Roasted Asparagus

Here's a short video with everything you need to know. One clarification, the outer layer of the bottom two or three inches of an asparagus stalk can be woody and impossible to chew so that needs to be dealt with. There are a couple of ways to do that. The first is to just snap it off. Hold the stalk at the base and about three inches up and just break it. It usually breaks right where the skin gets tender and you're set to go. The other way is to pare the ends with a vegetable peeler. Just lay the stalk flat and trim the ends. This is slower but you don't lose as much asparagus. Also, I said 'flowers' in the video but they're really just buds.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Feta Cheese

1 whole cucumber
5 or 6 cherry tomatoes
feta cheese
olive oil
oregano
red wine vinegar
salt & pepper

Peel the cucumber, trim the ends, cut it lengthwise, scoop the seeds out with a spoon and cut into smallish cubes. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to a bowl with the cukes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, a grind of fresh black pepper and some dried oregano, ¼ to ½ Tsp.. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, mix contents lightly, add a drizzle of the vinegar and mix again. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour or so. Add the feta cheese (crumbled or cut into small pieces) just before serving, use a ¼ cup or more. Serve chilled and enjoy.

Serves 1 or 2

Pita bread goes well with this as does crusty bread, black olives and a glass of Chardonnay.

Fresh Tomato Salsa With Chipotle And Lime

Tomato season is here and this tart and spicy salsa is a great way to use some of that ripe red deliciousness out in your garden. It goes great with beer and tortilla chips and my brother in law from Texas gave it a big thumbs up and then he went and got another beer.

Fresh Tomato Salsa With Chipotle And Lime

4 medium size ripe garden tomatoes, cored, seeded, and
chopped
1/4 red onion, minced
2 or 3 dried Chipotle chilies
½ bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped
2 generous tablespoons fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
½ Tsp. canola oil
a good grind of fresh black pepper

Boil a pan of water. Shut off the heat. Add the Chipotles, cover and allow to rehydrate for 60 to 90 minutes. When the chilies are tender drain them, remove the stems and seeds and chop well.

In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients. Stir well, taste and correct the seasoning if necessary then refrigerate for an hour or two before serving.

Sauteed Zucchini

A basic recipe that can be served hot or cold, plain or dressed up.

1 or 2 zucchini
olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat a saute pan over medium low heat.
Wash and trim the zucchini then cut across to make two halves. Stand a half on end and slice down to make two open faced ‘logs’, repeat for the remainder. Sprinkle each face with salt and pepper.
Add the olive oil to the pan, let it come to temperature, and lay each piece face down in the oil. After ten or twelve minutes a golden color will develop. Check and see. Turn each piece over and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove to a plate, sprinkle with a bit of salt and it’s done.
Tips:
The finished product should have a golden face and be tender but not soft and mushy. Dark brown will not be good, colorless will be worse.
Watch the heat. A steady sizzle is best, too hot and it will burn, too low and the zucchini will be greasy.
Be careful not to crowd the pan. The zucchini will steam instead of brown. Cook in batches if you need to.
Serve hot or cold. Great as a side dish or as part of an antipasto.
Variations:
Use garlic infused olive oil for the cooking.
Just before the cooking is done sprinkle with red wine vinegar.
When serving, grated Parmesan cheese is good or use a little more vinegar.

Quincy Has A Farmer's Market

Quincy Mass. has a Farmer's Market that runs every Friday during the summer. I went down today and saw a lot of good looking fresh produce and other food items. I got some fresh zucchini, just picked today, and cooked it up as part of supper. Fresh and delicious it was and I'll post the recipe next, probably tomorrow.
What else did I see? Quite a lot, here's what stood out. First of all beets, red of course but there was a golden variety too. Both looked good, nice specimens and you can eat beet greens too so something to look forward to there. Fresh peas were in evidence, still in their pods, this is pea season right now and what you want is to get them as fresh as possible. Use them within the first 24 hours of picking and you will have a real taste treat. Wait any longer and their natural sugar converts to starch. They'll still be okay but not special. More? I'll go quickly. A bakery table with an assortment of loaves and some pastries. Fresh honey, there's nothing like it and they'll give you a taste. Dairy products were available, fresh meat of various kinds, I know saw lamb, and there were lots of greens, arugula, lettuces, spinach, fresh herbs and much more. This is all off the top of my head so...If you want to know more get yourself down there next Friday and check it out.
Where? The market is located in the parking lot bordered by Hancock St. and Revere Road. The entrance is across the street from the Court House

Welcome

Welcome to Make It At Home. I'm starting this blog as a place to talk about food and publish recipes that can be easily made at home. I may also comment on the food scene, shopping and eating out, in and around Quincy, MA and the Greater Boston area. We'll see about that. In the meantime I know I have some good recipes so stay tuned and I hope you enjoy.