Hot weather pays off in delicious dinners

Long, hot summer days and warm, thick summer nights can always be trusted to bring on the farm

Ripening cherry tomatoes
photo: Sophie Shillue

bounty. This week we have several much-loved summer crops making appearances for the first time this season: our long-awaited cherry tomatoes, luscious eggplant, crunchy green peppers, and slightly sweet bunching onions. We're all excited for the change up in the harvest routine and the new veggies waiting for us at lunchtime and dinnertime.

This year, like last year, we're growing several varieties of eggplant and some of them look very different. The classic, dark, glossy purple variety is a mainstay; the long and slightly curved Asian eggplants work great in sautees or stir fries; the roundish, pastel violet ones are Italian heirlooms with extra creamy flesh that I love in eggplant parm; and the not-yet-ready-but-coming-soon white ones just look really cool.

Class of 2014 baby Belties

While we're out in the field harvesting and hoeing, we're also keeping one eye on our Belted Galloway cows, who are due to start calving over the next few weeks. I'll keep you updated on their progress and post cute baby cow pics as soon as I have them. For now, here's two of last year's calves chatting out in the field about a year ago.

In your share this week: the aforementioned eggplant, a green pepper, bunching onions, cherry tomatoes (yay!), plus more field and greenhouse cucumbers, squash and zucchini, beets, the very last of the peas, and PYO chives/sage/oregano.



Recipes of the Week

Eggplant is one of my favorite summer veggies, in part because it grills up so well and I don't have to make my house hot. To grill eggplant rounds for use as a pizza topping, for example, slice them 1/3" thick, brush both sides with olive oil, salt to taste, and grill, turning occasionally until they're tender and nicely colored.

Another eggplant favorite is Baba Ghanoush. Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone has a recipe that you can do either on the grill or in the oven. But first she has advice on the question of salting or not salting your eggplant.
     "Eggplant that's freshly picked, harvested before it's full of seeds, and eaten within a few days is naturally sweet and doesn't need salting; nor do the slender Asian varieties. Salting can, however, leach out bitterness from eggplants that have been stored too long or those that are overmature, and moisture for when it is to be fried, since a long salting keeps it from absorbing as much oil. I know some cooks who always salt their eggplants and other who never do, reflecting perhaps their own sensitivity--or lack thereof--to eggplant.
     Sprinkle eggplant slices or cubes lightly with whatever salt you normally use. Let it stand in a colander for at least 30 minutes to reduce bitterness, an hour or more to lessen oil absorption. Blot the juices that bead on the surface or quickly rinse the eggplant and blot dry. When seasoning the eggplant during cooking, taste it before adding more salt to a dish."
--Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Baba Ghanoush
Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

1 large or 2 medium eggplants, about 1 1/4 pounds, roasted (see roasting instructions below)
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. tahini
Juice of one large lemon
Salt to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Chopped parsley

Roast the eggplant via one of the two methods described below, letting the skin harden and char in places to give the dish a smoky flavor. Peel the eggplant, then puree it in a blender or food processor with the garlic and tahini. Season with lemon juice and salt to taste. Mound the puree in a bowl and make a depression in the top with the back of a spoon. Pour olive oil into the hollow and sprinkle with parsley.

Whole Roasted Eggplant
If using an oven, preheat to 425F; if grilling, preheat the grill. Slash the eggplant skin in several places so it won't explode. Place in a pan/set on the grill racks and roast until it's soft to the point of collapsing, 30-40 minutes in the oven, or as quickly as 20 minutes on a hot grill. You can also wrap it in foil and place it directly on the coals. Let cool 15 minutes or so. Discard any bitter juices that may collect.

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Our bunching onions are a summer treat that I usually enjoy grilled, but they're very versatile. You can use them in any recipe that calls for onions--they're really just a young onion with a funny shape. They're a fresh-eating type of onion, so you want to refrigerate them and enjoy them within two weeks. My grilling "recipe" is simple. Slice them the long way, in 2-4 slices, leaving the greens attached. Brush them with olive oil on both sides and salt and pepper them to taste. Place them directly on the grill grate, or an aluminum foil square, and grill until they are soft (and lightly charred if grilling them directly). Add more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy them as a side dish or on a burger.