I grew these in my garden a few years ago. Then I didnÂt know what to do with them! This makes 2 large servings.

Ingredients

2 patty pan squashes
1 egg, beaten
4 oz canned corn
1 tablespoon chopped green onion or chives
2 jalapenos, diced
â cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash squash. Drop in boiling salted water; reduce heat an cook, covered for 15 minutes or until tender but firm. Drain and allow to cool to touch.

Place squash flat side down, on a smooth surface; scoop out pulp, leaving a ¼ inch shell. Chop pulp and combine pulp with egg, corn, onion, jalapenos, ½ the cheese and salt and pepper.

Spoon mixture into the shells. Place squash in a shallow baking pan; pour enough water to cover the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese an bake another 5 minutes.

Hints tips tricks an how to cheat
Jalapenos donÂt need to be used. You can substitute bell pepper for a milder flavor or cayennes or cherry bombs for hotter.

This is amazingly moist and delicious.

Caribbean Corn Bread

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter, room temp
3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned creamed corn
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mild white cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325

Butter and flour a 9 in. square glass cake pan.

WHisk together the flour, corn meal, baking power and salt and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Add corn, pineapple, and cheese and mix to blend. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour - should be golden brown and a tester should come out clean from the center.

This is a dish I just love and rarely make... I think a summer virtual dinner might be the right time to put this one back in the mix. This particular version is pretty close to how I make it, but there are a ton of variations out there so if this one doesn;t appeal, change it to one that does.

Alexa
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Cajun Corn and Bacon Maque Choux

INGREDIENTS:
6 ears corn, husked and cleaned
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup green bell pepper,
chopped
1 large fresh tomato, chopped
1/4 cup milk
salt to taste
cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
8 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut corn off the cobs by thinly slicing across the tops of the kernels; place in a medium bowl. Cut across the kernels again to release milk from the corn, add milk to bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper, cook until onion is transparent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Combine corn, tomatoes, and milk with the onion mixture. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook 20 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Do not boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Lower heat, cover skillet, and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in green onions and bacon. Remove from heat and serve.

I've grilled asparagus similar to this but without the wine vinegar and it is very good.

Grilled Asparagus
Bubba Durand at http://www.johnsoncookbook.com/grilled_asparagus.htm

Marinated, then quickly grilled on a hot charcoal fire. Yummy!

1 bunch asparagus
1 T olive oil
1/2 t red wine vinegar
1/8 t salt

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus. Peel them only if they're very large. Mix the oil, vinegar, and salt on a platter large enough to hold the asparagus. Roll the asparagus around in the mixture and let it marinate at room temperature while you grill the entree. When the grill is free, place the asparagus spears on the grill (make sure to put them perpendicular to the grill grates so they don't fall through!). Cover and grill 2 minutes. Turn them around then cover and grill 2 more minutes. Place the hot asparagus back onto the platter with the marinade and serve immediately.

These are so easy and very good and you can season any way you want.

Seasoned Grilled Fries

3 pounds Idaho potatoes
1/2 cup canola oil (I use EVOO and butter)
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder (I omit or sub Hungarian Paprika)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin (I omit this)

Variation: Fresh ground pepper, Italian Seasoning, Basil, just about anything you want.

Cover the potatoes with cold water in a large saucepan and cook until almost tender. Drain and dry the potatoes. Cut each potato lengthwise into quarters. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush both sides of the potatoes with oil. Combine the chili powder, salt, and cumin in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the potatoes. Grill the potato wedges for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown. Serve with ketchup.

How about grilled potato slices? Just cut the russet potatoes about 1/4 inch thick, brush with seasoned olive oil, salt, pepper and place on the grill over medium heat. Turn at least once and cook until tender.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Stuffed Zucchini Tambourines
============================
These can be made earlier in the day and heated for dinner.
Tomato and Zucchini Tambourines
2 zucchini
2 Tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, finely minced
4 teaspoons finely minced shallots
1 tomato diced
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Slice zucchini into 1 1/2 to 2inch chunks (little logs)
In a saucepan filled with lightly salted boiling water, cook zucchini
pieces for 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain
Scoop out pulp, but not too deeply,leave 1/4 to 1/2 inch bottom.
Chop pulp and set aside.
In a skillet, melt butter and cook zucchini pulp along with garlic,
shallots and diced tomatoes until liquid has completely evaporated.
Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Stuff each zucchini tambourine with filling and heat in oven for 5
minutes and serve.

Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan and Proscuitto (Bobby Flay)

24 spears of Asparagus
2 TBSP EVOO
salt and pepper
8 slices proscuitto
thinly shaved parmesan
Lemon Caper Vinaigrette

Toss the aspargus in the olive oil , season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side. Wrap a piece of asparagus around each spear, drizzle with the Lemon Caper Vinaigrette and top with shaved parmesan.

Sharon, would you post the lemon caper recipe too? Every single thing in this recipe makes my mouth water.

Not sure if this is summer but it went fast when I made earlier this year.

Spicy Cold Soba Noodles (Jessy)

1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tbls molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup chili oil
3 tbls balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/2 bunch thinly sliced scallions, white and green
1/2 lb soba noodes

Place soy sauce in a pan over high heat and reduce by half. Turn heat to low, stir in molasses, and warm briefly. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add brown sugar through scallions and whisk to combine.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add noodles; bring back to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to soften, about three minutes.
Have ready a large bowl of iced water. Drain noodles, plunge in iced water, and drain again (I just rinse with cold water in the colander). Transfer noodles to the serving bowl that has the sauce, toss well and chill.
From City Cuisine by Feniger and Milliken.

Sorry James just saw your question now...not sure why I didn't post in the forst place!

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
3 TBSP capers
2 TBSP chopped parsley
fresh ground black pepper

Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil. Add the capers and parsley, season with pepper. Can be refrigerated for 1 day but serve at room temp.

How could I forget the soba noodles, thanks David. My brain is gone. Permanently I'm afraid.

I'm also considering my standby of goi cuon - rice noodle rolls. They are just so easy to assemble once you get the hang of handling the wrappers. Wet, fill, roll, dip, eat. If you make a mistake and tear one, wet another wrapper and roll the first one in it.

Because they are transluscent, if you assemble them with some thought, the

Here's a nice sounding recipe for a grilled caesar that showed up in my inbox this morning from the LA Times.

Grilled Caesar salad

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Adapted from a recipe from Northshore Cookery in Highland Park, Ill.

Ingredients

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. each: fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. each: anchovy paste, salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 large heads of romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise, outer leaves trimmed
2 Tbsps. grapeseed oil or olive oil
Parmesan shavings, anchovy fillets

1. Prepare a grill for medium heat. Blend the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper to taste in a blender until smooth; set aside.

2. Brush the cut side of the romaine with grapeseed oil; grill, cut side down, until just tender and the leaves have grill marks, about 3 minutes.

3. Place each lettuce half on serving plates; dress each with about 2 Tbsps. of the vinaigrette. Garnish with Parmesan shavings and anchovy fillets. Pass additional dressing.

Nutrition information per serving: 302 calories, 27% of calories from fat, 30 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 261 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

ZUCCHINI TRIFOLATI, TOMATO

Vegetables trifolati is a method of slicing and cooking with garlic, olive oil, and parsley. Other ingredients, such as mint, wine, or chiles, are sometimes added. In this recipe we add fresh, ripe tomatoes.

Zucchini: 1 lb
Cherry tomatoes: 10 oz
Garlic cloves: 2
Basil leaves: 2 tablespoons
Extra virgin olive oil

Wash the zucchini. Cut them in half lengthwise, then into rough pieces of about 3/4 inch. Tear the tomatoes in half and squeeze out some of the seeds and juice. Peel the garlic and cut into slivers. Chop the basil.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add the zucchini and garlic, and stir to combine. When the zucchini begins to brown, add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir well, and then cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the basil. Drizzle with olive oil and cover. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Reprinted with permission from Italian Two Easy: Simple Recipes from the London River Cafe
© June 2006
by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers
Clarkson Potter

STEAMED FINGERLING POTATOES IN WHITE WINE
Fingerlings have a particularly earthy quality that tastes of the essence of potato. Steaming them, rather than boiling, preserves their delicate shape and prevents them from becoming waterlogged, so that the simple dressing really comes through.

3 pound (2- to 4-inch-long) fingerling potatoes, scrubbed well
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil

Peel potatoes, putting them in a bowl of cold water as peeled to prevent discoloration. Drain potatoes, then steam in a steamer set over boiling water, covered, until tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

Toss hot potatoes with wine in a large bowl, then add oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss again. Cool to room temperature.

Cooks' note: Potatoes can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Makes 6 servings.

Gourmet
August 2007
Melissa Roberts