Nightshade Season

Panzanella! Paprika and shishito potatoes and poblano beans.

Nightshade season is officially in full swing here in Michigan. I am more than happy about it because it means that most of my meals will, from now until the end of the season, involve some kind of tomato salad. My favourite such salad is a quick and simple chopped salad of tomato, onion or scallion, parsley/mint/dill and usually cucumber, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Often I have it with feta, sometimes with olives, always with bread. Today I am trying my hand at frying some squid to accompany my beloved salad.

Aside from my go-to tomato salad, this week I made a panzanella- I love a dish in which stale bread is treated with as much reverence as a perfect tomato. I also cooked a simple stew of beans and poblanos- because I cannot go a week without cooking a pot of beans in some form and smokey, charred poblanos are one of my favourite things to pair them with- and some tasty potatoes fried with paprika and shishitos, to which I also added some shredded cabbage in hopes that my children might accidentally ingest a vegetable other than a fried potato, because lord knows those shishitos are only for decoration on their plate.

Panzanella

The difference between good panzanella and a bloody ordinary bowl of mush is in the details. Good tomatoes are essential- only make this at peak tomato season. I like to use a couple of different varieties of tomato, they all have different flavour and textural qualities, and I prefer to rip my cherry tomatoes in half rather than cutting them- this is more aesthetic than anything, but it makes it feel warmer somehow. As for the bread, use good bread if you have it, something that has some character- but not too much character! You want to avoid really heavy whole wheat loaves as they will overpower the delicate flavour of the tomato. A good country loaf or focaccia is perfect, just make sure it is at least a few days old- it needs to be dry in order to then soak up that juice without turning to goop. You can tear the bread, but I prefer to cut it so that I get a better surface contact with the skillet as I am frying up it, the contrast of the oily crunch on the bread with the soft juicy interior is the best part. I like to use the juice of the large tomato for the dressing. I have measurement here for a third of a cup but of course all tomatoes are not created equal. The important thing is to taste the dressing and make sure it is balanced before you add it. One more thing, basil should always be torn, not cut with a knife, using a knife will turn it black and make it taste old quickly.

This serves 2 for a light lunch.

olive oil

1 large, perfectly ripe heirloom tomato

Handful of cherry tomatoes, torn in half

Small handful of basil leaves- about a dozen or so- torn

1/4-1/3 of a loaf of stale bread- good bread. A country loaf or good focaccia is perfect. Cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces

Olive oil

1 small cucumber, shaved into long slices using a vegetable peeler

1 small zucchini, sliced into thin pieces, optional

Pecorino or Parmesan, shaved, to serve

1/3 c tomato juice, squeezed from the heirloom tomato

2 cl garlic

1.5 T sherry vinegar (or balsamic)

6T olive oil

Salt

Pinch sugar

• Halve the heirloom tomato and squeeze most out the juice and seeds into a bowl to make the dressing- you should end up with about 1/3 of a cup but don’t worry if it is more or less. Add the vinegar, half of the garlic, olive oil, salt and sugar and mix to combine. Leave to allow the flavors to mingle while you make the salad.

• Roughly chop the heirloom tomato and put it into a large bowl with the cherry tomatoes, the other half of the garlic and a pinch of salt, toss together and leave to rest.

• In a large cast iron skillet, fry the zucchini in a good lick of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt until lovely and softened and dark golden brown. Remove from the pan, add another generous lick of olive oil to coat the bottom and add the bread, sprinkling it with salt. Fry until golden brown on the bottom and then toss around in the pan until the other sides of the bread have some color on them (they don’t need to be as crisp and golden as the first side).

• Add the bread and zucchini to the bowl with the tomatoes and pour over half of the dressing, and another pinch of salt, gently toss together. Leave for 5 minutes then assemble to serve (either do this onto a large serving bowl or individual plates: layer on the salad with cucumber and shaved cheese in several layers, tipping the juices from the bowl over the top. If needed, top with a little more dressing, though you may not need to use all of the dressing (in which case you can save it to use on something else, I used it as a salad dressing on another salad and I also added some to pesto). I think this is best eaten soon after making.

Beans and Poblano Peppers

This stew just exemplifies perfect simple cooking. There is hardly anything in it, yet it is rich and nourishing and clean. I served it with polenta, and as it is the season for fresh corn, it would be very good with a little cooked fresh corn kernels stirred through for extra flavour! I somehow forgot to add butter or cheese to my polenta but I didn't not miss it, making it an excellent accidentally vegan dish!

3 poblano peppers

2 medium ripe tomatoes (I used the orange ones from Slow Farm, amazing!), roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, pref new season, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup dried mayacoba beans (or beans of your choice), soaked overnight, drained and then cooked in fresh water to cover by an inch, topping up if needed, until soft, seasoned with salt and a splash of olive oil 5 minutes before end of cooking.

Few sprigs of fresh oregano

Olive oil

Garlicky Polenta (with or without butter and cheese) to serve- stir through fresh corn kernels, removed from the cob and cooked in a pan with a little butter for 5 minutes for more intense corn flavour.

• Grill the peppers: if you have a gas flame, roast the peppers directly on the flame, turning occasionally until they are charred all over. Immediately place them into a container with a tight fitting lid or a bowl wrapped tightly in a plastic bag, and allow to steam and soften. If you do not have a gas flame, you can use the grill/broil function of your oven, rotating until they are blackened all over or use an outdoor bbq. Once cool, remove the skins by scraping it off- do not be tempted to rinse in water or you will loose all the beautiful flavour! Remove the stem and the seeds and roughly chop. (You can freeze the poblanos peeled with the stem and seeds intact, ready to make the best chili in the winter!)

• Heat a 1/4 c of olive oil in a pan large enough to hold everything over medium heat. Add the onion and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes until softened but not brown. Add the poblanos, tomato and garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant, then add the beans and fresh oregano and a good pinch of salt. Cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes until flavors and textures have melded, keep an eye on the water level and add just a touch more if it is drying out too much as it is cooking.

• Serve with polenta, or with corn tortillas on the side.

Paprika Potatoes and Shishitos

This is good as a main or a side dish, it goes with most things, including eggs at breakfast time! An easy crowd pleasing staple.

Olive oil

4 large russet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Handful of shishito peppers, stems removed and roughly chopped

Small piece of cabbage, shredded (optional)

1 tomato, roughly chopped

Two good pinches of paprika

2 scallions, finely sliced

Large squeeze of lemon

Optional: Cheese such as crumbled feta or shaved Manchego to serve.

• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat and add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom. Add the potatoes and sprinkle generously with salt. Leave to brown for 5 minutes or so and then toss around the pan and rest again. Add the cabbage and shishitos and continue to “toss and rest” until the vegetables, in particular the potatoes, are lovely golden brown all over. Sprinkle over a few good pinches of paprika, toss to coat and then add in half the scallions and tomato. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes until the tomato is broken down. Sprinkle over the remaining scallions, and cheese if using, season to taste and serve.