Candles & Tea > Vegetables

Summer Fresh Zucchini Carpaccio

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:28:57 MST

Summer-fresh zucchini needs to be treated gently and I thought a light vegetable carpaccio would be perfect. So I thinly cut the zucchini, arranged it delicately on a dish, drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salted and peppered liberally, added some fresh cut basil and some Parmesan cheese on top.

It looked wonderful, and I think it tasted quite good as well, although my fellow dinner company gave some reserved remarks along the lines that the taste was a little bland. I suppose I can agree to some limited degree; the next time I try this I probably would drizzle a reduction of balsamic vinegar to concentrate the flavors instead, and perhaps apply a little more cheese.

However, I think this dish was quite perfect in its simplicity. The zucchini was mild and fresh, the olive oil rounded the flavors off nicely, the peppery basil provided a very suitable light punch, and the balsamic vinegar and the cheese added some extra taste. I think this is a perfect light summer dish, either as an appetizer or a side dish, just make sure to top it with a lot of fresh pepper.

Carrot, Apple & Celery Salad with Spicy Mustard Vinaigrette

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:35:04 MST

I had a boring, limited base of vegetables at home - carrots & celery, which I hoped to turn into something tasty for dinner. I looked into the fridge and found apples, pickles and mustard and thought this might work.

So I made a spicy vinaigrette with a lot mustard and mixed it with these vegetables. What's nice about this salad is that it won't go mushy or soft for while and you can make it a day in advance if needed.

4 Servings as a side dish

Ingredients:

4 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 apple
2 pieces of pickle

Vinaigrette:

4 tbsp of spicy mustard
1 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of olive oil
Small handful of fresh herbs (I used cilantro which was slightly overpowering)
Salt
Pepper

Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces, and pickles into small pieces. Whisk vinaigrette together and taste off with possibly more mustard and salt and pepper. Mix together and preferably cover and let sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Farmstand Corn Fritters

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:32:18 MST

This is a recipe from the American Test Kitchen - one of my favorite cooking shows and magazine. When they made these little fritters on the show, they opened my eyes immediately! I had never had corn fritters before and pictured them crunchy while soft with a strong corn flavor, and they did deliver! The fried flavor went so well with the corn and I really liked the method of cutting some corn right of the cob while grating some. I didn't have heavy cream, so I substituted it for milk and added an extra egg yolk. Also, they needed a little extra salt, so I sprinkled some right after they came out of the pan. Try this! I can't wait to try it with some maple syrup like they suggested.

Serve these crisp corn fritters with almost anything from the grill. The batter can be covered and refrigerated up to 4 hours.

Makes 12 fritters

1 1/2 pounds fresh corn (2 large or 3 to 4 medium ears), husks and silk removed
1 large egg , beaten lightly
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 small shallot , minced
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup corn oil or vegetable oil, or more as needed

Method:

1. Using chef’s knife, cut kernels from 1 to 2 ears corn and place in bowl (you should have about 1 cup whole kernels). Grate kernels from remaining 1 to 2 ears on large holes of box grater (you should have generous 1/2 cup grated kernels) into bowl with cut kernels. Using back of knife, scrape any pulp remaining on all cobs into bowl. Stir in egg, flour, cornmeal, cream, shallot, salt, and cayenne.

2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop 6 heaping tablespoonfuls batter in pan. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer fritters to plate lined with paper towels. If necessary, add more oil to skillet and heat until shimmering; fry remaining batter. Serve fritters immediately.