Recipes of the Week–August 8th

Grilled Pepper & Tomato Salad
from: http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2009/08/grilled-pepper-tomato-salad.html
   
PEPPERS & TOMATOES
Peppers - a mix of bell peppers (red and green, say) and hot peppers (poblanos and serranos, jalapeños and Anaheim peppers)
Tomatoes - preferably something meaty like a Roma tomato

SALAD
Garlic & kosher salt
Onion - chopped into thin lengths
Red wine vinegar
Good olive oil
Plenty of kosher salt

PEPPERS & TOMATOES Trim the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes to discard. Cut into quarter or halves, press with the back of your hand to flatten. Grill the peppers and tomatoes skin-sides down until the skins blacken and blister all over. Leave the skins on (they provide great flavor) and let cool. (Stop here if prepping ahead.) Chop both the tomatoes and peppers into rough pieces, one-inch pieces or lengths for a side dish, or into tiny bites for a salsa.

SALAD Mash the garlic and salt into a paste by chopping the garlic as fine as possible with a knife, then mashing the pieces into the salt with the side of a knife; stir into the peppers and tomatoes and onions. (This way, says Laurie, "No one eats raw garlic and it sort of melts into the salad.") Gently splash with equivalent volumes of vinegar and olive oil. Now get salty -- stir in salt, tasting after each addition, it should taste a little salty so that later, when the juices flow from the peppers and tomatoes. If the peppers and tomatoes don't taste that good, it's likely because the dish needs more salt.

Mo Kwa (Fuzzy Squash) one of the more unusual veggies that we grow, these have a refreshing delicate flavor. Substitute them in any recipe that calls for summer squash or zucchini. You just have to make sure you either scrub them good to remove the fuzz or simply peel them. A great recipe from Carolyn Cope (who was one of our CSA coordinators in Hoboken prior to moving) is found at: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/09/hairy-gourd-bread-fuzzy-squash-mo-qua-recipe.html
Another resource - http://www.ehow.com/how_8352663_eat-fuzzy-gourd.html#ixzz1UOFaBRM4

Butter & Sage Sauce from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/butter-and-sage-sauce-recipe/index.html
 
Pasta, of choice
        4 tablespoons butter
        8 sage leaves
        1/2 lemon, juiced
        1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
 
While your pasta cooks, melt butter in a 12 to 14-inch sauté pan and continue cooking until golden brown color ("noisette") appears in the thinnest liquid of the butter. Add sage leaves and remove from heat. Add lemon juice and set aside. Drain the pasta, but leaving some cooking water, and gently pour into sauté pan and return to heat. Add the cheese, toss to coat and serve immediately.

Lemon Sage Chicken Marinade from: http://homecooking.about.com/od/condimentrecipes/r/blcon116.htm
    
    8 whole garlic cloves
    1/2 cup olive oil
    1 Tablespoon honey
    2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
    Grated zest of 2 lemons (use a microplane)
    Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
    1/2 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
    6 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken breasts, skin on

Place garlic in a food processor and process to a puree. Add olive oil, honey, kosher salt, and pepper, processing to combine. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and sage. Pulse a few times until sage is rough-cut.

Pour the marinade into a freezer zip-top bag. Add chicken breasts, seal, and toss to coat the pieces. Open the bag, squeeze out all the air so the chicken is covered, then seal again. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before grilling or baking. Discard the used marinade.