Squash

Isn't it great how all the summer vegetables combine to make such diverse but consistently yummy dishes? You can mix up squash with basil and tomatoes, or with peppers and corn, or with cilantro and onions, and have three distinct combinations with the simplest and freshest of ingredients! My mother made a zucchini casserole that we all loved: chop a zucchini into 1" cubes and put them into a buttered casserole dish. Add some chopped tomatoes (peeled if they are fresh), some diced scallion, a tablespoon of sugar, dot it with a little butter, and bake it covered in a medium oven for about 20 minutes. Uncover it and top it with some grated mozzarella cheese and put it back in the oven 10 minutes or so till it's melty and bubbly. This is so simple, fresh, and satisfying! We would have it with fresh corn, salad, and something off the grill.

I also add squash (or eggplant) to my spaghetti sauce, along with mushrooms, onion, garlic, and herbs. My husband likes summer squash simply sauteed with butter and a little diced peppers and scallions. If you get a really big zucchini, you can split it down the middle and scoop out the seeds, then stuff it with mushrooms, rice, cheese, peppers, and onion. I haven't done it before, but I'll bet you could throw stuffed zucchinis on the grill, or microwave them so as to not heat up the kitchen!

Of course, my all-time favorite way to use summer squashes is ratatouille. I think there are lots of ways to make it, but the recipe I use is this: saute onion, garlic, eggplant, and green pepper in a skillet until the vegetables begin to soften. Add chopped zucchini, summer or pattypan squash, and saute a little longer till squash gets tender. Add chopped, fresh spinach, and some diced tomatoes (peeled if fresh) and cook till the spinach wilts, and the vegetables resemble a stew. Stir in a little chopped fresh basil at the very end. Serve this on rice with toasted pine nuts as a garnish. This one actually uses a lot of what we got in last week's distribution! I think I'll make it tonight!

As a final note- I could use some help with the sage- I don't have much experience with it as a vegatarian, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Tiill next week- cook what you have!

Grilling Vegetables

It's hot. We all know this, and many of us go to great lengths to cook food that doesn't heat up the kitchen. I wish I had a solar cooker, and that I was home during the day to use it, but I have been doing my outside cooking at night on the grill. I have an old Weber, one that uses charcoal briquettes. (I don't use lighter fluid, though, I light it using one of those chimney things) About once a week I fire up the grill and cook up a ton of vegetables (and usually some tofu as well) marinated in different spices. Then I use the vegetables in different recipes throughout the week. Eggplant grills really well- just peel it, marinate slices of it in oil/vinegar/herb or oil/soy sauce/garlic/pepper and grill it for about 4-5 minutes per side on a medium hot fire. You can do zucchini the same way (but you don't have to peel it). Then, you can mix the grilled eggplant in with recipes featuring tomato sauces, with mushrooms, garlic and onion, or with stir-fries featuring garlic, tofu, onion, and peppers. You can also eat the vegetable "cutlets" with rice or noodles. Grilled Italian-style eggplant slices topped with a little marinara and asaigo or parmesan cheese, and served on noodles is fantastico!

This week, I'm going to try to grill Jon's peppers. I want to make a chile pie using grilled ancho, anaheim, and poblano peppers. I'll put them over a hot fire and turn them several times till their skin puffs up and turns black, then let them cool on wet paper towels. Then I'll run them under water and remove the peel, cut them up (you can seed them if you like, but they won't be as spicy), and add them to a mixture of sauteed onion, garlic, eggs, and milk. I might add some diced tomatoes. Then I'll pour it on top of sliced polenta in a shallow baking pan, grate some cheese on it, and bake it till it's browned. I'll probably serve it with calabacitas made with Jon's sauteed squash (zucchini, pattypan, or summer- it's all good), corn, okra, onion, black beans, and a little chile powder for flavor.

I'm very glad to hear that some of the CSA members are reading this blog. It'd be great if it became a community cooking forum, that we can use to share ideas and successes, and find inspiration when faced with something we've never tried before. Please, everyone, feel free to comment, respond, and contribute at will. I'd love to hear from you!

Till next week, then, cook what you have!