... and it's still too hot to cook...

My tomatoes are in! I've been desperately waiting for weeks for this and I'm already feeling overwhelmed. I found the most insane tomato today in my garden--like 4 morphed into one. I know, I should've taken a picture. Anyway, I presently have a batch of tomato sauce on the stoe een though it's way way too hot to cook, plus 3 trays of tomatoes in the dehydrater. I love my dehydrater. I dehydrated a lot of stuff 2 summers ago and I loved having that stuff in my cupboard. I'm going to do more of that this year!

Tonight's too hot to cook dinner = What's in the Garden + Fridge Panzanella

ingredients
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 wicked large tomato, diced
1 talespoon capers
1 large leaf red veined sorrel, torn
1 small garlic clove, minced
some kosher salt
olie oil and red wine vinegar to taste
2 stale pieces of whole-wheat bread, toasted and torn into cubes

Note: yes, i know, it's not traditional to toast bread for panzanella, but i just love how that toasty goodness absorbs the dressingy goodness.

Comine cucumber, tomato, capers and sorrel in a medium bowl. Mash garlic and salt with the back of a spoon on a cutting board. Add to the eggies. Stir in oil and vinegar to taste. Add bread and let stand until some of the dressing is absorbed.

Serving suggestion: vinho verde

It's too hot to cook...

...ut I did anyway.

Since Dan's been in Maine (mid June) I haven't been cooking much. Aside from making pickles of course. We were on vacation in MI last week and it felt good to eat real (ut too much) food again. So I made a promise to myself that I was going to start cooking again this week.

I also need to start cleaning out the freezer since the tomatoes are starting to come in and I need some more space.

Tonight's dinner: Asian Wheat berry Salad with Mahi inspired by a recipe by Judith Finlayson.

ingredients
2 cups cooked wheat berries
1 large cucumer, peeled and finely diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 large radish (like really large, turnip size), peeled and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup thinly sliced snap and/or snow peas
Teriyaki dressing
Chile-garlic sauce
2 6-ounce pieces mahi
Chinese five spice powder
Kosher salt
1 medium head radicchio, thinly sliced


Comine wheat berries, cucumer, carrot, radish, cilantro and peas in a large bowl. Toss with teriyaki dressing and chile-garlic sauce to taste. Heat a bit of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle mahi with five spice powder and salt. Cook mahi until just cooked through. Let stand on a clean cutting board for 5 minutes. Flake. Place radicchio in a sering bowl. Top with the wheat berry mixture and the mahi. Drizzle with more teriyaki sauce if desired.

I was missing a few ingredients or else I would've made dressing from scratch. but the teriyaki dressing was an easy addition. Would be delicious with chicken or steak instead of the fish, or some shrimp.

In a Pickle

I really didn't think I was going overboard by planting 4 cucumber plants but apparently I did. I've now made 3 batches of pickles: bread and butter, spicy garlic dill and Mexican-inspired with cumin, coriander, garlic and crushed red pepper.

Too bad Dan doesn't love pickles. But I'm hoping to change his mind.