Too Hot to Cook

The heat wave is upon us in New England.  My red berries longing to be black have dried and died.  I'm soaking the garden to prevent further loss.  (Remember, water in the morning to reduce loss by evaporation and avoid watering at night to prevent powdery mildew.)  We have hundreds of green tomatoes, a handful of green beans, and one eggplant right now, aside from our sheltered lettuce and a few berries.  We'll be picking our usual 20 pounds of blueberries at Rocky Point Farm this week, which gets us through most of the year between jams and a cache in the freezer.  It's a good time to knock back some of the lettuce before they all bolt.  I also used up the cabbage and white radish from our CSA for a cool slaw.  So, two more recipes.

BTW, today is Gregor Mendel's birthday.  This monk studied heredity by crossing pea plants and is considered the Father of Genetics.  My mission this week is to create "New England Guacamole", or guacamole using fresh peas instead of avocado.  I think I saw a jalapeño hiding amongst the tomatoes in the garden...

Gluten-Free/Vegan

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Cabbage Cole Slaw

Taste of Holland

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1/2 cabbage, shredded

1 bunch white radish, grated

1/2 diced red pepper or 1 grated carrot

1 tbs. white sugar

1 tbs. oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tbs. minced Mexican tarragon

Spice it up: Add red pepper flakes or diced jalapeño

When life gives you cabbage on a hot summer day, make “koosla”, the shredded Dutch salad dish.  Prepare vegetables.  Heat sugar, oil, and vinegar to blend.  Toss with vegetables and tarragon.  Chill at least one hour.

Gluten-Free/Vegetarian

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Honey Summer Salad

Taste of Many Places

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Dressing:

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. brown mustard

2 tbs. cider vinegar

2 tbs. walnut or other oil

2 tbs. local honey

Salad:

Mixed summer greens

Fruit (berries, peaches)

Walnuts

Oil

Honey mustard seems to have many origins, from ancient Rome to French Arcadia.  Used as a faith cure smeared across the chest by traiteurs, this dressing is bound to heal your hunger on summer nights when it’s too hot too cook.  You could have the salad ingredients raw, to avoid cooking altogether, but I’ve included cooking directions to better meld the flavors.  

Combine dressing ingredients and process in food processor.   Spray pan lightly with oil and wilt greens slightly on medium heat.  Divide among plates.  Add walnuts and toast lightly.  Divide among plates again.  Top salads with berries and drizzle with dressing.  For peaches, slice into 1/2” wedges and cook about 3 minutes per side.  (You could also grill peaches and romaine leaves over foil pierced with holes.)  Add to salads.  Serve immediately.