This week your basket contains: cucumbers, summer squash, onions, lettuce (full shares), Swiss chard (half shares), tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, beans, eggplant, sweet peppers and basil.Eggplant is one of those veggies that people either love or hate.  I happen to believe that there is always some way to prepare this type of food that will work for everyone including those who think they hate it.  For eggplant, this is the most successful recipe I’ve come accross. 

BABA GHANOUJ

2 med. eggplants

2 Tbs olive oil

1 chopped onion

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup tahini

1 1/2 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Cook whole eggplants under broiler, turning occasionally, until charred and collapsed (approx. 20 min). Remove from broiler, cool and remove skin. Heat oil in a skillet, add onions, cook until translucent.  Add garlic and continue cooking until onions are golden brown.  Combine eggplant, onion and garlic and remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a chunky puree.  Serve at room temperature with pita bread. 

Seems like the summer squash have decided to make large fruit this week, which made me think of this recipe. 

STUFFED SQUASH

3 medium to large summer squash (zucchini or patty pan)

1 medium onion

4 large cloves garlic

1 medium carrot, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups rice, cooked (basmati gives a nice flavor)

6 oz. cream cheese, cubed

Pepper

Grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out as much of  the flesh as possible (this can be tricky with the patty pans).  Chop the insides.  Sauté the onion in the oil until it starts to brown.  Add the minced garlic, mushrooms, carrot and celery and cook a few moments more.  Add the squash flesh and the salt and cook on fairly high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Remove pan from heat and stir in the cream cheese cubes.  Cover for a few minutes to soften the cream cheese.   Stir in the rice and pepper.  Taste and add salt if necessary.  Fill the squash shells and place in an oiled 9×14-inch baking pan.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  Add water to cover the bottom of the pan about 1/4 inch deep.  Bake, with the dish covered with foil, for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes until filling has browned a little.   Inspired by  New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant 

As tomato harvest ramps up, this tip, sent to us by a long-time subscribers, is good to remember if the tomatoes start piling up on you.

VERY EASY TOMATO SAUCE 

I just quarter the tomatoes (any that don’t get eaten within four or five days), cherry and sungold tomatoes I leave whole, quarter an onion or two and place these in a baking dish. Then I peel and add four or five garlic cloves, fresh basil, rosemary, etc. and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil all over everything. Then I roast it all in allow oven – 300 to 325 degrees, for three or four hours or until everything is mushy. Once it’s cooled, I dump it all in the food processor and voila! thick rich roasted tomato sauce. The most recent batch included a smallish fennel bulb and a coarsely chopped eggplant. The roasting seems to bring out the natural sweetness of those delicious tomatoes.