‘Tis the season for seasonal dishes! That’s the glass-is-half-full way of saying, “What the heck do I do with all this (fill-in-the-blank)?” I’m guilty of avoiding a farmer’s market or two for fear of coming home with yet another fistful of irresistible veggies for which I’ve exhausted my culinary repertoire. That, and forcing bags of greens and zucchini the size of a healthy baby on unsuspecting friends and family. However, necessity is the mother of invention. Never more does that ring true when you’re staring down a five-gallon bucket of apples, ten pounds of roma tomatoes or, for that matter, a full stringer of fresh-caught trout. There’s more than one way to skin a cat; I’ve just found I had to dig a little deeper.
Off the “Beeten” Path
If you ask Tom Robbins, the path to immortality is paved with beets (and hot tubs). That “muddy whisker drilling desperately for rubies” figures prominently and prolifically at southwest Colorado farmer’s markets. Anything with such a murderous hue provides an interesting culinary challenge. Of course, you can roast them, use them in salads—hot or cold—or try borscht. I don’t know many kids (or husbands for that matter) that, of their own volition, will mow down a heaping dish of bloody tubers. This recipe is a simple, healthy take on the time-honored potato chip. If the color still throws ‘em off just tell them to give it a try—they just might live forever.
Beet Chips
Ingredients
3 medium beets, peeled
Sea salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Slice the beets very thinly (about one millimeter) using a mandolin.
3. Lay the slices onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, being careful not to burn them.
Remove from oven and cool.
Rocket: Don’t Knock It
There’s a reason arugula is also called rocket—as in, plant it and it’s off like one. When my friend gave me a baggie with some arugula seeds a couple of years ago, I had no idea I’d create a monster. I stuffed a whole row full of the deceptively innocuous tiny brown seeds. A few weeks later, I had enough arugula to generate some serious revenue at any farmer’s market. I couldn’t give the stuff away fast enough. This year, I was more modest with my sowing, but those plants have a love affair with Colorado soil. It’s hard to muster enthusiasm for its pungency and spice every day, but that same tang is a surprisingly sublime substitute for the traditional basil in this pesto.
Arugula and Toasted Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups packed arugula leaves
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Brown six garlic cloves with peels on in skillet over medium high heat until garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove garlic from pan, cool, and remove skins.
2. Toast nuts in toaster oven on high for about four minutes, being careful not to burn them.
3. Combine the arugula, salt, walnuts and roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Place mixture in a bowl and add the Parmesan cheese.
Trout: Go Coastal
Two things happened to bring this recipe to fruition. The first involved a couple of cutthroat trout, an ill-timed monsoon, a doused campfire and a lunch of unintentional and utterly unappetizing mountain sushi. The second was a trip to the north coast of Peru and a heavenly week of three square meals a day of ceviche. Fresh seafood in southwest Colorado is, to put it mildly, hard to come by. But fresh trout? Walk out your door with a four-weight and a Parachute Adams and you’ve got yourself a meal. Instead of the tried-and-true lemon-butter-salt-foil method, subject to errant weather, why not go coastal? Let the limes do the work, and leave the campfires to the Boy Scouts.
Trout Ceviche
Ingredients
2 whole trout, filleted and skinned*
Juice of 5-6 limes
1/4 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cucumber, seeded, peeled and diced
1 whole red pepper, finely diced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Dice fish into half-inch pieces.
2. Combine everything into a non-reactive (stainless steel, glass or ceramic) bowl.
3. Refrigerate for one hour.
4. Garnish with sliced limes or sprigs of cilantro.
*Intimidated by all those bones? Self described “fishmonger” Tim Staehler of Sunnyside Meats in Durango will graciously and expertly do the legwork of filleting for you. He’ll even show you how it’s done.
