Easy Grape Salad And Labor Day

Happy Labor Day! Here's a refreshing salad that's easy to make on this day of rest.

Method: To some torn red and butter (or Boston) lettuce, add an amount of chopped red onion that you'd like, halved green and red grapes, a little sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil and rice vinegar (but not too much - the brilliant flavors of the delicate lettuce and juicy grapes speak for themselves), pepper to taste. Toss and serve!

Labor Day
To many, and to us as well, Labor Day marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. But Labor Day is also a day that I remember my pepere who worked as a weaver in a textile mill and reflect on the history of the labor movement.

This picture of my pepere hangs on a wall in my home and I absolutely love it. He labored hard and weaved with pride. His strong work ethic was admirable.

Here's part of a Robert Frost poem, The Lone Striker, that I also love. It was written in 1933 during the time my pepere worked as a textile weaver:

"The swinging mill bell changed its rate
To tolling like the count of fate,
And though at that the tardy ran,
One failed to make the closing gate.
There was a law of God or man
That on the one who came too late
The gate for half an hour be locked,
His time be lost, his pittance docked.
He stood rebuked and unemployed.
The straining mill began to shake.
The mill, though many-many-eyed,
Had eyes inscrutably opaque;
So that he couldn’t look inside
To see if some forlorn machine
Was standing idle for his sake.
(He couldn’t hope its heart would break.)


And yet he thought he saw the scene: The air was full of dust of wool.

A thousand yarns were under pull,

But pull so slow, with such a twist,

All day from spool to lesser spool,

It seldom overtaxed their strength;

They safely grew in slender length.

And if one broke by any chance,

The spinner saw it at a glance.

The spinner still was there to spin.

That’s where the human still came in.

Her deft hand showed with finger rings

Among the harplike spread of strings.

She caught the pieces end to end

And, with a touch that never missed,

Not so much tied as made them blend.

Man’s ingenuity was good.

He saw it plainly where he stood,

Yet found it easy to resist. . . ."

~

Labor of Love
Labor Day is also a time when my garden begins to rest after working hard all summer long. This year, some plants didn't do well, some were more challenging to maintain than others, and some, especially the zucchini and cucumbers, were very happy growers. Every year's a surprise!

Looks like this zucchini drank a little too much! We had a bumper crop of cucumbers. I harvested baskets full, shared with neighbors, and came up with creative ways to serve them. We were surprised at how wonderful this cucumber agua fresca tasted!

The watermelon almost made it but their vines weakened during tropical storm Irene and they couldn't hold on.

Heirloom tomatoes were a challenge to grow, splitting often just before harvesting, but not the roma tomatoes which are still growing strong.

The last cucumber of the season is a September surprise! Bell peppers just said their goodbyes. Eggplants are making their grand entrance.

 Everbloom strawberries are working hard to ripen for one last show.

Busy local honey bees seek out nectar in late-summer budding sedum. I think they're my friend's bees, a beekeeper a few houses away . They make me smile.

Versatile Fresh Mild Salsa: Snack, Endive Finger Salad, Pasta Salad

What a surprise! I had no idea when I made this mild salsa that it would be so versatile during our vacation in New Hampshire. 

Salsa With Blue Corn Chips

The salsa was made from some of my garden vegetables before we left. We ate it as a snack the first night on vacation. I love using organic blue corn chips because, not only do they taste good, they are a nice contrast to salsa. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture because we were on vacation and didn't want to seem obsessive, at least not at the beginning of vacation anyway!

~ Picture the

Salsa

with Blue Corn Chips

Here! ~

Method: I diced a few cucumbers, a few tomatoes, and a red onion, added organic canned corn (drained), chopped fresh parsley to taste (I didn't have cilantro), fresh juice from one lime, and pepper to taste. It was a pretty big batch, but I was trying to use up vegetables that I had just picked. Reduce the portions for your needs.

