Tag Archives: eat local

Simply food

I started this blog as a place to write, and I rarely used pictures in my early posts.  In general, I try to avoid photo-heavy posts, but these days, my opportunities to actually get to the computer and write are limited.  Most of the following photos have stories that could (and perhaps still will) be posts unto themselves, but for now, the pictures will do most of the talking.

Ground cherries (AKA husk cherries):  related to a tomatillo (same papery husk), but smaller and sweeter.

We had a decent harvest this summer, and Gabriel was especially fond of them.  They’re good but nothing particularly amazing in my book, so I was shocked to see them selling for $9/pint — definitely wouldn’t pay that.

A rainbow of potatoes, boiled whole, and smashed . . .

. . . then topped with a thick, rich eggplant sauce.

Buckets o’ basil — I froze seven bags (each with four packed cups of basil) for pesto and other cooking throughout the winter.

Deep dish cast iron pizza goodness . . .

. . . served with a three-bean salad.  And that’s a wrap!

Food backlog

Well, it’s actually more of a food photo backlog.  I worked on some of the actual food backlog at lunch today.

Mealtimes (not to mention actually cooking) with a 13-month-old are interesting enough without pulling out a camera to photograph the food, so I feel like when I do manage to catch a shot of what’s on my plate, I should share it here, especially when it’s summertime and the eating is good.  Not every meal warrants a post of it’s own, so here’s a little compilation, with a cute treat at the end.

Some of our first good edamame crop in a three bean salad along with chick peas and green beans, with panzanella (i.e., bread salad) in the background.

Sunday brunch (clockwise from top left): sauteed squash and pepper medley, tomato salad, omelet topped with sauteed veg, pan-fried potatoes.

Split pea burger with our “magic sauce” on English muffin with tomato slices.

Big ‘ol salad with lots of fresh garden goodness, topped with black sesame seeds and a sesame-peanut dressing.

And, finally, the treat . . .

Little Pookie discovered fresh corn-on-the cob.  You could say that he enjoyed it.  If he could talk, he would probably ask for some more right now.

Smoked eggplant lasagna

Last week, I created a particularly tasty lasagna using — what else? — eggplant and tomatoes.  This dish (especially the leftovers, which feel like all of the goodness with none of the work) makes me not mind the overabundant harvest quite so much.

Smoked eggplant lasagna

Recipe by Melissa
Makes one 9×13 pan of lasagna

Ingredients
Lasagna noodles to make one 9×13 pan of lasagna
2-3 c. grilled eggplant puree*
1 bulb roasted garlic
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced very thinly
5-6 c. very good tomato sauce (see recipe below for one suggestion)
1 c. grated aged cheese, like Romano or Parm

Directions
If using fresh [homemade] pasta, there is no need to precook the noodles.  If using regular lasagna noodles, boil until al dente, according to package directions.

Mix eggplant puree, roasted garlic, and olive oil to achieve a thick sauce consistency.  Salt to taste.

Spread a small amount of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 pan.  Then layer as follows: noodles, eggplant puree, thinly sliced eggplant (sprinkle with salt), tomato sauce.  Repeat for a total of two layers.

Add a final layer of noodles (for three layers total).  Top with tomato sauce and grated cheese.  Bake for 50 minutes at 375° F.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Tomato sauce

This is a very rough estimation of this batch of tomato sauce.

8 c. diced garden-fresh tomatoes, mix of paste and juicier varieties, do NOT skin or seed
1-2 c. finely diced onion
1 bulb pressed garlic
olive oil for sauteing onion and garlic
fresh (or dried) herbs including rosemary, thyme, and oregano

Cook tomatoes in large pan.  As the tomatoes start to cook down, saute onions and garlic.  Add to tomatoes along with chopped herbs.  Salt to taste, and add 1-2 T. sugar, if desired.

I did a slow cook sauce, letting it simmer for 2-4 hours to thicken.  If you’re in a hurry, you can add a jar of tomato paste instead of the long cook.

*Can also cook eggplant in microwave and add smoked salt

I’ve got the summer veggie blahs

I think we’ve gotten to the “too much of a good thing” point with summer vegetables.  The tomatoes, squash, and eggplant won’t quit coming.

I’ve made and canned tomato sauce and salsa and made “sun-dried” toms with the food dehydrator.

Panzanella

We’ve had various versions of ratatouille, tomato sandwiches, tomato salads, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce with eggplant, grilled eggplant, baba gannoush . . . .

Monday I made an amazing lasagna (recipe coming once I dig out from underneath all the produce), but I’m running out of steam.

I hate to complain, and I REALLY hate to waste food,  but, gah, I just want out of the kitchen!  Any suggestions or inspiration?

On my plate

We braved the heat to roast beets after a big harvest last Saturday.  They finally made it onto our plates in our classic beet salad last night.

We tossed a garden medley (onion, garlic, squash, red pepper, and Swiss chard) into the cast iron skillet for our second course.

We served the sauteed veg on top of a bed of quinoa.

A bit later, we rounded things out with peaches and shortbread for dessert, but the peaches were feeling camera shy (or the photographer was feeling lazy).

It was a delicious meal to end a delicious day that also included our Caprese salad sandwiches and some treats from our first visit to Pint Size Bakery.