Harvesting the Best of the Midwest

The Midwest harvest goes to the heart of straightforward cooking: great tomatoes, vegetables, apples. At its height, this produce is best prepared in the simplest way: The full flavors of sun-ripened fruits and vegetables need little enhancement.

Bradley Ogden, one of our foremost American chefs, cooks in California, but much of his inspiration comes from his youth in the Midwest. His three California restaurants--Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, Lark Creek Cafe in Walnut Creek and One Market Restaurant in San Francisco--reflect these influences. His cuisine smacks of home cooking: great-tasting, robustly flavored and uncomplicated food.

The following harvest recipes from his book “Bradley Ogden’s Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner” (Random House, 1991) exemplify what his style of cooking has come to mean: tasty, straightforward food that tastes just the way you expect it to.

SUMMER BEAN SALAD

Serve this with goat cheese, herbed cheese toast topped with gravlax or fried soft-shell crab.

1 pound green beans

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1/2 cup cooked fresh shell beans, fava beans or peas, optional

1 cup peeled, seeded, diced tomato

1 cup peeled seeded, diced cucumber

1/2 cup fine-diced red onion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped basil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Trim green beans and blanch in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain immediately and plunge into ice water. Drain.

Toss beans with 2 tablespoons olive oil, pinch salt and optional cooked shell beans, favas or peas.

In medium bowl, combine tomato, cucumber, red onion, garlic and basil. Stir in remaining oil, 1 teaspoon salt, vinegar and pepper. Macerate 10 minutes.

Arrange beans on serving plates. Spoon some tomato mixture over top and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

238 calories; 86 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.89 grams fiber.

VEGETABLE SLAW WITH BOILED DRESSING

BOILED DRESSING

1 cup white wine vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons celery seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

In small saucepan, boil vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seeds, pepper, salt and cayenne 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in olive oil. Set aside to cool.

SALAD

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 (6-inch) piece daikon radish, peeled, cut in thin sticks

2 medium carrots, peeled, cut in thin sticks

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 tablespoon freshly grated horseradish

Salt, pepper

Roast red and green bell pepper in oven or over direct heat until softened and blackened all over. Place in plastic bag or under towel until cool enough to handle. Strip off skin, remove core and cut peppers into thin strips. Peel daikon and carrots and cut in thin sticks.

Toss red pepper, green pepper, daikon, carrots and cabbage in large bowl. Add enough Boiled Dressing to moisten slaw well. Add horseradish and toss to mix completely. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

161 calories; 415 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.94 gram fiber.

CHILLED FRESH TOMATO SOUP WITH PEPPER RELISH

TOMATO SOUP

2 pounds tomatoes

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Cut tomatoes into 1-inch chunks. Puree them through fine-meshed food mill to extract juice and pulp and leave skins and seeds behind. Cover puree tightly and refrigerate 2 hours.

Stir balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into chilled tomato puree. Taste and adjust seasoning.

PEPPER RELISH

1/4 cup red onion

1/4 cup yellow bell pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Mince red onion and yellow bell pepper. Just before serving, combine red onion, yellow bell pepper and fresh basil in small bowl.

Serve soup in chilled soup bowls and place 1 heaping tablespoon of Pepper Relish in center of each bowl.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each of 4 servings contains about:

115 calories; 610 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.50 grams fiber.