once upon a summer salad (summer peach salad)

3 cheers for summer and summer salads! hooray for the return of csa and having things in my fridge to throw together! and thanks to roommates who supply the missing ingredients! (in this case, half a tomato traded for a lime)

i had basil and peaches. i wanted lunch. although i had thoughts of a fresh tomato and basil salad, i wasn't quite prepared. instead i threw together a few things that i did have. the result was splendiferous, not too sweet but absolutely crisp and refreshing--perfect for a nice 90 degree day in my sweaty kitchen.

summer peach salad
serves 2

• 1 small peach (on the crunchier side seemed to be good here)
  
• 1/2 tomato
• smal handful of fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• splash of champagne vinegar (i think any vinegar would do)
• salt
• pepper

• stir ingredients together. season with vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
  

summer waffles

i would argue that there aren't many better ways to start a morning than waffles with frozen yogurt and peaches. especially farm fresh peaches. and so, with a little help from some friends (bittman and how to cook everything included), i whipped up a batch of waffles and threw on the best things i could find in my fridge/freezer.

it was a joint effort and i can't take credit for the whole idea but i do maintain that if it weren't for my awesomely stocked kitchen (aka endless supply of froyo and stone fruit), this meal never would have come to fruition.

summer WAFFLES! (adapted from mark bittman's everyday buttermilk waffles) makes 4-6 servings

• 2 cups flour (spelt here)
  
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 2 tblspn sugar
• 3 tspns baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups milk (i used soy)
  
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
• 1/2 tspn vanilla extract

• if you're being proper, you might mix all of the dry ingredients together, than all of the wet separately, and combine the two. i tend to mix all of the dry and then just throw the rest right on top and whisk until everything is just combined.
• heat up your waffle maker, give it a little lubrication and let it rip.
• top your golden waffles with frozen yogurt, sliced peaches and just a bit of maple syrup.
  

fried green tomatoes with garlic scape pesto

i couldn't walk by green tomatoes at the market without taking them home. and of course, the first thing i think of when i see them is fried green tomatoes! hence the necessary call to friend number 2 to consult about how a real southern would handle them. and then i threw all of her instructions out the window. dredge and then batter. buttermilk. bacon grease. nah, maybe not, and nope. i went with the approach that if you fry anything in cornmeal, it will automatically taste good. and i think i did just fine. granted, my version used a little sprinkling of spelt flour (any sort of flour would have done), a dip in egg (i was so excited that i forgot about the milk), and a pressing into a seasoned bowl of cornmeal. then i fried in olive oil until they were golden brown on both sides and served with garlic scape pesto.

garlic scape "pesto"

• garlic scapes
  
• olive oil
• parmesean cheese
• pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts (optional)
  

• this is one of those taste as you go and adjust things...i started with 3 garlic scapes, a generous drizzle of olive oil and about a tablespoon of parm. then blend, chop, or scrape together until somewhat combined. you may need to add additional oil to make the pesto smoother. add salt and pepper and taste again.
  

fried green tomatoes (non-southern style)

• green tomatoes, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
• flour (optional; use spelt or a gluten-free blend)
• cornmeal
• egg
• milk (optional)

• sprinkle tomatoes with a little flour
• dip in egg bath (just eggs or eggs and milk) then coat with cornmeal
• heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. once the oil is hot, fry on both sides until golden brown
• top with pesto