Tag: eggplant

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 12 – STUFFED EGGPLANT

August 22, 2017

Hi Everybody!

We’re at the height of summer and the vegetables are so abundant! Everything we’ve been receiving has looked so good, and it is truly delicious.

This week’s recipe uses the lovely eggplants we’ve been getting and is quick and delicious. Serve it with a green salad and some crusty bread (not the bread that’s in the recipe) dipped in herbed olive oil.

STUFFED EGGPLANT

Eggplants (2 1/2 pounds)

Salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb oyster mushrooms (or any other mushrooms), sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

Freshly ground pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium red onion, finely diced

1 tsp ground cumin

2 TBS unsalted butter

4 oz stale baguette, cut into 1/2-inch dice, soaked in 1/2 cup red wine

2 oz pecorino cheese, diced

3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

2 TBS chopped parsley

1. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and cut out the flesh, leaving 1/4-inch shells. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch dice. Salt the eggplant shells and let stand for 30 minutes. Pat the shells dry.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Rub the eggplants with oil and set them on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side down. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over moderate heat until tender. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet. Add the diced eggplant. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook until tender and browned, 3 minutes; add to the mushrooms.
5. Add the garlic, onion and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Cover and cook, until softened.
6. Add the cumin and 1 tablespoon of the butter and stir until fragrant, 1 minute; add to the mushrooms. Stir in the wine-soaked bread, cheese and broth and season the filling with salt and pepper.

7. Increase the oven temperature to 425°. Turn the eggplant shells cut side up and fill with the stuffing. Dot the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and bake in the upper third of the oven for 10 minutes.

8. Preheat the broiler. Broil the eggplant 4 inches from the heat until browned, 2 minutes. Top with the parsley and serve.

 

HELPFUL HINT: Here’s an easy way to peel ginger: use the edge of a spoon to scrape the skin off. Easy!

Enjoy, and have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

 

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 9 PASTA SALAD WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES AND FETA

August 1, 2017

Hi Everyone!

We’re approaching the mid-point of summer and the bountiful produce is just wonderful.

Today’s recipe is a light and cool pasta salad with mixed vegetables.

PASTA SALAD WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES AND FETA

Ingredients

3/4 lb. orecchiette

1/2 lb. thin asparagus

1 sweet red or purple pepper, sliced into strips

1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

1/2 small eggplant, sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick

7 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 small shallot, finely chopped

4 oz feta cheese (3/4 cup), crumbled

1 cup parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

 

Directions

1.Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until al dente. Drain the pasta, rinse under cold water and drain well. Transfer the orecchiette to a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, brush the asparagus, peppers, zucchini and eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Grill the vegetables over moderately high heat; turn the asparagus several times, until crisp-tender and charred, about 2 minutes; turn the zucchini once, until tender and charred, about 3 minutes; turn the eggplant once, until tender and charred, about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the grilled vegetables to a work surface. Cut the asparagus into 1-inch lengths. Cut the red peppers into i inch pieces. Cut the zucchini crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Halve the eggplant slices lengthwise, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the grilled vegetables to the orecchiette.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the shallot and the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss to coat. Add the feta cheese, parsley and olives, season with salt and pepper and toss again, then serve.

HELPFUL HINT: This salad can be made a day early and refrigerated overnight. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

I hope you enjoy this cool summer meal. Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 8 – CHINESE EGGPLANT WITH SPINACH AND GARLIC

July 25, 2017

Hi everyone!

Wow, the weather has been so intense this past week! I hope the temperature and the humidity are going to be falling. In the meantime, we can still enjoy the beautiful fresh produce.

Today, I have a recipe I picked up in my travels. This one’s a Chinese dish, made with eggplants, spinach and garlic. It’s easy and delicious.

 

CHINESE EGGPLANT WITH SPINACH AND GARLIC

Ingredients

2 lbs white or purple eggplants
3 TBS peanut or safflower oil
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch spinach, washed and roughly chopped (it’s ok to leave water on the leaves)
1 bunch parsley or cilantro, chopped

sauce: Mix the following with a bit of water:

2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 TBS rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 TBS soy sauce
TBS dark sesame oil
1 TBS black bean sauce

  1. Cut the eggplants into largish bite-sized pieces.
  2. Heat the oil and cook them over high heat.
  3. After 2 minutes, add the garlic and stir often, until the eggplants are mostly cooked through.
  4. Add the spinach and mix in until it’s wilted slightly, about 1 or 2 minutes.
  5. Add the sauce to the still-hot eggplant mixture.
  6. Stir in the parsley or cilantro just after removing from the heat, serve with rice.

I think you’ll enjoy the dish!

HELPFUL HINT: Never put your cooking knives in the dishwasher. Instead, immediately after using, wash them and dry with a towel. That’s the way to keep them sharp, and rust free.

