Recipes - Week of June 26th

Summer Squash Tips: (save for next week as summer squash could not be picked due to inclement weather) Summer squash can be served raw with other vegetables as part of a vegetable platter with dips, in salads,or grilled, broiled, steamed, stir-fried, deep-fried, boiled, baked, or stuffed. Because of its mild flavor, it can be added to almost any main-dish recipe or pasta sauce for texture, flavor, and color. Herbs & spices will enhance it’s flavor. Some herbs that go well with squash are dill, pepper, basil, marjoram, chives & mint. Squash is also great with garlic, onions & tomatoes.

Linguine Alfredo w/Garden Vegetables (Source: Natural Kitchen/Anne Vassal)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon jalapeño or serrano pepper — seeded and minced (use 1/2 teaspoon if you like it a little hotter)
• 1 small sweet red pepper — seeded and thinly sliced
• Summer squash — halved lengthwise and thinly sliced diagonally
• 8 ounces linguine
• 1/2 cup canned evaporated skim milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup fresh peas (shelled) 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley

Put water on to boil for the pasta. Sauté the garlic and hot pepper in the oil for about 30 seconds. Add the red pepper and summer squash. Sauté on medium-high heat about 2 - 2 1/2 minutes, stirring often. Meanwhile put linguine in boiling water to cook. To the pepper/squash mixture add the evaporated milk, salt, and pepper and let it cook a minute or so. Add the peas and simmer on medium heat until the vegetables are just done but crisp (about 1 1/2 minutes). Drain the linguine when done, and in a large bowl toss the linguine, vegetables, lemon rind, cheese, and finally basil. Serve topped with extra cheese if desired.

Make your own Parsley Croutons

• 3 slices of white bread
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of minced, fresh parsley
• dash of seasoning salt

Cut the bread into crouton-sized cubes. Melt the butter over medium heat and add the bread cubes. Season with salt, and cook until light brown. Stir frequently during this process. Stir in the parsley, then remove the bread crumbs and rain on paper towels. Let cool and cover in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Parsley Potatoes

• 1 1/2 pounds new red potatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (or 2-3 garlic curls chopped)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Peel a strip of skin from around the center of each potato, place the potatoes in cold water. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until tender. Pour in broth and 3/4 cup of the parsley; mix well. Bring to a boil. Place the potatoes into a large pot full of salted water. Bring the water to a boil; then reduce heat. Simmer covered, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the black pepper into the skillet and stir.. Pour the peppered sauce over potatoes and sprinkle with remaining parsley.