I finally made my annual Eggplant Parmesan this week—something I always want to make more often while the eggplants last. And the Baba Ganoush. I ate that for breakfast three days in a row. Make gazpacho on Thursday when it’s supposed to be warmer again. Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan
Baba Ganoush
Gazpacho
Simplest Tomato Sauce
Poblano Notes
Roasted Poblano and Onion Tacos
Garbanzo Beans with Roasted Carrots and Beans and Cumin/Lime Dressing
Late Summer Stew with Cilantro Cream
Chocolate and Zucchini Cake

Eggplant Parmesan

I only make this about once a year but each time I make it I wish I did so weekly while eggplants and tomatoes are in abundance. As I think I’ve mentioned before I rarely salt and drain eggplant anymore. It’s an extra step that I don’t find necessary with perfectly fresh eggplant. You can either bake the eggplant as noted below or pan-fry it in a bit of oil. I really like both versions and when I’m in a hurry I tend to fry since it’s quicker.

2 large globe eggplants, sliced into ¼ – 1/3 –inch slices lengthwise or into rounds
Olive oil
Salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups tomato sauce (below or your favorite version) to which you’ve added some chopped basil and the minced garlic
1 cup (or more) grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Arrange the slices on two baking sheets (they may not all fit and you’ll need to do them in batches). Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake, turning once until tender and starting to brown, about 20-25 minutes total. Turn oven down to 375.

Line the bottom of an 8 x 13” baking dish (or something similar). Spread a thin layer of sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat until you’ve used up all your ingredients, ending with either eggplant and cheese or sauce and cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or so until everything is bubbling and the cheese is browning on top. You can run it under the broiler for a few minutes if you want more color.

Baba Ganoush
–slightly adapted from David Lebovitz

I made this last week and ate it on/with everything—liberally piled onto toasted bread, by the spoonful as is, with pan-fried salmon, with hard boiled eggs as a lunch. It’s light but complex and satisfying.

 2 medium-sized eggplants
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
3 (or more) tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/8 teaspoon chile powder
pinch or two of cumin (it can easily overwhelm so just add a very little bit)
1 tablespoon olive oil
a half bunch cilantro leaves and tender stems

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Prick each eggplant a few times, then char the outside of the eggplants by placing them directly on the flame of a gas burner and as the skin chars, turn them until the eggplants are uniformly-charred on the outside. (If you don’t have a gas stove, you can char them under the broiler. If not, skip to the next step.)

Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until they’re completely soft; you should be able to easily poke a paring knife into them and meet no resistance. Remove from oven and let cool.

Split the eggplant and scrape out the pulp. Puree the pulp in a blender or food processor with the other ingredients until smooth.

Taste, and season with additional salt and lemon juice, if necessary. Serve drizzle with olive oil, perhaps some more herbs. See headnote for serving ideas.

* Baba Ganoush can be made and refrigerated for up to five days.

Gazpacho

There are many, many different version of gazpacho but I particularly like this one. The use of a little bread and the sherry vinegar are distinctively Spanish and are both important to the success of this, but most important are perfectly ripe tomatoes. It does need to chill for at least 3 hours so throw this together in the morning and have it waiting for you for dinner with some good bread or roasted fingerling potatoes or some kind of grilled beef.

You can halve this recipe if you don’t have enough tomatoes or just don’t need a lot of gazpacho.

1 slice of bread (good crusty bread not sandwich bread and not seedy or very whole grain), crust removed
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sea salt (more to taste)
Scant 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar (or more to taste). If you don’t have Sherry vinegar use half balsamic and half red wine or champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds (best if you can do this in the mortar and pestle with the garlic, otherwise pre-ground is fine)
2 ½ – 3 lbs tomatoes, cored and quartered
1/3 cup good tasting (not bitter—use the best oil you have) olive oil. The Spanish oil Unio (by Siurana is perfect and available at New Seasons and Pastaworks and is my standard good, oil)

For serving: Finely chopped sweet pepper and chopped basil and a little finely diced red onion.

Briefly soak the bread in water and squeeze dry really well. Grind the coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle or grind with a spice grinder (or use pre-ground coriander). Add garlic and salt to the coriander in the mortar and pestle (or mince and mash garlic and salt with the side of a chef’s knife) and work into a paste.

Put garlic coriander paste, bread, vinegar (and ground coriander if you didn’t use whole seeds) and half of tomatoes in a food processor and process until tomatoes are very finely chopped. Add remaining tomatoes with motor running and, when very finely chopped, gradually add oil in a slow stream. You can either leave it a bit chunky or blend it until smooth. I like it fairly smooth. Some people will have you strain the whole thing but I never do.

Transfer to a glass container and chill, covered, until cold, about 3 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and vinegar. Serve topped with the chopped basil, cucumbers and a bit of onion, if using.

Simplest Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes, olive oil, salt. That’s it. When the tomatoes are good it’s honestly all you need. And I make sauce with slicer and heirloom tomatoes all the time. It takes longer to cook down because they’re so juicy but with a little patience and high heat it’s perfect.

I made this the other day, in about 15 minutes and I topped pizza dough with it and some mozzarella and basil and had the perfect dinner.

Dice as many tomatoes as you want to use. Add them to a wide skillet to which you’ve added a generous splash of olive oil. Cook at a lively simmer until it’s thickened to your liking. Salt to taste. If the sauce seems too acidic or not quite perfect add a tablespoon or two of butter. Butter is THE “perfecter” of tomato sauce.

