Two Summer Recipes
Those that know me well know that next to curating spaces and creating with my hands, perhaps my favorite form of expression is through sharing good food with good people. Always going deeper, much like my approach to business, an interest in food from an early age led to an interest in the quality of ingredients I cooked with, and therefore a passion for gardening and fresh, home grown seasonal produce.
Each quarter I hope to share two simple recipes that I’ve enjoyed making, pulling as much as I can from the garden. No awkward build up and backstory here, just good seasonal eats.
Smoky Grilled Peach and Heirloom Tomato Salad
The garden has been overflowing with heirloom tomatoes and the stone fruit at the market has been incredible. Smoke, heat, creaminess, acid, and bright herbs balance this perfect summer salad.
Ingredients
2 heirloom tomatoes - cut into 1” cubes
1 white peach - not too ripe
1 -2 jalepenos
1 shallot - thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
Gorgonzola cheese
Olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper
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Grill the peaches and jalepenos so they have a nice char but do not overcook. Once grilled, slice the peaches and jalepenos.
Add the tomatoes to a bowl and lightly season with salt. Stir in the basil, shallots, peaches and jalepenos, then lightly dress with olive oil and balsamic. Plate each salad and add a slice of gorgonzola to each.
Quick Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
If I’ve learned anything from all my travels in Mexico, it’s that the house salsa is made by throwing whatever you’ve got a lot of in the blender. Recently, we’ve had a lot of tomatillos.
2 cups small tomatillos, husked
1 heirloom tomato, halved
1 white onion, halved
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 t cumin
salt and pepper
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Broil the tomatillos, tomato, onion, and garlic until lightly charred and beginning to soften up. Remove from heat and combine all ingredients, except salt and pepper, in a blender. Coarsely blend on a low speed for about a minute - check for desired consistency (I prefer chunky). Season with salt and pepper.
We used this on salmon tacos and carnitas, and both were excellent.