I have not been very good about taking pictures of anything lately. I think it’s becoming clear that food photography is not something at which I excel, nor is it something about which I get especially excited. Then there’s the fact that sometimes I just forget to pull out my camera.
But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking this week. Last night, M. and I went over to R.’s apartment, and I brought Mowgli, too, and we made a lovely dinner with some greenmarket and Whole Foods supplements. First there was this salad, though we subbed in escarole for arugula. Important to note is that, prior to making this salad, I had never prepared fennel before. And it turns out that I do not really know how to cut it properly. But I’ll be prepared for next time. Then we did a pasta dish with summer squash, chicken, goat cheese, and fresh herbs that was partly inspired by a Tyler Florence recipe. Yeah, no pictures of that, either. I promise, though, it was delicious. At the end of the evening, I lucked out and M. sent me home not only with some leftover pasta, but also a huge bunch of extra basil. So tonight I made some pesto (the official Cuisinart recipe), and tossed it together with some quinoa, lettuce, ricotta salata, and sauteed escarole and radicchio, and was pleasantly surprised at how cohesive that mix was. Also, on Tastespotting today I saw a recipe for Ice Cold Cucumber Juice. I made a few tweaks, and drank the whole batch myself.
It doesn’t really look like anything special, but I promise, when it’s 85F and 85% humidity, this is what you want to drink.
Penne with Chicken, Summer Squash, and Goat Cheese(note: amounts are completely from memory and therefore probably wrong) 1 lb. summer squash, cut into large bites
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
3/4 lb. penne
1 oz. goat cheese
juice of half a lemon
handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
half a handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
butter
olive oil
salt and pepper Cook pasta according to package instructions. Pound out the chicken a bit and season with salt and pepper. Cook in olive oil in a large skillet, then remove to a plate and set aside. Add a tablespoon or so of butter and the squash, and some salt and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat until cooked to your liking, 5-10 minutes probably. Turn off the heat and add the goat cheese to the pan to soften into a thick sauce, almost. Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces, then toss that with the pasta, the squash & goat cheese, the lemon juice, and the fresh herbs. Season with salt & pepper and serve. Cuisinart Pesto 2 c. basil leaves, pretty tightly packed
3 oz. parmesan (chunks, not shredded)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c. pine nuts
1/2 tsp. salt (this is my only variation, honestly–their recipe is shockingly salty even to my palate)
1/2 c. olive oil Put all the ingredients except the oil in the cuisinart. Pulse several times, and then drizzle in the oil with the machine running. Try not to just eat it all with a spoon. Cucumber Smoothie 1 large cucumber, or alternately 1 medium slicing cucumber and 1 small heirloom, peeled and chopped roughly
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp honey
1 c. ice water (meaning put ice cubes in the measuring cup and then fill to the 1-cup line with water) Put all ingredients in the blender. Serve over ice.
The CSA Files 