Broccoli and Tomato Bake

I love this dish! With tomatoes coming in season, and broccoli all over the farmer's markets, this dish is a winner. I got the recipe from a dear friend and it's a hit every time I make it. Don't be afraid to try making a white sauce, it's not nearly as hard as you think it is. Just go slowly, and don't turn the heat up too high while you are whisking away! I promise extreme yummy goodness! It can also be make ahead of time, up to one day, if you like to cook in advance or keep it low stress when entertaining.

Broccoli and Tomates, baked in a creamy parmesan sauce

 

Broccoli and Tomato Bake

2 large tomatoes, thickly sliced


1 big crown of broccoli, separated into servings that are about 1 in. in the stem w/ a large floret on top

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 c. milk (lower fat it fine)

½ c. fresh grated Parmesan cheese**

Salt and pepper

½ c. Panko or regular bread crumbs (unseasoned)

1 T. melted butter

¼ c. additional shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Steam the broccoli spears for 3 minutes. Remove them from the heat and drain them. They should remain intact and bright green. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan and stir in the flour, making sure it is completely incorporated (we’re making a basic white sauce.) Keeping the heat on medium, add the milk and begin whisking the mixture. As the mixture begins to bubble, the sauce will thicken. Keep stirring. When it gets thick, add in the cheese, a pinch of salt and a little pepper. Stir until the cheese melts, and then turn it off. The sauce should be of pourable consistency. If it looks too thick, add a little more milk. Taste it and correct the seasoning, if needed.

Spray a 13 X 9” baking dish with cooking spray or wipe with a little oil. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the sliced tomatoes in a single layer in the bottom. Layer the broccoli florets over them. Pour the sauce evenly over the top of this. (At this point you may refrigerate the dish for up to one day, if you like to prepare in advance.) Sprinkle the dish with the bread crumbs and pour on the melted butter. Add the last ¼ c. grated Parmesan if using. Bake for 30 minutes, until hot throughout and bubbly. Serves 6.

**You can use any kind of cheese your family prefers. Cheddar and Swiss will both work well. The original recipe called for Parmesan, so that’s what I wrote

Sweeeet Corn and Other Vegetables...plus a little family wisdom!

The other day I was in the grocery store shucking some corn over the trash bin, and a lady asked me how I cooked corn. She said, "You boil it, I guess? I've been grilling it and I don't have much luck with that." I replied that no, I don't grill it or boil it, I microwave it....and she looked so puzzled that I had to explain. After doing so she asked me HOW to pick out the best cobs, so that the corn would be sweet and tender, and not tough and stringy. After that conversation, I thought that maybe I ought to blog these simple cooking and selecting tips, because maybe not everyone knows about this stuff.



I was blessed to grow up in a family with 2 grandmothers who were wonderful cooks, who had raised their families during the depression (the one in the 1930's, not the more recent "recessions"). Having done that gave an added dimension to their cooking: Both of them could turn out a delicious meal at almost no cost. Picking out the very best of the season was second nature to them. Both Bessie and Rosie had it down to a science! Here's a picture of the two fabulous ladies, at the my parents wedding reception. That's Rosie on the right and Bessie on the left, flanked by my parents:

Notice the champagne! This was a party all the way! And don't my parents look young and glamorous?? However, I digress....Here is the first rule of thumb that the ladies passed on to me, regarding fresh veggies and fruit: The heavier the fruit, the better, the lighter the vegetable, the better. Now, remember, technically tomatoes are fruit, so the heavier the better, and this rule does not really include starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, beans, and corn. "Lighter is better" especially applies to leafy green vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, kale etc. If you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense. A light apple would probably mean it did not have much moisture in it, so therefore not too juicy. A heavy head of lettuce would mean it has a big center core, and not as many tender leaves.

Back to corn...for the best tasting corn, you want smaller rather than larger kernels on the cob, with no visible sign of drying. I like to cook it in the microwave, in about an inch of water with a little sugar sprinkled into the water. Adding salt at this point will toughen it. Pick a wide shallow dish with a glass lid, preferably.
Put the lid on and microwave it for 6 minutes. Remove the pan, rotate the corn so the other side is immersed and cook for about 3 - 6 minutes more, depending on how much corn you have in your pan and how strong your microwave is. I promise you will produce sweet, juicy delicious corn on the cob, just the way grandma used to serve it. Hey, and before you think, NO WAY did her grandmothers have a microwave, YOU ARE RIGHT, but hey, we all grow and learn, don't we? And what they did teach me was how to cook!

Fresh and Cold, Farmers Market Pasta Salad

We spent part of Saturday morning at the South of the James Farmers Market, off Forest Hill Ave., here in Richmond. In spite of record high temperatures, the market was full of people and wonderful fresh produce, interesting crafts and all things local. We bought some delicious peaches, juicy blackberries, and the first local tomatoes of the season. My garden is full of flowers, but if you aren't so blessed, the zinnias and sunflowers were a good buy and abundant.

When it's hot outside, like it is here in Central Virginia, I can hardly think straight some days. Cooking and even eating are almost chores -- well the cooking part anyway. I like to make a lot of things all at once, so I can enjoy the labor throughout the work week. This weekend, I cooked a salmon, made a large, hot pasta dish, whipped up some cold cucumber soup and our favorite pasta salad.

I always love something cold on a hot day, and my cold cucumber soup fits the bill for lunch or dinner (check my blog archive from last summer). I like to eat the soup with a little bowl of pasta salad. Here's a simple one, using the tastiest ingredients from the farmers market. The bold flavors remind me of the antipasto plate from the local Italian eatery we love, and the fresh veggies simply scream summer!

