Green Chile Alfredo
We love green chilies, and green chilies love cheese. It turns out they love being blended into creamy cheesy sauces just as much as they love being stuffed, breaded and fried into chiles rellenos, which is good news for days when we want something different on our pasta. Use whichever kind of chile fits your heat preference!
8 oz roasted green chile, de-stemmed, seeded & chopped
4 Tbsp garlic scape pesto
1 cup half & half (or use some Winter Hill whole milk but don’t shake up the cream top before pouring!)
4 oz Copper Tail chevre (you can also use cream cheese or queso fresco, but we’re biased)
⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or try Winter Hill’s Collinsbrook cheese or your favorite firm cheese from Fuzzy Udder or Spring Day)
Salt & pepper, to taste
In a medium saucepan, heat pesto over medium heat until lightly sizzling, then remove from heat and slowly stir in half & half. Add chevre, stir to melt and place over medium-low heat. Allow to reduce slightly, stirring often. Add chopped chiles and grated cheese, remove from heat and immersion blend until mostly smooth (or use regular blender on low). Return to pot, season to taste and keep warm until needed. Toss with your favorite pasta and optional chopped herbs. Alternatively, you can toss it with shells or other short pasta shapes and bake under a cornmeal crust, with or without extra protein like shredded chicken or pork. Or stir into polenta for a southwestern/Italian mashup of cheese grits.
Smashed Cucumber Salad
More of a technique than a recipe, smashed cucumbers are a fun alternative to a leafy salad on a hot day. Smashing the cucumbers helps to release extra water so they can soak up the dressing without getting too watery. Traditionally served as a cooling side dish in Szechuan cuisine, there's lots of room for creativity, ingredient availability and personal preference here. Garlic scapes won't be as garlicky as cloves, but add a fun texture and have a very brief season. Scallion bulbs can also be used. Traditionally, black vinegar is used in the final seasoning, and can be found at Asian grocery stores, but rice wine vinegar is acceptable, too, especially if you've got some infused with one of your favorite herbs (green shiso is very nice).
For every two people you are serving, you will need:
1 pound slicing cucumbers
1 large clove garlic, or 2 large garlic scapes, or 3-4 large scallions
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce (or more to taste)
½ tsp black or rice wine vinegar
Optional chili oil or flakes, or your favorite chili crisp
Toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts, optional
Chopped cilantro and/or scallion tops, optional
If your cucumbers are skinnier, you may slice off the ends and smash them whole with the side of a chef’s knife or cleaver, then cut crosswise into bite sized chunks. If they're thick and very juicy, remove ends, cut in half the long way and smash, removing seeds (which may go flying) and cut crosswise into bite sized chunks. Place in a colander over a bowl, sprinkle with salt and sugar and lightly toss, then leave for 30 minutes to drain.
Meanwhile, if using garlic, smash and mince finely. If using scapes, chop into ⅛” pieces. If using scallions, slice thinly. Once cucumbers are drained, remove to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients to taste and serve immediately.
Summer Squash and Black Bean Fritters
This recipe will work with any type of zucchini or summer squash, at any size - just remove seeds if they are on the more mature side. Based on a squash and chickpea fritter recipe, this is a locavore update using black bean flour from Maine Grains (which you can find at the BTLT Crystal Springs market the first Saturday of each month). The fritters are great in wraps, sandwiches, or on their own with a sauce, and are especially excellent in any application with a fat slice of juicy summer tomato on top. They also freeze well, and can be made in much bigger batches for that purpose if you desire. Use any heat level of green chile to suit your taste.
2 cups summer squash or zucchini, grated (from about 10 oz whole)
½ cup thinly sliced onion, preferably red (from about 2 oz whole)
¼ cup chopped roasted green chile (from about 4 oz frozen, thaw, peel and de-seed before chopping)
2 large garlic scapes, flower end removed, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces (optional, replace with ¼ tsp garlic powder when not in season)
Big pinch salt
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp Mexican spice blend (Gryffon Ridge’s Eastern Cattle Cover or Ziggy’s My Brain is on Fire are both great options that can be found at the BTLT market)
½ cup black bean flour
Neutral oil, for frying
Combine all ingredients except bean flour in a mixing bowl and stir to thoroughly coat and combine. Gradually add bean flour to make a thick, chunky batter. Leave to hydrate while you heat no more than ½” oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, fry by ¼ cup, two at a time, smashing fritter batter down into patties as you add them. Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side, they will be very dark but you can see bits of crispy fried onion, and will be firm once cooked through. Remove to paper towels to drain excess oil and season with additional salt. Makes 8 or 9 fritters.
Fennel and Radicchio Slaw
Fennel has a natural sweetness that often needs a balance, and radicchio has a light bitterness that requires something sweet to take the edge off. This slaw is easy to throw together and gets better as it marinates, and is cool and refreshing next to anything you might want to throw on a grill. The dill requires restraint - you want just enough for the slaw to taste fresh, but not pickled. If radicchio is unavailable, an equivalent amount of shaved red cabbage will work.
4 cups very thinly sliced/shredded fennel, from 2 medium bulbs
3 cups very thinly sliced/shredded radicchio, from ½ of a medium or 1 small head
1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh dill
¼ cup rice wine vinegar, or try West Maquoit Vinegar Works’ maple vinegar
¼ cup grapeseed, sunflower seed or squash seed oil (Fiore has a great butternut seed)
1 Tbsp maple syrup
¾ tsp sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Gently toss before serving.
Spaghetti Squash with Brown Butter Sauce
Spaghetti squash is one of the first mature “winter” squashes to make it out of the field and to market, and it doesn't keep well, so we like to enjoy it while it lasts. By frying garlic and sage to a crisp in butter that then continues to cook until said butter is brown and nutty, you can make a simple sauce that tastes like a cool fall evening and goes with everything from smoked tofu to pork with apples.
For every two servings, you will need:
1. 1 lb or so spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, seeds scooped, cut sides rubbed with olive oil & seasoned with salt & pepper
2. 4 Tbsp butter (if using unsalted, add a small pinch salt to sauce before dressing squash)
3. 1 med clove garlic, crushed & minced
4. 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh sage leaves
5. Black pepper
Preheat oven to 400. Roast squash on a baking sheet, cut side down, for about 30 minutes, until skin is easily pierced by a fork but squash isn't mushy. Set aside to cook while you make the sauce.
Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once bubbling, add garlic and cook, swirling the pan gently, for about a minute. Add sage and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, swirling gently, until browned and nutty. Remove from heat and set aside.
Use a fork to scrape strands of squash from skin. Strain any extra liquid from squash, then toss with brown butter sauce and season to taste with black pepper. Serve immediately.