Spring into Summer
Right now at the market there is an influx of incredible produce. Both spring and summer seasons are perfectly represented in the produce aisles. It's sometimes overwhelming how beautiful fruits and veggies can be, and it's a short window where both seasons overlap and coexist so well on the shelves.
The fruit tables have been assaulted with peaches, and the summer squash is hitting the veggie rack. It's definitely pointing to all signs of summer, but the fava beans are still around and spring onions are still plentiful. What a better reason to just combine everything together and have spring and summer in one dish?
With all of the abundance of fruits and veggies, there comes lots of waste because the rising heat accelerates the decay of the produce. It's hard to get people to buy things when there's a minuscule nick in a squash or a soft cucumber. I love to overlook these imperfections and use them to create wonderful and flavorful dishes such as the following salad.
This salad is a clear indicator that summer is here and a fresher take on roasted veggies. The typical summer veg--summer squash, cucumber and tomato all get to shine here, but get some heat on them for a greater depth of flavor. Tossed in an herb-y yogurt dressing and you're set. It's also an excellent opportunity for me to use preserved ingredients that I've previously made to immortalize seasons past. Preserved lemons and homemade olives are great additions to this salad and give it a little extra pop of flavor.
Very important to mention, this salad can be made well in advance. I served it room temperature and roasted all of the veg ahead of time and let them cool completely.
Since the fava season is still going strong, I've made another light veggie dish, but substantial enough for the breezy spring day here in San Francisco. A ragu doesn't necessarily have to be a red sauce, and in this case, I've made a veggie ragu that's bound together by a little cream cheese. It's saucy and rich in it's own unconventional way. There's also no reason why the veggies in the ragu can't be substituted by anything else for any other season. Feel free to explore other options if mushrooms or fava beans just aren't your thing.
Polenta is one of the first things that come to mind that just begs for a hearty sauce. It's an incredible blank canvas that doesn't lack at all in flavor if done correctly. The following recipe is adapted from my mother's, and I've taken a few liberties in approving it...
Cucumber | Summer Squash | Cherry Tomato Salad
serves 3-4
4-5 small cucumbers (preferably Japanese variety), cut into jewels or cubed
4-5 baby summer squash (mixed variety such as Flying Saucer, Pattypan, Zephyr), cut into jewels or cubed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup capers
1/4 cup homecured olives, roughly chopped
2 lemons, juiced and zested
1/2 cup Labne (or Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup tarragon leaves
1 cup watercress
1 spring onion, roughly chopped
1 cup cubed fresh mozzarella
salt & pepper
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp cooking oil
Begin by placing a cast iron skillet in the oven and heating it to 500 degrees F. Once heated thoroughly, add the whole cherry tomatoes, 2 tbsp of cooking oil and a healthy pinch of salt. Toss around until everything is coated and place back into the oven for 10 minutes. Once sizzling, lower heat to 300 degrees and let cook for another 5 minutes or so. The idea is to blister and cook down the tomatoes until caramelized and sweet. When they've finished cooking, transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Next, raise the oven to 450 degrees and add the cucumbers and squash to a baking tray. Coat with the remainder of the cooking coil and another healthy dose of salt. Add the capers as well and pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until everything is completely roasted and brown. Remove from the oven and let cool in the baking tray--then add to the large bowl that contains the tomatoes.
While everything sits make the dressing. In a 12-16 oz mason jar, add the Labne, extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp salt, pepper, and the sugar. Seal tight and give a good shake until everything is well incorporated. Set aside.
Add the tarragon, olives, and spring onion to the bowl with the veggies. Toss in about half the dressing and gently mix everything together. Add the watercress and the rest of the dressing if necessary and continue to gently combine until everything is well coated. Season more with salt if needed. Serve!
Mushroom | Fava Bean Ragu
Parmesan Polenta
makes 4 servings
1 lb king trumpet mushrooms, cut into small bite size pieces
2 cups shelled YOUNG fava beans, peels on (if using older favas, remove inner peels)
1 fennel bulb, small diced
1-2 spring onions, roughly chopped
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 cup cream cheese
2 cups polenta cornmeal
2 quarts homemade stock of choice
2 cups whole milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 cloves garlic plus 2 tbsp minced garlic
2 Parmesan cheese rinds
1 tbsp preserved lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp freshly cracked pepper
salt
To make the polenta:
In a large pot, bring the stock and the milk to a boil. At that point, reduce to a simmer. Before adding cornmeal, have a whisk in hand then gradually add the cornmeal and immediately begin to whisk. Continue to do so until well incorporated and a homogeneous, thick mixture. Add the Parmesan rinds, the 3 cloves of garlic and close to a tbsp of salt. As mixture heats up, the polenta will thicken--if thicker than yogurt, add water in 1/2 cup increments whenever that occurs. As you add water, also check for seasoning. Polenta will need 20-30 minutes to fully cook.
* Polenta will constantly need tending to, and not to be left alone to boil and burn on the bottom. Keep your eyes on it and more than periodically stir. If you need to walk away, simply turn the heat off and then resume cooking when you return, being sure to add water to thin it out again.
Meanwhile start the vegetable ragu. In a large cast iron skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the butter and the cooking oil on high heat. Add the thyme, mushrooms and fennel and coat in the fat. Be sure not to stir too much because the mushrooms need enough time to brown on each side. Once the veg has softened and caramelized, add the fava beans, minced garlic and a healthy dose of salt and lower the heat to medium. Add the lemon juice to deglaze the pan. Next, add half of the cream cheese and melt into the vegetables. Add 1/2 cup of water to loosen the cream cheese and create a sauce as well. Check for seasoning and lower the heat to the lowest possible setting to simmer the sauce.
To finish the polenta, add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and remaining cream cheese. Stir until incorporated and creamy and finish with the black pepper.
To serve, ladle polenta into a bowl and spoon over sauce. Garnish with spring onion!
