Summer squash overload? Yep, we know the feeling. Seems like everyone gets a little tired of the stuff by this time of year, and yet it keeps on coming. Our CSA squash has been dwindling, we went from “take as many as you possibly can” to just 2 in our share this week, and I have a feeling hearty winter squashes are on the way (the baby spaghetti squash we picked up today is a good indicator of that). I tell you, there is no better way to get in touch with the changing seasons than joining a CSA.

As overbearing as the abundance of summer squash may be, it is recipes like this one that reinvigorate my love for it. This dish would make a smashing side, it’s simple and impressive, and best of all, tasty. To be honest I don’t know if what we actually used was summer squash or zucchini, seeing as it was half green and half yellow, you could argue either way. But squash-ambiguity aside, this is one dish where the typically overshadowed summer squash can truly shine.

Zucchini Salad with Lemon, Almonds, and Parmesan

Makes 4 side servings. Recipe from Eating Well, via Cook, Pray, Love.

Ingredients:

1 medium lemon
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 lbs small zucchini, cut into lengthwise slices
1/2 cup sliced (or chopped) almonds, toasted
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Zest the lemon and set aside the zest. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a small bowl. Add oil, pepper, and salt, and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat until hot. Oil the grilling surface and grill zucchini slices, turning once, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Arrange the zucchini on a platter and drizzle with the reserved lemon dressing. Serve sprinkled with almonds, cheese, and lemon zest

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With Taylor’s obsession with beets and my obsession with goat cheese, this seemed like the perfect recipe. And I still believe that beets and goat cheese go together like tomato and basil. Creamy and earthy, sweet and tangy. However, I think this particular recipe fell a little short. As much as I loved the herb goat cheese filling, calling it beet ravioli is a bit deceiving, since you really don’t get any beet flavor in the final product. If we do this again, which we probably will if we ever get any more beets, we’d fold some chunks of roasted beet into the filling itself. I think that small addition would bring this dish full circle.

My other gripe with this recipe is the color. It’s pretty, yes, but it was so much prettier before it was cooked. Martha’s beauty shot of the final dish, with its deep red, almost purple hue, is a lie. In actuality, as the pasta cooks it fades, coming out of the water an almost silly-putty pink. Not red. Still pretty, just not drop dead gorgeous.

Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli

Makes 4 servings. Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

Dough:
*Note: this will make twice as much dough as you need for the filling. You can easily halve the recipe, or turn the rest of the dough into more ravioli or linguine (what we did). It freezes beautifully!

8 ounces red or golden beets (about 2 medium), without greens
2 teaspoons olive oil
coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Semolina flour, for storage

Filling:
3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese (about 6 ounces), drained 30 minutes
3/4 cup fresh goat cheese (about 5 ounces), room temperature
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, plus some for garnish
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme (original recipe called for mint, but we prefer thyme in situations like this. Your preference!)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Semolina flour or fine cornmeal, for dusting
2 tablespoons coarse salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss beets with oil and a large pinch of salt. Wrap tightly in a parchment-lined piece of foil, and place on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool. Rub beets with paper towels to remove skins. Puree in a food processor (you should have 1/2 cup puree).

Add eggs and yolk to puree in food processor, and process until combined. Add flour and 1 heaping teaspoon salt, and process until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds.

Transfer dough to a well-floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes, adding up to 2 tablespoons flour if dough is sticky. Place on a piece of parchment and cover with an inverted bowl, or wrap tightly in plastic; let rest for 1 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, to prepare filling, stir together cheeses and herbs; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cut dough into 8 even pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time (keep the remaining pieces covered with the inverted bowl), flatten dough into an oblong shape slightly thinner than the pasta machine's widest setting (number 1). Dust dough very lightly with flour, and feed through machine. Fold lengthwise into thirds and rotate 90 degrees. Repeat twice on same setting to smooth dough and increase its elasticity.

Turn the dial to next narrower setting. Pass dough through twice, gently supporting it with your palm. Continue to press dough, passing it through ever-finer settings, two passes on each setting, until sheet is almost translucent and very thin but still intact (number 5 of 8 on a KitchenAid pasta roller). The dough will stretch to about 16 inches long. If dough bubbles or tears, pass it through again, and dust with flour if the dough is sticking.