Being leery about the existence of GMOs and chemicals in conventional canned or fresh corn, I used organic canned corn hoping to avoid them. (Frozen bagged corn would be best to avoid possible BPA from cans.) Still, I can't be sure. This is one of the reasons I support GMO labeling - it should be my choice.

Endive Finger Salad
Then I used the salsa in this endive salad to which my son said, "Oh, no, I feel like I'm in Paris again!" You would understand why he said that if you saw this post.

Method: I cut the ends off the endive, carefully pulled off a few leaves, added a slender slice of block feta that was left over from our watermelon salad, topped with a spoonful of salsa and a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil.

Pasta Salad
The rest of the salsa was added to farfalle pasta one night and served as a side pasta salad to our hamburgers.

Method: To cooked and cooled pasta, I added salsa, some extra virgin olive oil, and rice vinegar to taste.

For the bread and pasta, I couldn't find organic rolls nearby at Price Chopper and didn't have time to drive to Littleton Food Co-op, so I picked up organic bread which I was happy to see was from the nearby state of Vermont. I also found local cheese from Vermont, organic wine, and partially organic pasta. Whole wheat pasta was not an option and we're really not a fan of it anyway. Why the fuss to find organic? Ever since my daughter was diagnosed with her kidney disease, when shopping, I look for organic and if I can't find it, I look for local; if I can't find local, I try to make the best conventional choices (but more about that in another post).

Roasted Peppers

The peppers were previously roasted at home a few days before vacation and came along with us.

Method:  trim peppers, coat with olive oil, broil on low until skins are charred. Place in a bag until cool enough to touch. Peel skins.

~ ~ ~

Meats

This summer, I've had the convenience of purchasing most of our meat at farmers markets. The meats are frozen in durable vacuum-sealed packages so it's easy to stock up. Here are the names of the farms: Aquidneck Farms, Pat's Pastured, J. Beaulieu Farm, Roy Carpenter's Farm, Meadowstone Farm

~ ~ ~

The historic Littleton Grist Mill where fine grains can be purchased

Zucchini Hash

Zucchini season is almost over, at least in my neck of the woods, so I thought I better get this recipe out now!

I said "recipe" but it's not really a recipe. It seems I have an aversion to writing my own recipes, especially when it's something I just whip up. When I get started in the kitchen, it's like I'm in a frenzy. I always think I should write everything down, but I rarely do. I feel it suppresses my creativity. Not that this dish is very creative; it's pretty basic but you know what I mean!  

Zucchini Hash

The ingredients can be changed to suit you and how many you're serving. Here's what I used:

1 large russet potato, or 2 medium, chopped

1 small onion, diced

1 medium zucchini, or 2 small, chopped 

About 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley, loosely packed

Extra virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon

Celery seed, a sprinkle or about 1/4 teaspoon (a chopped celery stalk would be fine but I didn't have any)

Pepper to taste

Cut the russet potatoes very thin and chop. Dice onion and zucchini. Saute onion in about 1 teaspoon of olive oil until soft. Remove and set aside. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and saute potatoes until tender. Add onion, celery seed, and zucchini until zucchini is heated through to your liking. I usually don't let zucchini get mushy. Add chopped parsley, pepper to taste, stir, and serve.

I didn't take too many pictures of the process, the kitchen in the cottage we rented was dark. 

* * *

This zucchini hash was made while we were on vacation in July when I was taking a break from my blog. I still remember the flavor, though, and it went well with various dishes that week and even as a snack by itself. It went nicely with our eggs that morning, made a great side dish to grilled steak another night. It can even make a great meal by itself - for a little protein, add your favorite beans or cheese.

We brought our own garden parsley and zucchini to the cottage we rented at the beach, but we're lucky to be near this farm where we bought the russet potatoes and onions, among many other delicious foods that week.

I was also lucky to capture this scene, during a walk one morning, of two cows shading another!

We had great weather.

Enjoyed a full moon over the ocean.

Captured a sunset behind a flag raised for Independence Day.

Went fishing.

