Even though the weather in Portland has been sweltering, the good news is that it's also brought with it some amazing local bounty in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables. It's truly a pleasure to visit my local farmer's market each week and besides all the beautiful fresh berries, I also noticed these gorgeous seasonal Peter Pan squash. The above pictured yellow beauties came at a bargain at just 3 for $1, making it impossible to leave them at the market.
Finding an easy squash gratin recipe on Martha Stewart, I decided to cook them up tonight for dinner and they were fantastic. The gratin method gave it a hint of luxury and cheesy goodness that was achieved through a small dose of grated parmesan, while the sprinkling of crunchy panko on top made each bite a little toothsome. Yellow squash gratin recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart.
But that's not all, as I have another easy recipe to share with you for baked Kadota figs. Acquiring these gorgeous ripe figs from our neighbor Alison, we couldn't wait to try them and had to break one open and eat it raw. While you really didn't need to do anything to them because they're so flavorful on their own, I decided to cut them in half, top them with a little bit of smoked mozzarella and bake them for 10 minutes on 450 degrees. After that I topped them with a little bit of fresh pepper and tangy balsamic vinaigrette. The flavors produced something refreshing, refined and oh so delightful.
Yesterday's visit to the market inspired me to buy yummy seasonal things such as Kadota figs that looked plump and appetizing. Deciding to grab them, I quickly began to think about what I'd create with them and quickly decided on a healthy arugula salad with warm figs, goat cheese and craisins. Doesn't that sound like fall? Here are the directions for assembling this - it's super easy and anyone can do it in under 15 minutes.
Fooditka's Kadota Fig Salad:
Ingredients (serves 1)
Big handful of fresh, baby arugula greens
4 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
2 Kadota figs
Goat cheese (I used Vermont Creamery brand)
4 craisins
Honey
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Directions:
Prepare the figs first by cutting them in half and then putting the goat cheese in the middle and a craisin on top. Place into a toaster oven and heat up for about 5 minutes.
Assemble the rest of the salad and then top with figs when ready. Drizzle with olive oil, honey and season with salt and pepper.
Last week, while at my parent's house, I must admit that we pilfered a bit from my neighbor Kim and Ken's garden (Kim and Ken, if you're reading, we thank you!). Actually, let me rephrase that...my parents were taking care of their garden while they were on vacation and they offered for us to take advantage of their ripening fruits and veggies. The figs were especially gorgeous and totally ready to eat, so we picked a whole bunch, not yet knowing what we'd do with them.
After some deliberation, as I thought about how to prepare these (I originally wanted to make a fig crostata), I found an easy recipe on the Food Network website for prosciutto wrapped figs. Not only did they sound absolutely scrumptious, they were also pretty easy to prepare and needed only three simple ingredients including the figs themselves, goat cheese and prosciutto. The rest was left to the oven gods who made this into a warm, decadent and savory creation.
I brought this to a Labor Day BBQ at my brother and sister-in-laws and they literally disappeared in about 5 minutes. Even picky eaters couldn't resist. I hope you won't either.
Prosciutto Wrapped Figs Recipe courtesy of The Food Network
