When the summer starts waning, but tomatoes are still bursting our of boxes at the farmers market, and we’ve tired of caprese salad, and sliced tomato sandwiches, I fire up the oven and roast them. There really are no hard and fast rules to this, but here’s what I’ve found to work. Gather tomatoes.  I often ask for “seconds” (imperfect tomatoes) at the farmers market, which they’ll gladly unload for next to nothing. These are perfect for roasting.

Although I didn't personally know Sheila Lukins, I feel like I did, as I have been cooking out of her cookbook, The Silver Palate since 1984, when my parents gave me a copy for college graduation. Sheila Lukins died a couple days ago from brain cancer. I heard it in the morning on NPR. They interviewed Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of the radio show, The Splendid Table about Sheila and why her book, written with Julee Rosso had been so groundbreaking. Lynne said it was the new Joy of Cooking to a whole generation of cooks who were exploring ethnic foods. Indeed I had many "firsts" through the Silver Palate—my first pesto, my first pizza, and my first chili.

I also had many seconds and thirds and fourths. So many, in fact that that original copy is now in 4 pieces with no binding and I’m onto my second copy. It’s also riddled with notes about bake times, when I served it, who liked it, why it wasn’t good, how I modified it and what it needed more of. I’ve always felt like a cookbook should be a diary of sorts— I love the thought of my kids pulling it out to find a note about the brownies we had on their 4^th birthday. The book isn't without flaws.  The Glazed Lemon Cake has an editor's omission mark through it, and the words "fell, don't make again."  But these are outweighed by notes to the effect of that on the Banana Cake, marked with a "great!" and the Peach Cake, marked with an "excellent!" The chili and molasses cookies and Spicy Tomato Sauce are conspicuously missing, because they're in my “master” recipe folder reserved for regulars. Indeed my kids have grown up on their molasses cookies, and they’re still my gold standard—thin, crisp and chewy with just the right amount of spice.

But as I sit here paging through the book, I'm reminded of how absolutely timeless it is. I happen upon Lentil and Walnut Salad, one I never made, and prop the book open in my cookbook stand.........destined to be a new classic no doubt.  Thank you Sheila--you've provided us with the best legacy possible--a lifetime of delicious memories. You indeed had a silver palate.

Here is the Chicken Marbella recipe, which I came to later in life, but love just as well. It’s possibly the recipe she’s known best for.

Chicken Marbella

This was the first main-course dish to be offered at The Silver Palate shop, in New York City, and the distinctive flavors of the prunes, olives and capers kept it a favorite for years. It's good hot or at room temperature.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 dried bay leaves
1 head garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 chickens (2 1/2 pounds each), quartered
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, finely chopped

1. In a large bowl, combine olives oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large shallow baking dishes and spoon marinade over top evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
4. Bake 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at the thickest part, yield a clear yellow (rather than pink) liquid.
5. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle with parsley. Pour remaining pan juices into a sauce boat.
Note: To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring pieces to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerated, reheat it in juices, then allow it to come to room temperture before serving. Spoon some reserved juice over chicken. Serves 10 to 12.

Recipe courtesy of The Silver Palate Cookbook, 25th Anniversary Edition, by Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins (Workman Publishing, March 2007.)

Peaches have been great this year—particularly the ones from Alabama (one thing the state excels in). But, my kids don’t like the fuzz on peaches, so in order to get them to eat them, they either have to be peeled, or appear in the form of a pie or cobbler. The former is easier, so usually what I opt for. Every time I peel a peach I’m amazed. The way their skins easily slip off after a quick blanch, revealing their smooth, yellow and blush colored flesh is a thing of beauty. In case you’re not familiar with this technique, you simple bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the peaches, and wait a minute or two. Remove the peaches from the hot water with a slotted spoon and drop into a sink full of cold, icy water. Wait 5 minutes then slip the skins off the peaches.  Then, make a pie, or eat over the sink, or admire them piled up in a bowl. Here’s a sneak peak at a fabulous peach raspberry cobbler slated for an issue next year and an easy peach crisp.

Easy Peach Crisp

To peel peaches, drop them into boiling water for about a minute. Remove to a sink full of ice water. The skins will slip off easily.

Ingredients

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
7 cups sliced peeled peaches (about 3 pounds)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Combine 1/2 cup flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or your hands until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Combine sliced peaches and 2 tablespoons flour in a bowl; toss gently. Spoon peach mixture into a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake 45 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Serves 6.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 240 calories, 8g fat, 3g prot., 42g carbs., 3g fiber, 55mg sodium.

OK OK, so I should have picked the squash a lot sooner. but it just kind of crept up on me, or the garden I should say. I had two of them the size of the one I'm holding in the photo.  I cut one in half lengthwise, scooped out the pulp, sauteed it with onion, garlic, basil and tomatoes, piled it back in the zucchini "boat", topped it with feta cheese and baked it. The filling was delicious (even my kids loved it), but unfortunately the "boat" never got tender. I think once a squash gets this big, it's gone. Here are couple other recipes using squash.What good ideas do you have for a monster zuchini?

Garlicky Grilled Pattypan Squash

With their scalloped edges and round shape, pattypan squash are perfect for the grill

Nutritional Information Per serving: 120 calories, 8g fat, 0mg chol., 4g prot., 11g carbs., 4g fiber, 250mg sodium.