Poblano Notes

I would suggest roasting all your poblano peppers at once and then you’ll have them on hand to add to salsa, sauces, salads or use them in the tacos below. I roast mine under the broiler, turning them regularly to evenly blacken all sides. Then you can set them in a bowl and cover them to steam a bit more. This also loosens the skin a bit. Then peel and deseed and you’re ready to go. Poblanos have a wonderful smoky flavor and can vary in heat level. They pair beautifully with eggs, potatoes, creamy dishes and of course tomatoes.

Roasted Poblano and Onion Tacos

This is a variation on the Mexican dish Rajas. It’s delicious, smoky and easily varied. I’ve included a meat (beef) and vegetarian (potato) option below. You could also add some corn sliced off the cob to this as well.

3 poblano peppers
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
6 oz skirt or flank steak (optional), sliced thinly against the grain
3 potatoes (optional) cut into small dice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & pepper
1/3 cup of heavy cream (or sour cream)
8-10 small corn tortillas
Chopped cilantro and lime wedges for topping

Roast the peppers under the broiler or directly over the gas flame on the stovetop, until they’re black and blistered all around. Set in a bowl to cool and cover with a plate or towel. They are easier to peel if you let them steam a bit like this. When cool, peel and seed the peppers and cut them into ½-inch wide strips.

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot add the flank steak strips in a single layer, if using, sprinkle generously with salt and sear on both sides for about 1 minute each. It cooks really quickly and gets tough quickly so do not overcook. Remove from pan onto a plate.

Add the onions to the same skillet with a little more oil and the cumin. Sauté until beginning to brown and soften. If you are using potatoes (instead of or in addition to the beef) add the diced potato and cook on medium-high heat, stirring often until the potatoes are tender.

Add the poblano strips and heat them through, then add the meat back in (if using), and then add the cream and a few grinds of black pepper and quickly bring to a boil.

Serve the mixture on warmed tortillas with a little fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

Garbanzo Beans with Roasted Carrots and Beans and Cumin/Lime Dressing

This is a beautiful, colorful, hearty salad. It’s also delicious with grilled or sautéed shrimp, rounds of cooked sausage or served with quartered, hard-boiled eggs over which you drizzle some of the dressing. You could also easily add leftover chicken to this to add even more protein. The garbanzo beans have a good amount already though. And add some crumbled feta or goat cheese by all means if you have it.

Serves 4-6 as a generous side

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

6 or more carrots, scrubbed and cut into thin half-rounds or small chunks
½ lb green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 2-inch lenghts
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 -3 cups cooked garbanzo beans (or canned) if using canned beans, rinse well before using.
3 tablespoons cilantro

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lime or lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves (grated or minced)
1/3 cup olive oil – divided
salt
pepper

Mix carrots and green beans with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and roast at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes until tender and browning around the edges. Mix garbanzo beans and carrots and beans with dressing, add sausage or other protein, if using. Let marinate a few minutes. Add cilantro and mix well and taste, adjust seasoning and enjoy.

Late Summer Stew with Cilantro Sauce

A SIO share member sent me this link the other day. I’ve adapted it here for this week’s share. I like the large size of the vegetables—I usually chop things a bit smaller—but this makes for an appealing change.

And please adapt as you see fit with quantities, spices, cooking time, etc. It’s the perfect catch-all CSA recipe. This is a good thing to make if you are not going to have a lot of time to cook this week and want to be sure things don’t go bad on you. Make a lot and eat throughout the week. Reheat with, surprise(!), a poached or fried egg on the side; enjoy over rice or quinoa, or with any kind of meat.

olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika or pimento (smoked paprika)
some minced jalapeno or 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4 carrots, scrubbed and cut into 4-inch chunks
2 sweet peppers or 2 poblanos or both, seeded and cut into large chunks
½ lb green beans, topped and tailed and cut into thirds
2 Summer squash, washed and trimmed and cut into large batons
4-5 tomatoes, diced
kernels from 2-4 ears of corn

½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (optional)

In a large pot with a tight fitting lid heat 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil and add the onion and spices and hot pepper, if using. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn the spices. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes. Now layer on the carrots, beans, and peppers and finally the zucchini/squash, sprinkling over a bit of salt on each vegetable. Now scatter the tomatoes over everything. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook over medium heat for about 40 minutes. At that point check for doneness and moisture. You should have enough liquid but add a bit if you need to. Now add the corn and cook for another few minutes.

Meanwhile process the cilantro sauce ingredients until more or less smooth.

Taste stew and adjust seasoning and serve the stew topped with the sauce.

Chocolate and Zucchini Cake
–from Culinate via Chocolate&Zucchini.com

Ok, you’ve had plenty of savory zucchini recipes. It’s time for a little chocolate and zucchini!

Chocolate brings deep flavor to this cake, while grated zucchini makes the crumb moist and fluffy.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature, or ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little butter or olive oil for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour or 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
3 large eggs
2 cups unpeeled grated zucchini, from about 1½ to 2 medium zucchini (squeeze any liquid you can over the sink. You can grate on the large or small holes of the box grater. I prefer small but be sure to squeeze out liquid.
1 cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar or melted bittersweet chocolate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter or oil.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a food processor, process the sugar and butter until creamy (you can also do this by hand, armed with a sturdy spatula). Add the vanilla, coffee granules, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.

Reserve a cup of the flour mixture and add the rest to the egg mixture. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick.

Add the zucchini and chocolate chips to the reserved flour mixture and toss to coat. Fold into the batter and blend with a wooden spoon, don’t overmix. Pour into the prepared cake pan and level the surface with a spatula.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen the cake, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, or glaze with melted chocolate.

Well, it’s an Italian-inspired packet today! I spent two late summers/falls in Italy many years ago and some of my fondest food memories originated there. And there are a lot of dead simple recipes—very few ingredients and lots of flavor—this week. And in several you cook the vegetables longer than is often done here in the States—a very Italian technique and a very good one. Buon Appetito!