Farmers Market Pasta Salad

12 oz. tricolor rotini pasta

1/3 c. olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (1 makes it slightly hot)

2 green onions, sliced thinly, green and white parts

1/2 roasted red pepper, diced (from the jar is fine if you don't want to do the prep!)

1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli (small pieces) blanched or raw, however you like it!

1/2 c. chopped zucchini

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

10 slices pepperoni, diced

2 oz. Monterrey jack cheese with peppers or plain, diced

1/2 c. sliced or halved black olives

1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained well

1 small cucumber, scrubbed well or peeled, halved lengthwise then sliced

2 sliced pepperoncini peppers

about 15 large basil leaves, torn into small pieces

 or thinly sliced into chiffonade

1/2 c.  or a little more Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Add the broccoli for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain well. Put the hot pan back on the burner you turned off, and add your olive oil, minced garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Begin chopping your veggies. Add the pasta back into the oil and mix well. Add in your all the veggies and pepperoni, and toss until combined. Next add the vinegar and finally the diced jack and grated Parmesan cheese, along with the torn basil. It's easiest to do this a little at a time, so the cheese does not melt and clump together. THEN, CHILL, BABY, CHILL, for at least 2 hours, until nice and cold.

If you want a vegetarian pasta, just don't add the pepperoni, it's equally delish.

Favorite Family Dinner

We went to the South of the James farmers market last weekend, and I came back loaded down with veggies and inspired to blog again. If you have not visited this market in Forest Hill Park, it is well worth a trip.

Here's my strategy for perusing the market:

Wander all the way through, front to back, to get the lay of the land and check out the local musicians doing their thing. Buy yourself a hand made spring roll, taco truck taco, a cup of freshly ground coffee or an ice cold lemonade, and walk slowly back to the front, gathering up your faves. Then, stow your goodies in the car (make sure you've got a cooler with you!) and walk down to the newly renovated lake. The walk TO the lake is all downhill, so, therefore easy and refreshing. Take a few minutes checking out the great improvements and enjoy all the little kids trying to fish (it's all "catch and release"). Walk around the lake and you are sure to see mountain bikers up on the steep hills leading up to Woodland Heights. Is this a great city or what? White water rafting, mountain biking, lake fishing and farmers markets, all within a mile or 2 of each other, inside the city limits!

Then, suck it up, and head back UP the hill. You'll feel virtuous and won't feel guilty about the goodies you ate while browsing the market! OR the delicious dinner you will make tonight! There are lots of desserts, in my blog archive, check it out!



Here is a favorite family supper, using some fresh, fresh ingredients, easily obtainable at the farmers market or even your back yard!





Salmon, Ravioli, Salad and Bruschetta For Dinner





1 - 1 1/3 lb. salmon
2 T. olive oil


1/2 tsp. garlic salt


Freshly ground black pepper
1T. chopped fresh rosemary (a 2 -3 in. sprig will yield this
2 T. chopped fresh dill ( a few fronds)


1 lemon, 1/2 for slicing, 1/2 for juice



Preheat oven to 375 degrees



Pour a 1 T. of the olive oil on a large cookie sheet (use one w/low sides) and spread it to the size of your salmon. Lay your salmon, skin side down, on the sheet and rub the rest of the olive oil over the surface of the fish. Sprinkle with the garlic salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Strip the herbs from their stems and chop the leaves from the rosemary and frondy parts from the dill together. Sprinkle over the salmon evenly. Squeeze the juice from half of your lemon over the entire fish. Thinly slice the other half, and lay the slices on top of the salmon. Cover the sheet w/foil, making a tent, so that the foil won't stick to the top of the fish. You may want to spray your foil w/cooking spray to make absolutely sure this won't happen. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Take off the lemon slices and enjoy!





Don't worry if you have leftover salmon, I've got a great salmon spread recipe coming later this week!





Serve this with spinach and cheese ravioli, your favorite salad (lots of fresh greens in the farmers market right now!) and brucshetta. For a good bruschetta topping, see my recipe from last summer, by accessing the archives to the left of the blog ("Bruschetta, A Super Simple Summer Treat"). For this dinner, I omitted the mozarella on top, because there was quite a bit of cheese in the ravioli. NOW, for the ravioli, we like the Mama Rosie's Spinach and Cheese brand, from the freezers at the local supermarket. I make a tasty pesto sauce to put on top. Here's what I use:




Simple Pesto



1/3 c. basil leaves (about 20 large leaves, give or take)



2 T. toasted walnuts



1clove garlic



2 - 4 T. extra virgin olive oil



2 - 3 T. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated




Three tips for success w/pesto: First, use only fresh, bright green basil. Second, toast your walnuts ( or pine nuts if you can afford them or prefer them). Third, use only Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.



In a small food processor, or blender, place your basil, garlic and walnuts. Pulse until a they are finely chopped and Drizzle in your olive oil, slowly, until you get the consistency of a smooth, thick sauce. Add in the cheese, 1 tsp. at a time, until it starts to look and smell like pesto, spicy and green. You may need to add a little more olive oil. If you are super concerned about calories, you can substitute a little chicken broth for part of the oil, but you must have at least 1 T. olive oil. Serve over the pasta of your choice. Will keep for a week in a tightly covered container in the frig, if you put a little olive oil on the top too keep it nice and green.






Cooks Tip: You can freeze this, which I often do, just don't add the cheese at the end. I often make a lot, pour it into old fashioned ice cube trays, and freeze them. When they get solid, remove the pesto from the tray, and place in a zip top freezer bag. One cube is enough pesto for 1 - 2 servings.