One good thing about living on the hills rather than on the lake is the easy access to hiking trails and the forest.
Another good thing: the easy access to fresh produce and dairy products straight from local farms. I may not be a country girl at heart, but I definitely enjoy playing one in the kitchen.
So imagine my joy this morning, when I sent my husband to one of the local farmers for fresh eggs, and he returned with lots more than that.
This is our favorite farm: we always get out eggs there, delicious eggs made from healthy hens that we see outside in the large grassy space surrounding the chicken coop most days, rain or shine.
There is a little wooden hut outside this farm, which functions as the farm’s little shop; and if we are lucky, when we pop in to get our eggs we’ll manage to score some of the very popular spelt sourdough bread the farmer’s wife makes, which is just the best things you can slice into – toasted and with a pat of butter is a little slice of heaven.
But (as it often happens when I talk about food) I digress – Sascha went to the farmer to get a dozen fresh eggs, and he returned with the following
The sun was shining, lunch time was approaching, and the tomatoes smelled delicious (as tomatoes should but never do when you get them at the store), so I decided to turn the farmer’s bounty into a simple but delicious summer lunch that we could enjoy outside on the backyard.
The salad was a no-brainer: tomatoes and cucumbers, with the addition of red onion, a balsamic vinaigrette, and some moroccan olives (added as an afterthought, so they don’t appear in the photo)
The eggs we scrambled in a pan with red pepper and baby spinach
And the blueberries just begged to be paired with nectarines in a variation of the lovely tart I told you about here, which we enjoyed in the afternoon with a cup of tea.
What else could you possibly want on a lazy summer Sunday? Good weather, good food, and the chance to sleep your meal off – maybe in the backyard, if the birds’ chirping doesn’t bother you. They are, after all, just as glad for the lovely weather as we are; and they’ll be even happier when they get to feast on the crumbs that are all that’s left of our dessert.
Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients:
- 3 medium-large vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
- 1 large cucumber, chopped
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar (make sure it’s the real thing, not simple wine vinegar with coloring added)
- 1Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- a pinch of pink Himalayan salt (sea salt will do in a pinch, but this one is healthier and better-tasting)
- 6 large basil leaves, julienned
- a handful of black salt-cured Moroccan olives (also known as Beldi)
Combine the vinegars, olive oil and salt in a large bowl. Add the chopped tomatoes, cucumber and the basil leaves and toss to combine. Add olives on the top. Great accompanied by grilled chicken or a light pasta dish.
Red, White and Green Veggie Scramble
Ingredients:
- 2 extra-large free-range eggs
- 2 heaping tsp organic plain yogurt (you can also use low-fat sour cream; I use sheep’s milk yogurt)
- 2 cups baby spinach, julienned
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in quarters length-wise and then sliced
- 1 small white onion (or yellow, if you prefer)
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
In a pan, heat the olive oil and then saute the onion and pepper. Meanwhile, crack the eggs in a bowl and whip them with the yogurt. Once the onion and pepper have softened and the onion is golden, lower the heat to a bare minimum and add the spinach and eggs. Stir to combine and keep stirring until the eggs are cooked. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Blueberry & Nectarine Galette (a healthier twist on this recipe)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup spelt flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 stick organic butter, cubed
- up to 1/4 cup ice water
- 1/2 pint fresh blueberries
- 2 medium nectarines, sliced
- 1 tsp Agar-Agar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 packet Stevia Plus (or 1 more Tbsp brown sugar)
- 2 Tbsp pink grapefruit juice
- 1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and combine by hand, pressing the butter and flour together until combined but still a little crumbly. Add the ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until dough keeps together but isn’t too sticky. Form into a ball, wrap in cling film/saran wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or more.
Turn on the oven at 190° C/375° F (If you have a fan oven, 180°C/350°F).
Place the fruit and the juice into a bowl and sprinkle the sugar, Stevia Plus (if using) and agar-agar on it; use a spoon to combine.
Open the cling film, sprinkle a little flour on dough and then roll it out into a thin disk (you’ll be able to tell if it’s too thin because it will start falling apart.) Place it on a sheet of parchment paper and into a small pie plate.
Pour the fruit onto the dough (you may arrange the nectarine slices if you like) and start folding the edges a little over the fruit, without pulling so that the dough doesn’t fall apart. Whip the yolk with a little cold water to make an egg wash and use it to brush the edges of the galette. Sprinkle a little brown sugar on top and place in the oven.
Bake for about 55 minutes and then cool for 45. Serve plain or with a little whip cream.
What are your favorite “easy-peasy” summer recipes?