*because of all the recent rain some of the produce, especially the squash I’ve noticed, can turn more quickly so pay attention to the produce and use the squash earlier in the week.

Slow Cooked Beans and Tomatoes
Chard and Summer Squash “Cake”
Spaghetti with Eggplant Sauce
One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes
Green Salad with Corn
Galette with Corn, Zucchini and Tomatoes (link)
Cornbread with Fresh Corn
Caramelized Corn with Fresh Mint

Slow Cooked Beans and Tomatoes

You need a bit of patience for this dish and some beans and tomatoes, both of which you’ll have. It’s simple and more than the sum of its parts.

½ medium onion, thinly sliced
As many green beans as you want to use (I would use them all), washed, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
2-3 tomatoes (more if you’re using more beans), chopped
Olive oil, plenty
Salt

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil. Add the onion and cook fairly gently for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, turn up the heat a bit and cook for about 10 minutes until browning and beginning to get tender. Add the tomatoes and several pinches of salt. Stir well and then turn down to medium and cook gently, stirring occasionally for about 30 more minutes. The tomatoes will reduce and eventually coat the beans. You want the beans completely tender and sweet. Taste and adjust seasoning and stir in some more of the best olive oil you have at the end.

Spaghetti with Eggplant Sauce
–adapted from The Wednesday Chef

This dish is not going to win any beauty contests but just like the above bean and tomato dish it is simple, sweet and glorious.

Serves 3 or 4

1 large eggplant, cut into ½ inch slices and then cut into large dice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
2 springs thyme or oregano, chopped
1 cup chicken stock or water
½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons basil, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper
3/4 pound spaghetti

Put the olive oil in a wide, heavy saucepan, add the garlic cloves, and set over low heat.

When you start hearing the garlic sizzle a little and can smell it, drop in your eggplant and stir to coat it all with oil. Turn up the heat a little bit to medium high and add the, thyme or oregano and stir. When the eggplant is turning translucent and softening, add the liquid, let it come to a boil, and turn it back down to medium-low. Let it bubble for a bit and cover it, leaving a crack for steam to escape. Stir once in a while so that the bottom doesn’t stick. Add the tomatoes after about 10 minutes.

After another 1o minutes or so, the liquid in the pan should be mostly evaporated and the eggplant should be soft and melting. Mash it with a fork or spoon, and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Toss the eggplant purée with the spaghetti that you cooked al dente. Stir in the basil. You can gild the lily with drizzling on some more oil. Serve immediately.

Chard and Summer Squash “Cake”
–adapted from RachelEats

This is a classic Italian vegetable custard, richly flavored and smooth. It’s best at room temperature and needs to rest for a while before eating so make this ahead of time if you can and then serve it with a nice cold glass of white wine.

Serves 4 as lunch/dinner, 8 as a starter.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ a medium onion, finely diced
2 medium summer squash/zucchini, trimmed, washed and cut into thin-half rounds
Salt
1/3 cup white wine or water
1 bunch chard, leaves well washed, stems removed and reserved for another use
5 eggs
1 cup half and half or cream or whole milk or a combination of any of them
½ cup grated Parmesan
Freshly grated nutmeg
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°

Warm the oil and butter in a heavy based frying pan and then sauté the onion until soft and translucent.

Add the squash to the onion and stir well. After a few minutes, raise the heat a little and add the wine/water. Allow it to bubble enthusiastically. Now reduce the heat again and allow the onion and squash to bubble and cook gently – half frying/ half braising, giving a stir and nudge every now and then and adding a little more water if the pan looks dry – for about 15 minutes or until the squash are very soft tender and collapsing and all the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

Now put the chard in a large pan with nothing but the water that clings to the leaves, cover the pan and cook on a low flame until the chard has collapsed and is tender. This should take about 7 minutes. Add a little more water if things dry out.

Drain the chard and once it is cool enough, squeeze and press it gently with your hands to eliminate as much water as possible. Chop the chard roughly and transfer to a bowl.

Add the cooled onion/squash mixture to the chard and then using a hand blender or a food processor blitz the mixture into a smooth green paste.

Add the cream and eggs to the bowl and blitz again before stirring in the parmesan, a grating of nutmeg, salt and black pepper.

Pour the batter into in ovenproof sauté pan, buttered baking dish or 10-12 inch deep-pie dish and then slide into the oven. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the cake is set but still with a slight tremble/wobble at the center.

Allow the cake to sit, cool and settle for at least 40 minutes before serving in wedges.

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes
–adapted from smittenkitchen.com which as inspired by Martha Stewart Living

Below is smittenkitchen’s farro note which I thought I’d include here:

One Farro 101 note, the trickiest thing in writing this recipe was considering the different types of farro (from an Italian wheat strain known as emmer) available — as well as misconceptions, such as the notion that it can be used interchangeably with spelt. (It cannot, as spelt can take hours.). Farro comes whole/unpearled, semi-pearled (semi-perlato) and pearled (perlato); pearling describes how much of the exterior bran is removed, but packages are not always labeled. If your package says it will cook in less than 15 minutes, it’s probably pearled; if it takes around 30 minutes, it’s probably semi-pearled. And if it takes 60 to 80 minutes, it is whole or unpearled. [To make it even more confusing, I’ve been using the Rustichella d’Abruzzo brand, which labels it as “whole farro” but it is indeed semi-pearled, which is why cooking times are the best way to decipher which kind you have.] This recipe will work for all three versions (there are multiple comments below noting results for each, as well as quinoa, couscous, and even rice, just do a word search [Cntrl + f] to find the grain you’re looking to swap) but I’ve defaulted to semi-pearled below, which I find most frequently in stores. In all cases, if your package gives you a different cooking time than the 30 minutes suggested below, default to it instead.

