Seasonal Lovely: Beet Greens

I always pass veggies with their attached, beautiful greens at the farmers market and wonder whether they would be good sauteed with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.  In the case of beet greens, the answer is most definitely yes.  Wash greens and roughly chop, finely chop 2 cloves of garlic.  Heat 1T olive oil, then add greens and garlic to pan (at the same time - don't want to burn that garlic!).  Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Sauté for about 5 minutes, until wilted and stems are slightly soft.  Serve warm.  If you have leftovers, try adding them to a frittata, omelet, or soup.

Leucadia Farmer's Market haul, mid-September

Overnight Roasted Tomatoes

This is one of those fabulous time-savers that actually has a wonderful end product.  Adapted from the lovely Nigella Lawson, who calls them "moonblush."   I have changed the method slightly and omitted the sugar she uses - I find it unnecessary, even in the winter.  And speaking of winter, this is a great way to change those flavorless grape tomatoes that are the only decent option into something wonderful.  

 

Overnight Roasted Tomatoes

• Approx. 24 small tomatoes, any variety
• 2t sea salt
• 1t dried thyme
• 2T olive oil

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2) Cut the tomatoes in half and sit them cut side up in an ovenproof dish.  Sprinkle with salt, thyme, and olive oil and mix with hands to coat evenly.

3) Put them in the oven and roast for approximately 15 minutes.  Then turn the oven off and leave the tomatoes in the oven overnight or for a day without opening the door. 

4) Serve, or place in jar with olive oil - they will keep in the fridge for a week or two.  I love them over scrambled eggs with gruyere cheese and some fresh basil.

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

From my favorite food blog Smitten Kitchen comes this simple, delicious recipe to make use of late summer tomatoes and green beans.  

Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

Serves 6

• 1 pound green beans (or a mix of green/yellow/purple/whatever)

• 1 pound cherry tomatoes

• 1 large shallot

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• Salt and pepper

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Basil or other herb (parsley, chervil, hyssop) (optional)

METHOD

Vegetables

1) Top and tail the beans and cut them into large segments.

2) Parboil the beans in salted water until just tender, about four to five minutes. Drain and immediately spread them out to cool. 

3) Stem the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.

Dressing

4) Peel and mince the shallot and put it in a bowl with the vinegar and salt and pepper.

5) Whisk in the olive oil. 

6) Taste and adjust the balance with more vinegar, oil, or salt, as needed. 

Assemble

7) Toss the cherry tomatoes in with the vinaigrette; this can sit for a while. 

8) Add green beans and toss to coat evenly.  Do not add the green beans until just before serving or they will discolor from the acid in the vinaigrette. 

9) Garnish with herbs.

I feel a bit embarrased posting this picture, which I took with my point-and-shoot, after linking to the original recipe and her unbelievable photography.  But here it is anyway:

Ratatouille

I think everyone who makes ratatouille has their own "recipe," and most of us don't use one at all, but that's one of the great things about it.  It is unfussy food, filling and healthful and utterly delicious.  The really important thing here is to use the freshest, best ingredients - which means it's a dish of the late summer/early fall only, when the market (or your garden) is overflowing with tomatoes and zucchini.  

I do it the old-fashioned way, with relatively-evenly-sized chunks of the lovely veggies.  It makes a great side dish for chicken, but I usually serve it as a main, light dinner, with a poached egg and good crusty bread.  Even my toddler will eat (most of) it (we're still working on eggplant) as long as that egg is on top and there is bread to dip. 

Ratatouille

INGREDIENTS

• 4T Olive Oil

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 eggplant (I like Italian, pictured here, or Chinese, but whatever you can find), but into 1/2 inch cubes (don't worry too much about making them square, or perfect - this is unfussy food!)

• 1 Red bell pepper, cut into chunks

• 1 Yellow onion, diced

• 2 medium zucchini, chopped into 1/2 in pieces

• 3 large tomatoes, chopped (seeded if you wish, I don't)

• Salt and Pepper

• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 large handfull fresh basil, roughly chopped

METHOD

1) Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat

2) Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

3) Add eggplant, garlic, zucchini, and red pepper, and saute until starting to soften, about another 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

4) Add tomatoes and smash up a bit with the back of your spoon.  

5) Add thyme and bay leaf and season again with salt and pepper.

6) Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft and the tomatoes have created a sauce, about 30 minutes.