CSA Share Week 7 and Summer Pie

Woo-wee! It is getting to be something around here.

This week's box of goodies contains:

Sweet Corn (fresh picked corn on the cob!!)
Blueberries
Peaches
Currants
Gooseberries
Kale
Kohlrabi
Green Beans
Summer Squash
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Collards
Garlic
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Sugar Peas
Cucumbers
Sugar Plums

I am canning peaches and peach salsa this afternoon and am going to pickle some cauliflower as well. I now have two heads of cabbage so I'm thinking of coleslaw this weekend. The beans, tomatoes, peas and other greens we will eat fresh. Same goes for the blueberries and any peaches left from canning (there should be about a half of a dozen left). I am going to make a currant sauce for some duck breasts I have which will be dinner Monday or Tuesday. The gooseberries will keep in the freezer for sauce at another date. Since this is the last of the currants and gooseberries (it is just too hot) I'll feel good having some 'on hand' in the freezer.

Now about all these summer squashes coming into being. I made this pie last year and it was a hit, I've tweaked it a little bit over the winter and think it will be even better this time around.

Enjoy. And don't forget to visit a local farm this weekend, buy something new and send me an email at thegoodcooknj@comcast.net for Ask Me Monday. Who knows, come Monday evening dinner you could just fall in love with a brand new fruit or vegetable dish.

Summer Pie  serves 8.

2 baby yellow squash

2 baby zucchini

1 red bell pepper

1/2 sweet onion (such as Vidalia)

3 ounces Goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thinly

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper
1 cup marina sauce (optional)

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups flour (I use 3/4 cup white and 3/4 cup whole wheat, but you can use all white if you want)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

3 tablespoons shortening, cold

3 tablespoons ice water

Place flour, salt, pepper, butter and shortening in food processor. Process until it looks like cornmeal. Add ice water, process until dough forms ball. Shape into disk and refrigerate 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out dough and fit into a 9 inch pie plate.

Filling:

Using a mandolin (or if you have really good knife skills) slice squashes 1/8 inch thick.

Slice onion into half moons

Slice red pepper into very thin strips.

Place goat cheese crumbles and basil in bottom of pie crust. Lay tomato slices over goat cheese and basil. Arrange vegetables around edge of pie shell, 2 yellow, 2 green, 2 red pepper, 2 onion slices. Repeat around pie, continue in middle until shell is filled. It will look like this:

Drizzle olive oil over top, season with salt and pepper and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until crust is golden and squashes are soft. Serve with warmed marina sauce on the side that can be spooned over the warm slices of pie. Can be enjoyed warm or at room temp. 

The best part besides being colorful and nutritious? It's only 245 calories per slice when cut into 8 wedges.