Summer: Roasted eggplant with lemon-garlic yogurt and roasted cherry tomatoes, plus 3 great salads

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Market to Table with Steven Satterfield

In this installment of Market to Table with Steven Satterfield, the head chef of Miller Union and author of Root to Leaf takes us to Freedom Farmers Market, where he finds plump eggplants, vibrant tomatoes, and crisp beans. Serve these vegetable-driven dishes as a side course—or all four for a summer feast.

Roasted eggplant with lemon-garlic yogurt and roasted cherry tomatoes

Market to Table with Steven SatterfieldIngredients
1 cup of Atlanta Fresh plain Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, grated
Zest of half of a lemon
3 medium-sized eggplants, halved and scored (see instructions below)
1 pint of Sun Gold cherry tomatoes
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Red-veined sorrel leaves (or another herb of your choice for garnish)
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place the yogurt in a small mixing bowl. Add the grated garlic and lemon zest. Lightly season the garlic and lemon zest with a pinch of salt, then stir to incorporate. Set aside.

Cut the eggplants lengthwise. With the tip of a knife, deeply score the flesh of the eggplant in a criss-cross pattern, taking care not cut through the skin. With one hand, press on either end of the eggplant halves to open the slits of the scored flesh. With the other hand, season the flesh with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drizzle liberally with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the flesh is tender and the top is crispy.

While the eggplant halves are baking, arrange the tomatoes in a separate baking dish in a single layer and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to coat. Season lightly with salt and top with fresh thyme sprigs. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the skins pop and the tomatoes deflate slightly. Pull the leaves from the sprigs of thyme and sprinkle them over the cooked tomatoes then set aside.

To assemble, place the eggplant halves onto a platter. Place a dollop of yogurt on each half, equally distributing the yogurt amongst the 6 pieces. Top with the roasted tomatoes and drizzle each half with any remaining pan juices. Garnish with sorrel and cracked-black pepper and serve.

Serves 6

 

Arugula, fresh fig salad, Surryano ham & snap beans.

Market to Table with Steven SatterfieldIngredients
1/2 pound assorted snap beans (yellow wax beans, pole beans, green beans, or a mix)
1 pint of fresh figs
Maldon Salt
Honey to drizzle
4 thin slices of Edwards Surryano Ham (Prosciutto or Serrano style ham can be substituted)
1 handful fresh basil leaves
1 bunch of arugula, washed and dried

Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Prepare a salted ice bath in a separate bowl. One batch at a time, drop in the beans and cook until desired texture, anywhere from 20 to 40 seconds. Remove the beans from the pot and place into an ice bath. Stir well to redistribute the beans. This will stop the cooking process and set the color of the beans.

Remove the tops and stems of the figs and halve. Arrange around the rim of a plate and lightly season each one with Maldon salt.

Remove the beans from the ice bath and pat dry. Gather a mix of the beans and bundle them together with your hands. Wrap each bundle of beans with a slice of the ham and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, juice from 1/2 lemon, and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the basil leaves and arugula. Toss the greens with the dressing and then place in the center of the plate, inside the arranged figs. Place the ham bundles around the greens. To serve, drizzle honey around the plate onto both the figs and the greens.

Serves 4

 

Field pea & peanut salad with ricotta, tomato & pepper

Market to Table with Steven SatterfieldIngredients

1 cup each blanched pink-eyed peas, crowder peas
1 cup shelled boiled peanuts
2 medium-sized tomatoes
2 medium sweet peppers
Salt
1 cup lemon ricotta (recipe below)
1 cup crunchy roasted peanuts (recipe below)
Sherry Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together blanched pink-eyed peas, crowder peas, and boiled peanuts and toss with the sherry vinaigrette. Set aside.

Coat your hands in olive oil and rub tomatoes and peppers. Grill for 2 minutes and flip, until lightly charred. Tomatoes will cook faster (remove when the skins start to burst). The peppers will take longer, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Let cool before removing the skins. Rough chop and toss with the legumes.

Mix 1/2 teaspoon of zest into the ricotta and spread the mixture on a plate. Spoon over the pea mixture and finish with toasted crunchy peanuts.

Serves 4

Crunchy toasted peanuts

Ingredients
1 cup blanched peanuts (parcooked and skins removed, can be purchased this way)
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Heat oven to 300F. Toss the peanuts with oil and salt and spread onto a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast peanuts for 15-20 minutes or until golden and crisp. When cool, pulse in the food processor to chop.

Sherry Vinaigrette

Ingredients
6 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons amontillado sherry
4 garlic cloves, halved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Black pepper, 10 turns from a pepper mill
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the sherry vinegar, sherry, and garlic and marinate for 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove and discard the garlic, then whisk in the salt, mustard, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking, and continue to whisk until emulsified. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks

Makes about 1 cup

Homemade Lemon Ricotta

Ingredients
1/2 cup lemon juice, plus the zest from those lemons
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
6 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream

Instructions
Combine the juice and zest of the lemons, then strain the juice into a small bowl, removing the zest. Press the zest against the bottom of the strainer to extract the lemon oils, then discard the zest. Dissolve the salt into the lemon juice. Combine the milk and cream together in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon and salt mixture. Do not stir.

Place the pan on a burner and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook until the milk mixture just begins to simmer, then remove the pan from the heat. Let sit until the mixture reaches room temperature. If there is not a noticeable break—meaning the curds separating from the whey—then just add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice to facilitate.

Line a strainer basket with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl or other container. Using a ladle, gently press down against the curds and remove the whey. Pour as much of the whey as possible through the cheesecloth first. Then remove the curds and any remaining liquid from the pan and place in the cheesecloth to drain. Let drain for 1 hour and check for consistency. For a firmer cheese, let drain longer and for a creamier cheese, remove when desired texture is achieved. Reserve whey for later use.

 

Watermelon salad with feta, purslane, and hot chili vinaigrette

Market to Table with Steven SatterfieldIngredients
1 seedless, baby watermelon, cubed
6 Shishito peppers
Purslane
1 cup of Feta cheese
2 small Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 serrano chilis
Sherry vinaigrette

Instructions
In a small skillet over medium-high heat, roast the peppers in olive oil until skins are slightly blistered. Salt and set aside.

Halve a seedless watermelon and cut into cubes. Halve chilis and add to sherry vinaigrette. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Place the watermelon cubes on a plate. Toss purslane with dressing and then with feta cheese before adding to watermelon. Garnish with whole peppers on the side.

View more videos of Satterfield cooking his seasonal recipes, including a vibrant asparagus dish

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