Eating in season, one meal at a time
By TOM WITOM Contributor August 15, 2011 10:30AM
Zucchini ‘Noodles” with Ricotta starts with garden fresh zucchini and tomatoes. | Photo by Tom Witom
Zucchini ‘Noodles’ with Ricotta
2 small tomatoes, cored and cut into small cubes
Kosher salt
3 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 small fresh hot red chili, split in half lengthwise to expose the seeds
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 cup mixed fresh tender herbs, such as basil, chives and/or tarragon
3 tablespoons grated aged cheese (such as Parmesan)
Season the tomatoes with a little salt. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into long paper-thin slices, using a mandoline or a sharp vegetable peeler.
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over low heat and sauté the garlic and chili until they are fragrant and softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Season with a little salt.
Add the zucchini, raise the heat to medium-high and toss gently with tongs, seasoning very generously with salt and pepper.
Continue to cook while tossing occasionally until the zucchini is slightly wilted and warmed through but still firm and not yet giving off very much liquid, about 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and toss for a moment, until they are hot and begin to give off a little liquid. Reduce the heat to low and add the ricotta and herbs, combining them with the zucchini and tomatoes to create a creamy, light pink sauce. Divide between two warm bowls, and serve topped with the grated cheese.
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Updated: August 19, 2011 1:05PM
Ready availability of all manner of fresh produce regardless of the time of year has changed the attitudes of many consumers about what they eat and when.
However, restaurateur, chef and food writer Andrea Reusing, author of Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes (Clarkson Potter, $35), isn’t one of them. A committed locavore and strong supporter of community-supported agriculture, Reusing believes in celebrating the bounty of the changing seasons “one meal at a time.”
Ingredient blends
It’s a philosophy she adheres to in the kitchen at home as well as at her highly regarded Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C., cited as one of the country’s “best farm-to-table restaurants” by a national food publication. Reusing’s restaurant blends Asian flavors and North Carolina ingredients procured mainly from area farms and fisheries. Organic and sustainable are very much a part of her vocabulary.
Before moving south from New York, Reusing said she considered a mostly local diet restrictive. But when seasonality is imagined in a different light — as a grocery list — rather than a limitation, everyday meals become cause for celebration.
Why not spend an entire week enjoying fresh sweet corn, go for a blue-moon autumn asparagus harvest or embrace a spicy soup made with the last sweet potatoes of winter?
Savoring summer
Reusing’s recipe for Zucchini ‘‘Noodles’’ with Ricotta is a fine example of capitalizing on summer produce at its peak. The appealing combination of flavors from a mingling of zucchini, tomatoes and garden-fresh herbs is further enhanced by a rich ricotta-Parmesan sauce. The recipe works as a main course for two.
Accompanied by stunning food photos, Reusing walks readers through the seasons with more than 130 doable recipes. She includes childhood favorites (Hen and Dumplings), one-pot dinners (Roasted Pumpkin; Shrimp, Pea and Rice Stew), meals for a crowd (Spicy Crab and Shrimp Boil with Corn and Potatoes) as well as regional specialties (Wilted Ramps, Boiled Ripe Figs with Warm Ricotta and Honey).
The kinds of producers and artisans featured in the book — farmers, ranchers, cheesemakers, fishmongers, butchers and bakers — aren’t exclusive to North Carolina. As Reusing observes in her book, they “work and live almost everywhere, producing flavors that we crave.”
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