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Rainbow Kitchen

Some Sweets, Some Spice and Some Slightly Sour: End-of-Summer Veggies to Savor Anew

By Allison St. Claire
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How about with the basics of healthy eating: very few calories, lots of nutrition, healthy natural sweeteners, and tantalizing, often overlooked add-ins to tease your taste buds. Let’s dive in – these are easy, fast and full of complex flavors with just a few common ingredients.

The peak of summer veggies may be winding down in your area, but there you are – still overloaded with garden-fresh tomatoes, zucchinis and eggplants just crying out for one more tasty go-round on your plate before their final resting place in the compost pile.

The following recipes are adapted from my newest find in a “porcupine” cookbook. (Read: I’ve only read about 45 recipes into the book and I already have 34 “try this” Post-it notes sticking out the top and sides creating the look of a blocky porcupine sitting on the counter.) By all means check your local library, bookstore or online book outlet for River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. (Ten Speed Press, 2011). If you have any lingering doubts about a Brit featuring creative, delicious vegetable dishes, all those stereotypes of overcooked, mushy, tasteless veggies –  once the supposed mainstay across The Pond – should be banished from everyone’s memory by now.

So, where to start? What to share?

How about with the basics of healthy eating: very few calories, lots of nutrition, healthy natural sweeteners, and tantalizing, often overlooked add-ins to tease your taste buds. Let’s dive in – these are easy, fast and full of complex flavors with just a few common ingredients.

 

Honey-roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

 

1 lb cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon honey (preferably raw. From a local source, if possible, to help fend off seasonal allergies)

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste (preferably unprocessed sea salt and freshly ground pepper)

 

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Halve the tomatoes and place them, cut side up in a lightly oiled roasting pan.

Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt, then beat in with the honey, olive oil and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes until golden, juicy and bubbling. A beautiful addition to any plate.

 

Broiled Eggplant with Chile and Honey

Serves 4. Oven broiled or adapt for an outdoor barbecue.

 

3 medium eggplants (about 1-1/2 pounds)

Olive oil for brushing

Salt and pepper to taste

1 fresh red chile, seeded and finely chopped. (Chiles of almost every taste and heat-punch are
 available at this time of year – use your favorite)

A few sprigs of thyme

Approx. 1 teaspoon raw honey (depending on the strength of the honey and your sweet tooth)

Lemon juice to taste

 

Pre-heat broiler. Peel eggplants and cut crosswise into thin (no more than ½ inch) slices. Place on a foil-lined broiler pan. Brush liberally with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until golden brown on one side, flip over, brush with more oil and sprinkle on more salt and pepper. Broil until the slices are a deep golden brown all over and very tender. May take one or more flips and up to 15-20 minutes.

Lay out on a plate and sprinkle with chopped chile and thyme leaves, and trickle with honey and lemon juice. Let cool for at least 10 minutes or up to a half-hour to let the flavors marry. Makes a colorful starter with some good bread or a side dish to any meat or fish main.

 

Marinated Zucchini with Mozzarella

Serves 2 or more

 

4 medium zucchini or other summer squash

5 tablespoons good olive oil

1 large garlic clove, slivered

Zest of 1 lemon plus a little juice

Handful of mint or basil, coarsely torn

About 4 oz fresh mozzarella or other mild, soft cheese, sliced or torn.

 

Cut zucchini or squash lengthwise into thin pieces. (An inexpensive mandoline helps slice  quickly and evenly.) Put in a bowl and lightly coat with oil (a pastry brush works great here).

Heat a large nonstick frying pan (or a wok or iron skillet) over high heat. Working in batches, sear the slices for about 2 minutes on each side until tender and golden. Transfer to a shallow dish.

Remove pan from heat to cool a bit. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, the garlic and lemon zest. Heat very gently for a few minutes – the residual heat may be enough – to take the raw edge off the garlic and infuse the oil with the flavors.

Pour the infused oil over the zucchini, add salt and pepper to taste, a squeeze of lemon juice and the mint or basil. Toss, cover and leave for 1 hour at room temperature. Strew with the cheese before serving. An interesting new salad possibility or a tempting side.

 


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Allison St. Claire loves to dream about, study, grow, play with, prepare and ultimately enjoy eating great food.

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