Summerin' Succotash!

Summerin' Succotash

Huzzah, it's corn season! This year, we even tried to grow our own, and while we have a few very small ears, they certainly aren't ready for harvesting. Around here, the typical corn varieties we find are Butter and Sugar (alternating kernels of sunflower-yellow and butter colors), and Silver Queen (white-blonde kernels). We love them both and eat as much as we can from late July until the end of September when our local farmstands abound with ears.

A Couple in the Kitchen's own corn patch and Thai pepper plant

Straight off the cob is the perfect way to eat corn, in our estimation. But now and again we buy or cook too many ears and like to experiment with the leftovers. Some recent market finds mingled with our own garden veggies in our latest favorite side dish - succotash. 

Fresh mise en place for Summerin' Succotash

The recipe is simple and the result, summery fresh goodness. From the farmers' market, we shelled whole lima beans and sawed the corn off of two freshly shucked ears. From our own garden, we dug up a couple of shallots, shredded a few basil leaves, and chopped two tiny Thai hot peppers (love how they grow end-up!). We ran across the street and "borrowed" a beautiful red tomato from our neighbor which we diced. A little bacon grease leftover from that morning's breakfast, some time over medium heat, and a dash of seasoning and we had a side dish worthy of the season, perfectly paired with smoked pork chops.

Cooking process - so easy!

Substitution tips: You can use olive oil instead of bacon grease to keep it meat-free. If you can't find fresh lima beans, use about a cup's worth of frozen. Jalapeno would work instead of the Thai pepper as well.

Summerin' Succotash

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon bacon grease

2 shallots, peeled and sliced

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 ears corn, shucked, kernels removed

1 quart fresh lima beans, shelled (yielding about a cup) 

1 large tomato, diced

2 Thai peppers, finely diced

kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

13-15 basil leaves, shredded

Heat the bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic powder and cook until they start to soften, about two minutes. Stir in the corn and beans and allow to cook until they are warmed through, about five minutes. Add the tomato and peppers and cook another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and the cider vinegar. Remove from heat and toss in the basil leaves. Serve warm.

Grilled, smoked pork chop and "summerin' succotash"

3 Times Thursday - Summer Mussels

Mussel /ˈməsəl/ : noun, any of a number of bivalve mollusks with a brown or purplish-black shell. 

For this week's 3 Times Thursday, we encourage you to try one of our recipes for mussels. A New England staple, mussels can be purchased relatively cheaply at your local seafood market or supermarket in two-pound mesh bags. Summer always means seafood to us, and mussels appear on our menu a few times throughout the season. Here are three flavorful ways to enjoy mussels - try them all with plenty of crusty bread. Don't forget to let us know your fave!


3. Mussels in White Wine Broth

Ingredients:

2 pounds mussels
1 large white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
6 whole garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 stick butter, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 bottle dry white wine (like Pinot Grigio)

Put half of the mussels in the bottom of a large stock-pot. Top with the white onions, garlic cloves, green onions, parsley, tomatoes, 3/4 stick of the butter cut into quarters, some salt and pepper, and then put the other half of the mussels in. Add the white wine and the other 1/4 stick of butter and cover with a lid. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, then allow them to steam for about 10 minutes, until they are all open.

2. Cockles and Mussels

Ingredients:

2 pounds mussels
1 pound cockles or small clams
4 lemons, halved
1 bunch green onions, chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 handful fresh parsley

2-3 stems of fresh tarragon
1/2 stick butter
1/2 bottle white wine (like Pinot Grigio)
2 cups water

salt

Put all the ingredients in a large stockpot, cover the pot, set it over high heat and cook for 15-20 minutes, until all shells are open.

1. Curried Mussels with Lemongrass

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste

1 cup hot water

1 stalk lemongrass, chopped

2 pieces dried galangal

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon liquid sugar (simple syrup)

1 can light coconut milk

2 pounds mussels

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the curry paste and stir to fry for about a minute. Stir in the water, then add the lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce, sugar and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the mussels, stir to coat, and put a lid on the pot. Cook, covered, over low heat until the mussels open, about five minutes. 

