Category: Side

*This post was created in partnership with California Walnuts. I’m thrilled to be working with them in 2019 to bring you many recipes that highlight this delicious and nutritious ingredient. As always, the words, images and recipes are mine. 

Summer. When the ingredients I love the very most are at their peak but I’m too distracted by our adventures to want to bring myself to the kitchen to cook. To combat this, we do one of two things: Get outside, away from the kitchen to cook or we keep the food incredibly simple. Because when tomatoes are still warm from the sun there’s little more needed beyond salt and perhaps a green and grassy olive oil. Or when corn is sweet straight off the stalk it needs very little attention. And squash, one of many ingredients this time of year that we often end up with a fridge full, we bring it to the fire.

In this recipe we’re doing both; keeping it simple and cooking outside.

Grilled squash becomes tender, sweet and smoky. It is a lovely side to grilled meats, quite nice tossed with pasta, and is delightful with a creamy goat cheese or salty feta. But here we’re serving it with a smoky muhammara sauce which originates from the Middle East and is a flavorful red pepper and walnut sauce or spread. You can buy roasted red peppers for the sauce or roast them yourself on a gas stove or in the oven. Better yet, roast them over the fire for an even deeper layer of smoke. 

I do recommend you toast your walnuts for the sauce until just before you think you’ve gone too far. One day while toasting a tray of nuts I walked away for a few minutes too long then came back to find nuts that seemed to be over the edge of edibility. Not wanting to waste the ingredient I tried the nearly-too-toasty nuts and found them complex and pleasantly bitter. Now I am a fearless toaster and am never afraid of too much color. 

This dish is a perfect hearty lunch for one (hello!) or a great side to grilled fish, shrimp or any protein off the grill, really. As it stands, this dish is vegan but if that’s not needed I do think a creamy goat or salty feta would be so lovely here.

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Grilled Summer Squash with Muhammara

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Ingredients

Muhammara1 large fresh red bell pepper, roasted ½ cup chopped scallions (3 to 4 scallions)

Zest and juice from 1 small lemon1 teaspoon ground cumin¾ cup walnuts, deeply toasted, dividedSea salt1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste5 tablespoons olive oil, divided4 to 6 assorted variety summer squash and zucchini, thinly slicedOlive oilSea salt

Instructions

Combine roasted pepper, scallions, lemon zest and juice, cumin, 1/2 cup toasted walnuts and a hearty pinch of salt in the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse until everything is finely chopped.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl then continue to pulse until minced.

Add 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil then process until everything is completely smooth. Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts for garnishing.

Gently coat the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Grill over a hot grill until charred, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Continue until all the squash is grilled then transfer to a platter and top with the muhammara sauce and reserved chopped walnuts.

Garnish with fresh mint, chives or parsley.

Want more great walnut recipes? Check out the other recipes we’ve made this year.

Walnut Tartine with Whipped Blue Cheese and Apple Slaw
Walnut Cake with Milk Chocolate Mousse
Pumpkin Spiced Candied Walnuts with Bittersweet Chocolate

* This post was created in partnership with California Olive Ranch. We’re working together this year to continue to bring you some special recipes that highlight this beautiful olive oil. I’ve been using their olive oil for years now because they produce a high quality oil for an everyday price. They work with farmers in California and around the world to source their olive oil in order to create perfect blends.

As always the words, images and opinions are my own. A very hearty thank you to all of you who support the brands that believe in the work I do here.

Recently I heard someone say they don’t do much grilling because they are a vegetarian as if meat has exclusivity over the fire. My immediate response upon hearing this, “I’ll change your mind.” This recipe, the one I’m sharing with you today; for grilled vegetables marinated in a pungent vinaigrette, immediately came to mind.

The classic recipe for verdure sott’olio – which basically means vegetables under oil, takes vegetables at their peak then cooks them until al dente in vinegar. They are then mixed with salt, a few simple spices and garlic then tucked into a jar in preparation for a luxurious bath in olive oil. The olive oil preserves the vegetables so you can savor summer no matter the season.

I took this general idea and turned it into a side dish that I’ve continued to make again and again all throughout the summer. The smokey char on the vegetables makes quick friends with the bright zip from the vinegar. It’s an incredibly simple dish and yet on a table next to charred lamb, an herby salad dotted with edible blossoms and grilled flatbread – this is the one that received the most praise. 

Use whatever vegetables happen to be the most stunning at the market. I particularly love zucchini and summer squash here but have also had great success with fennel, onions, eggplant and peppers. 

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Grilled Verdure Sott’olio

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Ingredients

3 pounds assorted vegetables, sliced 1/4 inch thick (zucchini, peppers, summer squash, fennel, green beans, etc.)

1/2 cup California Olive Ranch Destination Series Everyday olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

1/4 champagne vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup fresh oregano, roughly chopped (plus more for serving)

Flake salt

Instructions

Drizzle the vegetables with a little bit of olive oil then grill on a grill pan, grill or over the fire until deep char marks appear and they are tender.

Transfer the grilled vegetables to a large bowl.

In a medium bowl whisk together the olive oil, champagne vinegar, sea salt and oregano.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and let marinate for at least one hour.

Garnish with flake salt and more fresh oregano.

Finally, we’re here. Summer. The anticipation for these long and lazy days has been building and even more intense this year due to the prolonged school year thanks to snow days. But we’re here and we are doing it right. Lazy mornings with coffee and a good book on the deck, assembled dinners of cherries, cheese and crackers on the lawn, many dreamy plans for camping trips, hikes and an epic road trip that will take us through at least five states. And of course lots of cooking over the fire.

This simple dish felt right to share this week as we celebrate our nation with gatherings, bbq’s and fireworks. Many of those gatherings often include some version of a potato salad and this one, while a far cry from the classic, is my current favorite.

The ingredient list is short, which is how I like my summer cooking, but the flavor is rich, intense and complex. I give credit to the smokey charred flavor that imparts the potatoes when they are cooked over flame.

The potatoes are boiled just until tender and if you’d like to really wow your guests, boil the potatoes in a salty brine of water and vinegar. Once boiled and cooled the potatoes are smashed which exposes the soft set interior and gives the fire more opportunity for char.

Finally the potatoes are tossed in creme fraiche then capped with toasted black sesame seeds and flake salt. For a version that is truly over the top I suggest adding the salty punch of salmon roe. Or a hearty shower of minced chives is also nice.

Happy summer, friends. What do those long and lingering days look like for you all? And if you have road trip suggestions and destinations for Idaho, Montana, Utah and New Mexico do please let us know!

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Grilled Potatoes with Creme Fraiche and Black Sesame Salt

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Add 1 cup vinegar to the water you boil the potatoes in for a bright bite. 

For the smashing of the potatoes I find it best to place the warm potatoes on a sheet tray then top with another sheet tray and press down firmly. Or if I’m being completely honest with you sometimes I step on the sheet tray (which I then wash very carefully). On the camp site it’s easy to smash the potatoes between two heavy cast iron pans.

Ingredients

1 lbs small new potatoes, boiled in heavily salted water until just tender, then smashed to roughly 1/2 inch thickness

 ⅓ cup Creme fraiche

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

2 teaspoons Maldon (or similar) Flake salt 

Instructions

Grill the smashed potatoes over hot fire or on a grill until charred on both sides, about 2 to 4 minutes per side. 

While warm stir in the creme fraiche and top with black sesame seeds and flake salt.

If not serving straight away, refrigerate. Although it’s best eaten straight away while warm or just room temperature.