Dust a baking sheet with semolina or cornmeal. Work with each sheet of dough just after it's been rolled. Cut sheet in half crosswise, and trim each half to a 3-inch-wide strip. Space tablespoons of filling 3 1/2 inches apart along center of 1 strip. Top with remaining strip, and gently press around filling to seal, working from center out. Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut into 3-inch squares. Transfer ravioli to sheet, and cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining pasta dough and filling. (To store, lightly dust ravioli with semolina, and refrigerate between layers of parchment in an airtight container for up to 4 hours. Alternatively, freeze ravioli in a single layer on a baking sheet, about 15 minutes, and then gently pack into airtight containers or bags; freeze for up to 1 month. Do not thaw before cooking.)

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt and half of the ravioli. Cook, stirring occasionally to separate, until edges are just tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander to drain. Drizzle with oil, and toss gently to coat. Transfer to a bowl, and loosely cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ravioli.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 minutes.

Divide ravioli among plates (if first batch has cooled, return them to hot water for 15 seconds, then drain). Spoon brown butter over ravioli. Serve immediately garnished with chives.

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You may wonder what became of those 3 lbs of blackberries that we picked along with those tasty peaches (I did mention we picked blackberries, didn’t I? The pick-your-own farm we went to had giant patches of them. Despite the berries being on their last legs, and once you got past the insanely huge and scary Junebugs, there was quite the mini-bounty of berries.) Most of them went into some jam. But I found myself with a few handfuls left. Not enough for anything significant, like more jam or a pie, but I couldn’t bare to see these plump delicious berries go to waste.

Oh Twitter, how I love thee. You are the new Google. A quick tweet brought back a myriad of ideas. Berries and cream. Almond cake. Sorbet. Inhale whole. All great ideas. But one struck a cord, and I headed downstairs immediately to make some.

Blackberry lemonade. So simple. So perfect. So refreshing.

Taylor “enhanced” his with a splash of vodka. That works too.

Fresh Blackberry Lemonade

Makes 4-6 servings. Adapted from Pinch of Salt.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw or cane sugar
3 cups water
2 cups blackberries
3 lemons, juiced
ice

Directions:

In a microwave safe container, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Heat on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir until sugar is dissolved. (Alternatively, you can bring the water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat - but I didn't have that kind of patience). Set aside and allow to cool. Toss an ice cube or two into it if you need to.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl or pitcher, muddle the blackberries with the lemon juice. You want the berries good and smushed, to release as much juice as possible. Pour in sugar syrup, remaining water, a few ice cubes, and stir. Pour over a glass of ice (straining out the blackberry pulp if you prefer). Garnish with a sprig of mint or a slice of lemon and enjoy!

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Peach week continues. Our, should I say, peach weekend. All this peachy goodness, the gazpacho, this pie, two batches of peach jam, and one batch of peach salsa – it all happened in two days. We managed to cram a summers’ worth of peach season into one, (literally) jam packed weekend.

Because when you pick a basket of peaches as deliciously ripe and juicy as these were, you have to use them right away. All 13 pounds of them. Because while a ripe peach is divine, an overripe peach is just a big mess.

I know Georgia peaches get the most attention. And I’m sure our parents would argue on behalf of the Palisade peaches in Colorado. But I have to put in a good word for Tennessee peaches – these of the “Contender” variety – which might just be the most delicious peaches we’ve ever eaten. The fact that we devoured one mere minutes after picking it probably doesn’t hurt, either.

All pie crusts are a pain to work with (I hear being a P.I.T.A. is one criteria of a really good pie crust), but this one is manageable. In my never-ending quest to conquer the pie crust, I’m getting closer. Considering this was my first double crusted pie, I’d call it a success. Still need to work on my crimping technique though, as mashing it together with a fork doesn’t exactly make for pretty edges.

Ugly edges aside, this was a very tasty pie. And both of us, who typically prefer more robust, chocolate-filled desserts to a fruit pie, enjoyed it immensely. The vanilla permeates the natural sweetness of the peaches and makes for a very rich and indulgent dessert, just as deserving as any chocolate cake.

A word of warning – DON’T skip the step where it tells you to put a baking sheet underneath your pie. Because if you don’t, you will regret it. Luckily, this was one step I didn’t skip; ruining a cheap old pan is always preferable to having to chip away at a hardened mass of caramelized sugar on your oven’s floor.