2 Simple End-of-Summer Pastas (Perfect for Weeknights!)

Oh, pasta. Why do we love you so? That's right...it's because you're so easy to make and so versatile. We can take almost any ingredient and with it, turn you into a stunningly simple meal. And, there's always some of you in our pantry. Plus, you have carbs. And we love carbs. (Sorry, carb-haters.) (Not really.) 

Seriously, though. The two dishes featured here make the most out of farm- or garden-fresh ingredients and they can be prepped in the time it takes to boil the pasta water. It doesn't get fresher or easier than that!

Our first "simple end-of-summer pasta" is our take on Caprese salad, but in pasta form. It was inspired by a cheese made by Meadowstone Farm* of  Brooklyn, CT, and a pasta from Meriano's Bake Shoppe in Madison, CT, which is why we are calling it "Connecticut Caprese Pasta." Stracciatella (Italian for "little shreds") is fresh mozzarella that has been shredded then mixed with fresh cream. It's soft, delicate, and delightfully creamy. In this recipe, we mixed Meriano's tomato-basil infused linguine with Meadowstone's cheese, and our own chopped basil and chopped garden tomatoes. Voila! Dinner in about 15 minutes. Using the tomato-basil pasta added so much flavor, so try it if you can.

Connecticut Caprese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (we used tomato-basil linguine)

2 cups chopped garden tomatoes

8-10 basil leaves 

1 package stracciatella cheese (or burrata or fresh mozzarella chopped into bite-sized pieces)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Set water over heat to boil pasta. While it is getting hot, chop tomatoes and basil; set aside. When water is boiling, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta when ready and fold in chopped tomatoes and basil. Then fold in the cheese and season to taste.

*Also, check out this gorgeous salad we made with Meadowstone Farm's burrata. 

Our second "simple end-of-summer pasta" is one we made out of sheer laziness. We looked around one weeknight shortly after school began and realized that it was dinner time and we didn't have much to work with. A yellow squash donated to us by the neighbors (thanks, Whits), some sliced prosciutto from a Portuguese shop brought over by Amy's mom, some shredded parmesan that was in the cheese drawer, and whatever was in our garden. Okay, maybe it was time to go grocery shopping. And, this is probably why we have cats and not kids. But we did have pasta in the pantry (see above), so, we give you our strange little take on alfredo:

School Just Started Summer Squash Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (we used thick spaghetti)

1 tablespoon bacon grease (don't judge us) (use olive oil if you must)

1 yellow squash (or zucchini), cut into "batons"

4-6 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips

6-10 cherry tomatoes

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup half and half (or milk, or light cream, some dairy product)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Set water over heat to boil pasta. While it is getting hot, heat bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash, prosciutto, tomatoes and garlic, and cook until tender and fragrant. Add parsley and chicken broth, and cook 3-4 minutes. Add half and half and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add parmesan and cook, stirring thoroughly, until slightly thickened. Cook pasta according to package directions, and drain. Toss pasta with sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.

What's in Season, CT? (Scenes from Coventry Regional Farmers Market)

We live about 15 minutes from the Coventry Regional Farmers Market, which is held every Sunday from June through October on the Nathan Hale Homestead. Each week features around 75 vendors featuring the freshest local produce, meats, dairy products (hollah cheeses!), breads, artisan foods, crafts and more. Chefs do demonstrations, breweries and wineries offer tastings, and often, there's a local band supplying the background jams. It's awesome. In their own words, "It's like a country fair every Sunday." Here are some photos from our last few visits. We hope they will entice you into going, and perhaps we'll see you there! (Note: This year is the last of the CRFM as it has been, but not to worry, the town of Coventry is taking it over and promises to keep it going - hooray!)

Basket of Fresh Garlic

Gladiolas and Picklin' Cukes

Ingredients for Mystic Oyster Shooters

Heirloom Tomatoes

A Peck of Picked Peppers

Cherry Tomatoes

Burgundy, Golden and Green Beans

Various Shades of Eggplant

Want Some Honey, Honey?

Ripe Red Raspberries

Boxes of Onions

A Beet Shelf

Connecticut Corn

Funky Fungi

Giant Pretzels from Hartford Baking Co.

