This week your basket contains: summer squash, cucumber, carrots, onions, CELERY, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, EGGPLANT, cooking greens (Swiss chard and kale), and basil.

With the heat waves this summer, some things have been harder to produce than usual.  Think leafy greens like lettuce.  It was also hard on the celery, but we think the smaller ones this week are worth the effort.  The first thing I thought of when we harvested the celery is mirepoix.  Mirepoix, raw, roasted, or sauteed with butter or olive oil, is the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes such as stocks, soups, stews, and sauces.

MIREPOIX

1 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced celery

Try to dice vegetables to a uniform size. You can dice into larger pieces for a longer-cooking recipe, smaller for a shorter cooking time. The diced vegetables can be sautéed in olive oil or butter over relatively low heat until starting to brown. A littlle tomato sauce can then be added if desired.

Peppers are looking very good right now.  The plants are tall, dark green and loaded with fruit and more blossoms.  This week’s harvest was a thinning of the fruit as much as anything to unburden the plants.  Peppers also have a habit of trying to grow between the branches of the plant.  If you don’t cut those out relatively early, they get stuck and mal-formed.  Once they get big, you can break the plant trying to free them.

For the recipe below, I would substitute chopped red onion for the green onion called for.

FETTUCCINE WITH SMOKED SALMON AND DILL

12 oz. fettuccine or linguine

1 c. bottled clam juice

1 c. whipping cream

4 green onions, diced

2 tsp. dried dill

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 c. cucumbers, diced

4-6 oz. thinly sliced smoked salmon

freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Cut the smoked salmon crosswise into 1-inch strips.  Remove the seeds from any large cucumbers and dice.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tsp. salt.  Add fettuccine and cook about 10 minutes.  While the pasta cooks, heat the clam juice and cream to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add the green onions (you can substitute a small onion).  Crush the dill between your fingers before sprinkling into the mixture.  Lower the heat and simmer until reduced and starting to thicken.  Just before serving, add the lemon juice, diced cucumbers, and sliced salmon.  Heat mixture, but do not cook it.

Drain the cooked fettuccine and toss with the salmon cream mixture.  Season to taste with pepper and grated cheese. Sprinkle with minced parsley before serving.  Serves 4.  From Food day.

Nothing says summer quite like gazpacho.  There are probably as many recipes for it as there are people who make it.as it is the perfect dish to experiment with and make your own. Think of this recipe as a jumping off point and have fun!

GAZPACHO

2 slices whole grain bread or ½ garlic bagel

3 cloves garlic, squeezed

¼ cup olive oil

2 cucumbers

1 onion

1 summer squash

2 basil tips

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 lbs tomatoes

½ lb. green beans

1 sweet pepper

Blend bread, garlic, onion and olive oil in a blender or food processor until smooth.  If needed, add tomatoes for additional liquid.  Trim vegetables of stems and blossom ends, but you do not need to peel them.  Continue adding ingredients until all are included, emptying blender as needed.  Taste and adjust seasonings then chill.  Serve cold with garnish of hard-boiled eggs, chopped onion and croutons.  Serves 4 –6.