donna's daily dish

september days

8/31/2020

"By all these lovely tokens September days are here. With summer's best of weather, and autumn's best of cheer." – Helen Hunt Jackson

As I awaken each morning at 5 AM, the world is dark with sunrise peeking its head later and later. This weekend marks the end of summer, but will it? School districts are still deciding on a plan of action, restaurants can now have indoor dining at 25% capacity and hopefully a new season brings the past few months of the pandemic to a close.

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late August

8/27/2020

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The end of summer brings a bounty of wonderful tomatoes and other vegetables to market. Recently I found on The New York Times cooking app, a recipe for One-Pan Roasted Fish with Cherry Tomatoes. I headed down to Atlantic Offshore Fishery in Point Pleasant and picked up wild Atlantic cod for $14.99/lb. On my way home, a quick stop at Matt’s Farm Market in Wall Township for a container for red, ripe grape tomatoes and I had the making of a delicious supper. For this dish you’ll also need shallots, garlic, olive oil, sherry or red wine vinegar, honey, freshly grated lemon zest, fresh basil and mint (I left this herb out).

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height of summer

8/16/2020

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Since I last posted, my husband and I have become the grandparents of another baby girl. This little gem joins my daughter, son-in-law and her almost three-year-old sister. We had the three-year-old for several days while mom and dad were at the hospital and had me going all day, no time for new recipes.

I did try two new light and tasty recipes recently. The first is from the new Sunday section of the New York Times called “At Home” in a column entitled “Five Dishes to Cook This Week,” Summer Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes and Corn. The other recipe, Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Basil butter is from a cook book that my daughter no longer wanted, 5 Ingredient Fix, by Claire Robinson.

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two quick and easy recipes

8/7/2020

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On a Tuesday, not Thursday pasta night, I made a new pasta dish for my husband and I. My son-in-law found two interesting recipes at the Good Housekeeping Magazine website. The first is Summer Squash, Mint and Pecorino Pasta and the other, Brown Butter and Corn Pasta; I made the second one first.

Corn this season has been sweet and plump. I’ve either purchased from Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck or Matt’s Farm Market in Wall. For this recipe you’ll need four ears of corn, one-pound pasta (campanelle or fusilli), butter, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. Did I mention this dish can be prepared in under 30 minutes?

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summer bounty

8/3/2020

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This is prime New Jersey tomato and corn season. My favorite summertime lunch is sliced Delicious Orchards English muffin bread, smeared with Duke’s Mayonnaise and sliced tomatoes.

My daughter recently found on Deb Perelman’s food blog, @smittenkitchen, a recipe for tomato and corn pie. The pie has a rich double butter crust. The filling consists of a combination of sliced tomatoes, corn kernels, chopped basil and chives, shredded cheddar cheese and topped off with mixture of lemon juice and mayonnaise. After baking for approximately 30 minutes the pie can be served warm or at room temperature.

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