katie had just given me some tomatoes and mystery peppers from her bountiful garden, I had dried black beans in the pantry and a mango that was about to tip over into too-ripeness. Phil had been talking about this stacked black bean+tropical fruit+chicken dish that his mom makes, and it sounded like a good flavor combo, so I was like OK, gonna steal that idea and make it in salsa form right this second because for once I have everything I need on hand already. Who knows when it might happen again?I covered about 1 cup of black beans in water and brought to boil, then simmered until tender for about an hour and a half. Obviously you can use canned black beans instead if you prefer (drain and rinse them well beforehand) but this was all about me making this entirely from ingredients on hand so I just cooked up the dried beans that were collecting dust on my pantry shelf. When they were cooked through, I drained them and let them sit in about 1/2 cup of orange juice while I prepped the rest of my ingredients. Black beans and citrus are like a match made in heaven. Meanwhile I chopped up two beautiful roma tomatoes from Katie's garden and one reddish funky pepper (she thinks two pepper types--sweet and hot--cross-pollinated in her garden resulting in this tasty lovechild). You can use a serrano pepper if you like the heat plus a small red bell for sweetness. Actually, any kind of pepper from the farmer's market will be good here--this is a flexible, improvisational kind of salsa after all. I also diced up 1 small sweet onion and 1 small cucumber for extra crunch. Add in 1 diced ripe mango.I added all these veggies to my black beans in orange juice, plus 2 tablespoons minced cilantro, the juice from 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt and mixed it all up. If your fruit is very soft, you can add in the diced mango at the very last minute instead. Just be sure to combine once gently to avoid pulverizing any super ripe mango chunks.The first night, I put it over grilled pork but like I said, it's great for fish or chicken too. It actually mostly got eaten as a salsa at a picnic the next day and for lunch throughout the week, so as you can see, this is a good thing to make in a big batch.

Peanut picnic noodles

This has been an unusually cool summer, with really pleasant evenings and occasional days that hover merely in the 80s--some days it has really felt more like October or early spring around here. Good summer weather has facilitated a couple of dinnertime picnics which are a nice change from the usual retreat into air conditioning that normally goes with July in Georgia. These peanut noodles are perfect picnic fare--they make a delicious vegetarian dinner but are easily modified for carnivores with slices of grilled chicken on top.Mince up 2 cloves garlic and a chunk of fresh ginger (however much you like--I think I used about a 2" piece).Combine the garlic and ginger with 3/4 cup of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon minced cilantro, 1/3 cup tamari, a teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup hot water. Purée this all together with an immersion blender, or a regular blender or a food processor or whatever. You can probably do it by hand too, although I have never tried that. Add a little more hot water if the mixture is too thick to blend into a smooth paste. Taste it and see if it needs tweaking--I think I ended up adding a little more peanut butter and tamari to mine, and probably a dash more red pepper because I like it hot. So feel free to play with the amounts of ingredients in the sauce, is what I'm saying. After you like the balance, squeeze in some lime juice and/or a splash of rice wine vinegar, blend and then taste again until it is perfect.Get some noodles ready to meet this fine peanut sauce--I used these dried udon but linguine or any other flat, thicker pasta will work fine. Boil them up al dente and when they're ready, drain and toss with a little sesame oil so they don't get sticky. Then toss together while still hot with your peanut sauce mixture. Meanwhile, make a quick, tangy vegetable topping for your noodles. It's a great contrast to the super unctous peanut sauce. Slice up 2-3 carrots on a mandoline into thin ribbons(if you lack a mandoline just use a sharp knife and your skills of precision).Do the same with a cucumber...Toss these veggies together with 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, a pinch of salt and minced cilantro or parsley. Let them chill out and marinate while you finish other things but not for longer than about 30 minutes or so--you want them to stay crunchy.If you're making this salad for non-vegetarians, go ahead and grill some chicken breasts to slice up and top the noodles (I marinated mine in lime juice beforehand). Tofu would be good too--chunks of the teriyaki flavored, pressed tofu from Trader Joes tossed together in this would be AWESOME.To assemble your salad, lay the strips of chicken (if using) on top of a tangle of peanut sauce dressed noodles, plus a healthy toppping of the carrots and cucumber. Reserve some minced cilantro and sesame seeds to sprinkle over everything at the very last minute.Sadly, I actually i don't have a great picture of the final product, but here it is all packed up to take along on a picnic:

Pizza vera

I have made pizza before and it was decent but the crust was totally faking it. And honestly, it was tasty, but not really good pizza, you know? More like glorified takeout. Recently, I finally made my own crust and dignified it with good ingredients, and the results were awesome. It's incredibly easy to make your own pizza dough--I don't know why I wasn't sold on it earlier in life.For your pizza dough, mix 1 teaspoon instant yeast with 2 ½ cups bread flour (or regular flour if that's what you have on hand), plus ½ cup of cornmeal and 2 teaspoons salt. Add in 1 cup water and 2 generous tablespoons olive oil. Mix it all up well... It should very quickly coalesce into a raggedy lump. Turn out the dough on floured surface and knead it once or twice, shaping it into a ball:knead, knead...and...ball!Set the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a dishtowel and let rise for about 1 hour somewhere warm, such as your summertime in georgia porch. You can slow it down by putting it in the fridge if need be. After an hour or so (it can sit for up to two hours and be fine, probably) divide the dough in two and form a couple of tidy little balls. Now let them take a second, shorter rise, covered on your countertop for another 10-20 minutes. At this point, you have enough for two nice pizzas. Stretch and shape the dough to fit on an oiled pan (I always lay it out on the back side of a cookie sheet) and layer a thin coat of sauce over the surface. And then the toppings are up to you! The only rule is to use a light hand so you don't get a soggy pie. I made a rucola e prosciutto pizza: thin slices of fresh mozzarella plus prosciutto and arugula.By the way, real quick, here's what I usually make for a pizza sauce: sauté 1 small, minced yellow onion in olive oil until lightly golden and soft (about 10 - 15 minues), then add 2 minced cloves of garlic. Stir all together for another minute, then sauté the contents of one small can of tomato paste for 1-2 additional minutes before adding red pepper flakes, a half-can of whole, peeled roma tomatoes (they come in a big, jumbo 48 ounce can of which I use half), 2 teaspoons sugar and about 1/3 cup of red wine. Simmer it all together, stirring frequently, and allow it to get somewhat reduced and thick. After about 30 minutes, take off heat and put it through a food mill to get a nice, smooth thick puree. You can do it while your dough is rising. After the pizza bakes for about 20 minutes, I use this crazy mezzaluna tool to cut it into squares:Another great combination is thinly sliced chorizo and pineapple together.It has that irresistible salty-sweet thing going on.