I used farro from the New Seasons bulk bin and let it soak in the water I’d eventually cook it in for several hours. Then it took 65 minutes and an extra 1 cup water to get tender. I’m not sure all the soaking cut down on the eventual time—par-boiling for 10 minutes would probably vastly speed things up so try that if you’re short on time and have the “whole” farro.

Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a hearty main

2 cups water (or more – see above)
1 cup semi-pearled farro or whole farro (see Note above for farro types)
1/2 large onion, cut in half again and thinly sliced into quarter moons
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 ounces tomatoes, cut into thin wedges or large dice (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
½ – 1 jalapeno, deseeded (to taste), minced (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Handful of basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (I find just 5 to 10 minutes sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients. Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, onions, garlic, pepper. Add salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan (no lid necessary) up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, though I’ve never found it necessary, cook it for 5 additional minutes, until farro is more tender.

Transfer to a wide serving bowl. If there’s enough leftover cooking liquid to be bothersome, simply use a slotted spoon to leave the amount you wish to behind. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Eat immediately. Repeat tomorrow.

Green Salad with Corn

The other day I made a pizza with fresh corn, onions and roasted chopped Anaheim chilies. I had a bit more corn that I needed so my husband suggested I add it to our green salad. I had forgotten just how fabulous raw, fresh corn is in salads like this. Or I should say how fabulous SIO corn is like this!

It was a simple lettuce salad with some thinly sliced onion, a bit of chopped tomato and a bunch of toasted sunflower seeds and about 1-2 ears worth of corn. The vinaigrette had a bit of Dijon-style mustard, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Galette with Corn, Zucchini and Tomatoes

I just made this savory tart and it’s ideal for your share this week though it calls for cherry tomatoes but simply substitute slicers or heirlooms.  It’s a bit of work but completely worth it.  and very impressive to behold and consume!

Cornbread with Fresh Corn

Adding fresh corn to my favorite cornbread recipe is fun this time of year. The texture is more interesting and it’s even moister and a bit sweeter. It’s very quick and nothing beats warm cornbread with honey for breakfast, lunch or dinner and/or dessert. It’s really best within a few hours of baking but it never lasts long around here. I just add two big pieces for breakfast with more butter and honey.

5 ½ tablespoons butter, divided
1 ½ cups cornmeal (if you happen to have local Ayers Creek cornmeal, use it! Otherwise use a medium grind of whatever brand you have)
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1 ¼ cups milk
Kernels cut off 2 ears of corn (after you’ve cut the kernels off, use the back of a chef’s knife to extract any more juice and little bits of corn that didn’t come off in the first round. Collect all of that and use it with the kernels).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons butter and let cool slightly. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking, powder, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Add melted butter and milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir quickly. Do not over mix. Heat a 9 or 10-inch cast iron frying pan over med-high heat. Add the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons butter to the pan. When the butter is melted and foaming pour the batter into the skillet. Bake in the oven until the corn bread is golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, between 15 and 18 min. Serve hot out of the oven with butter and honey or just plain. It’s a bit crumbly and you may end up eating it with a fork.

Caramelized Corn with Fresh Mint
–inspired by Julia Moskin

There’s a theme this week—very few ingredients and very simple preparation. I can eat this whole dish by myself.

Serves 2

Kernels form four ears or corn (or more—this is so good you’ll eat as much as you make I guarantee)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
Salt

In a wide skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring often, until golden and browned (kernels may begin to pop), about 10 minutes. Stir in the mint and sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve while hot.

I think you hardly need recipes these days with the extraordinary produce that’s coming in! But as usual I couldn’t help including some herbs that are not in your share–thyme, tarragon and cilantro–so pick some up if you can. The first recipe, the Onion and Sweet Pepper Tian (from Deborah Madison’s book Vegetable Literacy) is the epitome of perfect late summer food and as simple as can be. And the corn pesto is so good I eat way to much of it when I make it. Happy cooking!

Torpedo Onion and Sweet Pepper Tian
Roasted Onion, Corn and Tomato Salad
Pasta with Sweet Corn Pesto
Cook-With-What-You-Have Ratatouille
Grilled Eggplant with Tahini Yogurt sauce
Kohlrabi Salad
Fennel, Grape, and Feta Salad with Sumac
Fennel and Onion Soffrito

Pesto

Torpedo Onion and Sweet Pepper Tian
–adapted from Vegetable Literary by Deborah Madison

Oh my goodness this is good. All you need is some time. The preparation is dead simple but it takes 90 minutes to bake. It’s just as good or better the next day so you could make it one night while you’re making something else for dinner and then have it the next day.

3-4 small-ish torpedo onions
3 sweet peppers
2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
5 to 6 thyme branches or several pinches of dried
6 small garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Quarter the onions, leaving the base intact, and peel them. Halve the peppers both crosswise and lengthwise, remove the seeds and veins, and cut them into pieces roughly 1/2 inch wide. Remove the core from the tomatoes and cut them into sixths.

Brush a film of olive oil over the bottom of a gratin dish, scatter the thyme over it, and add the vegetables, including the garlic and arrange nicely in the dish. Brush the remaining oil over the vegetables, being sure to coat the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the tian and bake for 1 1/2 hours. The vegetables should be very soft, the tomatoes melting into a jam. Remove it from the oven and carefully pour the liquid that has collected into a small saucepan. Add a teaspoon of vinegar, bring the liquid to a boil, and reduce until it is thick and syrupy. Taste for vinegar and salt; then pour or brush this syrup over the vegetables.

