Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving so the flavors have a chance to blend.
Cut up all your veggies into what ever shape you like, making sure they fit into the jar that you will pickle them in.
In a medium sized saucepan add vinegar, sugar, lemon peel and salt; bring to a slow boil, whisk until all the sugar is dissolved,
Wash a quart canning jar and fill with hot water. Let stand while you are bringing the brine to a boil.
Once the sugar has dissolved in the brine, pour the water out of the jar and fill with veggies. Pour the brine over them, let cool, then cap and refrigerate.
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My summer pantry is usually a little lighter than my winter pantry as I use far more fresh ingredients, mostly from my kitchen garden. The French Nicoise Salad is one of my favorites and I like using whatever fresh veggies I find at the local farmers market or in my garden. As in most cases, the quality of ingredients that you use are directly reflected in the finished dish, therefore buy the best that you can afford. I use Italian tuna in olive oil; I love the Genova brand from Italy. Please don’t use all white tuna packed in water, as it has no flavor, better to leave it out. I drain most of the oil from the canned tuna, reserving it for use in making the salad dressing.
Another way to dress up the dish for a hot summer evening entree is to grill some fresh tuna or shrimp from your fishmonger. This recipe makes a beautifully plated salad for a buffet table but can be individually plated as well. Be creative and use what you have on hand.
This salad is great for adapting to whatever you find in your pantry and/or refrigerator. Left over vegetables from last night’s dinner work great; keep your pantry stocked with jars of olives, tuna, hearts of palm, baby corn or a myriad of other staples. Change the tuna; use bay shrimp, scallops, last nights chicken or steak. A great salad to stretch your creative talents!
Make the vinaigrette:
In a large bowl make the vinaigrette by whisking together the vinegar and
Dijon mustard. Add shallot, parsley and salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil, while whisking into vinegar mixture. Re-season if necessary.
Blanch the beans in boiling salted water, drain, and chill.
Cook the potatoes in salted water just until they are tender through, about 15 minutes. Drain. Peel them, if desired, as soon as they are cool enough to handle.
Hard boil eggs by covering eggs with cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and time for 15 minutes, plunge into ice water and chill.
Drain tuna, leaving a small amount of oil clinging to fish, and reserving drained oil, flake tuna into a medium mixing bowl.
Toss mixed greens with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Plate salad by putting a mound of tuna in the center of the mixed greens and surround with remaining ingredients, drizzle a little dressing over vegetables and serve extra dressing on the side.
Save any remaining vinaigrette and store in glass jar, refrigerated for up to 4 weeks.
Two or more plant types as to be beneficial to each other. Companion planting will help with pest control, higher yields, healthier soil and to keep weeds away.
Some flowers (marigolds, nasturtiums) can act as trap crops to attract insects away from vegetable crops. Aromatic herbs (basil, rosemary, lavender, sage) repel many insects away from more susceptible plants (tomatoes)
Umbel flowers, dill, fennel, parsley attract beneficial insects to the garden. The large flower heads provide a place where they beneficials can land and rest while they feed. Be sure to plant extra around the garden and let them go to seed. You may get some volunteers the next year (from all the seed flying around) but you can just dig those up and transplant them, free plants!
Here are some classic combinations.
3 sisters, corn, beans, squash. Plant corn and beans first, squash a couple of weeks later; beans feed nitrogen into the soil for both corn and squash, the squash leaves will protect the shallow roots of the corn and beans will grow up the corn stalks.
Basil and tomatoes are a classic example of companion planting. Plant carrots around the base of the tomatoes, they’ll be ready for harvest before the tomato plants go wild. No brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts) with tomatoes. No peppers or eggplant near or within the last year in the same spot. They are in the same family and can transfer soil born diseases.
Plant some of the umbel plants near tomatoes for help with hornworm which helps attract parasitic wasps and their larvae will feed on the hornworms.
Beans and potatoes.
While these grow together well don’t plant the beans near the corn as we talked about before. Another row of beans never hurt to have around so plant away from the squash and plant with potatoes. Potato doesn’t like squash, cucumbers or sunflowers.
Lettuce and radish
Both with tolerate less sun than 6 hrs. and the radish will be ready to harvest before lettuce starts getting big, neither one likes the heat.
Sunflowers & Pumpkins
A natural combination that get along well
California Avocados
I have a love affair with California avocados, ever since I was a little girl, I could never get enough. My grandmother used to feed us mashed avocado on toast with a little salt and pepper every day during the season and it is still my favorite for breakfast! Or even a little snack.
A couple of weeks ago I went to visit an avocado farm, but not just any farm, Holtz Family Avocado Farm in Escondido. Their forest of avocado trees is just so beautiful; it’s so inspiring just to walk the grove. Growing these avocados is a three-year process from budding the growth to blooming and then a year for the fruit to ripen. You can see the baby avocados, which will be ready for next years harvest, hanging on a tree right next to the avocados that are being picked for this years harvest. Avocados like to grow up in the light and when the trees get too tall it can be dangerous picking but the farm hands are experienced and work with the family year round.
The Holtz family grow mostly Hass avocados but some Reeds as well and they have a unique way of getting great avocados directly to you, they pick them at the perfect time and then ship them to you in their specially designed boxes. All avocados are hand picked and shipped the same day; the ripening comes on your end with easy step by step instructions that are enclosed in your ‘Hand Grown in California’ avocado box. Simple, easy and delicious California avocados can be ordered from their website, California Avocados Direct.
And for inspiration on recipes, stories and life on an avocado ranch visit Mimi’s blog at Mimi Avocado; tell her Chef Debbi sent you!
Use California avocados in Chef Debbi’s Gazpacho recipe! Gazpacho recipe here.
Serves 2-4
1 small red onion
2 small cucumbers
2 ribs celery
1 small jalapeno, optional
1 roasted red bell pepper
6 medium tomatoes
1 cup French bread, cut into cubes and soaked in a little water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, zested
1 Tablespoon lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ Hass avocado, chopped
Rough chop the vegetables and add to a blender, for a chunkier texture process in a food processor instead of a blender.
Squeeze the water from the French bread cubes and add to a blender along with the vegetables. Add olive oil and vinegar and blend to a puree. Season with salt, pepper (if needed), lemon juice, zest and Worcestershire sauce. Refrigerate over night for best flavor.
To serve, check for seasoning again before pouring into a bowl. Garnish the top of the soup with the chopped avocado.
Goes very well with a nicely toasted slice of cheesy garlic bread.