I hope you enjoy this dish, this week’s vegetables and this lovely summer.

Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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Week #6 — What’s in the Bag

FULL VEGETABLE SHARE
Summer Squash-8
Green Cucumbers-2
Orient Express Eggplant-2
Oak Leaf Lettuce-1 head
Spinach-1 bunch
White Scallions-1 bunch
Cabbage-1
Boothby Cucumbers- 2
Thyme-1 bunch

MUSHROOM SHARE
Oyster

FRUIT SHARE
Local Sweet Cherries-1 basket
Blueberries-1 basket

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Week #11 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member

The summer is quickly slipping by. The fields are still full of summer favorites and we will continue to harvest. The torrential rain storms that were forecast for our area did not make it this far north. We were very grateful. There has been plenty of rain this summer and wet conditions in the field make it harder to pick, to wash and transport your shares.

This week there are eggplant once again. Steven from the Yorkville CSA has passed on this information. Lori, the site coordinator at Yorkville is working testing more recipes and they are all posted on the farm website Recipe Section. Please take a look. Lori has tested all of the recipes and I am sure they are delicious.

Steve writes, “If the goal is 1) to free up all that fridge space used up by multiple eggplants and 2) cook eggplants with the least possible effort:

Super easy – put the two bell eggplants in the oven at 350 until they are soft (wasn’t timing it exactly but probably 20 minutes, turn, another 20 minutes). Scoop out all the goo and put it in the blender with a bunch of tahini (2-3 ounces). Blend, blend, blend; salt, pepper, paprika, lemon juice. Very nice. Top with chopped scallions and/or sesame seeds to make the presentation a little more classy. Minimal effort, probably a million good baba ganoush recipes out there.

“Tried something similar with the oriental eggplants but they don’t bake the same way. It’s good but lends itself more to a chunkier eggplant salad.”

The pulp—or goo, as Steve calls it—can be used in many other dishes.

Abuganoush, a variation on the baba variety: Instead of puree-ing the pulp, chop it roughly and combine with a diced tomato, a diced cucumber, a diced pepper, two tablespoons of chopped parsley and a diced onion or scallion. Drizzle in some olive olive and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.

Thai Eggplant Dip: While you’re puree-ing the pulp, add 2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh ginger, a tablespoon or two of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil (start with one tablespoon and add more to taste). Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped parsley.

Bagnacaudaganoush: I just made this one up, and it’s pretty good: Puree the pulp with several cloves of garlic—roasted garlic is even better—and several anchovy fillets. Add oil to get the consistency you want. You probably won’t need salt—the anchovies are very salty.

A very nice share of tomatoes and peppers both sweet and hot along with onions, cucumbers and Thyme. New this week is Kale. It is a treat to have a green that we have not harvested since the spring time.

There are bulk tomatoes but they do sell out. If you would like to order tomatoes by the 25 pound box, please go to the farm website, Marketplace and then place your order. The boxed tomatoes will be delivered with the CSA shares.

Enjoy the wonderful harvest.
Don’t forget to mark you calendar for the Fall Farm Festival September 6 from 11:30-3.

Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm.

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Week #8 — What’s in the Bag

Here’s what’s in the bag for a full share — note it’s our first week of tomatoes! Half share amounts will be posted at the site. (Don’t forget to bring your own bags; and if you have any extra supermarket bags at home, please bring them to the site. We always need them.)

Lilac peppers-3
Bright Lights Swiss chard-1 bunch
Cinnamon basil-1 bunch
Slicer tomatoes-2
Walla Walla onions-2
Summer squash-4
Green Slicer cucumbers-2
Black Bell eggplant-1
Pony Express tomatoes-2

Mushroom Share-Shiitake

Fruit Share-1 basket each apricots and blueberries

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What’s in the Bag — Week #14

UPDATED LIST — Posted Monday evening

Veggies 

  • Green beans – 1 pound
  • Tomatoes – 2 (These are probably the last of the tomatoes.)
  • Asian eggplant – 2
  • Edamame -1 bunch.  (Edamame are soybeans. Pluck the pods from the stalk and rinse. Steam the pods for 5 or so minutes. Drain. Sprinkle salt on the warm pods and pop the beans out of the pod.
  • Carrots – 4
  • Dill -1 bunch
  • Broccoli – 2 heads
  • Red onions – 2
  • Cabbage-1 head  (The cabbage will keep in your refrigerator.  Great for making sauerkraut in a Mason jar or coleslaw.  Recipes for both can be found on the farm website in the recipe section.)
  • Potatoes – 2 pounds
  • Peppers-  2
  • Habanero hot peppers – take as many as you like. (Habaneros are a very hot pepper, and caution is needed when preparing and eating.)
Fruit Share
  • 1 bag Bartlett pears
  • 1 bag nectarines
  • 1 box Concord grapes
Mushroom Share
  • Shiitake