Body-Wise
Oh goodie! It’s Thursday in August and that means my favorite Farmers Market is throwing its party. Today I headed straight for cherry tomatoes, spring onions, sweet onions, melons, and eggplant—all wonderfully in their peak. But there it was: Swiss chard.
Was a time I’d of walked right by that chard—and I still pass it by in the supermarket in the winter—but today in its full season with its full flavor and dark green leafy stems, I can’t get enough. Many people are unnecessarily afraid of Swiss chard, as I once was, only because they don’t know how to cook it.
Full of vitamins A, C, and K, it is also called summer spinach and used in much the same way—though its stronger, beet-like flavor and heavier texture requires a little longer cooking time. I bought a big old bunch of it today for a buck.
I clean it first by soaking it in a bowl of cool water and drying it on a kitchen towel while my 100% whole wheat rigatoni gently boils—I use this particular tube pasta because the grooves hold the dressing so well—and it has 6 grams of fiber/serving. I sauté chopped red onion (also fully in season now—bought 6 big bulbs for $3) with chopped garlic and ½ inch thick yellow squash slices cut in half, until not quite tender.
To this, I add a huge handful or two or more of chopped chard, as it wilts down to almost nothing. Let that sauté with the veggies then off heat and put a lid on it, allowing the steam to finish the cooking. Then all I do is whisk a spoonful of Dijon mustard, a tad of mayo, olive oil and a couple shakes of Aceto Balsamico (balsamic vinaigrette) and mix with the warm rigatoni, then toss in the cooked veggies. Sprinkle with small chunks of goat cheese until slightly melted.
This is “Eat Local, Eat Seasonal” at its finest. You control exactly what goes in the dish—and what doesn’t: saturated fats, additional salt, simple carbohydrates. Other peak summer produce include: all kinds of berries including gooseberries, (I’ve never had a gooseberry that I’m aware of. I’ll look for it next week, maybe.) peas, peppers (my favorite), peaches, plums, summer squash.
My favorite way to make eggplant is simple, healthy and good, good, good. Slice that beauty into ½ rounds and let them drain for a half-hour or so, pat dry, shake them in a baggie of flour and pepper, dip into a pie plate of whisked egg, then coat with a layer of breadcrumbs tossed with a few spoonfuls of parmesan cheese, then oven cook on an olive-oil-coated cookie sheet at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes—or until golden brown and crispy, rotating the pan and flipping the rounds halfway. Talk about yummy. I don’t know why anyone would eat French fries or Mozzarella cheese sticks when you can have these.
Breadcrumb note: I tasted Panko (Japanese style) breadcrumbs once, and I’ve never looked back. My favorite brand is Asian Gourmet that I find at Eddie’s Market. (One night I sat straight up from a sound sleep panicked that there wasn’t any Panko in the house—they are that good, and I use them that much.)
Eating healthy, fresh, seasonal foods = feeling great.
Maryland farmers markets
http://www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/farmers_market_dir.php
Eddies Market
http://www.eddiesofrolandpark.com/
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