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5A Wednesday, June 19, 2013 – Daily News County Fare & tasty fresh When summer is still young, zucchini doesn't get old By Joe Yonan The Washington Post. Smoked salmon waffles with wasabi yogurt By Bonnie S. Benwick The Washington Post "Warm smoked salmon is pretty awesome," says Bart Vandaele. The Belgian-born chef-owner of Washington's Belga Cafe and the new B Too was referring to the clever way he has managed to bring that to customers' attention: inside a waffle made of puff pastry. We agree. It takes hardly any time to put together. Vandaele has been serving smoked salmon waffles, called gerookte zalmwafeltjes in Belgium, at Belga for about six years. At B Too, he has kicked up the presentation with wasabi-flavored yogurt. The restaurant roasts its own tomatoes (romas, peeled), which are soft and offer deeply concentrated, almost-tomato-paste flavor. On a high-powered, commercial-quality Belgian waffle iron, the chef's smoked salmon waffles took about 6 minutes. A key point in the cooking: He gave the puff pastry room to do its thing by propping open the waffle iron with a sideways spoon. That worked for us at home as well, but our waffle irons don't put out enough heat to cook the puff pastry through. So this recipe calls for finishing them in the oven; marked with the waffle-iron grid, the effect is the same as on the lovely golden specimens you see in the accompanying photos. It's preferable to use a large waffle iron designed to make Belgian or deep waffles. But with a bit of judicious trimming around the edges, you can make these puff pastry packets fit into just about any large waffle iron. To turn this recipe into hors d'oeuvres, see the VARIATION below. Small portions will make this dish less of a nutritional splurge. Serve with a salad of arugula and fresh herbs. The chef recommends a hoppy, fresh beer pairing such as Poperings Hommel Ale or a Belgian saison. Smoked Salmon Waffles With Wasabi Yogurt 4 servings Ingredients One 10-by-10-inch frozen Dufour brand puff pastry sheet 2 or 3 stems dill 8 to 10 fresh chives 2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream 4 to 6 oven-roasted or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, preferably peeled 4 to 8 ounces good-quality thinly sliced smoked salmon Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup low-fat Greek-style yogurt 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste (may substitute 1/4 teaspoon powdered wasabi) Steps Cover a cutting board with parchment or wax paper. Lay the puff pastry sheet flat on the paper; the dough should be cold but not stiff. From the way it was folded, the puff pastry sheet will have four quadrants; each of those will become one portion. Heat the waffle iron; use a little cooking spray if needed. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and have a baking sheet at hand. Finely chop the dill fronds and chives, then whisk them together with the sour cream in a small bowl. Spoon 4 dollops on one of the pastry sheets, positioned slightly offcenter in each of the quadrants. (You will be folding over the dough to create sealed packets.) Pull apart the tomatoes into bite-size pieces, laying them on top of each portion of herbed sour cream. Use the smoked salmon to completely cover each pile. Sprinkle lightly with pepper, then use a Microplane zester to grate a little lemon zest over the salmon. Use a sharp knife to divide and separate the 4 pieces of puff pastry. Dampen your fingertip with a little water, then use it to wet the pastry around the filling on each one. Fold over the dough on each portion, using your thumb to form a wide seal around the edges. Place one or two sealed puff pastry packets on the waffle iron. Use a heatproof spoon to keep the waffle iron from closing all the way; you're looking to create no more than a half-inch gap; this will allow the puff pastry to expand as it cooks. After 3 to 5 minutes, the waffles should be slightly puffed. You may need to cook them a bit longer, still using the spoon to partially open the waffle iron. Carefully transfer the waffles to the baking sheet; bake for 10 to 15 minutes. The waffles are done when the edges are slightly caramelized and the pastry is golden brown. While the waffles are in the oven, repeat the waffle-iron process with the remaining two sealed puff pastry packets. As soon as they are ready, transfer them to the baking sheet in the oven with the other two waffles. Whisk together the yogurt and wasabi paste in a medium bowl. Plate the first two waffles while the other two finish in the oven, by cutting them in half, on the diagonal. Divide among individual plates, with a dollop of the wasabi yogurt. Repeat with the remaining waffles. Serve warm. VARIATION: You can easily adapt this recipe for hors d'oeuvres by cutting the puff pastry sheet into equal halves instead of four quadrants. Spread the herbed sour cream across the surface of one piece (all the way to the edges), then arrange the tomatoes and salmon evenly as a final layer. Top with