Summer Vegetables with Olive Oil and Italian Herbs

It’s almost a tradition now that we have a pizza party for my daughter’s birthday. I make the dough ahead, and get all sorts of toppings ready, then the girls shape the dough, and get creative. Problem is, despite the array of toppings on display (feta, grilled vegetables, olives, pesto….) they always go for the tomato sauce first, then the cheese, then the pepperoni. This year, they branched out a bit-one girl even put a few Cheetos on her pizza, which was not the type of “branching out” I had in mind. Nonetheless, they love making pizza as most of them don’t cook much at home. You can learn a lot about girls from a pizza party—like who takes charge, who pairs up with who, who is most creative…etc. Of course my daughter, being the social butterfly, talked more than anything else….but then again, she gets to make pizza all the time. I made a great pizza, which I’d definitely make again. It was; crust, Provolone cheese, grilled patty pan and zucchini squash, pesto, chopped fresh tomato, feta and Romano cheese. After the pizza it was on to the play Fame, staged by a local theatre group. The girls loved it and sang all the way home to get cake…but that’s another blog.

The girls getting down to it.

Two pizzas

Another pizza

So the Relish garden is in full swing. In fact it's pretty close to being a jungle. How exciting it is to pick okra, green beans, eggplant, zucchini, and basil. The tomatoes are taking their time, but there are plenty to be had from the neighboring plots. The motto of the garden is one of fellowship and community. So, if you see produce that needs to be picked, you do. If a garden needs water, you do that too. As a result, the garden thrived while I was in Israel for 10 days. And there's an abundance of veggies there all the time. One of the most delightful things about the garden has been all the beautiful squash blossoms, which I've never grown before. Which also leads me to the squash, which leads me to the fact that I waited much too long to pick it and now have 2 4-pound monster zucchini squash on my kitchen counter. What do you do with those? Anyone got any ideas? In the meantime, here is a terrific okra dish my kids love.

Quick Okra Sauté

Mark Boughton

 add to my recipe box

So it’s our last day in Israel, Tel Aviv to be exact. We spent the day wandering through the lanes of Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv’s oldest neighborhood. We visited the former home of one of the founders of the Neve Tzedek restored by his granddaughter, who is also a famous artist. I fell in love with her sculptures of these charming, elfish women (below), and also the paintings of Nahum Gutmann, one of Israel’s most famous painters.  

But on to the important things—lunch, specifically shawarma, the national dish of the Arabs. Shawarma stands dot the city, and we stopped at what we were told is one of the best. In Israel each vendor makes his own Shawarma. Israel shawarma is made from turkey with lamb fat added. The marinated meat is sliced and stacked in a large rotating skewer that roasts the meat on the outside. (Definitely not something one would make at home). It is then shaved and stuffed into a pita with, what else, hummus, pickles, tahini and of all things French fries.  I bypassed the fries and stuck to the hummus.

Our bon voyage dinner consisted of shakshuka, the Iraqi dish we had seen all over Israel, particularly for breakfast. It was at the famous restaurant Doctor Shakshukas in the old city of Jaffa. It’s a wild, cavernous place half inside, half outside that resembles a flea market more than a restaurant. Shakshuka consists of eggs, tomatoes and hot sauce and watching the cooks make it was something… Shakshuka is something you can make at home.  

If you’re an NPR junkie like I am, you’ll love the new book All Cakes Considered. All Things Considered producer, Melissa Gray started baking cakes to bring in the office every Monday. She discovered, (as we all know), that coworkers will eat anything, even crappy-boxed cake. But coming from a line of bakers (and Southern ones at that) Melissa knew she could do better, so she challenged herself to bring in a different cake every Monday—no box mixes, no margarine, no faux sugar and no repeats. The result of many “cake Mondays’ is this delightful book, with all the personality, wit, charm and smarts of NPR. Every recipe has a story, and the recipes come from just about anywhere—from her Grandma Gray, to professional baker Dorie Greenspan to Martha Washington (George’s wife). Melissa describes her exploits along the way in such fun, it makes you want to bake or read more. Here’s her Man-Catcher Cake….” I call this cake the Man Catcher, because really, no man can resist it. Oh, he might be able to resist YOU, but not this cake. “ Hysterical and sassy, I’ll keep this book just for the stories…and maybe for a few recipes too—like the Salty Oatmeal Cookies, which I plan to make this week.

It's Day 4 of my trip to Israel and ......I'm stuffed. When people find out you're a food journalist, it's only natural they want to feed you. So on day 4 we had not 2, or 3, but 6 meals, each one comprised of the classic dishes of Israel--lots of salads, hummus, and falafel. It's typical for them to bring out anywhere from 3 to 6 little bowls of vegetable salads. And in our case, this number usually increased to 8. What you will find is: roasted peppers, chopped salad of tomatoes,onions and cucumber, grilled eggplant in tahini sauce, hummus, pita bread, zucchini, pickled carrots, tabouleh, babaganoush, ..among others. Today we had a lunch in Tiberius, the coastal town Jesus lived in for part of his life. I can't even begin to remember what all the dishes were, but it was truly comical to look at the table littered with probably 15 bowls of food--all very delicious. We finished it off with Turkish coffee and mint tea. On to day 5....after a run on the beach.

 Day 3 

It's the third day of my trip to Israel. And as press trips go, we've packed about as much into each day as possible. From the Dead Sea  we took a cable car up to  Masada, the ruins of King Herrods palace in the desert.  Then we headed north to the Sea of Galilee. There we went to a kibbutz on the water, that specializes in St. Peter's fish (another name for tilapia). They fry it whole--head and all, and serve with a variety of salads and of course hummus. Very tasty. It's a shame Americans are so squeamish about fish with its head on as this was a great way to eat it.

As it is almost 100 degrees here, one of the things I've enjoyed the most is the abundance of fresh squeezed orange juice. Stands will big piles of oranges just waiting to be manually squeezed are everywhere--particularly in Jerusalem and all the open air markets. 

Next it's off to more ruins, and Tel Aviv.