RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS PA—Whether you’re a backyard gardener, a farmer’s market fanatic, or an occasional cruiser through supermarket produce aisles, you can’t help but notice the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables that are in reach right now. To find out some of the best ways to bring out their flavor, we turned to nutritionist and chef Laura Pensiero, RD, owner of Rhinebeck, New York’s Gigi Trattoria, and author of the just-published Hudson Valley Mediterranean: The Gigi Good Food Cookbook (HarperCollins, 2009) Consider these tips to optimize the flavors of the following seven nutritious, delicious summer staples.
#1: Tomatoes
Probably the top of everyone’s list of favorite summertime edibles, sweet, juicy tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, and the super-healthy antioxidant lycopene. Adding a little fat helps your body absorb lycopene more easily, so Pensiero suggests her Tomato–Goat Cheese Gratin (adapted from Hudson Valley Mediterranean: The Gigi Good Food Cookbook):
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for the dish
1¼ cups coarse fresh bread crumbs from crusty bread (or unseasoned dried bread
crumbs)
1½ pounds (about 3) large tomatoes, sliced 1 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons freshly grated Grana Padano or parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Oil a 9-inch square or oval gratin dish or casserole.
2. Combine the olive oil and the bread crumbs in a small bowl, and set aside.
3. Arrange a third of the tomato slices, slightly overlapping, in the prepared gratin dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with one-third each of the goat cheese, bread-crumb mixture, and chives.
4. Repeat with two more layers of tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cheese, crumbs, and chives.
5. Sprinkle the Grana Padano over the top. Bake in the middle of the oven until the gratin is bubbly and the crumbs are golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
# 2: Summer squash
Summer squash, such as yellow crookneck, zucchini and pattypan, provides nutrients such as magnesium, which reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, along with vitamin C and beta-carotene. Not used to cooking with squash? Slice and experiment. “I love it grilled as part of a veggie plate, chopped and added to summer grain salads, or tucked into a sandwich,” says Pensiero. “I love zucchini slices slowly roasted with olive oil until meltingly soft. After it has been grilled, roasted, or sautéed, summer squash can be tossed with pasta and some chopped mint and cheese, or with a light tomato sauce.”
Bring out the summery flavors of these colorful veggies with a Summer Squash Sauté from the Rodale Recipe finder.
# 3: Stone fruits
Ripe, succulent peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots are loaded with vitamins A and C. Peaches and nectarines contain iron and potassium and also protect eyes with lutein and zeaxanthin. There’s nothing like biting into the fresh, whole fruit, of course. If you’d like go a step further, Pernsiero suggests this recipe, from The Strang Cancer Prevention Center Cookbook (McGraw-Hill, April 2004):
Peach and Blueberry Crisp
Ingredients
6 medium peaches, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks
2 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
½ cup oatmeal
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spray a baking dish or casserole (at least 6 cup) with a canola-based cooking spray, or lightly rub with canola oil.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the peaches, blueberries, 1 tablespoon of the flour, the granulated sugar, and lemon juice. Toss with your hands to thoroughly combine. Spread the fruit out in the baking pan.
4. In a separate bowl, prepare the topping. Mix together the oatmeal, remaining 1/4 cup flour, the brown sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle with the melted butter, then rub the topping together between your hands until it resembles a coarse meal. Evenly spread the topping over the fruit and bake for 35 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is slightly browned. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
261 calories per serving; serves 6
# 4: Corn
Cooking this vegetable actually increases its levels of antioxidants and its levels of cancer-protective ferulic acid. Corn also contains the carotenoid lutein. When you want an alternative to corn on the cob, consider serving Pensiero’s corn relish with grilled chicken, fish, or pork.
Corn Relish (adapted from The Strang Cancer Prevention Center Cookbook)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ small red onion, diced
Kernels cut from 4 corn ears or 10 ounces frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 red bell pepper (about 8 ounces), seeded and finely diced
½ cup sherry vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons celery seed
sea salt
cracked black pepper
Directions
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and pepper, stirring often, and softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the corn and celery seed and cook, tossing or stirring here and there, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar, reduce slightly, then add 2 cups water, sugar, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid is almost completely reduced, 5 to 7 minutes.
# 5: Cucumbers
Don’t be fooled by their bland reputation. Refreshing, hydrating cucumbers boast high levels of potassium, the vital mineral silica, and vitamin A. Pensiero’s tip: “Often supermarket cucumbers have been waxed, which means they must be peeled before eating. That is our nutritional loss. Buying cucumbers in season from your local farmers’ market means you get more flavor and nutrition, as they do not require peeling.” She adds that while small, young cucumbers don’t need the seeds removed, you can simply run a teaspoon down the center of halved larger cukes to de-seed.
Enjoy cukes at their cool, refreshing best in a Cucumber and Melon Salad or in Cold Cucumber And Mint Soup
# 6: Peppers
Fresh-picked sweet bell peppers are a good source of vitamin K, important for bone health, as well as vitamins A and C. Favor red, yellow, and orange peppers over the green ones, which are not ripe and don’t contain the bright pigments that are so healthy for you. They’re delicious raw, chopped up and drizzled with some olive oil or tossed in a salad. For a great appetizer or entrée, try Pensiero’s Harvest Stuffed Peppers (from Hudson Valley Mediterranean: The Gigi Good Food Cookbook):
Ingredients
9 medium green bell peppers (or yellow, red, or a mixture)
8 ounces sausage, crumbled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¹/³ cup dried currants or cranberries
¼ cup chopped dried apricots
¼ cup white wine or water
4 cups cooked wild rice or whole-grain rice blend
4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a baking dish that is just large enough to hold 8 peppers in a single layer.
2. Remove the stem and slice the top off of each bell pepper. Remove and discard the seeds.
3. Set 8 of the peppers aside. Chop the remaining pepper, along with the tops of the others. Reserve the whole and chopped peppers separately.
4. Place the sausage and the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the onion, chopped peppers, and spices and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
6. Add the dried fruit and cook for 1 minute. Then stir in the white wine or water.
7. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the cooked rice. Fold in the goat cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Stuff the peppers with the filling, and place them in the prepared baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil, using enough foil to create a tent, so that the edges can be sealed but the top does not touch the tops of the peppers.
9. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the tops of the peppers with the Grana Padano. Bake for 10 minutes more, or until the tops are lightly browned and the peppers are tender. Serve immediately.
Serves 8 as an appetizer or 4 as an entrée
# 7: Eggplant
The purplish color of eggplant comes from anthocyanin, a flavenoid (antioxidant). To get the best taste, go local, says Pensiero “Young, locally harvested eggplant tends not to be as bitter as the mature variety available in most supermarkets,” she says. And try the press test: If your thumb leaves an indent that doesn't bounce back, the eggplant will be spongy, tough, and bad tasting, even if it's a little one. Also check out the dimple at the blossom end (i.e., the end opposite the stem) of the vegetable. If it’s round, put it down; it will have more seeds and less “meat” than an eggplants with an oval dimple.
The next time you fire up the grill, try making Two- Ingredient Grilled Eggplant. It couldn't be easier.