Edible Columbus - Ohio Summer on a Plate

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at an Edible Columbus cooking class, Ohio Summer on a Plate, Tricia Wheeler, editor of the Edible Columbus magazine. Everything she cooked for us was delicious!


The first dish she served us was a watermelon salad alongside corn soup.

Rhoades Farm Watermelon Salad
Sliced watermelon
Wayward seed red onions (or if using regular red onions, soak in water for a while before adding)
Fresh garden mint and chives
Cracked Pepper and salt
3 tbsp local honey
Fresh squeezed juice of one lime
Feta cheese

Whisk together lime juice, honey, salt and pepper. Arrange sliced watermelon, onion, mint and chives on plate. Drizzle with dressing before serving,m season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Summer Corn Soup
8 cobs fresh shucked sweet corn
1/2 can coconut milk
2 cups corn stock
Handful of basil
1 medium diced white onion

Shuck sweet corn. Simmer cobs covered n water for about an hour (you can freeze corn stock - it is great added to soups throughout the tear. Saute onion until translucent - add sweet corn, saute for a few more minutes. Add coconut milk and a few ladles of corn stock. Add basil leaves. Cook for about 10 minutes. Take basil leaves out. Puree half of soup in a food processor or blender. Add pureed soup back to chunky soup in pot. Heat for a few minutes - garnish with basil.

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The main course that came after this was delicious. Next, we were served pesto pasta with seasonal vegetables. A great bit of advice that I got was to buy a variety of squash, onions, beans and other vegetables at the beginning of the week, cut them all up into similar sizes and shapes, put in a ziploc bag, and add a little olive oil and balsamic, if desired. Then, they will be ready to go anytime during the week - they can be roasted in the oven or cooked on a skillet, and can be added to pasta, used in vegetable sandwiches, or eaten as a side dish.

Summer Garden Vegetable Pasta with Basil Pesto
Selection of summer vegetables - squash, zucchini, baby eggplant, onions, peppers, beans, and any other in season vegeatables
3 garlic cloves
Large punch of basil
1/2 cup pine nut (toasted)
Good freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
Good quality pasta (she used orecchiette)
Roasted Red Pepper Coulis (to top pasta)
1 red pepper
2 shallots, minced
Cayenne pepper
Smoked paprika

Cut vegetables in similar sizes and shapes. Heat olive oil in heavy skillet (cast iron is best!). Saute vegetables for about 8-10 minutes on medium low heat. Cook pasta according to instructions. Make pesto - best to use a mortar and pestle, alternative chop of food process the following ingredients - basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. The trick is to chop or process each ingredient individually, and then combine them.

To make the roasted red pepper coulis, roast peppers on stove burner, until charred on each side - place in paper bag, and then peel off charred skin. Combine with shallots, a tablespoon of water, cayenne and smoked paprika to taste in food processor. Add salt to taste. Garnish pasta with red pepper coulis.

We were also given a Jeni's ice cream recipe for the Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World... but I think I'll hold out on that one for a little longer!