the remaining piece of puff pastry. Cut into small squares and cook in the waffle iron, using the spoon technique to allow the pastry to expand. Cook until the pastry is done; the squares will get nicely browned edges. Gardeners, you've heard all the jokes. There's the one about the towns where people lock their car doors in the summer for fear neighbors will "gift" them with a bag of zucchini. Or the one that goes something like this: How can you tell someone from (insert place of choice here) has no friends? He's in the supermarket buying zucchini. Or the old saying that you can never figure out the right number of zucchini plants to include in your garden: Plant one, it dies. Plant two, you get way too many. I don't have my own garden plot anymore, but I've been volunteering at a local church that is starting up a little one, and I hesitated when I saw a zucchini seedling presented for planting. I know how prolific these plants can get. But it's early enough in the season that a) nobody has "gifted" me with any bags yet, and b) I've been so anxious for more produce choices that I've welcomed the recent appearance of zucchini at farmers markets. One of my favorite ways to eat them used to be stuffed whole, Middle Eastern style. You hollow out the insides with a special tool, leaving the zucchini otherwise intact, and fill them with ground lamb, rice and spices before simmering them in a tomato sauce. But one thing that always bothered me about that recipe was that I had to find somethAre ing to do with the zucchini flesh I was pulling out; there was no room to put it back in once the meat and rice took up residence. Nowadays, I make things a little easier on myself. I cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, using a melon baller or spoon to carve them into little boats, and pack the stuffing inside, where there's room to mound it — and even let it spill over. The zucchini flesh goes in the Mediterranean-style mixture, which also includes white beans, olives, tomatoes, feta and parsley. When I bake it, the cheese browns on top, and the zucchini gets just tender enough to be eaten with a fork, without getting mushy. For now, stuffed zucchini is a satisfying way to get my fill of a vegetable I love. By August, depending on how things go in that church garden, I might be eating my words, printing out goldenoldie recipes for zucchini bread, slipping them along with the vegetables into "gift" bags — and checking the streets for unlocked cars. Stuffed Zucchini 4 servings If the zucchini are on the large side, you might want to use a roasting pan and cradle them (to make it easier to fill them) with a large piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Serve with rice or another grain of your choice. MAKE AHEAD: The stuffing can be made, and Coarsely chop the flesh and add it to the mixing bowl, along with half of the feta plus the beans, tomatoes, olives, parsley and pepper. Stir to combine; this will be the filling. Arrange the scooped-out zucchini halves cut side up in the casserole dish. Divide the filling among them, mounding it as needed. Top with the remaining feta. Bake until the zucchini halves are fork-tender and the feta has softened and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. NUTRITION Per serving: 200 calories, 9 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 480 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar Nicoise, chopped 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a little oil to lightly grease a 9-by-13inch casserole dish. Pour the tablespoon of oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a sharp melon baller or spoon to scoop out the inside flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch border of skin and flesh all around. Reserve the scooped-out zucchini halves, sprinkling the insides lightly with salt. the zucchini stuffed and refrigerated, up to 3 days before baking. Bring to room temperature before baking. From Washington Post Food editor Joe Yonan. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking dish 3 large garlic cloves, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 4 medium zucchini (6 to 8 ounces each) Sea salt 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 1/2 cup homemade or canned no-salt-added white beans, rinsed and drained 2 small roma-size tomatoes or 1 large tomato, hulled and chopped 1/4 cup small pitted black olives, such as WE ACCEPT FOOD STAMPS WE FEATURE BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA "Your Family Supermarket" NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS We appreciate your business - and we show it! HOURS: 7AM - 9 PM DAILY Prices good June 19 thru June 25, 2013 Beef Round Roast 384-1563 Meat Specials We Accept EBT USDA Choice, Boneless CUSTOM CUT MEATS AT NO EXTRA CHARGE Bone-In Boneless Pork Butt Roast Pork Tri-Tip USDA Choice, Boneless Raw Shrimp Cross Rib Steaks Boneless Skinless (41-50 ct.) Chicken Breasts $ 279 $ 159 $ 159 $ 229 lb. lb. $ 699 $ 299 lb. lb. lb. lb. 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