Our local growers are harvesting summer! This month we have sweet corn, patty pan squash, Japanese eggplant, green bell peppers, and yellow crookneck squash, all organic and all grown in Riverside’s Greenbelt. All can be grilled, and most would make a great ratatouille, just add garlic, onion and some spices. I have included a recipe.
Tarsadia Organic Farm
Sweet Corn
Patty Pan Squash
Japanese Eggplant
Yellow Crookneck squash
Peaches
Green Bell Peppers
Cucumbers
Fox Farm
Hass Avocado
Ruby Grapefruit
Gaytan Family Farm
Cucumbers
Asparagus
Strawberries
Huerta del Valle
Cabbage
Not a member yet? Why not? Click here to join the co-op at $100 for full membership. Be a member and a co-owner, bringing the power of economic independence to Riverside. Members can subscribe to our crop box too! $27/month with delivery available for $7.50/month. You benefit, your community benefits, and our partner farms and growers benefit.
We probably all know how to cook and eat corn on the cob. Here is a recipe for pickled corn to be used in salad, pasta salad, or a taco.
Pickled Corn
From Food 52. Makes 1 16 ounce jar.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups fresh corn
1 jalapeño or Serrano pepper, halved lengthwise
1 fresh bay leaf
¾ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Directions
Place the corn kernels, jalapeño halves and bay leaf into a 16-ounce jar. Set aside.
In a small pot, stir together the vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and pour the hot liquid into the jar to cover the corn. Discard any remaining pickling liquid you may have left. Carefully place the lid on top of the jar and let sit until cool to the touch.
Once cool, place into the fridge and let chill overnight. Keep chilled until ready to use.
If you are a lover of elote, try this with your ears of corn.
Elote Rigatoni
From Food 52. Serves 2-4.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 ears corn, shucked, and kernels cut off (about 3 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 jalapeño, minced (remove pith and seeds for less spice)
3 garlic cloves, minced or Microplaned
1 ¼ teaspoons chili powder, plus more to taste
½ pound rigatoni (or other short pasta shape)
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons just-squeezed lime juice
¼ cup finely chopped chives, plus more for topping
¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus more for topping
¼ cup grated or crumbled Cotija cheese, plus more for topping
Directions
1. Add the canola oil to a cast-iron skillet and set over high heat. When it’s hot and shimmery, add the corn. Season with salt, stir, then pat the corn into an even layer. Cook for about 12 minutes, tossing once or twice but mostly leaving alone—this encourages dramatic browning (just what we want!).
2. Meanwhile, set a large pot of water over high heat. Season with salt, to taste, until very salty.
3. When the corn is colorful, turn off the heat and add the jalapeño, garlic, and chili powder. Stir, then let be while you tend to the rest of the recipe.
4. When the water is boiling, add the rigatoni. Depending on the brand and how al dente you like your pasta, it’ll cook for anywhere between 10 and 14 minutes, so taste a noodle here and there.
5. While that cooks, add the corn mixture, mayonnaise, lime juice, chives, cilantro, and Cotjia to a big bowl. Stir.
6. When the pasta is done, use a spider to transfer the pasta to the bowl with the corn (any water clinging to them is welcome here). Toss. Season with salt and chili powder to taste. Top with more chives, cilantro, and Cotija. You could eat this immediately, or save for later as a room-temp or even cold pasta salad.
Summer Veggie Sandwiches
I love grilled eggplant on sandwiches. Grilling the eggplant, the crookneck squash, bell peppers, and patty pan squash would make a great sandwich. You can add lettuce or arugula (for a peppery bite), sliced tomatoes, and pesto or mayonnaise. The best of summer.
Yotam Ottelenghi’s Sweet Corn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce
From Food 52. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Eggplant Sauce
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 teaspoons tomato paste
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup chopped peeled tomatoes (fresh or canned)
6 ½ tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
Directions
Heat up the oil in a large saucepan and fry the eggplant on medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until nicely brown. Drain off as much oil as you can and discard it -- the safest way to do this is to scoop out the eggplant to a plate using a slotted spoon, then pour off the oil into a bowl before adding the eggplant back in. You can save the oil to fry lamb chops or eggs in tomorrow.
Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir with the eggplant. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, water, salt, sugar and oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce. Set aside; warm it up when needed.
