My friend Karen joined me for her first visit to the 4-month-old farmers’ market in Topanga Canyon on Friday. I introduced her to the growers, and encouraged her to select produce for the week by loading up my shopping cart with multihued bell peppers, shiny red lipstick peppers, broccoli rabe, shelled tender lima beans, tiny fingerling potatoes, huge Macarthur avocados, lemons and limes, dark purple cherry tomatoes, a salad mix loaded with baby herbs, and end of the summer peaches.

As we walked to our cars, Karen commented that I had bought a lot of vegetables for just two people. I did, and always do. I am so tempted by the just picked produce, I add more and more to my cart, as ideas for how to prepare my finds dance in my head, and our meals are more interesting, and healthier to boot.

Saturday night I concocted an easy to put together dinner, featuring some of the vegetables I had brought home. I cooked orange and yellow bell pepper spears until tender and sweet, and then tossed them with green beans. Paper thin slices of lemon and intense kalamata olives braised along with the vegetables turned this into a colorful celebration of Indian summer. I spent about half an hour creating a big pan full, so there was enough to enjoy that night, and on a second night too.

To accompany the vegetables, chicken cutlets sautéed until golden on the outside and juicy inside, and then drizzled with a zesty mixture of extra-virgin olive oil, paprika, cumin and coriander seeds, shallot and lemon. This is my twist on North African chermoula sauce, and I prepare it frequently because it easily transforms simply cooked poultry, fish, eggs, and potatoes into exotic dishes. The cutlets were ready in just 6 minutes and the sauce took about the same. Planning ahead, I made extra chicken, to have leftovers for another meal.

Nutty quinoa tied together the striking flavors of these two dishes. A large bowlful guaranteed surplus for a satisfying quinoa, chicken, and vegetable salad, bathed in chermoula two days later.

This meal helped us appreciate our current hot weather- a feast of late summer vegetables that were still available because of the heat, savored outside on a balmy evening, then served again in a slightly different guise.

Green Beans and Bell Peppers with Lemon and Olives

Kristine Kidd

I prepared the vegetable and the sauce for the chicken first, and let the vegetables rest in the hot, but uncovered, pan while I cooked the chicken.

Makes 2 servings with leftovers, or 4 servings

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Course Sunday Suppers, Weeknight Dinners

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 12 ounces green beans, preferably blue lake, ends trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 lemon, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, very thinly sliced crosswise, seeds discarded
• ¼ cup packed pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise

Instructions

 

• Add the beans to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Soak in cold water to stop cooking, and then drain well.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and peppers, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, and then cover and cook until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in the lemon, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in the greens beans and olives. Cook uncovered until the beans are heated through, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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