Garden Recipes: Shrimp and Green Peach Salad

Stone fruits are in season! Arugula is going wild in the garden!  If you have a peach tree, it’s hard to wait for all of them to ripen. We made this for my 92-year old mom and she loved it too.

SHRIMP AND GREEN PEACH SALAD

Serves 2-4

1 pound small or medium wild-caught shrimp, cleaned
1/2 c dried chorizo , cut into 1/8″ slices
1/2 c mayonnaise
1  large clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 handfuls baby arugula
2 1/2 pounds unripe peaches , sliced
2 T mint, chopped

Bring a medium saucepan filled with heavily salted water to a boil.  Add the shrimp and turn off the heat.  Let the shrimp rest in the water for 3 minutes, then drain and run under cold water for 15 seconds.  Slice into 1/4″ pieces.

Whisk together mayonnaise, garlic and lemon and add salt if you wish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine shrimp, chorizo, scallions and half the mayonnaise mixture.  Taste and adjust seasoning, add more mayonnaise mixture if necessary.

Make a bed of arugula on each plate, then a layer of unripe peach slices and mound the shrimp salad on top.   This is also great as a sandwich filling using a Ciabatta.

Photo Credit: Peach, Creative Commons, Unripe peach by Mary Madigan is licensed under CC by 2.0 

GARDEN COCKTAILS: A METHOD FOR ENJOYING MORE SUMMER

If you were smart and planted watermelon vines in your garden, your summer is about to become even more exceptional.  A farmers’ market is another way to fulfill your summer watermelon dreams, but either way this remarkable summer drink invented by our daughter, Daisy Ryan, will be a great accompaniment to evening garden-gazing.  Do not hesitate to substitute vodka or gin.

WATERMELON TOSS

1 ½ oz blanco tequila
2 oz fresh watermelon juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
Pinch cayenne
1 tsp pickling liquid from watermelon pickles

Garnish: watermelon pickle
Put all ingredients (except the watermelon pickle) in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice, shake, and pour over ice in a double rocks glass and garnish with the watermelon pickle on a pick.  Go outside, sit down and drink it while the sun turns the sky the same color as your drink.

Watermelon Juice

Cut rind off watermelon, including ¼” of the pink flesh, put aside.  Juice ½ of the melon at a time in a blender until it turns to juice and strain it.  Add simple syrup and salt to taste

Watermelon Pickles

Reserved watermelon rind
3 c champagne vinegar
2 c water
1 c sugar
½ c pink peppercorns
¼ t cayenne pepper

Using a sharp knife, cut the rind into lengthwise strips including ¼” of an inch of the pink flesh. Cut into ½” squares.  Heat the vinegar, water, sugar, pink peppercorns and cayenne.  When it comes to a boil,  pour over the rind, let it cool then refrigerate for 24 hours.