Produce Refreshed

These vegetable recipes will elevate your summer meals, making them healthier and simpler

RECIPES BY ABRA BERENS

Adding vegetables to our diets should be approachable, purposeful and enjoyable, according to Abra Berens, author of “Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables.” After checking out some ofher recipes, hopefully you will agree with her sentiments. Through the honest storytelling of her own lifeexperiences and encounters with produce as a child, chef, farmer and Midwesterner, Berens shares anapproach to vegetables that is simple, offering recipes that alter them just enough to freshen them up,whether by grilling, roasting or serving them raw. Her many variations and alternatives allow for creativity;plus, she’s honest about produce that she finds difficult or a few that just aren’t her favorite. By the timeyou place the delicious creations on the table for your guests, family and friends to enjoy, you’ll alreadybe planning your next visit to the fresh produce aisles. —Katie Ballalatak

Massaged Kale with Tomatoes, Creamed Mozzarella and Wild Rice

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This recipe calls for wild rice but substitute any cooked grain—especially any random grains that are in the back of your fridge. If you do use wild rice, you don’t need to soak the grains overnight, but soaked rice will cook much more quickly and will “pop” when cooked, improving the texture, in my opinion. Unsoaked rice will take significantly longer than white rice to cook, so plan accordingly.

glug olive oil (See Cook’s Note)

1 small onion, cut into thin slices

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup white wine

1 cup wild rice, soaked overnight in 4 cups water

4 cups kale, midribs stripped, well dried and cut into ¼-inch ribbons

1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella

¼ cup sour cream

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Heat olive oil. Sweat the onion and garlic with the salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the wild rice and the soaking liquid and cook until tender, about 45 minutes.

2. In a mixing bowl, sprinkle the kale with a pinch of salt. Massage the kale until it is dark green, limp and tender in mouthfeel.

3. Tear the mozzarella into rough chunks. Combine with the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, a good pinch of salt, and a couple of grinds of black pepper.

4. When the wild rice is cooked, drain any residual liquid and let cool.

Cook’s Note:

I use the term “glug” a good deal … a holdover from my grandmother’s recipes. A glug is the amount of liquid poured from a container before air is pulled in past the “seal” formed by the flowing liquid in the neck of the container, creating a glug sound. An average glug measure is about 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup. It doesn’t need to be exact— just splash some oil in a pan. If you need more, add it. I’ve yet to need less oil in my life.

Charred Green Beans with Crispy Chickpeas and Curry Yogurt

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This dish defines contrast—smoky grilled green beans, cool yogurt, spicy curry, crunchy chickpeas. I love it so much. Long beans and round chickpeas can be a bit unruly; feel free to cut the beans into smaller pieces or slightly smash the chickpeas before crisping if you like. Similarly, depending on the type of yogurt you’re using, it might be thick or thin. If it is thin, drizzle; if thick, plop. If you are not a curry fan, I also like this recipe with paprika or cumin instead.

1 pound green beans, roughly chopped

¼ cup neutral oil, plus more for cooking the beans

pinch salt

2 teaspoons curry powder

¾ cup yogurt

1 cup Crispy Chickpeas (See recipe right)

½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1. Toss the green beans with the neutral oil and a big pinch of salt and grill.

2. Heat the ¼ cup oil over high heat and when hot, add the curry powder and let bloom.

3. Stir the curry oil into the yogurt.

4. Transfer the beans from the grill to a serving platter and drizzle with curry yogurt.

5. Scatter with the Crispy Chickpeas and cilantro and serve.

Cook’s Note:

Add green beans to the list of things that can be chucked onto the grill throughout the summer. The goal is to char the green beans while keeping the structure of the beans intact. To keep the green beans from slipping annoyingly through the grates, place a roasting or cooking rack on the grill running perpendicular to the grill grates, forming a mesh fine enough to catch the beans. Dress the beans with as little oil as possible to keep the grill from flaming up and blackening the beans. You can always add more oil or dressing to the beans after they are cooked. In case of lack of grill or excess bad weather, remember that a broiler is effectively an upside-down grill and works well too.

