Fun at the farm stand...

I'm really enjoying my little garden plot, all 9 square feet of it. My two tomato plants are covered in fruit. In fact, the tomato plants have done so well this summer that I came out last week to find that they had crushed their cages. A quick trip to the home improvement store, and several 6 foot tomato trellis stakes later, and they're back upright and supported. Most of the tomatoes are still small and green, so I'm (im)patiently waiting for them to ripen. Fortunately, where I live outside of Philadelphia, there are farmer's markets and small family run farms with farm stands all around, so I have plenty of options for seasonal produce to tide me over.

On my way home from the store with my tomato stakes, I stopped at one of my favorite little family farms, Maple Acres Farm. It's literally about a mile from a major shopping center and in the middle of suburban housing developments. If you didn't know it was there, you'd probably never find it, but they've been around for almost 100 years. I love the small family farms, they often have produce that you won't find at major grocery stores, and I discovered something new at the farm that day--Armenian cucumbers. They're about 2 feet long, slender and twisting, with dark and pale green stripes. When I asked about them, the guy at the farm stand when into raptures, so of course, I had to bring some home.

This time of summer, it can also be really hot outside, so this week's recipes are for dishes that take advantage of the lovely produce from the farm stand, but also don't heat up the kitchen too much. Enjoy!

Summer Couscous Salad 

I've been making this salad for years. I usually make it with Israeli couscous, but I've also used farro, quinoa, and pearl barley. I tend to make a large batch of it, then take it to work for lunch over the next several days, so feel free to cut the recipe in half.

Serves 8

4 ½ cups water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

3 cups dry Israeli couscous

2 bunches of green onions, thinly sliced

2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, diced

3 to 4 large heirloom tomatoes, diced

1 English cucumber (I used the Armenian cucumber I brought home from the farm stand), seeded and diced

²/₃ cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

²/₃ cup basil, sliced

¼ cup chives, finely sliced

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 large clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

¼ cup Champagne vinegar

¾ cups extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Bring the water, olive oil and salt to boil in a large saucepan. Add the couscous and stir. When the water has returned to the boil, cover the saucepan with a lid and remove from the heat. Allow the couscous to sit, undisturbed for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the couscous should have absorbed all of the liquid. Transfer the couscous to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

When the couscous has cooled, mix in all of the vegetables and herbs.

Place the mustard, garlic and champagne vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together and add a large pinch of salt. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking, this will form a more stable emulsion. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture of couscous and vegetables, and stir to thoroughly mix. Serve.

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Yellow Tomato Sauce

I forget where I learned this technique, but this is such a great way to enjoy the amazing flavors of fresh, ripe, local heirloom tomatoes. The only heat applied to the sauce is the heat from the freshly boiled pasta, leaving the flavor of the tomatoes very bright and fresh and unlike your typical cooked tomato based pasta sauces. I used yellow tomatoes, but you can use whatever variety you prefer.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer

3 to 4 large yellow tomatoes
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and passed through a garlic press
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1 pound angel hair pasta

2 to 3 plum tomatoes (I used the San Marzano's from my garden)
1 bunch of basil, thinly sliced
Parmigiano Reggiano shavings to garnish

Cut each of the tomatoes in half. Press the cut half of each tomato against the side of a box grater (use the side with the largest holes) set over a large mixing bowl, and grate the flesh. You should see a juicy pulp forming;stop grating when you have nothing but skin left. After you have grated all of the tomatoes, mix in the garlic, olive oil, and a large pinch of salt and black pepper in with the pulp.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the angel hair pasta per the package directions. When the pasta is al dente, drain and add the pasta to the bowl of tomato pulp. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Mix in the diced tomatoes and basil. Divide the pasta into serving dishes and garnish with the Parmigiano Reggiano shavings. Serve.