Summertime and the eating is easy…Gathering these photos of recent meals we’ve made at home, I’m reminded of what splendid colors and flavors summer provides. We’re trying to do right by the local food movement in a gradual, non-preachy way. Work and family demands are great, so our goal is to turn our shopping ship around slowly and steadily as we’re able. Local items below include strawberries, corn, beet greens, challah, tomatoes, zucchini, basil, and leeks.
Top Row: Left: Asparagus, leek and gruyere quiche. The PBS show “Everyday Food” provides the perfect egg/cream ratio for quiches: 4 eggs to 1 1/4 cups of half and half. Add 1 cup of chopped leeks and asparagus sauteed in butter, and about 4 oz. of grated gruyere. Salt, pepper, and a pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg pull it all together. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Center: Vegetable soup with zucchini and garbanzos, with grated cheddar and sour cream for garnish. Right: Saffron risotto (Marcella Hazan) and sauteed swiss chard with a sprinkle of sherry vinegar.
Middle Row: Left: Challah french toast. Center: Hagen Dazs vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries. Right: creative burritos: we used the leftover saffron risotto for the filling and added sauteed portobellos, cilantro, cheese, sour cream avocado, and salsa.
Bottom Row: Left: quesadillas with sauteed beet greens, mozzarella cheese, and a pinch of feta. Center: Fresh corn cut off the cob for children with loose front teeth. Right: bruschetta with tomatoes and basil. We rub a cut clove of garlic onto slices of French or Italian bread, then brush them with olive oil and toast them under the broiler. On top we spoon diced tomatoes and julienned basil that have been tossed with salt, pepper, and a capful of balsamic vinegar.
Once again, I beg–adopt me.
But do your kids eat this stuff?
Thanks, Erin!
Dana, yes, mostly they do. My daughter decided at 4 to become a vegetarian, so vegetables are the easy part.