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Pat Branning’s Carolina Cooking: Sides of the season

Pat Branning’s Carolina Cooking

Sides of the season

Early summer means that a prolific harvest of fresh vegetables is underway. Farmers’ markets are full of great greens and veggies ready to be turned into fantastic salads and side dishes.

All winter we anticipate that first luscious red tomato of the season, vine ripened in the South Carolina sunshine, delicious and ready to be relished. Who can resist them as they beckon from the produce stand each week? Even the most gourmet of Southern cooks yearn for just a simple tomato sandwich. Folks who’ve been health conscious all year, eating whole grains, will suddenly buy the softest white, processed bread that they can find and a jar of mayonnaise which is not free of anything!

For the finest of all summertime sandwiches, slice your tomatoes evenly and thinly, press them lightly, with a paper towel, then salt the tomatoes and you’re all set.

It’s hard to resist just biting into one like an apple and savoring the sweet taste of summer in every bite.
You have no doubt noticed by now that varieties of tomatoes are multiplying like kudzu. our first tomato of the season may be a yellow one or one spectacularly unround – knobby, even ugly, one that would have been rejected a dozen years ago, but now recognized for excellent tastiness. Folks at the market these days make it clear that a uniform shape is secondary to flavor.

And those sweet onions are out- of-this- world delicious and ready to enhance the flavor of just about any dish you choose. Just the mere mention of a Vidalia onion and I can almost taste this sweet, beloved vegetable.

There’s an endless variety of uses for onions, from caramelized ones for tarts, bruschettas, chopped ones for tacos, sliced ones for hamburgers, and crispy fried ones. There are as many ways to fix them as your imagination will allow.

Why not combine those luscious tomatoes and onions with the “king of herbs,” beautiful, sweet basil? It’s expensive in the markets during the winter months, but right now it’s plentiful and won’t break the budget. At the Salisbury Farmer’s Market, I’ve found big bunches of fresh basil for just a dollar. It enhances your tomatoes and onions and if you grow it yourself, you’ll always have plenty for making delicious homemade pesto.

For a perfect pesto, simply combine ½ cup of coarsely chopped basil in a blender with ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup walnuts and 4 minced garlic cloves. Process the mixture until smooth, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides of the processor.

Here’s an amazing bruschetta that makes good use of tomatoes, onions and sweet basil, a winning combination for a delightful summer afternoon appetizer, side dish for supper or a light lunch.

Heirloom Tomato Bruscetta

2 vine ripened heirloom tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ sweet Vidalia onion, chopped fine
3 tablespoons good Italian olive oil
1-2 cloves fresh minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
½ loaf Italian bread, cut into 1 inch thick slices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, olive oil, chopped basil and parsley and minced garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet and top each slice with some tomato mixture. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over each slice. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until hot and the bread slices are golden brown. Let cool for several minutes before serving. Yields about 6 servings.

This time of year I want something that’s easy to pull together, full of flavor and lets me use the season’s freshest and best. Here’s a simple yet delicious way to serve those first succulent squash of the season.

Pecan Zucchini Casserole

6 cups sliced zucchini
½ cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons butter
1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Topping:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup dry herb stuffing
½ cup pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook zucchini in salted water until tender. Drain and place in a 2 quart casserole dish. In a mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, butter, egg, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the mixture to the zucchini and mix well.

To make the topping, combine melted butter and stuffing. Spread over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly browned. Top with pecans. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Orzo with Roasted Carolina Vegetables

4 zucchini squash, cut in half horizontally and sliced
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¾ cup feta cheese, diced or crumbled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Several fresh basil leaves
½ pound orzo – cooked according to the package instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the vegetables with the oil, garlic and salt and pepper. Arrange vegetables and garlic in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast them in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or just until tender.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and immediately drizzle a little more olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice over them. Toss with the cooked orzo and top it off with the feta cheese and a little fresh basil.

In a hurry? Here’s a tasty dish that’s ready in minutes.

Summer Squash and Cherry Tomatoes in Basil Butter

2 pounds sliced yellow squash or zucchini (or a combination of both)
1 Vidalia onion, sliced thin
½ pound cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons Basil Butter
For the basil butter:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
¾ cup fresh basil
½ cup butter, softened
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sauté squash, onion and tomatoes in Basil Butter in a medium skillet for 10 minutes until tender. Serve with extra Basil Butter on the side.

To make the Basil Butter, combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth and refrigerate until solid.

Who can resist summer’s first shiny eggplants? Exotic in taste and texture, eggplant can be prepared in a variety of different ways. For best results, use it immediately or within a day or two of bringing it home from the market.

Parmesan Eggplant Sticks

1 large eggplant
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon butter

Peel the eggplant and cut into sticks. Combine the cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dust the eggplant with the flour and dip into the egg. Coat with the bread crumb mixture. Melt the butter in a baking pan and arrange the eggplant in the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Pat Branning, the former women’s editor for WSB, Atlanta, is food editor for The Beaufort Tribune. She and her husband, Cloide, work together to help the underserved and uninsured in health care through a nonprofit organization called Wellness4America. Her new book of Lowcountry recipes, “Shrimp, Collards and Grits, recipes from the creeks and gardens of the South Carolina Lowcountry”, is available at bookstores in Beaufort and on Hilton Head. The website is www.mycarolinacooking.com.

Click here for more information about Pat Branning’s new cookbook.

Related posts:

1. Pat Branning’s Carolina cooking: Shrimp for supper
2. Pat Branning’s Carolina cooking: Enjoy fresh fish in no time at all
3. Pat Branning’s Carolina cooking: Oysters for the holidays
4. Pat Branning’s Carolina cooking: Soup’s On!
5. Pat Branning’s Carolina cooking: Fun with frittatas and sensational stratas

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