Sage!

Verity over at The Light Garden reminded me of one of my favorite summer sauces for pasta today....Sage Butter Sauce.
It is so easy, simply melt butter till bubbly and add sage leaves (I usually chiffonade mine).
Let the butter brown a bit (but DON'T burn it); the sage leaves will crisp up a bit and let off a sublime aroma. Pour that over the pasta and add a healthy amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese. YUMM!

She also asked about other ways to use the sage from her herb garden - which is abundant now.

Usually when sage is abundant I pick it and dry it.
It dries easily in just a few days on some paper towels on the counter or strung up.
Once it's dry (crispy to touch) I put it in an empty glass jar or zip-top bag for use in autum/winter cooking, because I think its flavor goes best with roasts and such.

I use a lot of sage when I make bread 'stuffing' or 'dressing' to go with roasted meats and also just on the meats themselves.
In cooler months when roasting chicken, lamb or porkloin for instance, I rub the meat with olive oil, mince up a bunch of rosemary & sage and sprinkle liberally with that, slivers of garlic and salt & pepper.

In the summer I do more grilling and make a simple marinade from olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. I add to that whatever herbs are abundant at the moment. If I'm in the mood sage can work well there too.

My Asian-style Green Beans with a New Twist

Last summer I posted my Asian-inspired green bean recipe...YUMM.
Well the bean crop is coming in bushels this year in NJ and I've started experimenting with some of the more abundant ingredients around the fridge.

We've been making a number of stir-fry dishes lately and the early garlic is at a premium, so for this version I used primarily onion and ginger. I also scaled the recipe up a bit because we were left looking for more the last time I made Asian beans...

Renee's Chinese Style Green Beans II
Over a medium flame:
Heat 2-3 Tbsp of good olive oil in a saute pan
Add 1 Tbsp of good quality Shoyu/Tamari/soy sauce
Slice a large onion and toss that in (not a dice, but long thin slices)
Add a little green garlic/garlic curl/ or early garlic (about 1 tbsp worth)
Peel and mince about a thumbs-worth of ginger root (don't skimp, use the real thing)
When the onion is starting to caramelize and has some golden tinges
Add 3 cups trimmed green beans
Toss them into the oil/onion/ginger mixture and stir to coat evenly with the oil
Cover and let cook for 10-12 minutes (basically almost to desired doneness...)
Add a dash of 5 spice powder and black pepper
Stir to coat
Cover again and let cook for 2 more minutes
Turn off the heat and add 1tsp of dark sesame oil
Stir and serve.

My little guy balked at the beans this time - but that's more his personality than anything else. He's currently going through a "if it's not raw I don't want it" phase with veggies...which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
My husband ate a decent sized first serving and went back for seconds making the comment that he thought these were the best version yet, and my older son had 3 portions.
I love it when my family eats green!

Summer Stacked Salad

*pictures added 9/11/09

As I was eating my lunch with some friends the topic of summer veggies came up.

I started to describe one of my husband's favorite summer meals last year....I called it Stacked Salad. It all started with an abundance of vegetables....doesn't it always?

Summer Stacked Salad
1 C mixed salad per person
1 Portobello Mushroom Cap per person
1-2 Large Beefsteak style Tomatoes ( Cut so that each person gets a 1/2 to 3/4 inch Slice)
1-2 Large Vidalia Onions ( Cut so that each person gets a 1/2 inch Slice)
1/4-1/2 cup grated mozzerella per person
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt Pepper & Garlic Powder (or grill seasoning)
Chopped fresh parsley, thyme & oregano

Heat up a large skillet- cast iron if you have it.

As the pan is heating prepare your plates...
Put a cup of whatever salad greens or salad mix you are using on each person's plate.

Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil and put in one mushroom cap and one onion slice per person starting the mushroom open side down. Sprinkle with salt/pepper/garlic powder or grill seasoning.

(My skillet lets me cook this for 2 people at a time.)

Let these cook for a few minutes then turn the mushrooms over. Drizzle a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and seasoning and let them cook.
Give the onions a couple extra minutes then turn and season them.

Remove the Mushroom caps when they are starting to soften.
Place one on each plate on top of the greens, open side up.
Sprinkle 1/4- 1/2 cup grated mozzerella on top of the mushroom.

When the onions start to caramelize, place one tomato slice per person in the pan with the onions
and turn off the heat. Turn the tomato over so that it is evenly warm
Remove the Onion slices and place on top of the mozzerella on each mushroom add the tomato and a bit more cheese and the chopped herbs.

Drizzle with Olive Oil and Balsamic or good quality red wine vinegar.
We use Eden red wine vinegar and it has a phenominal taste! I prefer it to balsamic vinegar for salads.

Serve and savor! Who needs meat?!