August is eggplant time — the plants are big and beautiful, and their purple fruit heavy with promise. And then there are the tomatoes — not flooding in yet, but just starting. There is nothing quite like a garden tomato warm from the sun. I was remembering an eggplant and tomato salad I used to make from an international cookbook, called caponata. I looked everywhere for the cookbook, but it seems it has moved elsewhere…then I thought I would find a duplicate of what I used to make online, but not so. It seems that what I used to make was more of a pickled eggplant salad. Light and delicious. Here is the closest to what I remember:
Eggplant not really Caponata Salad
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Eggplant not really Caponata Salad
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME10mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium pot, boil the eggplant in salted water for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender.
- Remove from heat, and place in a colander to drain.
- Transfer to a bowl, allow to cool slightly. Add the rest of the ingredients, and let meld together for a couple of hours at room temperature.
Vegetable Stack Sandwich on Homemade Focaccia with Pesto and Ricotta
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Vegetable Stack Sandwich on Homemade Focaccia with Pesto and Ricotta
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME35-40mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN155mins. |
Ingredients
Instructions
Focaccia:
- Pour the warm water in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the yeast, sugar and 2 Tablespoons of the flour over the the water.
- Stir until dissolved, and then let sit until foamy, about 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, place the 4 Tablespoons olive oil, salt, 1 cup of the flour and the yeast mixture.
- Whisk hard until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until a soft, sticky dough is formed.
- Turn onto a floured surface and knead to form a springy ball, dusting with flour to prevent sticking, about 3 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased deep container, and let rise until triple in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Grease a 17 x 11 inch baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.
- Place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface.
- Press and flatten the dough.
- Lift and pull gently, stretching to fit the baking sheet.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk.
- Meanwhile combine herbs and 1/3 cup olive oil, let sit for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Using fingertips or knuckles, gently poke indentations all over the surface of the dough about 1/4 inch deep.
- Drizzle the oil/herb mixture over the surface of the dough, letting it pool in indentations. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until nicely browned.
- Sprinkle with salt if desired.
Stack Sandwich:
- Lay the eggplant out onto trays lined with paper towel, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Blot with more paper towel.
- Place eggplant, zucchini, red pepper and onion on baking sheets greased with olive oil.
- Brush all vegetables generously with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in a 400 degree F oven until tender.
- Cut Focaccia into squares, and then cut into 2 layers. Spread each layer with pesto, and the bottom with 2 teaspoons ricotta.
- Place baby spinach next, then a slice of eggplant, onion, tomato, a couple of slices of zucchini and finally some strips of red pepper.
- Place top layer of focaccia on this and you have a great sandwich!
My favorite time of day is early morning especially whenever I am able to spend any of that time out in the gardens. The thrill of discovering something fresh and new poking up through the soil, opening of buds and unfolding of leaves all give me incentive for the day. It makes me expect good things to happen and encourages me to look for new life developing around me. Right now we are harvesting mostly lettuce. Big, full, beautiful leafy heads — Boston bib, Buttercrunch and several other red leaf types for variety of texture and flavor.
There is no end to the beautiful salads that can be created with these crisp tender leaves and we’ve been using them in that way for most of our meals. We also enjoy them for a main meal in the form of Asian lettuce wraps, a favorite at the convent year-round, but especially nice in this warm weather.
Asian Lettuce Wraps
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Asian Lettuce Wraps
SERVINGS16wraps
|
COOK TIME2mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not to tear them.
- Set aside.
- In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 Tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary.
- Drain, and set aside to cool.
- Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir.
- Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
- Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center.
- To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf.
- Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!
As I write this, it is raining. I think not too long ago I was writing about all of the rain and cold we were having. (I will never complain about that again!) It’s finally been so dry that the garden could be tilled, and the tomatoes are being planted. I feel like having a party! Its the time of year that I try and think of what I can cook with the least amount of stove or oven usage.
I was recently cooking for a group, and not in the kitchen I am used to, which did not have a fully stocked pantry. I wanted to make a broccoli salad, so found a couple of recipes that looked promising, but of course did not have exactly what was called for, especially in the vinegar department. So, of course I would have to improvise. It was a no cook broccoli salad with a mayonnaise, vinegar sugar dressing. I remembered that there was a bottle of white balsamic vinegar in the cupboard – ah sweet! I also wanted to cut down on the amount of mayonnaise, and use it more like the oil in the dressing, and I must say that balsamic can cover a multitude of sins. So, here is my version of fresh broccoli salad, improv style.
Improvised Broccoli Salad
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Improvised Broccoli Salad
SERVINGS7servings
|
COOK TIME |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem.
- Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head well.
- Cut the head into bite-size flowerets and the stem into bite size pieces.
- Place in a large bowl.
- Add the bacon, onion, raisins, and carrot.
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients, stirring well.
- Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.
- Last of all add in the tomatoes and toss again gently.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Memorial Day is supposed to be the kick off for summer, but it was a little questionable with the cold temperatures and constant rain. The vegetables in the garden seemed happy enough — potatoes, beans, leeks all were thriving with the extra moisture they were getting. I was a little concerned that steaks on the grill weren’t going to do all that well in the pouring rain. Monday dawned clear and warmer, and we were able to have our picnic as planned. It was delightful and almost sparkling in the sunshine. I made my favorite potato salad. My sister has always made it this way, and I recently realized that this is also the way my mother always made it. The secret is in the salad dressing going on the potatoes while they are still warm and making it a day ahead so the flavors have a chance to develop.
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My Mom’s Potato Salad
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME |
PREP TIME |
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water until tender.
- Drain and transfer to a bowl. Pour on the vinaigrette.
- Let sit for a few minutes.
- Then combine the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight or until cold.
I think the biggest event of this past week (well, maybe not, but it seems that way…) was the visitation of the wild turkey. I was talking with a friend in one of the offices and she suddenly jumped up and said “there’s a wild turkey!” and ran out the door. He appeared in the entryway to our common, and proceeded to climb up onto the guest house patio, as if he belonged there. What a handsome fellow! I had never seen one close up, and it was a real treat to see him strutting back and forth, admiring himself in the windows.
For a recent brunch type reception, I was asked to come up with a mini egg dish that was similar to quiche, but not heavy. We tried a number of things, and discovered a delicious breakfast option. We tried it first in pastry, which is nice, but then switched it to a ham cup and…oh my!!! Here they are in a breakfast-sized form, which we made for a retreat this past weekend, but you can also do them mini-size, which are delightful for a brunch reception!
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Fluffy Breakfast Eggs in a Ham Cup
SERVINGS6servings
|
COOK TIME25mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spray 6 ramekins with cooking spray.
- Line with ham, trimming so you don’t have too much overhang — just a little border of ham over lip of ramekin.
- Saute red pepper and onion until soft.
- Divide cheeses and pepper/onion mixture among ramekins.
- Whip eggs and egg whites with salt until frothy, then add chives and sour cream.
- Divide among the ramekins evenly.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes.
Notes:
You can use any kind of cheese or fresh herbs, according to your preference. Have fun!