I can also say confidently that there were no sneaky pits in this pie. That in itself is an accomplishment.

Vanilla Bean Peach Pie

Makes 1 9-inch pie. Recipe from Ezra Pound Cake.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water

Filling:
1 plump vanilla bean
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
5 cups peeled, pitted, and thickly sliced ripe peaches
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Garnish:
1 cup cold heavy or whipping cream

Directions:

To prepare crust, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Scatter the butter and shortening over the dry ingredients, and cut in with a pastry cutter until the large clumps of the butter are broken up. Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and lightly mix with a fork, until the dough starts to form clumps. Squeeze some of the pastry between your fingers. If it seems a little dry, work in another teaspoon of water at a time until the appropriate texture is achieved. (Alternatively, this can be done in a food processor by pulsing a few times to combine.)

Using your hands, form the pastry into two balls – one slightly larger for the bottom crust. Knead each ball once or twice on a floured work surface, then flatten the balls into 3/4-inch-thick disks. Wrap the disks in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.

On a sheet of lightly floured wax paper, roll the larger portion of the pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch standard pie pan center, and peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape the seeds out of the bean, and place them in a food processor. Add the sugar, and process for about 1 minute until no large clumps of the vanilla bean remain. Transfer the sugar to a small bowl. Mix 1/2 cup of the sugar with the cornstarch in another bowl. Set aside.

In a separate, large bowl, combine the peaches, cornstarch mixture, and lemon juice. Set aside.

On another sheet of floured waxed paper, roll the other half of the pastry into a 10-inch circle with a floured rolling pin.

Dump the filling into the chilled pie shell, leveling the top with a spoon. Dot the top of the fruit with the butter. Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell. Invert the top pastry over the filling, center, and peel off the paper. Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge. Using the back of a butter knife, trim the pastry flush with the edge of the pan. Cut several steam vents in the pie with a fork or paring knife.

Place the pie on the center oven rack, slide a large baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills, and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and rotate the pie to ensure even cooking. Continue to bake until the top is a deep golden brown and the juices visible at the side vents bubble thickly, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack, and immediately sprinkle half the remaining vanilla sugar (about 1/4 cup) over the top. Let it cool for at least 2 hours.

Shortly before serving, whip the cream with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. Add the remaining vanilla sugar, and beat until stiff but not grainy. Serve a large dollop of whipped cream with each slice of pie.

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This soup is the pits. To clarify, the soup itself is a cool and refreshing summertime concoction, probably more smoothie than soup. And quite delicious. But tastiness is easily ruined by a stray peach pit. Maybe I was distracted by the 12 other things I was trying to do at the same time, but somehow a pit made it’s way into the blender. I thought it sounded a bit… loud… when I was blending it, but didn’t think anything of it at the time. But as we ate, the rock hard bits a jarring surprise in an otherwise silky smooth puree, I knew I had made a big mistake. We ate the rest of our summer soup very slowly, sloshing it around and removing any stray pit pieces before swallowing.

If anything, this proves the power of the VitaMix. It pulverized that pit to pieces in a matter of seconds.

(And yes, I googled and tweeted to make sure we weren’t going to die as a result. Peach pits do contain trace amounts of cyanide, after all. Luckily, we’re still here. I think we would have had to eat about 50 entire pits before feeling any sort of ill-effects.)

The next day we strained the leftovers through a sieve, removing an extraordinary amount of peach pit pieces. So many pieces that it couldn’t have been just a rogue piece of pit stuck to the flesh. I was positive that an entire pit had made it’s way into the blender (I still can’t wrap my head around how that happened, but it did). It’s definitely a dish worth making, especially in this oppressive heat (no cooking involved!) and because peaches are in season right now and are absolutely divine. Just keep an eye on your pits, and make sure they end up in the trash, where they belong.

Peach Gazpacho

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

1/2 to 3/4 cup water
6 ripe peaches (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, halved, pitted, and cut into chunks
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
Garnish: finely chopped red bell pepper and Hass avocado

Directions:

Pulse 1/2 cup water, the peaches, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor until coarsely pureed. Thin with more water if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Season with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir in herbs. Garnish with bell pepper and avocado. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt.

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