So what’s the deal with fruit ripening faster in a brown papered bag? How and why is this happening?  In a recent Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food I found this little tidbit titled “The Time is Ripe.”

“It’s true:  Some fruits, such as peaches, nectarines, and plums, ripen faster when stored in a paper bag.  The science behind the trick?  Ehylene, a gas emitted from most produce, transforms hard fruits into soft, sweet ones. By placing unripe fruit in a bag, you trap the gas, concentrating it and speeding up the ripening process.”

Science. Cool.

Such a fresh, end of summer meal. Perfect to maximize the last of tomato and pepper season. 

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (about 4 cups), halved

2 small red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, diced or medium

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 pound  medium pasta shells

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces(use more if you like basil…I did and do)

3/4 cup or so of ricotta for serving (I used a goat ricotta that was mind-blowing)

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, bell peppers, oil, vinegar, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.  Let sit at room temperature, 20 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain and add pasta to sauce  tossing to combine.  Add the basil and ricotta and serve right away. 

*This recipe is from Marta Stewart’s Everyday Food*

After reading this darling children’s story about Bibimbap with an even more darling toddler, I wanted to give this traditional Korean dish a try after I found a recipe in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food.   So many vegetables…a really great feeling meal.  It’s mostly just a lot of prepping, so if you have kids…get ‘em chopping.

Ingredients:
1 cup long-grained white rice

5 ounces baby spinach (5 cups)

2 1/4 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 carrots, cut into thin matchsticks

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

4-6 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, thinly sliced

1 English cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

4 large eggs

4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Sriracha sauce, for serving

Directions:

In a medium pot, cook rice according to package instrctions.  Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, bring 2 cups water to a boil over high.  Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly until wilted, about 30 seconds; drain.  When cool enough to handle, squeeze spinach dry with a paper towel.

Wipe out skillet; heat 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high.  Add carrots and cook until crisp-tender, 3 minutes.  Add garlic and scallion whites and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.  Add mushrooms and cook 4 minutes.  Add cucumber and cook until softened, 3 minutes.  Add spinach and soy sauce and stir to combine.  Transfer vegetables to a bowl and wipe out skillet.

Heat 3/4 teaspoon vegetable oil in skillet over medium-high.  Add eggs,reduce heat to medium, and cook until whites are set and yolks are still runny, about 5 minutes. Divide rice among four bowls; top with vegetables and eggs.  Drizzle each with sesame oil, sprinkle with scallion greens, and serve with Sriracha.

Ingredients:

2 bunches curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn into 2 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 teaspoons Sriracha sauce, or more if desired

Coarse salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300, with racks in upper and lower thirds.  Wash and dry kale and divide between two rimmed baking sheets (kale will shrink as it cooks).  In a small bowl, stir together oil and Sriraha and drizzle over kale; season with salt.  Using our hands, toss to coat.  Bake until kale is crisp and just beginning to brown at edges, about 35 minutes, tossing kale every 10 minutes.  Let cool on sheets on wire racks. 

To store, keep in a large zip-top plastic bag at room temperature, up to 3 days.

*This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food*

Alice Waters & Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee

Such an outstanding and honest book about Alice Water’s love of food.  Good food. Slow food. French food. Real food. Absolutely inspiring.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/07/who-put-mcdonalds-in-charge-of-kids-health/

It’s amazing how sweet and delicious carmelized onions can be…..all it takes is olive oil and time. To make 4 open-faced sandwiches, slice 4 onions (red onions are marvelous, but any will be delicious) into 1/2 inch thick slices and saute in a pan with a couple Tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Stir the onions often over the next 20-30 minutes or so, adding salt & pepper.  Once the onions are at your preferred brownness, place on thick toasted bread, cover with grated gruyere cheese, then broil in the oven until the cheese is bubbling and crispy in areas.  Enjoy!

I paired the sandwich with a crispy green salad with lemon and olive oil and sauteed beet greens with olive oil and garlic.

This past weekend, the farmers market was full of beautiful, ripe watermelons of all different colors and sizes.  I went with the classic, pinkish-red watermelon and plan on making watermelon juice later today. 

If you live in New York and are looking for a market near you, check out the GrowNYC site below:

http://www.grownyc.org/greenmarket

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/treating-the-cause-not-the-illness/?emc=eta1

Woah, goodness straight to the body.  So happy.

Salad Ingredients:

2- 12 oz. bunches kale, stems removed, leaves cut into thin strips/chiffonade

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided

1 cup whole pecans

 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbs. canola oil

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 medium beets, peeled and grated

1 large turnip, peeled and grated

3 carrots, peeled and grated

2 green onions, cut thin on diagonal

Dressing Ingredients:

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. grated lemon zest

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

2 tsp. honey or agave nectar

Directions:

To make Salad: Place kale in large bowl, and pour olive oil, vinegar, and 1 tsp. salt over top. Gently massage mixture into kale about 2 to 3 minutes by hand, or until kale starts to wilt. Let rest 30 minutes.

Preheat toaster oven to 375 while lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss together pecans, maple syrup, canola oil, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and cayenne in medium bowl. Spread nut mixture in single layer on prepared baking sheet; bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until pecans are brown and fragrant, stirring frequently.  Cool in pan.

To make Dressing:  Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, oil, soy sauce, and agave nectar or honey in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix everything together in a large bowl and love.

*Adapted from Vegetarian Times*