Serve with slices of grilled polenta or piled on top of grilled bread that has been spread first with a layer of garlic mayonnaise. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Roasted Onion, Corn and Tomato Salad
–adapted from Food52

2 torpedo onions
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt
1 summer squash, cut into large dice
3 ears corn, blanched
Another small piece of onion, diced or 2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups diced tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/3 torn basil leaves

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and slice the onions into 1/2-inch rings, and then arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the onions with 1 tablespoon or so of the olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt, and toss everything around to coat the onions on both sides. After 20 minutes add the diced summer squash to the pan and continue roasting for about 20 minutes more until the onions are brown and soft. Let the vegetables cool and then roughly chop the onions. Set aside.

Strip the kernels from the ears of corn and add them to the bowl with the squash. Add the raw onion and tomatoes to the bowl. Add the chopped roasted onions, squash a tablespoon of olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Stir everything together gently.

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the honey; whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some more salt and pepper. Stir about two-thirds of the dressing into the salad, taste, adding more if you like. Stir in the basil and serve. This salad keeps well so feel free to make more and enjoy the next day.

Pasta with Sweet Corn Pesto
–adapted from Bon Appétit

To make this vegetarian, instead of the bacon you can sauté the corn in butter or olive oil and add 1-2 teaspoons of pimenton (smoked Spanish Paprika) and then add a few squeezes of lime juice at the very end.

3 bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
3-4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 5 large ears)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/4 cup almonds or pine nuts (I always use Almonds because that’s what I have on hand)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb tagliatelle or fettuccine or penne
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet (and reserve for future use or toss). Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt, red pepper flakes, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. Pulse almonds until finely ground, add cheese, whiz again, then scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, bacon (if using) and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

Cook-With-What-You-Have Ratatouille

I love this time of year when I can make ratatouille, when sweet peppers, eggplant, summer squash and tomatoes are all at their peek. Quantities are all easily adapted and the ratios are not critical so scale up or down as needed. It is a rich, stew-like dish in which the vegetables all break down a bit. It is not beautiful but it is GOOD! Serve with some good crusty bread, another salad, a frittata or some such. It’s even better the next day.

4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large eggplant, diced
1 onion, cut into large dice
2-3 summer squash, sliced or diced
2 sweet peppers, seeded and diced
Olive oil
Basil, handful of torn loves
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
More olive oil for serving

Heat some olive oil in two large skillets. Add the onions and peppers to one pan and the zucchini to the other. Sprinkle all with a bit of salt. Cook both on high heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently and then turn down to medium high and continue sautéing until softened and browning just a bit. When the zucchini is just about tender remove it from the pan and reserve. Add a bit more oil and add the eggplant and a bit more salt. You can keep the peppers and onions sautéing on medium while the eggplant cooks. When the eggplant is tender and browning, add half of it to the pepper and onion pan and divide the zucchini between the pans. Now add the tomato to both and bring to a lively simmer and cook for about 10 minutes to marry the flavors. Add the garlic and basil and cook for 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm (but not hot) or at room temperature with a drizzle of good olive oil.

Grilled Eggplant with Tahini Yogurt sauce

Whether or not you make this tahini yogurt sauce for the eggplant you might grill all of your eggplant in rounds just to have it and snack on or use however you see fit. It’s delicious in myriad ways.

Slice the eggplant into about ½-inch rounds. Brush both sides with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and grill, fry or roast until tender and browning on both sides, about 5 minutes per side, give or take. I tend to use a cast iron pan but sometimes broil. I don’t have a gas grill so tend not to go that route though it is easy and delicious grilled.

Sauce (from Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy):

½ cup whole milk or Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1 small clove garlic, minced and mashed into a paste with a little salt on your cutting board with the side of your chef’s knife

chopped cilantro for serving

Drizzle the warm eggplant slices with the tahini sauce and garnish with the cilantro.

Kohlrabi Salad

1 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks using a sharp knife or mandolin
1/2 crunchy apple, cut into matchsticks as well
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 serrano or jalapeno chili, minced and seeded (unless you like more heat—try first to see how hot it is)
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Toss the kohlrabi and the apple with the remaining ingredients and chill before eating. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Fennel Salad with Grapes, Feta and Sumac
–from The Ottolenghi Project

The original recipe calls for pomegranate seeds instead of grapes. It seemed odd to include a recipe with pomegranate seeds at the height of our own local produce so I tried it with small, fragrant grapes from Ayers Creek Farm and it was wonderful. This is a cinch to make but does call for a few ingredients you might not have. I found sumac recently at New Seasons. You can make it without the sumac though and it will still be great.

2 medium sized fennel bulbs, trimmed, halved and cut as thinly as you possibly can
2 cups small, flavorful grapes
2 teaspoons of Sumac and some extra to garnish
Juice of a lemon
Good olive oil
4 tablespoons of tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped parsley
2 ounces feta, crumbled
Salt and pepper

Rinse and stem the grapes and reserve. Put the fennel slices in a larger bowl or on a platter.

Mix the olive oil, sumac, lemon juice, herbs and salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well, and add to the fennel and mix well. Finally add the feta and grapes. Garnish with more sumac and serve!

Fennel and Onion Soffrito

This is my favorite thing to do with fennel, hands down. It’s a delicious garnish/condiment/side for fish, roasted vegetables, etc.

Olive oil

1 ½ cups thinly sliced fennel
1 ½ cups thinly sliced onion
¾ cup chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
red wine vinegar to taste
salt and pepper

 In the largest skillet you have heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and fennel all at once and cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat until starting to brown and quite soft. Add the garlic and the tomatoes, a couple of generous pinches of salt and some pepper and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Finally add a little vinegar, you’ll probably want at least 2 teaspoons and plenty of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

This is delicious with a bunch of chopped parsley and black olives too.

