Zucchini/Summer Squash Curry

We’ve only made curries from scratch a few times, and I think this was the biggest success.  R absolutely loved it, I think I would add half cashews or maybe even raisins in the last 5-10 minutes when we make it again.  But make no mistake, that’s “when” and not “if.”  Recipe via Epicurious.

 

Barley-Shiitake Risotto & Steak Salad

R. has wanted to make a risotto for a long time and when we finally saw this recipe in Vegetarian Planet we decided to go for it.  (R. is also a big fan of barley).  When we realized it was going to take about an hour to make, though, we decided to have a steak salad as a first course. The timing (and both dishes) wound up working out perfectly.  I wouldn’t say  the risotto was a particularly “summer” dish, but in Syracuse it’s often difficult to say what season it is, anyway.

 

Seared Tenderloin with Cocoa Spice Rub, Aromatic Rice and Steamed Green Beans

R. had taken over the meals for a few weeks to let me focus on a lecture I had to write.  In return, I’ve been trying to make some special meals for her this week.  Since I love to try new seared tenderloin recipes (and since she wasn’t there to see me sneaking chocolate into dinner), I went for this recipe.  It was really good, something I want to try again.  In the recipe below I’ve decided to cut the salt in half (it was a bit overpowering in ours, and beyond that probably unnecessary with all the other flavors involved).  The rice was a real revelation–just dropped some cloves, cardamom and cinnamon in the rice maker and it made a real difference.

 

Lazy Pork Pad Thai

Not a lot of preparation for this one, but it delivers.

 

Summer Gumbo

Tonight we made a delicious gumbo out of all the vegetables that have been languishing in our refrigerator for the past two weeks while we’ve been busy on campus.

 

Minty Garlic Scape Curry

R. is out of town visiting family, and I’m all by myself with a whole farm share all to myself.  With her away, I’m free to try out some wacky stuff, as there’s nobody around to pay for my failed experiments.

Last week when looking around for garlic scape recipes (they’re almost ALWAYS pestos), I came across this little number from Open Source Cooking.  Now, I don’t have any green curry, and between the e. coli scare and the fact that our own tomato plants haven’t yet produced anything, I was going to need to do some adaptation.

The result was a middling success, with some potential.  i used carrots instead of tomatoes, but they just didn’t deliver–tomatoes, peppers, or some other flavor-heavy ingredient would likely do the trick.  The mint, however, was both the biggest gamble and the most satisfying payoff of the day.  The crispness was a nice contrast to the lip-tingling spiciness of the curry.  I had it with a ginger-clove rice, some sourdough friendship bread I made yesterday, and a Middle Ages Tripel Crown.

 

Swiss Chard Rice with Wild Carrots

An easy upgrade to plain rice that makes for a really interesting complimentary dish, or even a main course with a side salad.