Did you notice anything bright or crisp in your bin last week? This is my favorite time of the year to visit the farmers market to see all the bright colors and the wide spectrum of each color. This week you will find a few new additions in your bin. The stands-out are: tender red lettuce, deep colored eggplant and fuzzy little edamame pods.
Green vegetable soybeans (edamame) are large soybeans that are harvested when the beans are still green and sweet tasting. They can be served as a snack or a main vegetable after boiling the pods in slightly salted water for about 15 minutes. They can also be removed from the pods and the green soybeans can be added to salads, casseroles or other mixed dishes. They are high in protein and fiber and contain no cholesterol.
The warm weather this past week has finished off the second wave of melons. The varieties I choose to grow are developed to be icebox sized and are suppose to be on the small side. It still seems like they are too big for the black bins, so do keep an eye out for a side bin filled with melons this week. Everyone will receive one large melon or 2-3 small melons this time around.
Melons
Nectarines
Tomatoes
Red Lettuce
Edamame
Sweet Peppers - Red/Yellow
Broccoli
Eggplant
Green/Purple Pole Beans
Zucchini
Beyond the Bin:
Peaches/qt 4.00
Black Radishes 2.00
Basil 2.00
Jalepeno Peppers 2.00
Raspberries/pt 5.00
Nectarines/qt 4.00
Honey/ 8 oz 4.00
Honey/ 16 oz 6.00
Here are a couple of eggplant recipes. This is my "go to" soup recipes when the garden is producing a stream of eggplant and vine ripen tomatoes.
Eggplant and Tomato Soup (Zuppa Di Melanzane E Pomodoro)
Serves 6-8
4 ½ lbs. purple globe eggplant
2 oz. olive oil
3 medium red onions
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. crushed chili pepper flakes
Salt
32 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 qt. chicken stock
3 sprigs basil
3 sprigs mint
Pecorino Romano
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and lay out skin side
up on a sheet pan lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. Roast for 1 hour until soft and collapsing.
Peel and thinly slice the onions and garlic. Sweat onions, garlic and chili pepper
flakes in olive oil in a 5 qt soup pot over medium heat. Add a generous pinch
of salt. Add tomatoes and continue
cooking for 30 minutes.
Cool the eggplant and then scoop out the flesh and roughly
chop it up. Transfer the eggplant
to the cooked onions and add the chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally and re-season with
salt as necessary.
Remove the leaves from the basil and mint, finely chop and
stir into the soup for the final 10 minutes of cooking. Serve with grated Pecorino Romano.
Grilled eggplant
sandwich
Makes 4 servings
1 large eggplant
1/4 c olive oil
1 long loaf crusty French bread
1/4 c basil pesto
1/4 lb provolone cheese, thinly
sliced
6 sliced mild peppers, such as
banana peppers
1 fresh tomato, optional
1. Slice eggplant 1/4-inch thick. Brush
with olive oil on both sides. Grill over
low to medium coals, turning once,
until golden brown on both sides, 5-7
minutes total.
2. cut bread in half lengthwise. Spread
pesto on cut faces of bread. Place
eggplant, cheese, peppers and
optional tomato in layers on one half
of loaf. Top with other half of loaf.
3. If desired, wrap loaf in foil and heat
at 350 degrees 20 minutes. Cut
crosswise into 4 sandwiches and
serve
No comments:
Post a Comment