Pinot & Pineapple

My Farm Share Week 3 came and went like a blur. We were barely home this week thanks to the long July 4th weekend so we had to really be diligent in getting our veggies eaten. Here’s how we did it:

The Napa cabbage became a delicious slaw of thinly sliced Napa cabbage, shredded carrots, thinly sliced scallions, fresh sweet peas, julienned red bell pepper, mayonnaise, a touch of Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper. This was a great side dish for some juicy lamb burgers – Yum! The 2 heads of romaine lettuce were used in mountains of blackened chicken Caesar salad (my husband’s favorite way to eat salad); the 2 Middle Eastern cucumbers were used in a refreshing but filling Panzanella salad (recipe follows); the red Swiss chard was sauteed in olive oil with onions, golden raisins, toasted slivered almonds, salt and black pepper. This sweet and savory side was served with pan-roasted pork chops and was really tasty. The garlic scapes became a gorgeous, bright green pesto and was tossed with orzo pasta for an easy weeknight dinner; the mixed baby greens served as a salad and the baby red onions were roasted to caramelized perfection with olive oil, salt and black pepper – served along side a brunch of steak and eggs.

What a delicious, if not busy, week we had! Here is the recipe for the Panzanella salad…

Panzanella

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 small Middle Eastern cucumbers, chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup basil leaves, coarsely torn

Heat the oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the bread, sprinkle with salt & pepper and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently to ensure even coloring. Allow to cool before adding to the vegetables.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil salt & pepper.

In a large bowl, mix all of the vegetables and basil. Add the cooled bread cubes and vinaigrette and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Enjoy!