A Summer Lunch (3 recipes!)
post farmers market!
One of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday or Sunday is to go to a farmers’ market and browse the produce stalls. I love seeing all the fresh vegetables and fruit, and I especially love buying them. It’s such a good way to connect with your local farmers and shop seasonally and sustainably.
I went with my mom on Saturday and after picking up a lot of stuff, she asked me to make lunch for her and her friends- and of course, me being the amazing, perfect, talented, gorgeous, creative genius daughter, I acquiesced. I was making things up as I went, but it turned out incredible. Super fresh and bright, I loved how it was all vegetarian and light.
I made a kolrahbi and carrot salad, panzanella with the juiciest heirloom tomatoes, and wilted amaranth & rainbow chard with garlic scapes.
A lot of this was tasting as I went, so I’ve put approximate measurements in, but I’d recommend tasting and adjusting as needed!
Let’s go!
Ingredients:
kolrahbi salad:
3 kolrahbi sliced thinly (I used a mandolin)
2 carrots peeled into ribbons
a handful of purslane or roughly chopped spinach
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
a good squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sumac (optional)
panzanella
350 grams of sourdough bread
2 large heirloom tomatoes or 4-5 smaller ones (make sure they’re as ripe and fresh as possible)
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 of a red onion sliced
handful of fresh basil
pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon juice
charred garlic greens
250g rainbow chard
250g amaranth
1 bunch garlic scapes (8-9 stems)
1/2 a lemon squeezed
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp chili flakes
Method:
kolrahbi salad:
Get rid of the small stems on the kolrahbi. Cut in half, and then slice thinly on a mandolin.
Using a peeler, peel the outer layer of the carrots, and then, applying a bit more pressure, peel thin ribbons off the carrots. Cut the ribbons in half.
Put the kolrahbi and carrots in a bowl.
Put all the ingredients for the dressing in the bowl and mix to combine. Adjust the salt, pepper, and lemon as needed.
panzanella
Preheat your oven to 350°F/175C. Cut your bread into large chunks. You want them on the bigger side as they will shrink in the oven. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Mix to combine and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake in the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Shake it around halfway through so it can get evenly golden brown.
Cut the tomatoes into large organic pieces. Place in a strainer, and place the strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt (about 1/2 tsp), and mix together. Let it sit for about half an hour. The salt will break down the tomatoes and help them release moisture. The bowl underneath will catch the tomato juice.
Use this juice to build your dressing. Add in the oil, balsamic vinegar, chili flakes, and pepper. Taste and add salt if needed. Remember you salted the tomatoes, so the juice may be salty enough. I added just a pinch. Add a good squeeze of lemon.
Thinly slice the red onion, and add to the dressing along with the tomatoes, croutons, and torn basil. Toss to combine. Taste and add more salt and lemon if needed. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
Put in a bowl and top with more torn basil, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.
charred greens
Prep your rainbow chard by separating the leaves and the stalks. Cut the stalks into diagonal diamonds.
Pick the amaranth off the stems. Wash the amaranth and chard leaves thoroughly in cold water.
Trim the bottoms of the garlic scapes, and then cut them to the same diagonal size as the rainbow chard stalks.
In a pan over high heat, add some olive oil and let it heat up. Add in your garlic scapes and cook over a high heat. They will spit back a bit and get charred. Add in your rainbow chard after 45 seconds, and let the two sizzle together.
Add in the chard and amaranth leaves and mix to combine with the scapes and stalks. Add in a good squeeze of lemon, the chili flakes, and a good pinch of salt. Mix to combine, and it will start to wilt a bit. You don’t want it to cook down TOO much. When it’s halved in volume and the leaves are manageable pieces, take everything out of the pan and put it in your serving platter. Taste and add more salt and lemon if needed.
Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
Enjoy!
We finished our lunch with some gorgeous cheese!
These were a mix of semi-soft, semi-hard, and soft cheese.
Little Pepper
Peach Fizz
Both are from a farm called Sweet and Salty Farm in Little Compton, RI, and they were delicious!
The Camembert was from Whole Foods and was picked by Herve Mons. Super stinky but I loved loved loved it! The perfect temp is when it’s a little bit runny and warm.
