Refreshing Berry SpritzerYamadillasCajun Crab PoppersGarden-Fresh Grilled Veggie PizzaGrilled Lasagna PacketsCuban Sandwich BurgersCucumber-Key Lime Pie

Garden Fresh & Grilling Summer Recipes

Summertime: Fruit and vegetable gardens are starting to produce lots of good ingredients and grilling outdoors is in high season. Here are a few recipes incorporating the fresh produce and outdoor cooking.

If you have a favorite summertime recipe that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you! Recipes, with photo (and a short story/history), if available, can be submitted to ads@thedrummer.com.


Refreshing Berry Spritzer

1/2 lb. mixed berries

1/2 c. fresh basil

3 T. fresh orange juice

3 T. sugar

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Club soda

 

Stir together berries, basil, orange juice, sugar, and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved and some berries have broken down. Let stand 10 minutes.

Serve over ice topped with club soda.  Yields 4 servings

 


Yamadillas

2 lbs. garnet yams, peeled & diced

2 T. vegetable broth

2 T. chopped green chiles

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained & rinsed

8 whole-wheat tortillas

Fresh salsa of your choice

Pea Guacamole (recipe follows)

 

Put the yams in a stainless-steel saucepot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until soft, about 12 minutes. Drain the water and add the vegetable broth to the yams. Mash with a potato masher until quite smooth, then stir in the green chiles, lime juice, chipotle, cumin, and garlic. Mix well, stir in the black beans, and mix again.

Heat a nonstick griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Spread some of the yam mixture on half of a tortilla, then fold it over and flatten. Place the folded tortilla on the griddle and cook it for about 2½ minutes on each side, flipping several times to make sure it doesn’t burn. Repeat with the remaining yam mixture and tortillas. Serve topped with salsa and/or guacamole. 8 servings

 

Pea Guacamole:

1/2 lb. fresh sweet peas, shucked (about 1/2 to 2/3 c. peas)

2 small jalapeños

2 T packed cilantro leaves, chopped, more for garnish

3/4 tsp. salt, more as needed

3 small ripe avocados, mashed

2 scallions, whites only, sliced as thin as possible (about 1/4 cup)

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 1 lime, more as needed

1 T. toasted sunflower seeds

Flaky sea salt, for serving

Tortilla chips, for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

 

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl with water and ice. Plunge peas into the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 1 minute. Drain peas and immediately transfer to the ice bath. Drain.

Heat broiler to high and broil one of the jalapeños on a heatproof pan. Cook, turning occasionally, until jalapeño is completely charred. Transfer to a small bowl, cover tightly in plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, use a towel to wipe off the charred skin. Halve, seed and devein the roasted jalapeño. Then halve, seed, and mince the remaining raw jalapeño.

In a blender or the bowl of a food processor, purée peas (reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish) with roasted jalapeño, minced raw jalapeño, cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process until almost smooth but still a little chunky.

In a medium bowl, combine mashed avocado, scallions, lime zest, lime juice, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pea purée. Adjust salt and lime juice as needed and garnish with fresh peas, sunflower seeds and flaky sea salt. Serve with tortilla chips and lime wedges.

 


Cajun Crab Poppers

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 lg. egg, lightly beaten

2 T. minced fresh parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1-1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 can (8 oz.) lump crabmeat, drained

2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

8 jalapeno peppers

 

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, beat the first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in shredded cheese, crab, and bacon. Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Spoon filling into pepper halves. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional parsley. 16 appetizers

 


Garden-Fresh Grilled Veggie Pizza

3 T. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 med. tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 lg. sweet red pepper, halved, stemmed & seeded

1 sm. zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4” slices

1 sm. onion, cut crosswise into 1/2” slices

1 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

1 prebaked 12” pizza crust

1/3 c. spreadable garden vegetable cream cheese

8 slices smoked provolone cheese, divided

1/2 c. minced fresh basil, divided

1/4 c. shredded carrots

1 T minced fresh oregano

1 tsp. minced fresh thyme

 

Mix oil and garlic; brush onto both sides of vegetables. Sprinkle with pepper. Grill, covered, over medium heat until tender, 4-5 minutes per side for pepper and onion, 3-4 minutes per side for zucchini, 2-3 minutes per side for tomatoes.

