Food With Color

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Here we have grilled Beach Pea's rosemary batard, brushed with homemade garlic scape pesto, topped with grilled eggplant (New Roots Farm) smothered in provolone cheese,  8-ball and 1-ball zucchini (small, round, baseball-size green and yellow fruits from Stonewall Farm), grilled sweet Ailsa Craig onions (Touching Earth Farm), slices of luscious tomatoes (Barker's Farm), and, finally, mounds of arugula (Riverside Farm).  Now THAT'S a farmers' market sandwich!  Pass the chips, please!

An heirloom cuke, these White Wonders are heading for another batch of my Summer Herb and Cucumber Soup.   Their creamy white flesh is slightly sweeter than regular cukes.  P.S.  I used basil, parsley and fennel fronds in this batch of soup, and garnished bowls of it with borage and lemon gem marigold flowers.  Delish!  

Cute little flying saucers.

Can you guess what this is?

Awesome Gazpacho

What to eat when it's 100 degrees outside at dinnertime?

This could be called "kitchen sink" gazpacho, or "ohmygod, I don't care what you call it, it's delicious" gazpacho, or, "NH farmers' market" gazpacho, or "my mother would love this" gazpacho...."   No need to concern yourself with what you don't have -- just use what you do have, and don't worry about measuring!  At this time of year, surely your tastebuds are intune with the local produce, and you've got plenty to choose from!

Refreshing Cold Summer Soup

Cold is key!

Cucumber, local asparagus, parsley and dill joined forces with a handful of raw cashews, a pint of Brookford Farm's yogurt and a pint of homemade chicken stock (or veg stock) for this deliciously refreshing and satisfying cold soup.

Delicious Lamb Shish Kebabs with Tzatziki

I marinated Riverslea Farm lamb kebabs in grated ginger, minced garlic, freshly ground cumin seed, turmeric and coriander, olive oil and lemon juice.  Grilled these 1-1/2" chunks for no more than 8 minutes (rotated halfway through), and served over orzo pilaf with a side of delicious tzatziki.  Wedges of red onion, chunks of farm fresh tomato, and cremini mushrooms accompanied the lamb.  Recipe for tzatziki follows:

Perfect, Simple Rack of Lamb

Riverslea Farm lamb - a must try!

Grilled rack of lamb: incredibly tender and juicy, perfect for creating a rich crust, and it takes no time to french the rack (aka, trim and expose the bones, which your butcher can always do) and cook.   Pick some of your favorite herbs, then finely chop and add some olive oil, and you've got a delicious paste to flavor your rack with.  Serve alongside your favorite summer veggies and celebrate good, slow, local cooking!  Or a special someone's birthday.  :)

Total prep time: ~20min for frenching rack; plus ~30min for prepping coals
Total cooking time, depending on size of rack: ~20min
Resting time: 8-10 minutes

Most racks easily serve 4.

This dish, save for the olive oil and seasonings, was made from foods grown/produced within 15 miles of our home: Riverslea Farm lamb; Applecrest Farm green beans; Meadow's Mirth new baby potatoes; McKenzie's Farm cherry tomatoes (40 miles from home, but still a NH farm...); New Roots Farm garlic; and, rosemary, thyme and mint from our garden. 

 A hardwood-charcoal grill was used for this recipe, but a gas grill would work just as well as long as you're able to create a cool area from a hot area.  Follow these tips for ensuring a pleasingly successful rack of lamb:

Fennel-Cucumber Salad, Turkey Bacon BLT

Fresh fennel from Willow Pond Farm was the inspiration for this salad...not to mention the cukes and super sweet cherry tomatoes from McKenzie's Farm, and sweet snap peas from our garden!  All were tossed in a bit of leftover homemade pico de gallo (see pic below for details) and freshly chopped fennel leaves.  Crunchy, sweet and tangy...Delicious!

Great sandwiches begin with great bread!  Here, foccacia with a balsamic glaze patiently awaits its fate with turkey bacon...

Simple Summer Salad

Light summer farmfare!