Week 9: Farm Share Recipes

Meal 1: Cherry Tomato and Sweet Corn Salad by Smitten Kitchen 
Ingredients:

• 2 ears fresh corn
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• Freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green)
  
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
  
• 1 Bell pepper, diced 
  
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped
  
• 1 cup finely-chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, mint, basil, chives, or a mix thereof
  

Directions:
Cook the corn your favorite way; I use the grill. Heat your grill to a high heat. Shuck the cobs, removing any stringy bits, and lightly oil the cobs. Place directly on the grill and cook until charred spots form, rotating the cobs as needed. This can take about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how robust your grill is. Set the cobs aside to cool slightly while you make the dressing.
Pour olive oil, cider vinegar, kosher salt, many grinds of black pepper, and minced garlic in a medium-large bowl and whisk to combine. When corn is cool enough to handle (with a towel, if needed), cut the kernels from the cob and add to the dressing in the bowl. Scatter tomatoes, jalapeño, scallions, and herbs on top of the corn in layers, but I don’t bother mixing it at this point. I like the corn to marinate and gently pickle in the dressing. Do ahead: Corn salad can be made 1 hour in advance. If you’d like to make it even earlier, I’d leave the herbs off until right before serving so they don’t discolor.
Pair with your preferred protein (For example: grilled chicken or steak)


Meal 2: Grilled Zucchini Ribbons with Pesto and White Beans by Smitten Kitchen 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, thinner longer ones are ideal here
  
• Olive oil
  
• Coarse or kosher salt
  
• Freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 lemon
  
• 1 3/4 cups (from 1 15-ounce can) small-to-medium-sized white beans, drained (I used – Goya’s Great Northern beans)
  
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
  
• A 2-ounce bundle of basil (this is the small clamshell size at most groceries)
  
• 1 to 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  
• Coarsely grated parmesan, to taste
  

Directions:
Prepare the zucchini: Trim ends and cut zucchini the long way into 1/4-inch strips. I use a mandoline for this, but a knife works too. Spread out strips on a large tray and brush lightly with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
On a grill with full heat or a grill pan, grill zucchini in a single layer until grill marks appear underneath, then flip over and repeat the same on the other side. Transfer zucchini back to platter and squeeze lemon juice over it.
Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine basil and garlic with a few good pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper until chopped. Drizzle in olive oil until it blends smoothly; you’ll want about 4, sometimes 5, tablespoons. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and blend until well-mixed; taste and add more vinegar, up to 1 more tablespoon, to taste. Season to taste.
Combine beans with about 2/3 of the dressing in a small bowl. In a larger bowl or serving platter, pour half of dressed beans in the bottom. Arrange grilled zucchini on top, twisting and turning it so that it looks extra ribbony. Spoon remaining beans in the spaces. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the platter, to taste. Finish with parmesan. 

Meal 3: Buffalo Beets 
Conard and I (Kelsey) recently visited the Wildflower Cafe in Mason, OH and devoured their “Buffalo beet wings”. I could have eaten three more plates of them, but this is my best guess to recreate it.
Ingredients:

• 1 pound of beets, cut into even 1 inch chunks 
  
• Big drizzle of olive oil
  
• 1 tbs cornstarch
  
• Salt
  
• ¼ cup of Buffalo sauce
  
• Feta cheese
  
• Cilantro, finely chopped 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place shelf in upper third of oven. 
   
2. Drizzle diced beets with olive oil and toss with cornstarch and a generous amount of salt. 
   
3. Spread on a cookie sheet, ensuring there is space between each beet to allow moisture to escape. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until crispy. 
   
4. Toss with buffalo sauce. Place confidently on a plate and sprinkle crumbled feta and cilantro on the top.
   
5. If it doesn’t turn out, Plan B is to go to the Wildflower Cafe for dinner tonight!