Fresh peppers, eggplant, tomatoes & zucchini ready for making Ratatouille (my photo).
Finally, the Farmers Markets in the Twin Cities are chock-full and bursting! Yay! Enough for me to base Delivered Dish of the Week (DDoW) menus on nearly all locally grown produce. Everything looks gorgeous. Due to the late start, though, there aren’t enough weeks now left in summer to feature all the veg that is available, such as okra. Yeah, you’re making a face, but have you tried it crunchy and spicy, flash stir-fried with garam masala?!
Anyway, here are the menus for the next 6 weeks of DDoW. To order, go to the online Order Form on this blog. You can order a bunch of dishes in advance or return to the form once a week, as you wish. Deadlines are Saturdays for deliveries the following week. See general info on Delivered Dish of the Week service.
PS: The Online Form lists the week, the name of each dish and its ingredients. These fuller Dish descriptions below are included on the DDoW Menu Archive page in case you want to find them again. Or, search this blog for “DDoW”.
DDOW MENUS FOR SEPTEMBER 2013
SEPT 2 – 7
Roast Beets & Cabbage Salad (my photo).
Quinoa Kale Salad in Horseradish Vinaigrette (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) Finely chopped kale and a crunchy market veg add color, substance and fiber to quinoa, and lemon and horseradish adds a kick.
Roast Beet & Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing (V, Paleo, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) Tender ruby cubes and crunchy green strips, this time bound by a tahini dressing. My favorite summertime cookbook, Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein, matches beets with sesame dressing (among many others). I adore everything in this cookbook so I’m sure this combination will delight.
SEPT 9 – 14
A bowl of whole kernel hominy (web pic).
Spicy Chile Verde with Beans (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) An opportunity to see why chef Crescent Dragonwagon in her book Bean for Bean insists there is no substitute for Santa Fe Green Chilies from New Mexico. With green bell peppers.
Cuke, Corn & Hominy Salad in Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) As well as being the basis of Posole stew, chewy hominy (rehydrated treated white corn kernels) is surprisingly nice in salads. I’ll use raw sweet corn for added crunch and because it’s frankly easier than par-boiling. The local sweet corn has been great this season.
SEPT 16 – 21
Zucchini Linguine with Raw Tomato Sauce (my photo).
Zucchini Linguine with Raw Tomato Sauce (V, Paleo, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) Carb-free pasta! Fresh sage and oregano flavor the simple sauce. Super low-cal.
Heirloom Bean & Veg Cassoulet with Rosemary (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) A lightly braised stew of market veg and giant heirloom scarlet runner beans (and regular red beans). Good with crusty bread, a glass of wine and thou; or all by itself. Cool beans!
SEPT 23 – 28
Romesco Beans ‘n Rice. Romesco is a nut and red pepper-based sauce from Catalan, Spain. (my photo)
Garbanzo Bean & Veg Za’atar Salad (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) Za’atar, a spice mixture popular throughout the Middle East, comprises ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds and salt, and also often ground sumac, which has a lemony tang. You might encounter it sprinkled on hummus at restaurants. Confession: I bought a large bag at Holy Land Deli on Central Ave, a local mecca of affordable spices. Run, don’t walk.
Rice Romesco (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar; contains almonds) Romesco sauce is a classic Catalonian simmered sauce of mostly red bell peppers mixed with ground nuts. The carrier here is organic brown rice. You can eat this dish cold or hot. By this week, inexpensive pecks of peppers should be all over the Farmers Markets (a peck is approx 8 dry quarts, with 4 pecks to a bushel). Take advantage of the harvest bounty and make a couple quarts at home to slather on everything (can freeze).
SEPT 29 – OCT 4
Thai Coconut Veggie Chowder — comforting, simple & quick (my photo).
Thai Coconut Farmers Market Soup (V, Paleo, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) Like a vegetable chowder but with Thai flavors and coconut milk. Simmering it with corn cobs add extra sweetness. Expect some chopped collards or kale.
Black Beluga Lentil Salad in Sesame Ginger Dressing (V, GF, no added sugar; will contain a little soy) These beautiful organic lentils were another fun special-order from Purcell Mountain Farms (Idaho). I’m hoping they don’t lose their jet black color when cooked.
OCT 7 – 12
Roast Ratatouille with Beans (V, GF, soy-free, no added sugar) My all-time favorite late summer/ early autumn dish. Remember the animated movie, where the mean food critic finds his humanity and compassion after eating Ratatouille the rat chef’s ratatouille? It’s delicious cold or hot, by itself or mixed with grain pilaf, on pasta, in omelets, whatever. Freezes very well.
Polenta with Chopped Greens (GF, soy-free, no added sugar; vegan option available) Polenta is basically a creamy corn pudding flavored with butter and parmesan/romano cheese. It’s the only DDoW dish I make with dairy; you can request a dairy-free version, too. Fairly bland, polenta is a perfect foil for any dish with sauce. I’m swirling in finely chopped sauteed leafy greens. Best hot or warmed. Polenta also freezes just fine!
Note: V = vegan, GF = gluten-free. Paleo refers to a type of diet that recommends no carbs and no sugars.
One Dish At A Time 