Burrata Salad with Strawberries, Basil and Marcona Almonds

Beautiful burrata. A gorgeous little pouch of fresh mozzarella enveloping a soft, tender creamy center. A rich buttery flavor with a touch of milkiness. Wonderful when balanced with sweet strawberries, bright basil and crunchy almonds. We found burrata at the farmers' market and made this amazing salad, perfect for two to share as an appetizer, or one to have for lunch. If you can't find burrata, use fresh mozzarella instead. 

Burrata Salad with Strawberries, Basil and Marcona Almonds

2 balls burrata cheese

4 strawberries, hulled and slices

4 basil leaves, chiffonade

6 Marcona almonds, roughly chopped

extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Arrange cheese and strawberries in a dish. Sprinkle with basil and almonds, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: This burrata came from Meadowstone Farm, Brooklyn, CT. 

Tomato Therapy

We know we keep saying we're tired, but it's the truth. Teaching isn't easy, and today after school, long before Chris even got home, Amy briefly hit a wall. She needed therapy. She tried retail therapy, but since the last paycheck she saw was in June, that wasn't going to work. Thankfully, though, therapy did arrive, in the form of slightly over four pints of cherry tomatoes from across-the-street neighbor, Barb, and her grandson James, of "James's Sunflowers and More," our friendly neighborhood farmstand (who even donate half of their proceeds to charity!).

We were worried that we wouldn't be able to do our annual cherry tomato roasting, since our own so-called garden is in a such a state of disarray, given that we were away for most of the summer. But in the last eleven years, if there is one thing we've learned, it's that we can count on our neighbors.

It took an hour and a half to wash and halve all those tomatoes and peel a head of garlic, but that was the point - that's the therapeutic part. Amy's always loves doing those type of tasks, you know, the ones you do over and over without having to think, like knitting, cross-stitching, filing, and apparently, halving over four pints of cherry tomatoes.

And right now, the oven is doing all the work and she's feeling much better, enjoying a well-deserved glass of wine and thinking of all the summery yumminess this past hour and half will provide in the dead of winter.

Our "recipe" for oven-roasted cherry tomatoes can be found here. And Barb and James? Thank you thank you thank you! We'll be bringing you a couple of jars to enjoy once they are done.

(Yellow) Watermelon Salad with Bleu Cheese, Pancetta and Basil for Secret Recipe Club

Do not adjust your screen. Yes, that is a yellow watermelon. There are, in fact, over 1200 varieties of watermelon, and the flesh can be red, orange, yellow or white. This one, a Yellow Crimson, has a mildly sweeter taste than the more common red type. It almost has a honey flavor to it, so we thought it would be great to do something unusual with it. 

Luckily, it's Secret Recipe Club reveal day, and we were assigned Eliot's Eats, a food/travel/adventure blog with an ambitiously wide variety of posts and even more recipes. We have been drooling over this plethora of recipes by anonymous author "Eliot" (after T.S. Eliot) for several days now and since we had this beautiful watermelon on hand, decided on Watermelon Salad with Bleu Cheese, Pancetta and Basil. We decided that we were going to follow the recipe to the letter after realizing how much we have in common with "Eliot."

1. We are both near-middle-aged couples (although Amy is loathe to admit that)

2. "Eliot" works at a high school (as do the two of us), and her husband works in technology (Chris's hobby/job).

3. We are both cat people.

4. We both love to travel, cook, eat, patronize local restaurants and businesses, eat local and visit farmers markets.

5. And we both blog about it all.

So there it is. We are practically the same people, so why would we change the recipe? And "Eliot" - glad SRC gave us a chance to catch up. We've added you to our blog hop and will be checking in more often! 

Fresh, juicy, refreshing, sweet, tangy, crunchy, creamy, luscious peppery perfection. 

Watermelon Salad with Bleu Cheese, Pancetta and Basil

recipe from Eliot's Eats

Ingredients:

8 ounces pancetta, diced

1 1/2 cups cubed watermelon

2 tablespoons crumbled bleu cheese

1/8 cup basil, chiffonade

drizzle of olive oil

drizzle balsamic vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

Cook pancetta until crisp; drain on paper towels. Arrange watermelon on a chilled plate. Top with pancetta, bleu cheese and basil. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic, season to taste with pepper.