RECIPES
Tomato Basil Cream Sauce with Summer Squash Noodles
For the tomato-basil cream sauce:
2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
For the summer squash noodles:
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
Preparation
Wash and cut the whole tomatoes into large chunks (the skins, seeds, and core go in the sauce). Add the tomatoes, basil, cashews, pine nuts, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt to the blender (or Vita-Mix). Blend until silky smooth. Taste and adjust salt, if necessary. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
To make raw summer squash noodles, all you'll need is a box grater and a sharp knife — that's it.
Using the wide blade on the side of a box grater, carefully slide the long-edge of the squash (from bottom to top) along the blade. Make wide strips on one side of the squash just until the seeds appear, then rotate the squash to the opposite side and repeat. Do the same on the remaining two sides then repeat with the other squash. Once all the squash is cut into wide strips, stack a few of the strips and with a sharp knife, carefully cut the squash into 1/4-inch-long fettuccine-style noodle strips. Repeat with the remaining squash.
To assemble the dish: For each serving, combine about a cup of zucchini noodles and with a few spoonfuls of raw tomato basil cream sauce, enough to thoroughly coat the noodles. Garnish with fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped basil, and pine nuts.
Yield: About 1 1/4 quarts or 5 cups of sauce, and 4 servings of noodles.
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Spicy Roasted Corn on the Cob With Taco-Flavored Butter
Kick up your corn on the cob with spicy taco-flavored butter infused with cilantro and lemon.
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup taco seasoning
1 cup finely chopped cilantro/parsley
1/3 cup lemon juice
Salt according to taste
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Preparation
1. Melt butter in pan and remove as soon as small bubbles start to form
2. Add all the above ingredients and mix well.
3. Now roast the corn on the cob and slather butter once its out of the flame generously.
4.Sprinkle with very very finely chopped cilantro for additional flavor. Enjoy your spicy corn on the cob with a cold glass of wine, beer or your favorite soda.
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Nonno Salad
This was a salad my grandmother would make for me out of whatever vegetables were fresh from my grandfather's garden on his rooftop in Brooklyn. Now my father works the garden and we sometimes still make salads from the tomatoes, peppers and basil that grows there.
2 large tomatoes roughly chopped
Basil torn by hand about six large leaves
Southern Italian extra virgin olive oil
Sharp provolone cheese
Dried bread, toasted or friselle
Anchovies for the dressing, just whisk into the olive oil and lemon mixture
Peppers, seeds removed thinly sliced
Freshly ground black peppercorns
Sea salt to taste
Preparation
Coarsely chop the tomatoes and peppers and put in a large bowl. Cube dried aged provolone cheese and toss with the vegetable mixture. Tear the basil once and toss with your hands to incorporate in salad. Drizzle with a fresh fruity olive oil, sea salt, and coarsely ground black pepper. Mix with your hands to incorporate the ingredients.
Take 1 piece of bread or friselle and put at the bottom of a shallow bowl. Put the salad on top, drizzle with additional olive oil.
For added flavor, whisk 1 anchovy in olive oil and pour on top of the salad.
Yield: 1 serving.
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Bread and Butter Pickles
These may be the simplest bread and butter pickles you've ever made. Gather the ingredients, prep the cucumbers, pack them in a jar, pour brine over the cucs, and let soak in the refrigerator for a week. Bam. Pickles. And you didn't even need to fire up the stove.
Adapted from "Raw Food For Everyone" by Alissa Cohen and Leah J. Dubois
Time: 30 minutes, plus 7 days to cure in refrigerator
12 pickling Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into halves or quarters
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
Preparation
Pack the cut cucumbers in a large wide-mouth glass container.
Whisk the vinegar, water, honey, coriander seeds, and sea salt together in a bowl. Pour this brine over the cucumbers. Top with a piece of wax or parchment paper to keep the pickles soaked in their brine.
Refrigerate for 7 days before serving. The pickles will keep for up to 1 month.
Yield: 12 pickles.
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