Baby Magic and Vermont Summer Freshness

I'm helpless against her powers.

It's not normal for someone living in Vermont to spend as much time as I have in Florida, during what is arguably one of the best months this state has to offer. However, the lure of a newborn niece, my sister's first born, is a force that will not be ignored.

I first went down to visit during the last week of June into the first week of July. Eight days in the heat of Tampa and that baby refused to show up on time. In fact, she waited until the day I was scheduled to depart to mobilize. My plane was touching down in VT as my baby niece, Miss Wesley Sienna Gendron, made her debut into the world. A flurry of photos from my sister and brother-in-law had me booking a plane back to Florida the following weekend. That little newborn baby has an awful lot of power. She will surely use it for evil and I will be forced to buy her anything and everything her little heart desires. (So many outfits!)

I mean c'mon, look at this little monkey!

By the time I got back to Vermont (for the second time) I had missed 3 weeks of Farmer's Markets and my own garden was beginning to burst. I could not wait to get my hands on some fresh Vermont veggies and fruits and get back in my kitchen, creating the meals I love to eat. The meals that sing with fresh summer flavor. It's prime summertime in Vermont and I'm going to eat it all up!

Melon and Prosciutto Salad with feta and mint
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 ripe honeydew melon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
1 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil


Prep
1. Cut melon into thin slices or scoop into balls using a melon baller. Toss melon in a bowl with the fresh lemon juice. Arrange melon on a platter.

2. Sprinkle with prosciutto slices, fresh mint, and crumbled feta. Top with freshly cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

3. Serve immediately.


Sunshine Risotto

Serves 4-6

*You can substitute any wild mushrooms, but the chanterelles help with the sunshiney effect of this risotto. It makes a great side dish for roast chicken or salmon or nice as a vegetarian main.

Ingredients
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup minced shallot (about 3 shallots)
1 lb chanterelle mushrooms
1 pound baby summer squash (mixed varieties), chopped
Salt to taste
1 ½ cups arborio or carnaroli rice
2 garlic cloves minced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prep
1. Put stock into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat.

2. Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and squash and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are softened slightly, about five minutes.

3. Stir in the rice and the garlic, and stir until the grains begin to crackle. Add the wine, and stir until it has been absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until the rice is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion, stirring in more stock when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often.

4. When the rice is tender all the way through but still chewy, in about 25 minutes, it is done. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and Parmesan. Remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn’t). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates.