August 23rd, 2008 Newsletter

Bardstown Road Farmers’ Market Newsletter

Sarah’s Corner

Sometimes when I see recipes for crab cakes, or lobster roll, or oyster stew, I wonder why anyone would want to do something to these foods that taste so fabulous without anything else added to them.

You could say the same about corn. Why put corn in a recipe? Why not just eat it, ear after ear.

When corn first comes in, of course, that’s what we do, eat it ear after ear. But then, when we have the confidence that we might outlast the corn, the cooks among us begin thinking about other things to do with it. These foods are great plain, but they are also good in dishes. And if we have enough, why not try, say, a fresh corn pudding. Certainly a little light cream and some butter can’t hurt corn.

 There are other foods whose prolific production doesn’t please us in quite the same way. Zucchini, for instance, isn’t so tempting with just a little butter and salt. But included in an easy, vegetarian, vegetable soup, zucchini, too, becomes something to look forward to.

Corn pudding

This is a perfect side dish to grilled chicken and sliced tomatoes.

2 eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup half and half or whole milk
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash nutmeg
4 cups corn, cut from the cob (about 6 large ears)

Grease a 2 ½ quart casserole. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add butter and beat again. Add half and half, sugar, flour, salt, cayenne pepper and a little nutmeg and beat to blend. Add corn and stir it in gently. Scrape the mixture into the casserole and bake 45 minutes. Pudding should be brown on top.

Simple vegetable soup

This is a garden-inspired vegetarian soup that relies on fresh tomatoes (if you have them, but canned will do) and lots of zucchini. If you have thyme (or oregano) in the garden, or get it at the farmers market, use it to season the soup. Otherwise dried thyme will work.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, about 1 tablespoon minced
2 medium tomatoes, or 14 to 16 ounces canned tomatoes
16 ounces (or so) canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Several branches thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 cups water or other liquid (such as tomato juice)
3 zucchini (no longer than 7 inches)
2 ounces spaghetti, broken into 2-inch lengths (about ¾ cup)
Grated cheese

Heat a large deep pot over medium-high heat and add oil. Mince onion, adding it to the pot as you do. Add garlic and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, to soften the onion.

To peel fresh tomatoes, dip them in boiling water about 15 seconds, then core and remove skins. Chop small and add to pot. Drain chickpeas and add them also, along with thyme, chili powder and liquid.

Prepare zucchini by cutting it into 3- by ¼-inchmatchsticks. Add to the pot, then add spaghetti. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until spaghetti is tender, about 15 minutes. If you’ve used fresh thyme stems, fish them out of the soup before serving. Serves 4.

Serve topped with grated Parmesan or sharp cheddar cheese, if desired. Serves 4.