Good Real Food

D and I have spent the last two weekends harvesting the last of the garden veggies and getting the beds ready for winter. Here are two ideas I had for how to use yummy things from the garden.

1. Fried Green Tomatoes

Slice a few large slabs of green tomatoes. Dredge in salted flour, dip in egg, pat with cornmeal, and fry in oil on both sides for about 2 minutes each. Serve with hot sauce.

2. Butternut squash soup with apples and leeks.

Peel, gut, and cut into cubes one butternut squash. Cook pieces laying flat on a cookie sheet sprayed with oil and sprinkled with salt until soft. In the mean time, saute leeks, apples, garlic and sage in olive oil and butter until soft. Let all things cool. Add in batches to a blender with chicken stock or veggie stock. Put back in a pan and heat through. Serve with good bread.

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I admit that apple pie at first glance is not the most racy fall food, but I harbor a fondness for fresh made apple pie and have been working to perfect a recipe that captures the full sensual mix of crisp, savory, sweet and spicy. I am going for the sensation I associate with the first red leaves, apple picking, and cooling, darkening nights that hint at new and unknown adventures around the corner.

What you need:

• 2 nine-inch pie crusts
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp. water for the egg wash
• 8 cups peeled and sliced apples
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamon
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 Tbsp. vanilla yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 425. Roll out the bottom crust and place in the pie plate, brush with egg wash to seal. Chill.

2. In a large bowl, mix together all the other ingredients. Spoon into crust. Roll out the top crust and place over the filling. Seal edges of pie. Brush the top with the remaining egg wash. Cut a few vents in the top. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sharp Cheddar cheese. Be sure to share with people you love.

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I had this clasic Milanese soup for the first time in, of all places, Ecuador last spring. My host brought me to a rustic resort located about two hours outside of Quito in the Cloud Forest. Sitting on the deck watching the humingbirds dive and the rain come down through the rainforest, I had the feeling of sitting in the tree-fort house I dreamed of as a child. The place is owned by an Italian, so for lunch, they prepared the three of us (from scratch), this amazing soup followed by gnochi in cream sauce and chocholate mouse. It was the best lunch I have ever had, for many reasons, and as the seasons start to turn here in Minnesota, (which always sparks my nostalgia for travel) I was drawn to make this soup on one of our first truely cool fall days.

What you need:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 oz pancetta, roughly chopped
• 2-3 celary stalks, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, finley chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6-8 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• about 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 can (14 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup macaroni
• 4-5 spriggs fresh flat leaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• shaved parmesan cheese, to serve

What to do:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the pancetta, celery, carrots and onion and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring until the vegetables are softened.

2. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Pour in the stock. Add salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Half cover the pan, lower the heat, and cook for 20 minutes.

3. Drain the beans and add them to the pan along with the macaroni. Bring to a boil again. Cover, lower heat and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley and taste for seasoning.

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Do you have a box grater?  Good bread?  Some good tomatoes?  Garlic?  Good tasting olive oil?  Sea salt?  Pepper?

Good.  Try this:

Slice your bread and throw it in the over or under the broiler to toast a bit.  Whilst that’s getting toasty:
Put box grater in a bowl.  Using the big holes, shred as many tomatoes as you’d like.  Discard whatever larger bits of tomato skin you find hanging out on the side of the grater.  Using the smaller holes, shred your garlic - one clove per tomato seems to be just right, but if you like garlic like I do, add more.

Check your bread.  Does it need to be turned over?  Is it done?

Scrape all the good stuff off the inside/outside of your box grater.  Sprinkle some sea salt into the tomato and garlic mixture.  Add a bit of pepper if you want.  Then add in as much olive oil as you like - I think about 2-3 tablespoons per tomato is a good start, but it is up to you.

Stir well, then spoon and spread on your toasty bread.

If you mixed right, you’ll find yourself in an blissful state, maybe with a hankering for a nice glass of wine, some cheese, and maybe a few olives or a little slice of tortilla. If you don’t find yourself in that sort of mind, add more garlic or olive oil as you see fit.

This is also lovely spooned over eggs.

I suspect that most of you reading this have made something like this, but I find that I often forget these sort of simple and delicious ways of highlighting the taste of fresh produce - something I find myself savoring as summer ends here in Minnesota.

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pictures don’t do this justice - and frankly, my camera sucks.  Still, picture this, if you will:

toasted sourdough bread

thickly sliced tomatoes at the height of tomato season

a poached egg

a light dressing made of olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and a pinch of herbs de Provence (I know, a cheesy shortcut)

Imagine doing the following:

toast the bread, lightly dress it, top with a few slices of tomato, dress those as well, then top with the poached egg.

It was kind of like eating summer on a plate.

The best part?  It was just about the perfect thing to make when it was near 90 degrees outside

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