updates

It is August--the summer is slipping away!  At least, it feels that way, and I am committed to squeezing out the season from this month leading up to Labor Day.

I don't have a new recipe for you, but some updates.  You will have seen in a previous post that reader Olivia's mom has been making a gluten-free version of my summer puttanesca!  Now, reader JORJ writes in that she has made the summer puttanesca too.

Yum!  We had a discussion, and we both agree that while penne or cavatappi works for a regular puttanesca using canned tomatoes in sauce, that for the summer version, a smaller pasta is better.  Orecchiette or shell pastas, I think, would do better with the juices and chunks that result from using fresh tomatoes.

I have also been cooking up some quinoa recently.  After one semi-disastrous attempt to make quinoa by just boiling it, I made the radicchio and rutabaga quinoa from earlier in the year.  And the rinsing and then boiling and then steaming method worked so well!  The quinoa was beautiful and fluffy.

We have been eating our jars of peaches that we made a few weeks ago.  They are so delicious!  Especially the jars that have a slightly crushed pod of cardamom and a little bourbon.

Peaches and tomatoes and beans and corn!  This is the best month of the summer.  Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Radicchio, Rutabaga and Hazelnuts

A while ago, a friend pointed me towards a recipe in the New York Times that used farro and rutabaga.  I'm a huge fan of farro, I like to mix it in with rice to add texture, and love it in salads.  This was the perfect recipe for me to try since it incorporates a lot of flavors I already like, and a big new one, rutabagas.  I had been wary of them because I don't love sweet starchy vegetables; I am very particular about squashes and sweet potatoes.  But there are so many rutabaga enthusiasts out there!  Have you noticed this too, readers?

I decided it was time to try the rutabaga when last week, they were the answer to a question on Jeopardy! (a question to the answer?), and I found them at the farmer's market.  For a gathering of ladies to taste wines from Chile, I adapted the salad to use quinoa, a grain from the Andes, and added radicchio as a complement to the sweetness of the rutabaga.   This salad was really delicious and felt healthy and had a good variety of flavors and textures.

I recommend having a large sieve to make handling the quinoa infinitely easier.  If you don't have one, do not fret.  You will probably lose lots of grains in the rinsing, and hopefully you have a large metal bowl and very big pot for the steaming.  In the end it's worth it as the quinoa has a great fluffy yet crunchy texture.

Quinoa Salad with Radicchio, Rutabaga and Hazelnuts

Adapted from the New York Times

Takes 1 hour

Makes 8 servings

1 medium to large rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (not too large, as the farmer told me they get hard and fibrous)
extra virgin olive oil
fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups red quinoa
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (1/2 of a large shallot)
4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 fat garlic clove, minced
1 head of radicchio, sliced thinly
1/2 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss rutabaga with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until rutabaga is very tender and browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring salted water to boil in a large pot.  Rinse quinoa in 5 washes of water, each time shaking it around in the bowl, letting it settle, and then cupping the quinoa while you let the water pour out.  The quinoa is often dusty (not usual dust, but its own powdery residue), and can sometimes have small stones in it.  This is a step which is very helpful with a a sieve.  When the water is boiling add quinoa and cook for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil and some pepper.

Drain the quinoa in a large seive (or very very carefully with the help of a large spoon.  Rinse with cold water.  Return the pot to the stove and fill with an inch of water, bring to a simmer, and balance the sieve of quinoa in the pot (so it isn't touching the bottom), cover with a kitchen towl and a lid, and steam for 10 minutes.  If you do not have a sieve, place the quinoa in a metal bowl in the simmering pot, cover with the towel and the pot with the lid, and steam for 10 minutes.  I had to use a roasting pan to fit our smallest metal mixing bowl!

Add the quinoa to the bowl with the salad dressing, and once it has cooled a little, add the radicchio, the rutabaga and the hazelnuts.  Mix together.  Taste and add vinegar, salt and pepper to your liking.

This salad keeps really well, the quinoa grains hold their texture and nothing gets too soggy.  But don't wait too long to eat it!