Fresh produce dishes to try

By Susan McClanahan

Fresh, new crop fruits and vegetables are just the best when the harvest starts coming in. There are very few fruits or vegetables our family does not particularly care for, but green peppers are one of those undesirable vegetables for myself and our children. Just about everything else is fair game for family meal time.

Here are a few recipes you might wish to try during this harvest of the garden's abundant crop.

Tomatoes, Okra and Bacon Side Dish

• 5 pieces of bacon, or more as desired, cut into small pieces
• 3 medium to large tomatoes, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 big handfuls of okra, diced (2 or 3 cups)
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy, turning as needed. Remove cooked bacon to paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Keep about 4 tablespoons of bacon grease in skillet. Place chopped onion into bacon grease and continue cooking over medium-high heat until onion is translucent. Add okra and tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until okra is tender. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper to taste. Remove to serving bowl and generously sprinkle crumbled bacon over top.

Grilled Street Corn

• 6 medium ears sweet corn
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Carefully peel back corn husks to within 1 inch of bottoms; remove silk. Rewrap corn in husks; secure with kitchen string. Rinse corn under water, moistening husks. Grill corn, covered, over medium heat 20 to 25 minutes or until tender, turning often.

In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients until blended. Cut string from corn and peel back husks. Spread corn with sour cream mixture. Yield: 6 servings.

Italian Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini

• 6 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each)
• 1 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each zucchini lengthwise in half. Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch shell; chop pulp. Place zucchini shells in a large microwave-safe dish. In batches, microwave, covered, on high 2 to 3 minutes, or oven bake until crisp-tender.

In a large skillet, cook sausage and zucchini pulp over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking sausage into crumbles; drain. Stir in tomatoes, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, herbs and pepper. Spoon into zucchini shells.

Place in two ungreased 13x9-inch baking dishes. Bake, covered, 15 to 20 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 to 8 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

Zucchini Corn Fritters

• 1 pound zucchini
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup whole kernel corn (fresh or frozen)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• Oil for frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, optional
• Sour cream, for topping, optional

To begin, shred up the zucchini and toss it in a mixing bowl. Add the fresh lemon zest, salt, pepper, parsley and garlic. Add the fresh or frozen whole kernel corn. In another small bowl, whisk 2 eggs well. Pour in the whisked eggs and stir this all together so everything is coated with the egg. Sprinkle the flour all over the mixture, then stir it all in. Mix until there are no lumps of flour.

In a skillet, heat about a quarter cup or so of oil over medium heat. You want the bottom of the skillet to have a thin layer of oil. When the skillet is ready, but not smoking, scoop the mixture by 1/4 cups at a time into the oil, creating little "piles." Allow it to sit there and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it is golden under there. Turn it over and cook on the other side until golden, around 2 to 3 minutes again. Place the cooked fritters on a platter lined with paper towels, and repeat with the remaining batter. Keep the fritters that are already cooked warm by setting your platter in a warm (not hot) oven while the others cook.

Serve them with some lemon wedges or sour cream if desired.

Fried Creamed Corn

• 12 ears fresh corn, cut from the cob and scraped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 6 slices bacon, cut in thirds and browned
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Brown the bacon in a cast-iron pan or heavy skillet on medium to medium-high heat until browned.

While the bacon is cooking, in a large bowl mix the corn, salt, black pepper, sugar and flour. Stir until mixed. Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside. Add the corn mixture and cook, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Halfway through, about 10 minutes, add the half-and-half and butter, and cook another few minutes before adding the bacon. Add the bacon and cook another 5 minutes until the bacon becomes heated again. Serve with your favorite meat, green vegetable and bread. Enjoy.

Old-Fashioned Blackberry Dumplings

• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 quarts blackberries

In a bowl, combine melted butter, milk, eggs, 1 cup sugar and vanilla.

In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to liquid and stir. Do not over-mix.

In large skillet, combine water, 2 1/2 cups sugar and blackberries. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens. Drop dumpling batter by the spoonful into blackberry mixture and cook dumplings until they rise. Test with fork to see if they are done. When fork comes out clean, remove dumplings and continue with remaining batter. Serve dumplings warm, topped with blackberry mixture. Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Fresh Blueberry Pie

• 5 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 double crust 9-inch pie crust
• 1 cup sugar
• 1â„2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Sprinkle berries with lemon juice; set aside.

Fit rolled-out bottom crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Combine 1 cup sugar and next two ingredients; add to berries, stirring well. Pour into pastry shell, and dot with butter. Roll out top crust and place pastry over filling; seal and crimp edges. Cut slits in top of crust to allow steam to escape.

Sprinkle top crust with sugar and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden. Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent over browning, if necessary. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.