In typical Pacific Northwest fashion, we’ve gone from moaning over our lack of summer weather to mild complaints about how hot and dry it has been this month.
Lawns are brown, gardens are gasping for water, and even our tomatoes finally decided to turn red. I’m not, however, putting away all of my green tomato recipes just yet.
Although I’ve heard the term “Indian summer” used a number of times in reference to this marvelous period of weather we’ve been experiencing, technically this is not what’s happening. Why? Because we’ve not yet had our first frost. While there are more than a few variations of the term “Indian Summer,” almost all refer to a period of exceptionally warm (70 degrees or above), hazy weather that comes unexpectedly after a frost.
According to most accounts, the term came into use during Colonial times, when native Indians regularly carried out raids on the intruding colonists. The raids typically ended when the first snows of fall appeared, because the snow made it easier for the retaliating colonials to track the Indians back to their camps.
However, following the early snowfall often came an unexpected period of sun and warmth, during which the raids would resume. Thus, Indian summer came to be the term the colonists used for these unexpected summer-like occurrences.
Maybe. There are other historians who believe it was simply a term the colonists used to describe the time in the fall when the Indians were harvesting corn and squash, their fall crops. As an aside, this is when our forefathers also discovered the many wonderful uses for corn, or maize, given to them by friendly natives.
I grew up living next to an Indian reservation and many of the kids from the reservation were schoolmates, as well as playmates. If a hot, sunny, dry spell came along after school had started, which always brought about the whining worst in us, we all called it Indian summer, with no idea why. If it happened after school started, it was Indian summer and we only knew that we wanted to be out in it, not squirming in a hot classroom.
That’s still the way I feel; if it’s sunny, bright and beautiful, we need to be out in it, not squirming in front of a hot computer, which is why I’m ending this column right now and heading for the beach. The tide just turned and is on its way in, which makes for great mucking about on the flats, and we all know these days will be gone too soon. Unless, of course, there’s an Indian summer in our future.
RECIPES
It’s never easier to eat fresh fruit and vegetables than during these marvelous harvest days of late summer. Only a couple of weeks ago, we were complaining about how long everything was taking to ripen and become edible; now we’re dealing with an abundance that has us scrambling to enjoy it all before it ends. Green beans, for example. For reasons
I won’t even go into, they’re my least favorite fresh vegetable, but right now they’re almost as ubiquitous as the zucchini, and we’re eating them on a daily basis. In my ongoing search for ways to make green beans palatable, I came across this recipe in a recent Cook’s Country magazine; it’s now on my list of vegetable favorites.
GREEN BEANS WITH CRANBERRIES, WALNUTS & BLUE CHEESE
2 T. unsalted butter
1 shallot, sliced thin
2 lbs. green beans, trimmed
¼ cup water
¾ cup dried cranberries
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese (I use gorgonzola because I always have it in the fridge)
¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over med. heat. Add shallot and cook until softened. Add beans and increase heat to med.-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are spotty brown (5-8 min., depending on size of beans; don’t overcook).
Stir in water, ½ t. salt and cranberries. Cover skillet, reduce heat to med.-low and cook until beans are crisp tender (probably another
2-3 min.; again, don’t overcook). Remove lid and cook until liquid evaporates, about 1 more min. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve beans topped with crumbled cheese and walnuts. Serves 8, but is easily adjustable for 2-4.
It’s a real bonus when you can find a recipe that not
only tastes good, but uses two of those fresh vegetables that are currently in a state of over-abundance.
GREEN BEANS & ZUCCHINI IN BASIL SAUCE
For the sauce: 1/3 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves; use more if you really love basil
1 green onion, coarsely chopped
2 T. fresh Italian parsley
2 T. drained capers
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. Dijon mustard
2-3 garlic cloves (or to taste), peeled
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
Vegetables: 1 T. olive oil
1 lb. green beans, stem end trimmed
1 med. zucchini (or about 12-14- oz.; not that hidden whopper)
3 T. water
2 T. fresh Italian parsley leaves, for garnish
To make the sauce: Blend the first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add olive oil. Process until a coarse puree forms. Season to taste with salt and pepper; cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (This sauce is excellent with many other fresh vegetables, such as grated or shredded kohlrabi, jicama, cabbage, fresh peas, etc.)
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise into strips about 1/3-inch wide. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med.-high heat. Add beans and zucchini strips; stir until coated. Sprinkle with salt and 3 T. water. Cover and cook vegetables until just crisp-tender, stirring occasionally (about 4 min.). Uncover, cook 1-2 min. longer, until vegetables are tender. Stir in enough basil sauce to coat vegetables generously. Season to taste with salt and pepper; transfer to a bowl or plate, garnish with parsley and serve. Serves 6.
This next recipe is a vegetarian’s dream as well as a great way to utilize some of that fresh broccoli, the green beans and best of all, fresh from the garden tomatoes.
PASTA WITH FRESH VEGGIES
8 oz. penne or ziti pasta (about 3 cups)
2½ cups broccoli florets
1½ cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup snipped or chopped fresh basil (more if you like)
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. olive oil
2-3 (or more) cloves garlic, minced
½ t. salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
11/3 cups chopped, seeded tomatoes (red, orange or yellow or a mixture)
Shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese
Fresh Italian parsley leaves, or basil leaves, for garnish
Cook pasta according to package directions, adding green beans with the pasta about halfway through cooking time (if your beans are a bit thick, you may need a bit more cooking time) and adding broccoli for about the last 3 min. of cooking. Drain well and return all to the hot pan; cover and keep warm.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, basil, thyme, vinegar, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Gently stir in tomatoes.
Add pasta mixture to the tomato mixture; toss gently to combine. Top with cheese, garnish with parsley or basil and serve. Serves 4.
Footnote: The morning after I turned in this column, we awoke to clouds, no sun and cool breezes. End of summer? Green tomato recipes next week, I promise.