Saw Man Of La Mancha at this charming and very professional theatre. Love the little windmills in the flower pots!

And collected sea shells.

Can You Say "Watermelon Salad" In French?

"What is this! Are we in Paris?"

The things my kids say sometimes when they see different food makes me laugh. The way they say it can make it even funnier, like when my son said this in a French accent the night he sat down to eat this.

The idea of this strange dinner was still churning in his mind and a few seconds later he said, "Ohhhhh, it's meatless Monday!" Yes, it was meatless Monday and, yes, this was dinner since when ate a late lunch during a hike that day.

But it also was a humid day and the air was unusually still. The cool air that normally rises from the icey cold river nearby was no where to be found or, at least, didn't reach our back deck that night. This meal was a great way to beat the heat. It was light and refreshing!


To Make
I got the idea for this watermelon feta salad when my husband was watching Chef Terranova on his cooking segment, Cooking With Class, on Turn To Ten one morning and called me over to watch. Well, we tried it, really liked it, and it was fun to make. I guess I'm in the mood for stacking our meals lately!

Start with chopping or crumbling feta cheese. I used a block of feta in liquid because I think it's more moist than pre-crumbled feta. But either would be fine.

Then make the "salad" with the greens. Gently tear or chop fresh basil and celery leaves. Add olive oil or truffle oil and pepper to taste. I tried the truffle oil, but since it's expensive and I really didn't think it added a unique flavor, a good olive oil would work fine.

Slice watermelon into 1/2 inch thick slices. Cut each slice into disks with a 3 inch cookie cutter or a glass with the same diameter like I did. The watermelon stuck a little but easily popped out with the help of a knife. Cut the rest into chucks for a nice snack later.

Start plating with a watermelon disk, then feta, then another watermelon disk. Top with greens and a last sprinkle of crumbled feta, which we used in place of salt, pepper to taste.

So fun and so pretty!

The kids liked it. 

We had a lot of laughs.

The dogs found a cool spot by the river.

Then we went to a play.

* * *

Watermelon And Feta Salad Recipe
adapted from Chef Frank Terranova, as seen on Cooking With Class, Turn To Ten (recipe can be printed from this link)

1 small seedless cold watermelon
1 pound good quality feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn
1/4-1/2 cup celery leaves, chopped or torn (his recipe calls for 1/2 cup but I didn't have that much from my bunch of celery so I used about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup good quality olive oil/extra virgin olive oil or white truffle oil
Pepper to taste
Olive oil to drizzle over dish
Salt to taste (optional, not necessary if using feta to top off)


Feta: crumble up by either coarsely chopping or breaking up into small pieces with your hands. Set aside.


Greens: gently chop or tear basil and celery leaves. In a small bowl, mix with olive oil or truffle oil, pepper to taste.


Watermelon: Do this last since it starts to warm up and look funky if cut up first. Slice watermelon into about 1/2 inch slices. Use a large cookie cutter, or other circular item, to cut sliced watermelon into disks.


Plate: lay a watermelon disk on each dish, top each with a layer of feta cheese, another watermelon disk, then greens. I topped with a sprinkle of feta instead salt. And if you want, drizzle a little olive oil around the plate for a final touch.

Serve immediately.

I'll Be Right Back!

I'm experiencing technical difficulties with Facebook and Networked Blogs. As soon as I've figured things out, I'll be back!

In the meantime, enjoy the view of the Pemigewasset Wildnerness from Loon Mountain:

Doesn't it seem to go on forever?

Wish I were there now :)

~

Update: During the past week, while trying to make things more secure and then updating links and likes, I somehow lost my Vittles and Committals facebook page. Sigh. So if you are looking for it, you're not blocked, it's just not there anymore. The same if you were following through Networked Blogs. After I made some changes, glitches occurred that I couldn't fix so the app has been removed.

Update: Networked Blogs was quick to respond! Within two days they responded to my question and I was able to clear my account today. If you ever need help, submit a request question instead of a forum question.