Happy 4th of July, Yummies! Can you believe all the amazing fruits and veggies that have been showing up in our stores and markets lately?
You should try making a weekly outing to your local farmer’s market just to get inspired. Cooking food that is in season is the easiest thing ever… you would have to work really hard to mess it up. Walk slowly through the greenmarket just to take in its sights and smells. Ask your mini-chef to notice what is bountiful right now, what can he just not keep his eyes off of. What does she think smells fresh and good that she sees the farmers selling?
With the Tribeca Greenmarket and our CSA going strong here, our family turns to the simplest preparations to fuel our summer meals. This recipe, which highlights some of the sweetest and tastiest flavors of the season, is not one of those revolutionary recipes but is a standard during the months when squash and zucchini, in particular, are bountiful and inexpensive. My friend reminded me a couple weeks ago of the one major thing that I have taught her about cooking: cook with the best ingredients you can lay your hands on, and your food will be delicious.
Over the week, I will be sharing a few further developments using this recipe as a jumping off point. By all means, double or triple this recipe but do make sure that you have a very large pan or two pans going at once so that the vegetables are in one layer on the bottom of the pan. You want all that sweetness to emerge in the vegetables.
Last night, as we served this up over our standard pasta and tomato sauce, my daughter eyed the vegetables suspiciously.
“Do I like this?”
“Oh, yes, you love it. Isn’t the squash beautiful? And, it tastes so sweet. Mmmmm!” I went into my usual dramatics. Vegetable agent. That’s me.
She tried a bite so small, a fairy could have taken it. She looked at the squash again as if stumped and then started jumping around in her seat.
“I do, Mama! I like squash I like squash I like squash!!!!!
Mini-vegetable-agent in training.
Try taking a look at the Meatless Monday and the Kids Cook Monday sites for further seasonal inspiration. TYM’s Lemony Potatoes with Fresh Herbs are featured on the Kids Cook Monday site, and we couldn’t be prouder!
Summer Saute with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and String Beans
*1 medium zucchini
*2 medium summer squash
*3 c. (5-6 Big Person handfuls) string beans
*2 T. olive oil and/or butter
*3 green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*a splash of red wine vinegar (about 2 teaspoons)
*sprinkling of fresh herbs to garnish, optional
With your mini-chef, scrub the zucchini and the summer squash with a vegetable brush, dry them with a kitchen towel, and set them aside. Wash the string beans in a colander.
Working together, snap off the stem end of the string beans, and place the string beans in a medium bowl.
Big Person: Chop the zucchini and summer squash into pieces the size of a large french fry and add them to the string bean bowl.
Heat the oil and/or butter in a wide shallow pan over medium-low heat. Add the green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, till the onions begin to turn golden. Add the garlic, and cook another minute, stirring the entire time. Add the bowl full of vegetables, and stir well to coat the string beans and squashes with the rest of the ingredients. Turn the heat up to medium and cook, stirring every once in a while. After a couple of minutes, add a pinch of salt and a splash of the red wine vinegar.
When the squashes are soft and beginning to caramelize, take the pan off of the heat and remove every thing to a big bowl. Top with chopped herbs. (Mint, basil, and thyme work particularly well with these summer veggies.) Serve hot, warm, or cold, as you fancy.
