This isn’t the blog of a vegetarian so don’t get any ideas. 
That being said, with all the high food prices in NYC I might end up becoming one (or at the very least have a diet composed of 80% veg/20% meat).
Clockwise from top left:
Yukon gold potatoes with garlic-paprika aioli
Fennel braised in wine and with aromatic vegetables
Roasted summer squash, heirloom tomatoes and pearl onions
Baby fennel
These beauties are divine. Their flavor is sweeter and more intense than their larger cousins.
This is truly a magical time of year. A pity that less than six weeks remain.
Fettucine di verdure
unsalted butter
extra-virgin olive oil
zucchini, diced
carrot, diced
green beans, trimmed and diced
baby fennel, trimmed and diced
tomato, seeded and diced
parsley, chopped
salt
Melt butter with half the oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add all the vegetables, except the tomato, along with a pinch of salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. A good barometer would be when the carrot softens.
Cook and drain pasta. Add to the pan along with the tomatoes and parsley and cook for two more minutes. Add the rest of the oil and mix together. Check seasoning and serve immediately.
Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon… the two most beautiful words in the English language. –Henry James.
Summer chopped salad – Apricots, plums, tomatoes, heirloom onions, yellow and purple peppers, baby zucchini. Tossed with a white wine viniagrette (lemon basil, salt, pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar).
“And Tom brought him chicken soup until he wanted to kill him. The lore has not died out of the world, and you will still find people who believe that soup will cure any hurt or illness and is no bad thing to have for the funeral either.” –John Steinbeck, from East of Eden
Chilled chard and sorrel soup
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 leeks (white part only), thinly sliced
1 medium to large Yukon gold potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bunch sorrel, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
water
creme fraiche (for garnish)
lemon basil, parsley or lovage (for garnish)
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion and leek until the vegetables take on a bit of color, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes. Cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add greens, a pinch of salt and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Working in batches, pass soup through a food mill or puree in a blender. Return soup to pot and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes to let flavors blend. Check seasoning. Garnish with creme fraiche and chopped herbs, and serve at once.
This soup is wonderful chilled and served as either a first course or a light entree.
I have a box of apricots and a carton of blueberries in the frigo. I’ll be making apricot and blueberry crisp this weekend. Probably serve that with vanilla ice cream.
What do you like to have for dessert?
Homemade mayonnaise
2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar, kosher salt, 1 tablespoon tarragon Dijon mustard, 1 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon boiling water.
Whisk together first five ingredients until well blended. Add oil drop by drop and whisk or until 1/3 has been beaten in. Take care not to add in too much or the mayonnaise will curdle. When emulsion begins to thicken, add oil in a thin but steady stream. Whisk continuously or until mayonnaise forms thick, stiff peaks, about 30 to 35 minutes. If mayonnaise will be kept, add boiling water.
Whisk in additional seasonings (salt, herbs) and/or acid (lemon juice, vinegar). Keeps one week in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Note: You can use an immersion blender or a regular blender instead of a wire whisk. It’s probably worthwhile to make it by hand first just so you can gauge the process. Variations include grated onion, chopped herbs, regular mustard, dry mustard and lemon juice in place of vinegar.
* * *
Parsley omelette and homemade potato salad
Potato salad consists of five boiled Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and diced); 1 organic chicken egg (hard-boiled and diced); 4 shallots, minced; salt and pepper; 1 teaspoon pickle relish; a pinch of sugar; 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar; chopped parsley and 4 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise.
Fettucine with summer tomato sauce
The sauce is so simple, it’s almost embarrassing writing the recipe. One small onion, thinly sliced; 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pint heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced; kosher salt and black pepper, to taste; a handful of lemon basil, torn or julienned and tossed in at the last minute. That’s it.
Cook until tomatoes begin to break down and the sauce thickens slightly. Drain pasta. Toss to coat and serve immediately. No cheese necessary.
Pan-fried new potatoes with gold cippolini onions;
heirloom tomato salad; fresh corn sauteed with sorrel
Thanks to Joe for the image. Somewhere in America, Hillary is laughing.
