Panzanella Salad with Warm Leek Vinaigrette

When I got home from our community garden last week, I was HUNGRY. Like, ready to eat my hand hungry. Like, good-thing-I-forgot-there-was-pizza-in-the-fridge-because-I-would-have-swallowed-it-without-chewing hungry.

And my apartment was still hot, and I still don't have a grill. I needed something fast.

Luckily, fresh garden veggies taste amazing raw, and with a little prep, they can have a real “wow” factor. I mean, they’re already colorful and crispy and fresh, what else do they need?

Olive oil, balsamic, and crusty bread, that’s what.

I made this panzanella salad for a friend’s cookout last year, and it was a crowd pleaser. People love bread in their salad; I love bread in my salad (and that’s coming from someone who has a huge penchant for raw lettuce). It feels like a real compromise when, in fact, I’d rather be eating just bread.

I had some kind-of stale crusty bread from Arthur Ave in the freezer, so I was able to quickly defrost that in the toaster oven. While it became crispy and delicious, I cut up tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber, and threw the large chunks into a mixing bowl. 

I cut up the green part of a leek into small pieces and put it in a pan with some olive oil. Once the leeks got olive green and fragrant, I added in some balsamic and let the whole mixture get warm.

Bread out of the oven, chunked, into the mixing bowl.

And then I dumped the leek-balsamic heaven over everything.

Here are some things that would be very appropriate in a panzanella on a day when you’re not chomping at the bit: garlic, basil, salt, pepper, olives, mozzarella. (Onions are usually called for, but leeks were a good substitution for me.)

I ate it without any of the above. For healthiness’ sake, I did dump the whole thing on top of some of the fresh lettuce that I had gotten from the CSA. Because, you know, we’ve gotta do something about the abundance of bread on the plate.

Or not.

Truly, this is a good one to have on file for entertaining, and it makes a great addition to a picnic, too!

Chinese-Style Eggplant (Eggplant with Garlic Sauce)

c/o Recipehubs.com

Oh, eggplant. Coming from an Italian family, it’s nearly a holy food, usually prepared a la parmesan or grilled topped with melted mozzarella with an olive-oil drizzle.

Last week, though, neither of those were going to work for me because 1. It’s freaking hot in my apartment (I will starve before I turn on my oven ), 2. I don't have a grill, and

3. I was craving Chinese eggplant. 

The last time I had this deliciousness was on vacation in the Adirondacks at a wine bar. It was melty and sweet and spicy and flavorful and sublime. I’m surprised I hadn’t craved it sooner.

I found a recipe on AllRecipes and got to work.

1. Cut up eggplants. Praise God, you don’t have to skin them. That alone is a reason to make this recipe, am I right?

2. Put them in a pan with some olive oil to cook a bit.

3. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, garlic powder and chili flakes. I’m lazy, so I added everything into the pan without whisking it first. Worked fine for me.

4. Cook into deliciousness.

When you take it off of the stove, it’s this soft, melty, sweet, spicy wonderful creation. It’s comfort food that you don’t have to simmer on low for five hours, and it also isn’t full of MSG, corn syrup, or whatever else our local dining establishments use to jack up our food.

On that note, this might be the easiest recipe ever. And, aside from fish sauce, which you can find at any Asian supermarket, you probably already have most of the ingredients in your house! It ’s so flavorful and heavy that I found it totally satisfying as the main dish. If you’re hoping to eat more than just eggplant (and, really, why would you be???) I’d pair it with something super light in flavor, maybe grilled chicken. Grilled chicken made on the stove because, you know, summer. Or you could cut up the chicken into strips and cook it in the same pan as the eggplant…

Oh, baby.

Suffice it to say that this hit the spot so much that I ended up taking the leftovers with me on a beach vacation. Sure, boardwalk fries are good, but they’re not this.

*I couldn’t get any decent photos from cooking. Here's a blurry photo to prove it:

Happy cooking!

Looking at the nice bowl of veggies again this weekend.  What to do with those lovely small tomatoes, besides chop them into a salad?  Here's a favorite recipe from Sonoma Diet Cookbook, that tops small tomatoes with whole wheat bread crumbs and fresh herbs.  I can stand over the pan after I remove them from the oven and eat about half of them in one fell swoop!  Let me know if anybody tries to do the same with the tomatillos.  I've never tried that...

Sometimes, simple is best!

If you grabbed the Napa cabbage last week but are puzzled what to do with it, this post is for you.  Yes, Napa cabbage is different than a traditional American garden cabbage, so it calls for a different dressing if you want to eat it raw.  I never use it for cole slaw, personally.  I just chop it up finely on a cutting board, toss with rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a handful of peanuts.  That's the simplest, crunchiest use for it.  If you have some lovely fresh cilantro on hand, chop up a few tablespoons and add it, as well.

I'd be remiss if I didn't add some beet recipes, given the bounty of this unusual veggie that inspires passionate views.  Either you love beets, or you hate them.  There's no in-between!  If you haven't learned to love them yet try one or both of these suggestions:

Take your beets, trim off any spots, but don't peel.  Cut into quarters or eighths, depending on size.  Cover with water and boil (turn heat low once it comes to a boil), for about an hour. When they are done, let them cool enough to handle.  Peel them at this time. Then slice or julienne (cut into matchsticks), whichever you prefer.  Two sauces to try (from the Jane Brody cookbook):

Mustard sauce: beat with a whisk:  2T lemon juice, 2T Dijon mustard, 1T cider vinegar, 1T oil, 1 tsp sugar. Season with some fresh dill, fresh parsley, and cracked black pepper a salt to taste.  About 1 T of each herb if it's fresh, or about 1 tsp if it's dried.  Top the beets with enough sauce to your taste.  Refrigerate for at least an hour. This is enough sauce for about a pound of cooked beets.  

Horseradish sauce: beat with a whisk:  1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 T drained bottled horseradish, 1/4 tsp caraway seed, salt to taste.  Top the cooked beets with enough sauce to your taste. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.  This is a larger portion of sauce, enough for a couple pounds of cooked beets.
 


 

Answer to your prayers, Nick.  Here's one of my favorite kohlrabi recipes from Jane Brody's book.
Sorry I don't have a nice picture to go with it, like your cabbage recipe.  It doesn't look pretty, but it tastes great!

  

 

If you're tired of cole slaw, sauerkraut or borscht...

I really enjoy working through CSA problems in the kitchen.  One of my constants is what to do with an abundance of certain vegetables.  If you're fortunate enough to catch me during pick-up, you may here me muttering to myself !

I've been searching for a good cabbage recipe for a few years.  I recently came across this recipe for roasted cabbage: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-roasted-cabbage-with-bacon-recipes-from-the-kitchn-105338

Roasted in the oven, the cabbage takes on the delicious braised flavor of Brussels sprouts that I've come to love.  Vegetarians can omit the bacon without significant loss, although you might want to increase the olive oil amount.  As the author suggests, I served it over pasta.  I didn't try to get the girls to eat it, but to my surprise Hannah preferred this to the alternate veggie dish I made.  Score!

When the cabbages start piling up, I'd encourage folks to give this recipe a try.  Now if only I kind find something to do with all those kohlrabi...