Coarsely chop pepper, onion, and zucchini. Spread pizza crust with cream cheese; layer with 4 slices provolone and tomato slices. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup basil, carrots, oregano, and thyme. Top with grilled vegetables, then remaining cheese.

Grill pizza, covered, over medium heat until bottom is golden brown and cheese is melted, 5-7 minutes. Top with remaining basil.  6 servings

 


Grilled Lasagna Packets

1/2 lb. hot (or mild) Italian sausage

12 oven-ready lasagna noodles

12 T. water, div.

1 pkg. (16 oz.) fresh Mozzarella cheese log, cut into 16 slices

Salt & pepper

2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, div.

3 c. chopped tomatoes, div. (about 4 med.)

4 c. fresh baby spinach, div.

12 oz. Tomato Basil Cheddar cheese, shredded (3 c.)

2 T. minced fresh basil

1 T. olive oil

 

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Remove sausage to a paper towel to drain.

Heat grill to medium-high.

Place 1 noodle onto four greased pieces of double thickness aluminum foil, each about 16 x 12-inches. Drizzle each noodle with 1 tablespoon water. Layer each with 2 slices mozzarella, salt, pepper and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Sprinkle each with an eighth of the sausage, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1/2 cup spinach and 1/4 cup cheddar. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat layers. 

Top with remaining noodle; drizzle each with 1 tablespoon water. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Fold foil into packets and seal tightly.

Grill, covered, over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Flip packet; grill, covered, for 10-15 minutes longer or until noodles are tender. Meanwhile, combine the remaining tomatoes, basil, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove foil packets from the grill. Let stand for 5 minutes. Take care when opening the foil; allow the steam to escape. Serve lasagna with tomato salsa. 4 servings

Recipe Tips: To bake the foil packets: Prepare the recipe as directed. Bake at 400˚F for 20-25 minutes or until noodles are tender. 4 servings

NOTE: This recipe was tested by a Drummer employee. Here are a few tips. The top layer of cheese sticks to the foil, maybe have the lasagna noodle on top. Also, maybe a little more water for the noodles, they tended to be a little hard around the edges. Other than that, they tasted great!

 


Cuban Sandwich Burgers

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 T. lemon juice

1 tsp. garlic salt, divided

1/2 tsp. pepper, divided

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. Dijon mustard

4 hamburger buns, split

8 thin slices Swiss cheese

4 thin slices deli ham

4 thin sandwich pickle slices

 

Prepare grill for medium heat. Place a large cast-iron skillet on grill grates.

In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 4 1/2-in.-thick patties. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat until a thermometer reads 160°F, 5-7 minutes on each side.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; spread over cut sides of rolls. Place burgers on each roll bottom; top with Swiss cheese, ham, pickles and roll tops. Using oven mitts, carefully place preheated skillet on sandwiches. Grill sandwiches, covered, until rolls are browned and cheese is melted, 5-8 minutes. 4 servings

 


Cucumber-Key Lime Pie

1/2 English cucumber (about 8 oz.), halved crosswise

1/2 c. plus 2 T. fresh key or regular lime juice (from about 28 key limes or 8 reg. limes), divided, plus zest for garnish

4 lg. egg yolks

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (6 oz.) prepared graham cracker crust

2 T. sugar

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel and seed half of the cucumber. Puree along with 1/2 cup lime juice in a blender until smooth. Add egg yolks and milk. Blend until fully combined and thickened, about 1 minute.

Transfer filling to crust and bake until just set around edges but still slightly wobbly in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool, then chill completely.

Combine sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, 1 minute; chill.

Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in half of the lime syrup. Cut remaining cucumber into thin strips and toss with remaining syrup.

Top pie with whipped cream, cucumber, and lime zest before serving. 8 servings

 


Quote of the Week:

“Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it.” 

~ Thomas Paine

 

Publication: 

The Drummer and The Wright County Journal Press

PO Box 159
108 Central Ave.
Buffalo MN 55313

www.thedrummer.com

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