In the last few weeks, lots of vegetables featured in Six Seasons have made their appearance at the local farmers market. Cucumbers, string beans and summer squash from the Midsummer chapter and corn and tomatoes from the Late Summer chapter are all plentiful now and I bought all of them at a local farm stand.
I set up a few jars of cold brine pickles p 58. My fridge is overcrowded with condiments so I limited myself to small amounts to use in a recipe or two.
I used 3 different types of summer squash in the Squash and "Tuna Melt" Casserole p 213. Not really something I'd normally make in the middle of a heat wave but it was very tasty.
Alongside is the salad of Cucmbers, Celery, Apricots and Pistachios p 196. The salad was excellent, although not the best pairing with the casserole. I knew that going in but I wanted to try both recipes. The salad's got tons of flavors and textures and would be excellent with a simple roasted chicken or the like. The technique of plumping the dried apricots in red wine vinegar with a smashed garlic clove was a nice touch.
The casserole was a bit salty for my taste. The squash are salted to draw out excess moisture and I blotted them well but should have given them a quick rinse first. This would probably be successful made with old grocery store zucchini but the flavor and texture of the farm-fresh squash make it pretty special.
