a little salty, a little sweet
With this recipe, I put a bit of a twist on the traditional Irish colcannon (typically made with mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale) by using sweet potatoes alongside regular potatoes and cooking the cabbage with beer. Creamy mashed potatoes, smoky bacon bits, and malty beer meld together into a very rich and filling dish. I found this made a great meal on a cold night although for those of you looking to be less decadent, it would also work very well as a side dish.
I have an embarrassing habit to admit: I try to put bacon in as many things I cook as possible. I’m lucky enough to have access to some amazing bacon from Truck Patch Farms at the weekly farmers’ market a block from me, but sometimes a slice of bacon doesn’t quite fit in a dish – that’s when I use my saved bacon drippings. I’ve heard bacon fat referred to as “white gold,” and I can’t help but think of the term every time I open my personal stores. It actually has less saturated fat and less cholesterol than butter, and it’s a great way to add some salty smoky flavor when sauteing veggies.
For the most part, I’m more than happy to stick to my native dialect of English (mid-Atlantic American, thank you very much), but there is one item in particular where I can’t help but prefer the British word. Rocket. Called arugula in American English, this leafy green (probably my favorite) deserves all the excitement conjured by references to space travel. Rocket has been touted as an aphrodisiac and is full of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium. And the rich spicy taste can’t be beat. Some may find it a little too peppery (it is often mixed with other greens for this reason), but in the context of this salad, the flavor of the rocket is in perfect balance with the other ingredients.
This simple panzanella (Italian bread salad) mimics the flavors of a BLT nearly perfectly. Old French bread and halved grape tomatoes are seared in bacon fat to add another dimension to this salad, and the subtle addition of basil (easily substituted with other herbs of your choice) give a nice twist. This is a fabulous way to use those last tomatoes lingering on your counter (a friendly message: never store tomatoes in the refrigerator – this causes an irreversible decline in flavor and texture), the tempting heirlooms at the farmer’s market, and the final tomatoes on sale at the grocery store.
I’ve declared this week Zucchini Week. Harvest those last zucchinis in your garden or buy them up at the farmers market and grocery store on sale, and make these delicious recipes! See my Zucchini Chard Gratin from Monday and come back Friday for another zucchini recipe.
I made these zucchini fritter stacks as a lunchtime meal, but I think they would be amazing as an appetizer or party snack. The fritter itself is crispy with lots of flavor from the zucchini, cheese, and beer. Add tomato and avocado slices on top (and some bacon and extra cheese, of course) and you have a delicious combination of textures and tastes.
I’ve declared this week Zucchini Week. Harvest those last zucchinis in your garden or buy them up at the farmers market and grocery store on sale, and make these delicious recipes! Come back on Wednesday and Friday for more zucchini recipes.
This gratin is almost like a quiche, but the egg here is just enough to hold together the zucchini, swiss chard, bacon, and cheese packed into the dish. The flavor, upped by the inclusion of herbs and garlic, is amazing, and when I made this, I lamented not having made twice as much. So this recipe is twice the amount that I made; expect your gratin to be about twice as thick as mine – and you won’t be sorry.
I love the abundance of fresh high-quality produce that’s available in the summer. The farmers’ market sets up shop one block from me every Sunday, and I like to spend my morning strolling through, sampling peaches here and heirloom tomatoes there, not to mention cheese from Keswick Creamery, bacon from Truck Patch Farms, and gelato from Dolcezza Gelato. Yes, I’m very spoiled (from May to November, at least).