Crispy Chickpeas

MAKES 1½ CUPS

1. Heat the oven to 350°F to 425°F—the hotter the oven, the faster they’ll cook. Drain 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas and rinse well.

2. Dress the chickpeas with ½ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional).

3. Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake until crispy and deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool, keeping in a single layer or they will steam and soften. Keep at room temperature until ready to use. If they get soft, re-crisp in the oven (a few minutes).

Charred green beans with crispy chickpeas and curry yogurt

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Parmesan Butter

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Chomping corn from the cob is one of summertime’s most tactile pleasures. Using regular table butter is just fine, but replacing it with a quick compound butter makes corn on the cob seem like more of a dinner party dish. Plus, the flavor of the three different fats together feels unexpected, as does the heat from the chili flakes and the cool of the parsley. The method for toasting the chili flakes is tried and true for me (an unabashed multitasker known for burning spices by forgetting them in the pan).

½ cup neutral oil

½ teaspoon chili flakes

4 ounces butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon salt

2 ounces Parmesan, grated

¾ cup parsley, leaves only, chopped

6 ears corn, shucked

1. Heat the neutral oil in a frying pan until it begins to smoke. Add the chili flakes and remove from the heat. Let steep in the oil for 10 minutes.

2. In a stand mixer or a bowl, combine the butter, salt, chili oil, Parmesan and parsley. Paddle until well combined. Taste and add salt as needed.

3. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment on the counter and spoon on the butter in a strip. Gently roll into a round log, tightening with each pass and chill until firm (this butter can be frozen for later use).

4. When you’re ready to grill, heat a grill at medium to high heat.

5. Cut the butter into coins.

6. Grill the corn until the kernels are golden brown and slightly charred. Top with the butter rounds and serve immediately.

Broccoli salad with warm bacon vinaigrette, sunflower seeds and dried cherries

Broccoli Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, Sunflower Seeds and Dried Cherries

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This is a version of a classic Midwestern summer buffet salad with a warm bacon dressing in place of the mayo. It can be made in advance, but always serve room temperature or the bacon fat will congeal a bit. If you prefer mayo or don’t eat bacon, substitute mayonnaise or vinaigrette for the bacon fat and extra olive oil.

½ pound bacon, cut into

¼-inch strips 1 (4-ounce) shallot or small red onion, cut into thin slices

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 cups broccoli, shaved thinly or cut into florets, stalks peeled and cut into half-moons

1 cup dried cherries, either sweet or sour

½ cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1. Place the bacon in a cold frying pan and then cook over medium heat until the bacon is crispy, rendering the bacon fat.

2. In a bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, salt and pepper and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Strain the bacon fat into the shallot-vinegar mixture, reserving the crispy pieces. Add the olive oil to the mixture and whisk to combine.

4. Toss the broccoli, bacon bits, cherries and sunflower seeds with the bacon vinaigrette and a pinch of salt.

Cook’s Note:

Raw broccoli can be simply bite-size pieces of broccoli. I also like shaving the broccoli into thin, cross-section broccoli trees. To shave broccoli, simply cut the crown in half, place the cut-side down, and slice as thinly as possible. In the end, it doesn’t matter the shape of the broccoli as long as it is pleasant to chew.

Sweet Pea Toasts

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

There are very few dishes that my family asks for over and over again. This pea dip is one of them. It stores in the refrigerator and freezes well.

2 cups peas, preferably frozen

¼ teaspoon chili flakes

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 lemon, zest and juice

¼ cup cream

5 sprigs mint, roughly chopped

1 baguette or loaf of sourdough edible flowers (optional)

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the peas until bright green, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Drain completely and transfer to a food processor. Add the chili flakes, salt, olive oil, and lemon zest and juice and blend until mostly smooth. Add the cream and blend to combine. Fold in the mint.

3. Slice and toast the bread, schmear with the pea purée, and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some edible flowers if you’re feeling fancy.

Cook’s Note:

As with most purées in this book, you can use day-old vegetables as a way to breathe new life into leftovers. It will be easier to blend and make a smoother purée if the peas are warm. Snap and snow peas will not blend well no matter what.