Dear Home-Ec 101,
It’s summertime, and the local Farmer’s Market has an abundance of beautiful fruits and veggies.
The problem is I don’t have very many “side item”/veggie/fruit recipes in my recipe repertoire, so I go to the farmer’s market, admire the selection, sniff the air, buy some peaches and tomatoes and leave with the feeling that I missed the boat. Sometimes I’ll buy the peas or butter beans and cook them in some oil and salted water & occasionally throw in some bacon, but there’s got to be some better recipes out there to help us enjoy summer’s bounty.
Can you help?
Most cookbooks find it beneath them to share those simple little recipes that just require a pat of butter and a little baking time, but I’m new to cooking and need all the help I can get.Thanks,
Searching in Summerton
Here at Home-Ec 101, we are all about simple recipes and ideas, so your question is the perfect way to get back into Fearless Fridays (as another reader requested). Fearless Fridays are my way of encouraging myself and all of you to push your boundaries in the kitchen. I have to work this evening, so tomorrow’s Fearless Friday may be posted a little later than usual if I make a go of it. (Then again, I do have a bunch of tomatoes begging to be used today, so maybe it won’t be as much of a pain in the rear to get done as I thought)
To get you started, here are some simple ideas. Some are simply ways to save produce to use at a later time. I’ll work more on getting lots of side dishes for you over the course of this summer. What area are you in? That will help me know when your produce is coming into season
Here is a table with a bunch of ideas.
Zucchini and squash are fantastic sliced and grilled. Just brush with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Or I like to quickly saute them in a little butter, garlic, and a sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Here’s how to make vegetable foil packets for the grill, and why not try Bobbie’s two cucumber salad recipes.
Home Eccers, please feel free to share and link to your favorite sources for side dishes.
And if you have your own recipes to share, get them ready for tomorrow.
Why is your tomato pie recipe not in the list? Cause it should be.
TheAmyTucker see: Fallible Human /tomato-pie-smack-your-granny-good/ and yeah, thanks for the reminder.
HeatherSolos If my tomatoes will ever ripen, I’m making that again. Actually, even if they don’t ripen I’m still going to make it. I’ll just go buy some tomatoes at the farmer’s market. 😀
TheAmyTucker Good idea, there is no reason to have summer and no tomato pie.
HeatherSolos I picked my first tomatoes this weekend (grape tomatoes, but still), and The Husband just smoked TWO slabs of bacon – I am READY for some tomato pie!
When the dairy farmer brings fresh eggs I make a large batch of deviled eggs by putting the cooked halved eggs in one container and the “deviled” filling in another. That way when my family wants an egg they can fill it themselves at anytime. This works out great for a summer snack.
When I go to the farmers markets, I try to make it a point to pick up something that’s outside my usual repertoire whenever possible – either a completely new-to-us vegetable (garlic scapes, ramps, fiddlehead ferns, etc.) or just something we haven’t eaten often. If I’m not familiar with it, or don’t know what to do with it, first I’ll ask the farmer for suggestions. If that doesn’t help, I either do a google search or haul out my Cook’s Illustrated Perfect Vegetables cookbook (which I forget all about too often!).That said, I have far too few side dishes in my “go-to” list, too.