Lemon Basil Guacamole

Here's an interesting take on a popular dip - Lemon Basil Guacamole. It's simple to whip up and goes great with the traditional dipper, corn chips, as well as pita chips or crudites. I like to snip a bit of fresh basil from my garden. Basil is easy to grow and is happy either in the ground or in a pot. If you aren't growing any of your own, you can find fresh basil at many markets.

Lemon Basil Guacamole

1 large or 2 small ripe avocados
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 heaping T thinly chopped fresh basil
1/4 t salt, or to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado into a small bowl and mash it with a fork until smooth (or you can leave it a little lumpy, if you prefer).

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or chill, but serve within 1-2 hours.

If you're not serving the guacamole immediately, place a piece of plastic wrap right on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate. This will keep it from oxidizing (turning brown). Avocado turns brown quickly when exposed to oxygen. The lemon juice in this recipe works as an anti-oxidant, but creating a physical barrier between the dip and the air will help keep it looking fresh until you're ready to serve it.

By the way, if you're wondering what to do with the beautiful, fresh rosemary from Silver Lake Farms, here's an easy way to use it:

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub 2 (or more) of your favorite potatoes and cut them into wedges. I like to leave the skins on, but you can peel them if you prefer. Place them in a medium bowl and toss them with 1-2 T olive oil, 1/2 t salt (or to taste), and 1 T snipped fresh rosemary (or to taste). You can snip the rosemary with any scissors. Snip just the green leaves, discard the woody stem. Spread out the potatoes on a baking sheet and place in a hot oven. Roast for about 35-40 minutes, until the potatoes wedges are golden brown. Serve hot.

Today's bounty included the following:

From Underwood Family Farms: Round orange carrots, green kale, candy beets, arugula, Easter radishes, red leaf lettuce, blood oranges, tangerines, strawberries, avocado, and candy spring onions.

From Sage Mountain Farms: Chantennay heirloom carrots, Seiss chard, baby celery, dandelion greens, white radishes, butter lettuce, and Italian green garlic.

From Silver Lake Farms: arugula, mustard, and radish microgreens and fresh rosemary.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Caprese Salad

Here's what Farmer John had for us in Silver Lake this week:

Oranges
Yellow summer squash
Celery
Carrots
Basil, mixed herbs or garlic chives
Roma tomatoes
Leaf lettuce
Purslane

And here's what Tara brought down from Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark:

Yellow watermelon
Butternut squash
Corn
Avocado
Carrots
Green pepper
Leaf lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
Cherokee heirloom tomatoes

And Silver Lake Farms provided delicious microgreens (radish and pak choi).

If you haven't enjoyed a delicious Caprese Salad yet this summer, now would be the perfect time. With the beautiful fresh green basil and plump cherokee tomatoes at today's pick-up, all you need to add is some fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for this great summer treat.

Caprese Salad is believed to have originated on the island of Capri and the green basil, white mozzarella, and red tomatoes are said to represent the colors of the Italian flag. But don't let that stop you from trying any number of variations such as exotic purple basil or the lovely golden cherry tomatoes that were available from our CSA today.

Great ingredients are key, and the mozzarella cheese is an important component of this dish. Be sure to get soft, fresh mozzarella, not the harder, drier kind you'd use on pizza. The best mozzarellas are made from water buffalo milk; however, there are some very fine cows milk mozzarellas, too.

The simplest way to make this great salad is to slice the mozzarella into thin rounds and slice the tomato cross-wise into slightly thicker rounds. Wash the basil and remove the basil leaves from the stems. [Compost the stems.] Using the largest basil leaves, arrange alternating pieces of mozzarella, tomato and basil in an overlapping layer on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's that easy.

If you want to get fancy, you can roast cherry tomatoes and use creamy burrata cheese; or you can cut the basil into thin strips and spread it over the salad. If you decide to roast the beautiful golden cherry tomatoes we got today, be sure to toss them in a little olive oil before popping them in the oven. I like to sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper before roasting, too.

However you decide to make your Caprese Salad, pour yourself a glass of wine, cut a couple of slices great bread, and enjoy the waning days of summer - they won't last long.

Enjoy!

Shelley

One more thing: If you're a real cheese-lover like me, you might get a kick out of a silly game called cheeseorfont. You guess whether a word is a cheese or a font. You can play this game at www.cheeseorfont.com. Have fun!