Pesto

I used to be a purist about pesto and I’m not anymore. I use almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts since I never have pine nuts. I use aged, Asiago Stella (available at Pastaworks and City Market) because it’s much cheaper than Parmesan and still very good. I also use the food processor. And you can scale this up or down very easily. It keeps well in the fridge, topped off with a thin layer of good olive oil, for about a week. And you can put it on so many things—use it as a sandwich spread; stir it into deviled eggs or a frittata thin it out for a salad dressing . . . .

basil, leaves picked (about 4 cups leaves, loosely packed), washed and dried
3 smallish cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Generous handful of almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts or pine nuts
About 2 ounces of Parmesan or aged Asiago (Asiago Stella available at Pastaworks/City Market)
1/3 – 1/2 cup of good-tasting extra virgin olive oil (or more)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

If you have a mortar and pestle, a strong arm and some time, by all means make the pesto by hand. I almost always now make it in a food processor and it’s very good that way too.

Put the nuts and cheese in the processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the basil, garlic and salt and process until well chopped. Then slowly add the oil. Don’t over process. Adjust for salt and oil. Then store in the fridge until ready to use.

A few more stews and slightly cooler weather meals here this week. These episodic showers have brought me back into the kitchen for some more slowly-cooked dishes. As usual I call for a variety of herbs (mint, tarragon, parsley and dill) in the below recipes so pick some of those up if you’re tempted by any of the ideas. The Potatoes Gribiche (calling for tarragon and parsley) are an all-time favorite. By all means try the German braised cucumbers. It’s an unusual treatment for Americans but was a childhood favorite and may just convince you to cook cucumbers more often.

Eggplant and Chickpea Stew
Green Sauce
Roasted Carrots and Potatoes with Green Sauce
Eggplant and Green Sauce Sandwiches or Wraps
Roasted Potato Salad (Gribiche)
Cucumber Sesame Salad with Peanuts
Schmorgurken (German Braised Cucumbers)
Pasta “Carbonara” with Greens

Eggplant and Chickpea Stew

With the occasional showers these days I’m starting to feel like cooking a bit more and this stew fits the bill. I imagine you have a few tomatoes lying around even if you don’t have them in your share yet.

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium eggplants (best with Italian Globe eggplants but works with Japanese as well)
1 large onion, finely diced
¾ teaspoons cumin seeds
Salt
5 cloves garlic
1-2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes (to taste) or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (or 1 tablespoon honey and 2 teaspoons lemon juice)
2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken broth or water or chickpea cooking liquid
2 cups cooked chickpeas (rinsed, from a can or home-cooked)
2 bay leaves
1 ½ – 2 cups diced tomatoes
1 small bunch kale, de-stemmed, washed and finely chopped
Hot bulgur or rice for serving (optional)
Greek yogurt for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut eggplants in half and score deeply with a knife a couple of times. Put on a sheet pan and roast until very tender about 25-30 minutes. Let cool and scoop the flesh out of the skin and roughly chop. Discard skin.

Heat oil, onion, cumin seeds and a few generous pinches of salt in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes until the onion is quite soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic and pepper and stir and cook for another minute until fragrant. Stir in the pomegranate molasses or alternatively honey and lemon juice (not a perfect substitution but it will work fine) and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the broth or water or chickpea cooking liquid, bay leaves, tomatoes and reserved eggplant. Increase heat and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and turn heat down again and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the chickpeas and kale and cook for another 20-30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, more Aleppo or red pepper flakes and a bit of lemon juice or honey to keep the slightly sweet tart flavor in balance. Serve as is or over rice and either way, topped with Greek yogurt. This is even better the next day!

Green Sauce
–inspired by Cook Republic

Handful of mint leaves
Handful of basil leaves
1 cup of packed cilantro leaves and stems (and roots if you have them) well washed and dried
juice of a quarter lemon
1/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon raw sugar
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Process all the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Roasted Carrots and Potatoes with Green Sauce

Not really a recipe. . . roast potatoes and carrots until tender (or boil if you’re in a hurry) and dress generously with green sauce. A wonderful side for fish, beef, . .. you name it!

Eggplant and Green Sauce Sandwiches or Wraps

Slice eggplant ½-inch thick and broil or panfry or grill until browning and tender.

Layer the eggplant with some thinly sliced Walla Walla Sweet, a slice of tomato if you have it, a bit of feta or goat cheese if you’d like and generous amount of green sauce in pita bread, between slices of regular bread or tortillas or any other vehicle you can think of.

Roasted Potato Salad (Gribiche)
–inspired by Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

This is a wonderful dish with bold flavors. If you have tarragon (or remember to pick some up) by all means use it but it’s lovely with the parsley and capers or just parsley if you don’t have capers. If you don’t have capers but have anchovies, mash a couple up and add them to the dressing instead.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2 – 2 1/2 lbs potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled, and cut into thumb-sized pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
¼ cup very thinly sliced onion
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh tarragon (optional but wonderful if you have it)
Freshly ground black pepper

Toss the potato chunks with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and several generous pinches of salt and spread onto a baking sheet. Roast until tender and starting to brown about 30 minutes.

To make the dressing, mash one of the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs in a medium bowl. Slowly add the remaining oil, whisking constantly to create an emulsion. Add the vinegar and mustard and whisk until smooth. Then stir in the capers, herbs, ¼ teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Coarsely chop the remaining eggs and egg white and add to the dressing. Gently toss the dressing with the warm potatoes. Adjust seasoning.

Cucumber Sesame Salad with Peanuts

This is a very addictive, fun salad.

