A Savory Summer Tart

This is my view most days from my cutting board. Meet Cricket, my vacuum, my perpetual kitchen companion, and the one who comes running when she hears me flip-flop my way into the kitchen. Always eager to snap up rogue hunks of cheese (or better yet, meat) that may go falling in her direction, she was quite disappointed by tonight's offerings of crook-neck squash and parsley. In fact, she left quite a mess, littered all about the floor. Doesn't she know she has a job to do? What I ought to do is teach her how to use a camera, so she could be even more helpful in the kitchen! That way, I could blog more often.....


Speaking of cameras, when I went to grab mine for this much overdue blog post, I realized it was in the back of the car (which was at baseball practice). Not to be deterred, I decided to use what I had around, thus creating a multi-media extravaganza (in my own mind??). I used my eight-year-old's Nikon CoolPix camera (set on the food setting) for the first photos of tonight's efforts.....which are not great, but not horrible either. They illustrate the gorgeous (if not slightly blurry) herbal slurry, which is made with parsley, thyme, oregano, garlic, and olive oil, that is spread on lightly buttered sheets of phyllo dough--the first step in what is to become the most amazing squash tart ever. Does that even sound appealing? It should, because it's fantastic!




Then her camera runs! out! of! batteries! Fortunately, after a swig of my martini, I remember that I also have an iphone, which is not only super cool for updating my Facebook status, but also handy for taking photos. So, the following photos, from my iphone, illustrate me sprinkling the summer squash (that were spread out on top of the herb paste) with feta cheese, pitted kalamata olives, and a pinch of salt and pepper.




Finally order is restored to the universe once again, and by the time the tart is out of the oven, my beloved SLR has been returned to me by my baseball boys! See how rich the color is? How crisp and golden the crust looks? How the cheese has toasted ever so slightly and how the salty black olives have released some of their briny juice onto the squash underneath? It looks pretty, but it tastes even better. It was a complete meal...well, that and some of the sweet-tart rhubarb wine we purchased last summer at the Brattleboro Farmers' Market. It's definitely a recipe that we will revisit sometime over the summer, especially when my own garden starts producing these succulent summer squashes. I hope you do too.






Summer Squash, Olive and Feta Tart
adapted from Martha Stewart

This dish makes a wonderful main course when served with a salad, or cut it into smaller squares and serve it as an appetizer. Using a mandoline slicer to cut the squash really speeds up preparation time, but a sharp knife does the job too. Martha's version doesn't call for cheese, but I think it adds a rich,salty edge to the otherwise mild squash.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 main course servings


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh thyme, plus a few sprigs for garnish
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 small zuchini, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
2 small yellow summer squash, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
6 sheets phyllo dough (each 12 by 17 inches), thawed if frozen
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Unroll the phyllo dough on the counter, count out six sheets, and cover them with a clean, damp cloth. Re-roll the remaining dough, wrap with plastic and refrigerate or re-freeze. Brush a large baking sheet with butter, then carefully lay down one sheet of phyllo. Brush it lightly with the melted butter, top it with another sheet and brush it lightly with butter. Continue in this way until all the phyllo is stacked together on the baking sheet.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, oregano, thyme, garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper and the olive oil. Spoon the mixture over the phyllo dough, leaving a 1 inch border all around.

4. Spread the squash slices evenly over that, again leaving a border. Drizzle the squash with olive oil. Sprinkle over the olives and the feta cheese and another pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until edges are crisp and the squash is tender. Serve immediately, or at room temperature.

At Market...Summer Squash

Hello my friends! It's been awhile, I know. But I've been busy at work. Real work, with real money. And it's all good. But how my blogger friends manage their real work, and continue to update their for-fun blogs is beyond me. I definitely need more practice with that. Which is why I'm here today.

My next two months are crunch time, and I'll be cooking all manner of holiday foods (for my real work). Right now, though it's nearly 100 degrees outside (and snowing ash--but that's another story) I've got gingerbread granola in my oven and peppermint ice cream in my churner. I've also got a Filet Mignon roast in my fridge for dinner, and will be ordering a 12 pound turkey later this week. If I can get through these next two months without gaining 20 pounds it will be a minor miracle. And, I told my husband that he'd better enjoy all this now, because come December, I might be so over cooking that we end up eating fast food on Christmas.

Today, I have a quick recipe that's awesome because not only does it find use for all that beautiful summer squash at the markets, it uses leftover chicken if you have it, or a rotisserie chicken if you don't. And it calls for only the white meat so you can use the rest in a casserole (or enchiladas like I did). But the best part of all, is that it doesn't require much cooking so it doesn't heat up that kitchen.

Summer Squash and Chicken Salad over Spinach

serves 2

2 cooked chicken breasts halves

4 summer squash (I used 2 crook neck, 1 pattypan, and 1 zucchini)

1 bag of baby spinach

5 slices of red onion

1/2 C cubed fontina cheese (or other mild, soft cheese..smoked gouda would be nice)

1/4 C olive oil

juice from one lemon

finely slivered fresh mint and basil

Slice 4 summer squashes lengthwise, into 1/4 inch strips. Toss with olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper and set aside. Remove the breasts from a cooked chicken and slice across the grain. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the squash and all the juice and saute for about 5 minutes, or until crisp tender. Remove from heat.

Lay baby spinach leaves on a large platter. Top with the squash first, then rings of red onion, sliced chicken breast, and cheese. Sprinkle over mint and basil and a drizzle more of olive oil and lemon juice, if desired. Grind some fresh pepper on top and serve.

Partner in Crime (& Cooking)

Summer days, when we're all together at the Cape Cod house, are equal parts chaos, adventure, and the unexpected...and really, with six kids around, five of them being boys, I think we manage to keep things under control relatively well. But the one thing my sister-in-law and I have gotten really good at is turning out (fantastic, if I do say so myself) meals for twelve from the tiny kitchen. We've found an easy rhythm in the narrow space, do-si-do-ing around each other in a semi-choreographed dance of chopping, chatting, and cooking. I'm thrilled to have another woman around, especially one who is an excellent cook.

We especially enjoy heading out to the farmers' markets, farm stands and specialty stores to seek out inspiration for our evening meals, and last night was no exception. Satucket Farm Stand was loaded with ripe produce and we picked up corn, zucchini, crookneck squash, and tomatoes in hopes it would come together as a sauce for some homemade pasta we were planning on whipping up with the new Kitchen Aid Pasta Machine. In truth, vegetables that ripen simultaneously often make the best partners in a dish and we certainly found this to be the case in this sauce. I was a bit worried that the corn-with-pasta combination would be over the top in the carb department, but the corn was so fresh, crisp and light it didn't seem heavy at all. And though I still prefer my old hand-cranked pasta machine we have at home, the Kitchen Aid version made quick work of the dough...and when cooking for the masses, sometimes (perhaps most of the time) speed takes precedence over nostalgia.

Farm Stand Pasta

serves 6

1 1/2 pounds of your favorite fresh egg pasta (we made our own)

2 ears of corn, kernels cut off

1 shallot

1/2 red onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic

2 T olive oil

2 T butter

2 zucchini, cut in 1/4 inch half moons

2 crook neck squash, cut in 1/4 inch half moons

handful of fresh basil, slivered

1/2 C dry white wine

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and onion and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add corn and squash and saute until golden brown. Add wine and stir to de-glaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Stir in tomatoes and basil and cook until tomatoes dissolve and become quite saucy, about 10 minutes more. Drain pasta and add to skillet, tossing well. If pasta seems sticky, add a splash or two of the pasta cooking water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour out into large serving bowl and top with shredded fresh Parmesan cheese.