Rice and Beans

Well, not exactly.

Fava bean and summer squash risotto with cow’s milk ricotta cheese and basil

A larger version of the pic is here.

Eggs on Toast 2

Eggs sunnyside-up, heirloom tomato and cucumber salad, toasted levain

This is my newest favorite way to have breakfast — pan-fried eggs over salad and crispy toast. Ingredients vary, depending on the season and what looks good at the market. The salad is simply halved cherry tomato, diced cucumber and summer squash, half an onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic scapes, parsley and extra-virgin olive oil.

Once you have it this way, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t thought of it before.

A bigger version of the pic can be seen here.

Midnight Snack 2

Roasted vegetables with ricotta salata and Italian parsley

Japanese turnips, summer squash, new potatoes and cherry tomatoes tossed with a bit of salt and olive oil, then roasted at 350 F for 1 hour. Sprinkle with ricotta salata and chopped Italian parsley before serving.

Raw Food

Well, raw, but not in the way you think.

Spaghetti con salsa di pomodoro*, radish and sugar snap peas with ricotta salata and herbs

*Otherwise known as “thin spaghetti with uncooked tomato sauce” — Yellow Jersey tomatoes, shallot, summer squash, salt, pepper, lemon zest, tarragon and extra-virgin olive oil. Dice the tomatoes, shallot and summer squash. Combine in a glass or nonreactive bowl. Add a pinch of kosher salt, some freshly milled black pepper, the lemon zest and some chopped herbs (basil is best but tarragon or marjoram will do in a pinch). Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the vegetables. Stir and check seasoning. Pour the sauce over cooked spaghetti, toss to coat and serve immediately.

Use only the freshest in-season tomatoes when making this dish.

Click here for the radish salad recipe.

Meatballs

Polpetti, served with angel hair pasta, summer vegetables and herbs

Outside of Italy, meatballs are most often served with spaghetti, but in Italy, they are presented quite differently. They make an excellent antipasto cooked in a tomato or wine sauce, or coated in bread crumbs and served plain. Here, I’ve poached them in chicken stock and paired them with angel hair pasta, summer squash and sugar snap peas. This is lovely, served either as a primi (or first course), or as an entrée.

Lumps

Ricotta gnocchi with golden beets, summer squash and garlic

According to Wikipedia, the word gnocchi means “lumps”, and may derive from nocchio (a knot in the wood), or from nocca (knuckle). It has been a traditional Italian pasta type of probably Middle Eastern origin since Roman times. It was introduced by the Roman Legions during the enormous expansion of the empire into the countries of the European continent. In the past 2000 years each country developed its own specific type of small dumplings, with the ancient gnocchi as their common ancestor. In Roman times, gnocchi were made from a semolina porridge-like dough mixed with eggs, and are still found in similar forms today, particularly in Sardinia (where they do not contain egg, however, and are known as malloreddus). One variety, gnocchi di pane (literally bread noodles), is made from bread crumbs and is popular in Friuli and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Another variety from Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol is spinach gnocchi, called strangolapreti. This translates to “choke the priest.” The use of potato is a relatively recent innovation, occurring after the introduction of the potato to Europe in the 16th century.

Most people are familiar with potato gnocchi (which seem to be the most ubiquitous). However, ricotta gnocchi have been in vogue for quite a while. Ditto for chestnut gnocchi, made from chestnut flour.

Recipe and demo after the jump.

Monkfish 1

One of the items from this weekend’s Greenmarket haul was 1 1/2 lbs. monkfish tail. Tomorrow (Monday) night’s dinner will use it in a different preparation. Or I could just make congee and call it a day.

Baked monkfish with Mediterranean citrus marinade
Sucrine salad with roasted white beets, summer squash and pickled shallots

For the monkfish:

Juice of 1 lemon
2 T. grated lemon zest
1 shallot, minced
1 T. black peppercorns, crushed
1 T. fresh thyme, chopped
kosher salt, to taste
olive oil
monkfish fillet

Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, shallot, peppercorns, thyme and salt. Mix well. Score monkfish fillet on both sides. Pour marinade over monkfish and marinate for at least 3 hours. This step can be made up to one day ahead.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place monkfish fillet in a glass baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until monkfish is cooked through. Serve.