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large or 2 smaller carrots, well scrubbed and very thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (Remove the seeds for a milder salad.)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
1 lime, zest and juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds (regular are just fine—the black ones look great but the flavor is very similar)
2 tablespoons salted and roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Place the cucumber slices, carrot and chile pepper in a large bowl, toss to mix. In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, ginger, lime zest and juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and honey. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the cucumbers and toss until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to deepen. Before serving add the sesame seeds, peanuts, and herbs and toss again

Schmorgurken (German Braised Cucumbers)

There are many variations of this dish in Germany and I grew up with this simple, sweet and sour vegetarian one. Often ground beef or small meat balls are added to the mix and sometimes also tomato. I don’t know of any cooked cucumber dishes in the states but having grown up with this one it doesn’t seem odd to me and is well worth a try. The quantities are squishy for this recipe, confirmed by my mother when I called her about the recipe this week. Just scale up or down to taste and depending on what you have.

Olive oil
2 large or 3 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed with a teaspoon
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon white wine or cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and lots of freshly ground pepper
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Cooked rice for serving.

Put your rice on to cook—we grew up eating this over long grain white rice but you could by all means use brown as well.

Cut the halved cucumbers into ½-inch half rounds. In a large, heavy skillet sauté the cucumber slices in a bit of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently. They will release quite a bit of liquid, which is great. It will add to the sauce. When they are translucent and softening (about 10 minutes) add the sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes more until the cucumbers are completely tender and the sauce has thickened a little. Add the dill, taste and adjust for salt and pepper and serve hot over rice.

Pasta “Carbonara” with Greens

Serves 4 as an entrée, generously.

This is another twist on the classic Pasta Carbonara, which typically includes pancetta (or bacon). Here we use lots of thinly sliced greens and sweet onions to great effect. And by all means use bacon or pancetta here if you’d like. You can then skip the pimeton and just cook the bacon with the onions.

The brilliance of Carbonara is that it’s very quick and so satisfying. Adding all these greens makes it a much more virtuous dish, though the original is so darn good it is virtuous in its own way.

1 medium onion, halved and cut into thin slices
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large bunch kale, well washed and stems removed and cut into thin ribbons
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika (pimentón), or to taste (see headnote)
12 ounces spaghetti or other long pasta
3 eggs
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons cream
Salt and black pepper, to taste

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion. Let it sweat slowly. No need to caramelize, just soften well. Add the pimenton and a few generous pinches of salt.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs with the cheese, cream, a pinch of salt, and plenty of black pepper.

Cook the pasta until 4 minutes shy of being al dente. Add the kale and cook for 4 more minutes until the pasta is done. Save 1/2 cup of the cooking water and then drain the pasta and greens all together and return to cooking pot. Immediately toss the pasta with the onions and egg mixture—really mix it well to incorporate it all. The heat from the pasta will “cook” and thicken the eggs. Add a little of the cooking water to loosen things up and form a smooth sauce. Taste, adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and serve hot.

I don’t think you’ll need any ideas for the delicious corn this week. And I’ve included so many cucumber salad ideas the last few weeks that today you’re just getting a wonderful cucumber and smoked salmon spread in that department. The celery is a new treat and be sure to use the leaves as well. They add a fresh, savory bite to salads, egg dishes and anything you’re using the celery in. I do use dill, parsley and oregano in the recipes below so pick up some of those if you’re out. Happy cooking!

Pesto
Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Spread
Zucchini Fingers
Summer Squash Tian
Celery, Torpedo Onion and Carrot Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing (and a vegan alternative)
Chicken Salad with Celery and Scallions/Torpedo Onions (link)
Thai Green Curry with Eggplant and Basil

Pesto

I used to be a purist about pesto and I’m not anymore. I use almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts since I never have pine nuts. I use aged, Asiago Stella (available at Pastaworks and City Market) because it’s much cheaper than Parmesan and still very good. I also use the food processor. And you can scale this up or down very easily. It keeps well in the fridge, topped off with a thin layer of good olive oil, for about a week. And you can put it on so many things—use it as a sandwich spread; stir it into deviled eggs or a frittata thin it out for a salad dressing . . . .

1 bunch basil, leaves picked (about 3 cups leaves, loosely packed)
2-3 smallish cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Generous handful of almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts or pine nuts
About 2 ounces of Parmesan or aged Asiago (Asiago Stella available at Pastaworks/City Market)
1/3 cup of good-tasting extra virgin olive oil (or more)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

If you have a mortar and pestle, a strong arm and some time, by all means make the pesto by hand. I almost always now make it in a food processor and it’s very good that way too.

Put the nuts and cheese in the processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the basil, garlic and salt and process until well chopped. Then slowly add the oil. Don’t over process. Adjust for salt and oil. Then store in the fridge until ready to use.

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Spread
-adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater

1  cucumber, peeled
Salt
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed
Generous ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
Freshly ground pepper

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Then cut the cucumber into thick match-sticks and set in a colander. Sprinkle with a little salt and let sit for 20 minutes. Pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels.

Put the sour cream or yogurt in a medium bowl. Add the slightly chopped capers, mustard, lemon juice, pepper, dill and gently mix. Shred the salmon into thin strips and stir it into the mixture with the cucumber. Chill briefly before serving on any kind of crisps or bread you like. Rye bread is of course wonderful.

Zucchini Fingers

You need a big, heavy duty skillet for this and plenty of heat. You’ll be rewarded with a very delicious side dish that may trump your main dish.

However many zucchini or summer squash you have/want to use. Wash and trim them and then cut them in to finger-like pieces, about 3-inches long.

