New Methods!

I received emails from 2 members this past week, which makes me so happy. It is so appreciated when members take the time to send a message to help us all learn new ways of how to enjoy our harvest.

The first one is from Ashmali Patel. She sent a recipe she simply calls Vegetable Fritters. I love this because it uses so many different components of the harvest, including eggplant, zucchini, onions/scallions and greens. I definitely plan on making them this coming week!

The second email I received is from Kate Sheldrick. You can see from the email below she is an accomplished and creative cook. In the coming week I plan to turn some of what she says into recipes to keep on this site, but read below her detailed email.

"Every summer I make what I call zucchini jam when I get my first bounty of zucchini. You grate them (I did 4 this batch) into a colander and gently press with the back of a wooden spoon to release extra water, let it sit while you do some other prep. I like to let it sit for 20 or more mins to really drain out a bit and I try to press on it every 5 mins or so. We typically have a jar of bacon fat in our freezer so I took this out and let it thaw in the heat at the beginning of prep too. Dice a small yellow onion or two shallots and sauté in two tablespoons of bacon fat until translucent, I do this in a cast iron skillet but any heavy bottom pan will work. Then add the shredded zucchini and toss to incorporate the onions and wet the mixture with the fat evenly. Cook over low heat until the zucchini cooks and the liquid has cooked out and you have a sort of spreadable jam like consistency. This usually takes about 15-20 mins, don’t move it too much just kind of cover the pan let it sit and then move it around but keep an eye and avoid browning..if it looks dry add another heap of bacon fat or a small knob of butter. I season the onions when sautéing and then add a few cracks of white pepper when I add the squash and then finish with smoked salt if I have it. You can eat this with a fork right out of the pan (which I have done many times) or out of the pan with some crackers (I usually eat with carrs) or you can take a nice crusty loaf and toast it and top with goat cheese or even better Meredith’s Dairy Australia Feta (the BEST cheese, creamy goat stores in olive oil with black pepper and thyme they have at wegmans) and a layer of the ‘jam’ either room temp or out of the fridge. Making this in big batches helps because it goes fast. Tastes equally great cold. A great Summer appetizer, meal or snack!

I used the tomatillos with some littleneck clams I got when I took a trip to the shore last Thursday. This was an impromptu dish that really blew our minds! I sliced four cloves of garlic, a small yellow onion, a serrano, the tomatillos (which I quartered) and some scallions and cooked in butter. After those sweat out I added about a cup of a high quality white wine I had in the fridge from a few days ago and let that cook off. I added some smoked paprika, cilantro, basil and a few cracks of white pepper then in go the clams. Cover it and let simmer for about 15 or until the clams have opened up. Top with a handful of fresh herbs and a big squeeze of lime and serve with warm crusty bread to soak up all that sauce, eat a salad for good measure. It was my first time using tomatillos for something other than salsa verde and now I’m hooked! The ideal companion for those perfect little clams."

Thank you again to both Ashmali and Kate and for all you other cooks out there, please email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net so you can share with fellow members!