Ingredients
Polenta
6 ears of corn
2 ¼ cups water
3 tablespoons butter, diced
7 ounces feta, crumbled
¼ teaspoon salt
Black pepper
Directions
1. Remove the leaves and "silk" from each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels -- either stand each ear upright on its base and shave downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels. You want to have 1 1/4 pounds kernels.
2. Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and barely cover them with the water. Cook for 12 minutes on a low simmer. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water and into a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid.
3. Process them for quite a few minutes, to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes too dry to process.
4. Now return the corn paste to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to mashed potato consistency. (Be aware that if you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, it can take a while to cook down the polenta, and it will sputter. Consider holding back some or all of the liquid. Alternately, if you like the consistency after processing, you can skip to step 5.)
5. Fold in the butter, the feta, salt and some pepper and optionally cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Food 52 rates this as a Genius Recipe. I think you will agree.
Alice Waters' Ratatouille
Serves 6 to 8.
Ingredients
1 medium or 2 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more to taste
2 medium onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
½ bunch basil, tied in a bouquet with kitchen twine + 6 basil leaves, chopped
1 pinch dried chile flakes
2 sweet peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Salt to taste
Directions
1. Toss the eggplant cubes with a teaspoon or so of salt. Set the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Pat the eggplant dry, add to the pan, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Add a bit more oil if the eggplant absorbs all the oil and sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove the eggplant when done and set aside.
3. In the same pot, pour in 2 more tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and cook for about 7 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, basil bouquet, dried chile flakes, and a bit more salt.
4. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in peppers. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in summer squash. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in tomatoes.
5. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then stir in eggplant and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the bouquet of basil, pressing on it to extract all its flavors, and adjust the seasoning with salt.
6. Stir in the chopped basil leaves and more extra virgin olive oil, to taste. Serve warm or cold.
Lentil and Eggplant Vegetarian Meatballs
From Food 52. 20 golf sized meatballs.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked french lentils (1 cup dry lentils = 2 to 2-1/2 cups cooked)
4 medium eggplants (or 1 cup of cooked eggplant)
2 garlic cloves
½ cup walnuts crushed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese / cottage cheese / paneer
½ cup fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
1. Chop the eggplants in small pieces.
2. Put a large pan on high heat, pour in 3 tbsp olive oil. Add eggplant pieces and season with sea salt and pepper.
3. Cook for 5 - 8 minutes. Feel free to add a little more oil to the pan if pan is getting too dry. Cook until eggplants are golden on all sides. Let it cool down.
4. In a food processor, pulverize the cooked lentils, eggplant mixture, garlic cloves, crushed walnuts, cheese, fresh oregano leaves, breadcrumbs, cinnamon powder, black pepper, cumin powder and salt.
5. Roll the mixture in round balls between your palms. The balls should not fall apart. If the mixture is too sticky , you can add some more breadcrumbs. Put them in the fridge for 20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
7. Line meatballs on a baking sheet with parchment paper and back for 15 -20 minutes until golden brown. Alternatively you can also cook these meatballs in pan with a little olive oil until golden brown.
8. These delicious meatballs can be eaten by themselves or pair with green pesto or tomato sauce.
Cucumber Gazpacho
From Williams Sonoma.
In a blender, puree peeled and seeded English cucumber, garlic, red onion, avocado, olive oil, lime juice, and cilantro.
Thin with vegetable stock as desired and season with salt and pepper.
Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid's Spicy Cucumber Salad
From Food 52. Adapted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium European cucumbers
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
5 Thai dried chiles, or 3 for milder heat
½ jalapeño, minced
7 Sichuan peppercorns
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup packed torn cilantro leaves
Directions
1. Peel the cucumber, leaving some thin strips of peel on if you wish, for a decorative effect. Cut lengthwise into quarters and discard the seeds.
2. Use the flat side of a cleaver or large knife to bash the cucumber pieces several times. Cut the pieces lengthwise into thinner strips, then cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths. Place in a medium bowl.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and sugar. Pour over the cucumber, mix well, and set aside.
4. Place a wok or skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Toss in the dried chiles, jalapeño, and peppercorns and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds. Pour this over the cucumbers. Sprinkle on the salt and mix well.
5. Mound the salad in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle on the cilantro leaves and serve immediately. Note: The traditional way to make this uses 3 tablespoons of oil, giving a well-oiled texture that may be undesirable. If you wish, try both and see which you prefer.