Coat the bottom of your pan with olive oil and heat over high to medium-high heat. Add the squash in a single layer, if you can, they can be packed tightly together. Sprinkle with a little salt and cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until you smell them or peak at the undersides and see that they’re nicely browning. Turn the pieces over and let the other side (I realize there are four sides to each of these but browning 2 of them suffices) brown as well.

Meanwhile, finely chop some oregano and basil—more or less is fine. I used about 3 tablespoons of chopped herbs for three medium squash. Mince and mash a clove or two of garlic with some coarse see salt. Mix the herbs, garlic and another splash of olive oil in a small bowl. Add some minced jalapeno or a pinch or two of red pepper flakes if you’d like, as well as some black pepper. Toss this mixture gently with the browned squash and serve, topped with finely grated Parmesan.

Summer Squash Tian
–adapted from by Julia Child via Food52

This is a brilliant dish—it really is. Julia Child would have been101last week and in honor of her I made it again. It takes a little bit of time but is well worth it and uses a little over 2 lbs of summer squash. We had this for dinner with sliced tomatoes, basil and feta. Perfect summer food.

Serves 6

2 to 2 1/2 pounds zucchini or other summer squash, well washed (about 4 medium to large-ish squash)
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 cup minced onions
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, mashed or finely minced
2 tablespoons flour
About 2 1/2 cups warm liquid: zucchini juices plus whole milk, heated in a pan (watch this closely so that it doesn’t curdle)
About 2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese (save 2 tablespoons for later0
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 425.

If squash are large, halve or quarter them. Grate the squash on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl that you’ve lined with a clean, cotton dish towel. Toss the grated squash with about 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons of sea salt and let sit while you continue with the dish.

In a large (11-inch) ideally ovenproof (cast iron or All-clad) frying pan, cook the onions and rice slowly in the oil for 8 to 10 minutes until tender and translucent. The rice may brown a bit which is just fine. Raise heat slightly and stir several more minutes until lightly browned.

Now bring the ends of the towel together and twist and squeeze all the liquid you can out of the squash and into the bowl it’s been resting in. You will get about 1- ½ cups of salted liquid. Add milk to make 2 ¼ – 2 ½ cups liquid and warm gently in a saucepan. Don’t boil.

Now stir the grated and dried squash and garlic into the onion and rice mixture. Toss and turn for 5 to 6 minutes until the zucchini is almost tender. Sprinkle in the flour, stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes, and remove from heat. Gradually stir in the hot liquid, being sure the flour is well blended and smooth. Return over moderately high heat and bring to the simmer, stirring. Remove from the heat again, stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese.

Taste very carefully for seasoning. Now if you’re skillet isn’t oven proof turn the mixture into a buttered baking dish, top with remaining cheese and drizzle the olive oil over the cheese.

Bake in preheated 425-degree F oven until tian is bubbling and top has browned nicely. The rice should absorb all the liquid. It will take between 20 – 35 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Celery, Torpedo Onion and Carrot Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
–inspired by Food52

1/2 head celery (about 6-7 stalks), peeled and thinly sliced, leaves picked and reserved
2 medium carrots, scrubbed and very thinly sliced
½ – 1 torpedo onion, very thinly sliced (depending on how much onion you like)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons Gorgonzola Dolce blue cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
Zest and juice from one big lime
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the blue cheese, sour cream or yogurt, lime juice and zest, sugar, salt and pepper until well combined. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Just before serving in a large bowl toss all the vegetables, chopped parsley and celery leaves; add the sauce and mix well to combine. Taste for seasonings and serve.

** Vegan alternative:

For a very different but very good variation on this make this dressing.

2 teaspoons orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and membranes removed, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or any herb of your choice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk orange juice, lime juice, jalapeño, 2 tablespoons dill, and zest in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup oil; season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a mason jar with a tight lid; keep in refrigerator and use as much as you need for the salad.

Chicken Salad with Celery and Torpedo Onions

This is a great recipe from my dear friend (and cookbook author) Ellen Jackson. Substitute torpedo onions for the scallions in the recipe and feel free to use more celery than she calls for and toss in a bunch of the celery leaves along with some torn lettuce.

Thai Green Curry with Eggplant and Basil (and Carrots)

I’ve included a similar dish earlier in the season but am doing so again because it’s wonderful with eggplant and it’s best with lots of fresh basil. It is not quite an authentic Green Curry but a tasty, quick adaptation. You can easily add chicken or tofu to it for an even heartier dish though it’s wonderfully rich and satisfying without as well.

Serves 4 (generously)

2 carrots, well scrubbed (but no need to peel) and sliced thinly on the bias
2 eggplant, sliced into 1/3-inch half-rounds or cubed
1 – 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 heaping teaspoon (or to taste) green curry paste (Thai & True is a great local brand and Mae Ploy is also readily available brand)
4-6 Kafir Lime leaves (optional) (New Seasons, Whole Foods and most Asian markets have them and they freeze beautifully so if you happen to see some buy lots and freeze-they add an incomparable fragrance to this dish though it’s certainly good without too)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (more to taste)
2 teaspoons fish sauce (can omit to make it vegetarian/vegan) (more to taste)
1 can coconut milk (full fat preferably but light will work too)
1/3 cup basil, packed and roughly torn
Juice of half a lime (optional)
White or brown cooked Jasmine or other long grain rice

Heat wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add ½ cup of coconut milk (use the thickest, part usually at the top of the can) and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add the curry paste, garlic, ginger and carrots and fry it all for about 3-4 minutes until the paste is fragrant. Then add the remainder of the coconut milk plus ½ can’s worth of water, soy sauce and fish sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and add the eggplant and basil and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Adjust seasoning with a bit of salt or more soy sauce and/or fish sauce if needed and finish with a generous squeeze of lime juice, if using. Serve hot over rice.