What are your favorite recipes to showcase garden- or farm-fresh produce?
Now that the summer bounty at the farmer's market is in full swing, I'd love to hear about your recipes that showcase the fresh fruits and vegetables you get from the farmer's market, or the garden if you grow your own. I'm thinking of the recipes that really let the flavors of the produce shine.
Two of my favorite farmer's market items are sweet corn and tomatoes, and I've come to realize the corn and tomatoes you can buy at the grocery store are just sad imitations of the real thing. My favorite recipe right now is a simple sweet corn and cherry tomato salad, with a little basil, flaky salt, lime juice, and good olive oil. I'll add mozarella or feta and pepitas sometimes for a little extra oomph, but the simplicity and flavors are heavenly. What are your favorites?
It's hard to beat caprese salad for just-picked ripe heirloom tomatoes. Kenji is absolutely correct that fresh mozzarella will elevate the dish to perfection, but Costco mozzarella has worked satisfactorily if I'm making a summer weeknight meal with overabundance from the garden. I'll sprinkle lightly with balsamic vinegar if the tomatoes are too sweet (it happens with some heirloom varieties) and need a little bite of acidity.
Fresh sweet corn doesn't need much, but brush cobs with a mix of melted butter, olive oil and berbere spice, foil-wrap, and roast on the grill is another variation that tastes amazing.
Caprese is one of my absolute favorites as well. Sometimes I will add peaches too! Another similar tomato dish I love is a simple bruschetta with juicy tomatoes, basil, garlic, and good olive oil on fresh bread.
How often does it even make it back in the house? I love cherry tomatoes, cut & come again lettuce, and cucamelons for garden snacking.
Slicer tomatoes are great just with salt or a salt blend, or mayo on bread, maybe add lettuce and bacon if so moved.
Potatoes get roasted with a little oil, salt and pepper. I find this is a good way to use random seasonings that I don’t use much elsewhere: beau monde, peri peri, etc.
Pavlova smothered with this week's freshest berries and a touch of whipped cream. Utter heaven...
Fabulous idea. I’m always hesitant to bake desserts with my berries because I want to savor them fresh, a pavlova with fresh berries sounds perfect!
If you don't want to fuss with the entire pavlova, make or gasp buy meringue cookies and serve one or two with a cup of cold, fresh berries (with or without whipped cream). The cookies will keep for a week: I bake them late at night and enjoy with fruit for breakfast or snacks for the entire week.
My favorite is probably gazpacho. Delicious and a great choice for hot weather. Here's a recipe I found:
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-traditional-gazpacho
If you’re really trying to showcase the vegetable, then all you have to do is cut them and present them nicely. Maybe add something to bring out the natural flavors, like salt, (balsamic?) vinegar, maybe even hot sauce.