This week’s leftover produce was Zucchini and Snow Peas
I wanted to start the first food lab with the basics, taking Tamar Adler’s lead and using as much of what was on hand as I could. The produce leftover from the market this week was beautiful zucchinis and snow peas. I was quickly reminded that fresh organic produce is wonderful to work with, though it was harvested days ago it was better than any produce you could find in a store or supermarket. The zucchini was dark green and the flesh inside was mild, firm and dense and the snow peas still sweet and snappy. I took time to peruse the pantry in the SAL and was pleasantly surprised at it being stocked with the best basics of oils, vinegars, sweeteners and salts. At some point I would like to write a post on pantry staples that will help you make the most of the fresh food you have on hand but alas that will have to wait.
Working with just two ingredients, I wanted to make a variety of dishes that displayed the many options available without a lot of ingredients. I wanted to make sure to into consideration different techniques – when to dress a salad ahead of time, allowing the flavors to mellow and textures to change and when to wait – keeping things crisp and fresh. Cooked ingredients vs raw, different ways to cut ingredients and why they work with the technique applied. These four dishes have mostly the same ingredients in them and yet they have different flavors and textures creating a versatile menu with very little. No one wants to get bored with eating the same meal 15 times in one week just because they have limited ingredients on hand.
From the text I used the basic Vinaigrette on page 100 to start us off. I used onion, there were no shallots and because I knew I would need a little more sweetness with parsley and zucchini – I used apple cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. I suggest playing around with this recipe. It is very versatile, use it on every grain, even pasta for a cold pasta salad. Use it on cooked and raw vegetables, mix it with warm potatoes and herbs on hand and you have an amazing potato salad – run with it. Switch the ingredients around with what you have – have a lime not a lemon? Use the lime and a lighter oil and white wine or apple cider vinegar – see what it tastes like, what foods do you imagine it on, how does it change the flavor profile? I use these basic ingredients – think salt, fat and acid combinations – in every single thing I make. In her book a passage that I thought spoke to learning she said;
“If we were taught to cook as we are taught to walk, encouraged first to feel for pebbles with our toes, then to wobble forward and fall, then had our hands firmly tugged on so we would try again, we would learn that being good at it relies on something deeply rooted, akin to walking, to get good at which we need only guidance, senses and a little faith” pg. 63.
This recipe is a great place to start to “walk”. Here you have guidance, use your senses, smell two ingredients together, they will tell you instantly if they will taste good together, add some color and brightness, taste every step and have faith that some amazing flavors and textures will come out of playing around.
There are a few staples I keep in my pantry for my own tastes. I personally like a little heat and would add red pepper flakes to the vinaigrette. I would use honey instead of palm sugar, not enough to taste sweet, just enough to balance the bitterness. I am not big on adding sweetness, sometimes it makes sense though.
Here is what I’ve made this week:
Rice and Bean Salad
Brown rice, red beans, SNOW PEAS, ZUCHINNI, carrot, red onion, parsley
Dressing: Dijon, apple cider vinegar, onion, garlic, capers, palm sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice salt and pepper
Stuffed Zucchini:
ZUCHINNI, brown rice, onion, garlic, carrot, parsley, salt, pepper, lemon, red onion, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, capers, palm sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice.
Asian Snow Pea Salad:
SNOW PEAS, carrot, red onion, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, tamari, palm sugar, salt.
Snow Pea Slaw:
SNOW PEAS, carrots, red onion, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, onion, garlic, capers, palm sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
I hope you enjoy tasting the different dishes, and I would love to hear from you , questions, comments and requests, I am happy to answer your questions.