Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Chickpeas & Herbs

Niece Slone arrived at the boat weighted down with Portland Chef Joshua McFadden's amazing new cookbook, Six Seasons: a new way with vegetables. This treasure presents nearly 400 pages of interesting commentary and appealing recipes for vegetables raw and vegetables cooked; a chapter of go-to recipes for tasty sauces and accompaniments to enhance fresh vegetables; a scattering of tempting recipes that incorporate meat, sausage and/or seafood; plus an occasional dessert. All of that and photos for most dishes. 

Co-author Martha Holmberg adds considerable talent and experience to this cookbook. An award-winning food writer and editor, former publisher and editor of Fine Cooking magazine and most recently food editor of the Oregonian newspaper, her guidance is felt throughout. I would love to hear this team share the back story of creating this book.   

The six seasons title reference acknowledges the overlap and variability of our Pacific Northwest growing seasons. McFadden notes "summer is where the action is", emphasizing different vegetables for early summer, midsummer and late summer. I flipped through the Late Summer chapter, waiting to see which photo drew my tastebuds' attention. Oh my, how to choose between sweet corn, peppers, chiles, tomatoes and more?! 

Ingredient availability made the decision an easy one. I went with a modified, ship's galley version of McFadden's 'Israeli-Spiced Tomatoes, Yogurt Sauce, and Chickpeas.' Six just-picked, garden-fresh cucumbers sat on the countertop, recently shared by a dock neighbor. Local markets offered mounds of fresh, in-season tomatoes and herbs, and my pantry held za'atar. Olive oil and vinegar substituted for the yogurt sauce, changing the flavor blend and consistency somewhat. A topping of feta cheese added to our second servings restored the savory edge quite nicely. I'll use yogurt and feta next time.     

The Seattle Times included the same recipe in their review of Six Seasons; "A menu for all seasons - and then some." Obviously, a popular choice. We agree! Thank you, Slone, for the inspiration. 

Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Chickpeas & Herbs

from a Joshua McFadden recipe in Six Seasons

For the tomatoes:
4 medium tomatoes, cored & cut in fat wedges
1 rounded tsp za'atar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 rounded tsp garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

For the cucumbers:
1 or 2 cucumbers, cut in fat wedges
1 handful each of fresh basil, mint & Italian parsley leaves; rough chopped; divided
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or substitute oil & vinegar mix)
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the chickpeas:
1 cup cooked chickpeas (I used canned)
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thin (or use green onions)
2 TBS red wine vinegar (or white balsamic)
Splash of extra-virgin olive oil
Sprinkle of the mixed fresh herbs from above
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Optional: crumbled feta cheese to sprinkle on top.

Directions:

1. Place the tomatoes in a wide, flat-bottomed bowl. Add the remaining 4 ingredients, toss to coat, and let sit at room temperature while preparing the cukes and chickpeas.
2. In another bowl, add the cucumbers, fresh herbs, yogurt, salt and pepper. Toss gently together, taste and adjust seasoning. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare the chickpeas.
3. In a third bowl, add the chickpeas and remaining ingredients. Toss, taste, and adjust seasoning.
4. Spread the tomatoes and their juices on a serving platter; layer the cucumbers plus any juices over the tomatoes; scatter the chickpeas and their dressing evenly over all. 
5. Sprinkle feta, if desired, over the top and serve. OR toss and serve in individual bowls.

McFadden suggests serving with warm "Slightly Tangy Flatbreads" - sounds good to me!

Crostini with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Herbs

Roasted tomatoes. How can something so simple taste so surprisingly good?! and why have I ignored this preparation for so long?! Whether you choose to roast Romas or select mini tomatoes instead, the results will be delicious... sweet, somewhat sticky and intensely flavorful. This is not a new idea, similar recipes have been around for ages. However it took a quart container of very ripe cherry tomatoes and a library copy of David Lebovitz's 2014 cookbook, In My Paris Kitchen, to bring this recipe into my kitchen this week.

Not that Martha, Ina, Jamie, Saveur, Food & Wine and a gazillion other sites (actually 2.27 million Google entries) don't provide tempting versions of the same dish, but Leibovitz's entertaining style and the beautiful photos drew me in. Just look at his gorgeous crostini!

    

The dish is so simple that it doesn't need a lengthy set of directions. The short version is:

• Cut small tomatoes in half and fill a baking dish in a single layer
• Drizzle with a 3-count of olive oil; add a handful of fresh herbs plus salt & pepper; toss to coat
• Roast in a 375 F oven until juices are released and begin to thicken
• Cool and enjoy

See... simple. Roasting concentrates the tomatoey essence, transforming even imported winter hothouse tomatoes into richly-aromatic flavor bombs. Can you tell, we loved them!?  

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

a la David Lebovitz et al

1 ½ pounds cherry tomatoes, stemmed & halved

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 fat cloves garlic, peeled & thinly sliced

Handful of fresh herbs (rosemary & basil)

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Arrange cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and herbs in a 9x13 baking dish, or any other just large enough hold them in snuggled in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper, toss to mix well, and spread them out again into a single layer.

Place in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, remembering to stir occasionally, until the tomato halves wilt and release their juices, roughly 45 minutes. The juices will begin to thicken and turn golden in the bottom of the baking dish. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Lebovitz notes the tomatoes can sit up to 8 hours, and actually improve in flavor as marinate in their own juices.

Crostini

Crusty Artisan bread, cut in thick slices

Olive oil

1 fat clove garlic, peeled & halved

Fresh herbs for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush both sides of the bread lightly with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and toast until just golden brown. Remove from the oven and rub generously with the cut side of the garlic cloves. Cool to room temperature.

To assemble:

Slather each crostini with some Boursin cheese, or herb-flavored cream cheese. Spoon the tomatoes and their juices over the toasts. Garnish with sprigs of fresh herbs and/or fresh basil leaves. 

Notes:

• We used knives and forks on these wide crostini slices; they were too juicy for finger food. Smaller, one-bite slices from thin baguettes might work for casual, hand-held snacks.
• The first pan of roasted tomatoes disappeared so quickly that cherry tomatoes immediately went to the top of the next grocery list. This might even call for a special trip. 
• Now I can't wait to explore more Leibovitz recipes, both online and from the cookbook In My Paris Kitchen. Drat! now the library wants its copy back.