[Week 12] A New (Another?) Way to Caprese Salad

Plus: Corn Pasta, Slow-Roasted Peppers & More

Hello Farm Share Friends,

Last Thursday my family and I had dinner at The Broken Inn, a local restaurant that opened last year and quickly won the hearts and minds of all for its good food, good vibes, and street-side window serving vanilla and chocolate soft serve.

From day one, I have loved The Broken Inn’s salads, all served on mismatched china plates, the caprese being my current favorite. While there is nothing especially unusual about the Broken Inn’s caprese, it gets the basics right, using excellent tomatoes and mozzaralla, and keeping the seasonings minimal: olive oil, salt, and good balsamic vinegar.

But what I find myself really loving about this particular caprese salad is the layer of basil pesto spread across the bottom of the plate. Why? For one, it adds an element of flavor basil alone can’t provide, a punchy schmear to mop up with slices of juicy tomatoes and salty mozzarella, which soak up all the goodness like a sponge.

But two, for the practicality: the days of receiving massive weekly bundles of farm share basil are numbered, and soon we won’t have the luxory of showering our salads with tender, fragrant herbs. With pesto in the freezer, we can preserve those flavors of summer and make our tomatoes happy well into the fall.

On Friday we left for a three-day camping trip during which we lived on ratatouille and beans, and yesterday, upon returning home, I made a trip to the store solely for tomatoes and mozzarella, this salad top of mind. It came together in a snap, and with all of the tomatoes we are expecting to receive in the farm share today, it might just materialize again tonight.

Friends I know there is nothing new about combining tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto, but should you be looking for another way to caprese, I think you’ll approve.

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As noted above we are receiving lots of tomatoes this week, and I’ve included a few new recipes below featuring tomatoes in various forms. We’re also receiving delicata squash 🎉, which I love for its ease of prep, flavor, and visual appeal.

This week I’ll shoot to use the head lettuce, corn, and arugula earlier in the week. I’ll store the scallions on the countertop (in a glass filled with a little bit of water), and I’ll store the tomatoes and squash on the countertop as well.

Week 12 Vegetables

• delicata squash → Squash Recipes

• corn → Corn Recipes

• dill → Herb Recipes

• tomatoes → Tomato Recipes

• kale → Kale Recipes

• scallions → Scallion Recipes

• peppers → Pepper Recipes

• head lettuce & arugula → Salads

Find recipes for all the vegetables here → Farm Share Vegetables

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8 Recipes to Make This Week

Thank you, Erinn, as always for sending along such inspiring ideas.

This recipe for roasted cherry tomatoes with delicata squash and poached eggs was included in yesterday’s Roxbury Farm newsletter, and it looks outstanding:

We are not receiving carrots this week, but if you have leftovers from previous weeks (I do!), these look fun: Jacques Pepin’s Carrot Crepes

For all of the dill: Tzatziki. I love tzatziki with all sort of foods from roasted eggplant to falafel burgers to grilled chicken souvlaki.

I associate this collard green and delicata squash salad with fall, but it would be perfect to make right now with the farm share squash and kale.

Topped with Funyuns, this one looks interesting and tasty: Creamed Corn and Grains

I’ve wanted to make this recipe for years: Spaghetti with No-Cook Puttanesca. I think I’d use a short pasta in place of the spaghetti. Will report back when I make it.

If you’ve had your fill of corn on the cob, it might be time for Melissa Clark’s Creamy (No-Cream) Corn Pasta:

These Slow-Cooked Peppers look heavenly (and are begging for a loaf of bread by their side):

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Fellow Farm Sharers: Please share in the comments links to recipes you are loving for your farm share vegetables! Tips, questions, and suggestions are always welcome, too. Enjoy your vegetables! 🥦🥬🥒🌶🌽🥕 See you next week :)