Fruits and Veggies

Opening to my homepage on my computer one morning, one of the headlines was “Cancer cures.” I opened it, interested to see if something new had happened since I went to bed the night before. It turned out to be an article written about stress-busting and diet. Most agree that stress is related to cancer and we have been inundated with the role that fruits and vegetables play in prevention and, perhaps to some degree, recovery. Maybe the headline was a bit sensational but the article on diet really made a lot of sense.

Summer is the perfect opportunity to put this sage advice into practice and do it with spectacular taste. Take advantage of every farmer’s market, roadside stand and specialty produce store you find or, better yet, grow your own vegetables. It’s not too late to sow a few lettuces in a container or the edge of a small garden. It really looks pretty, and is so much better than store-bought. You can sow it a second or third time after harvesting and before the lettuce bolts or you can sow it every two or three weeks, trying different types or re-sowing your favorites. Lettuce does best in cool weather, so the midsummer sowing may not produce a great crop but you never know. I have been successful as often as not even with July sowings.

Vow to make Salads and other light dishes the centerpiece of every meal with meat or seafood as a secondary ingredient instead of the other way around. Side benefits are ease of preparation, little or no cooking, fun experimentation, and a slimmer figure (?) in addition to improved health.

Two cookbooks I plan to put into yeoman service for this project: Cold Soups, Warm Salads by Irene Rothschild has also been the inspiration for many opening courses for summertime breakfasts at our inn, such as Strawberry Rhubarb Soup. I include the recipe here for you and it has been very popular. The other, Salad Suppers by Andrea Chesman is new to me and I have only tried one or two recipes to share with you but they were great and there are so many others that sound marvelous.

The first is from Rothschild’s book and uses popular Thai flavors. Seasonings are available in supermarkets.

Grilled Chicken, Thai Style (serves 4)

About 1 pound chicken breasts, boned and skinned
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. brown sugar or raw sugar
Four and one-half Tbsp. Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbsp, freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp minced and seeded jalapeno or Serrano peppers
One and one-half Tbsp. chopped cilantro
Boston or loose leaf lettuce leaves
Alfalfa sprouts
Flowering red kale, if available, or radicchio or red leaf lettuce
Cherry tomatoes, scored cucumber slices, and scallion flowers, for garnish (chive blossoms would work)

Grill the chicken or sauté in butter in a hot skillet, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until tender. Remove and keep warm in a 200 deg. oven or cover with foil. Pour off the excess fat from the pan and add the brown sugar, fish sauce, garlic, lime juice, hot peppers, and cilantro. Blend and heat through.
Arrange the lettuce in the center of four serving plates. Place the sprouts on one side and kale on the other side. Artfully place the tomatoes, cucumber slices, and chive blossoms for the garnish. Slice the chicken breasts crosswise on the diagonal leaving it connected at one end. Slide onto the lettuce and spoon the sauce over.

From Salad Suppers comes this wonderful salad, made in less than 20 minutes.

Tuscany Tuna Salad with White Beans (makes 4 servings)

1 6 or 7 ounce can water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
4 scallions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
One-half cup chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil or herb flavored oil
2 Tbsp. defatted chicken broth
1 5-oz. can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper
12 cups torn mixed salad greens
4 Italian plum tomatoes, chopped

In a large salad bowl, combine the tuna, scallions, garlic, basil, capers, vinegar, oil and broth. Toss to mix. Gently fold in the beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (The salad can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours at this point.)

Just before serving, add the greens and the tomatoes to the tuna mixture, toss and serve.

If you want a change from salad, you can toss the first ingredients with hot linguine instead of the mixed salad greens.

If you have rhubarb in your garden still, a great recipe follows:

1 and one-half pounds rhubarb, trimmed and rinsed
2 cups water
Dash of salt
10 Tsp., honey
2 pints strawberries
One-half cup red Zinfandel wine (or other hearty dry red)
One-half cup orange juice
Crème Fraiche (sour cream and lightly sweetened whipped cream)

Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Put in a pot with the water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the honey. Let cool slightly and pour into a food processor or blender (I use an immersion hand blender). Rinse the strawberries and remove the hulls. Cut in half and add to the food processor, reserving a few for garnish. Blend until pureed. Remove to a bowl. Stir in the wine and orange juice. Chill until ready to serve. Slice reserved strawberries. Serve with dollops of crème fraiche and garnish with strawberry slices.

Here’s to a healthy and delicious summer.