Eat Your Veggies!
One of my favorite things to make for dinner after a trip to the Farmer’s Market is a vegetable plate with lots of different colors, textures, and flavors. Fortunately, my husband is not one of those meat-and-potatoes guys, but to add some extra protein, I usually try to make one dish with eggs in it. For today’s menu, I chose corn pudding, which allows me to use the sweet, sweet corn that is so delicious right now and the monstrous basil in my backyard. I use The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for Sagoponack Corn Pudding (Barefoot Contessa Family Style), halved, and I bake it without fooling with a water bath. With fresh corn right off the cob, really sharp Cheddar cheese, and fresh basil, it melts in your mouth with a perfect blend of sweet and savory. Tonight, I served it with Roasted Asparagus, which I like with a splash of lemon juice, olive oil, and lots of salt and pepper roasted at 400 degrees just until it turns bright green, and Spinach-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes. The bread crumbs in the tomatoes also go a long way to make this meal filling. It is, in our estimation, straight-from-the-garden-delicious. So delicious, in fact, that we were in such a hurry to eat it, we forgot to snap a picture! Sorry…we’ll try to do better.
Sagoponack Corn Pudding
½ stick butter
Fresh corn kernels from about 4 corn cobs
1 small yellow onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup half-and-half
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup ricotta cheese
2 T chopped fresh basil leaves (more if you have it)
½ T. sugar
½ T. kosher salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces of shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (reserve some for the top)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Melt the butter in a large skillet (I use a heat-resistant one that can go right in the oven). Sauté the corn and onion over medium-high heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half. Slowly add the cornmeal and ricotta cheese. When well-combined, mix in the basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add to the corn mixture and mix in the Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the top with more cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is brown and the center is set.
–Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Ina Garten, 2002.
Because the corn pudding has to cook the longest, I assemble it first and place it in the oven. Then, when I have the tomatoes ready to go in, I turn the heat up to 400 degrees and watch the corn pudding carefully. When it’s brown and done, I take it out and cover it tightly with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Next, I place the asparagus spears in the oven, to cook while the tomatoes are finishing. As soon as the asparagus goes in the oven, I get the bread ready: arrange slices of a baguette on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with thin slices of Parmesan cheese (I use a vegetable peeler).
Spinach-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
Filling (for 8 large cherry tomatoes):
½ cup fresh white bread crumbs
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup spinach leaves, washed and chopped
1 tsp. fresh basil leaves
¼ cup ricotta
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
Mix together filling and set aside. Cut the tops off of the cherry tomatoes and remove the seeds and juice (I do it with my fingers). Stuff each tomato liberally with filling. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, until tomatoes are almost collapsing. The spinach filling is excellent in omelets or stuffed in a loaf of French bread, if you have some leftover. I saved about 2 tablespoons for the frittata I’m planning to make next week.