Heirloom Tomato Risotto

The risotto is almost cooked.

With this excessive heat, the leaves on our tomato plants are turning brown and crumbling, the eggplants are wilting and the zucchini have stopped flowering. I head out in the evening to spray water on their leaves, but it evaporates almost as soon as it lands.

Last night I picked all our remaining tomatoes — ripe and almost ripe — and made this risotto. It's one of our favorites, and I only make it in late summer when the tomatoes are rich and lush. I add some less ripe ones to get a little acid in the mix. It's truly scrumptious.

Usually I peel the tomatoes, which is easy — see how I do it here. But I'd just gone outside in 100° temperatures to pick the tomatoes. I had no desire to stand over a pot of boiling water. So we had barely noticeable little rolled up pieces of tomato peel in our risotto.

Of course, as with all risottos, an excellent stock is necessary. My favorite is one I make in the slow cooker — first roasting the vegetables to create a wonderful deep flavor. You can find my recipe for it here. I always have a few cups stashed in the freezer. It's so deeply concentrated that I use half stock and half water in risotto, and an even smaller proportion of stock in soup.

Heirloom Tomato Risotto
1 lb 8 oz heirloom tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3 - 4 cups stock (or combination of water and stock)
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp chopped basil
1/4 cup parmesan

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and cook until the onion starts to turn golden, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a separate saucepan, bring the stock to a gentle simmer.

Add the rice to the onion, stirring until each grain is coated with oil. Pour in the wine, stir, and let simmer until the wine is absorbed. Then start adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, letting it absorb before adding more. Stir a little, but not constantly.

Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes if desired. Then core and chop them into 1 1/2 inch chunks, saving the juice. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small skillet. Cook the garlic a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and their juice along with some salt. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring only a couple of times. Set aside until you're ready to use it.

About 15 minutes after adding the rice to the skillet, pour in the cooked tomatoes and their juices. Stir and let cook until the rice is tender and the risotto is moist and loose.

Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and parmesan.

Serve with extra parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 2-3

Sunday night pasta

This year we're growing a lovely Italian heirloom zucchini called Ortolana di Faenza. (We bought the seeds from Renees Garden. And yes, we're also growing the climbing zucchini Trombetta di Albenga. It is not fruiting yet because it's still working on world domination.)

Ortolana di Faenza has pale green striped zucchini that we've been picking at about 6 inches long. I sliced some into very thin strips and tossed them with hot pasta with black olives, walnuts, fresh herbs and lots of garlic for a great Sunday supper from our garden.

Here's what I did:

Fettuccine with Zucchini and Herbs
1 3/4 lb slender zucchini
1 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced black olives
1/2 tsp dried crushed chiles
1 lb fettuccine
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup basil, thinly sliced
1/4 cup mint, thinly sliced
2-3 zucchini flowers, thinly sliced

Cut the ends off the zucchinis and cut them in about 3 inch chunks. Carefully slice them lengthwise into thin ribbons — I used a mandolin. Then cut each ribbon into narrow strips. Put them in a colander over a large bowl and sprinkle with the sea salt. Toss gently and let sit for 10 minutes. Then rinse the salt off and drain the zucchini well. Finally, spread them on a kitchen towel, cover with another towel, and roll them up. Press gently then set them aside so the towels absorb a lot of the moisture.

In a large serving bowl, combine the garlic, olives and chiles. Bash them together a little to form a paste.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain, reserving a half cup of the pasta cooking water.

Add the pasta to the serving bowl with the olive oil and 1/4 cup pasta water. Toss well. Add the zucchini, walnuts, half the parmesan, and all the basil and mint. Toss again and season with salt and pepper. Add more pasta cooking water if the dish is too dry.

Sprinkle the zucchini flowers on top and serve the extra parmesan on the side.

Serves 4

zucchini flowers, purple basil and mint

Summer Eggs

When we got home from the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday, Larry started squeezing oranges for juice while I headed into the garden to pick basil and tomatoes for this brunch dish that is only as good as the tomatoes it's made with.

I poached eggs in a simple sauce of tomatoes and basil, then served it with fresh baguette and butter to sop up the sauce.

Summer on a plate.

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup thick kefir or Greek yogurt or crème fraîche
1/4 cup chopped basil
4 eggs

Warm the oil in a small skillet. (I use an 8-inch stainless steel skillet.) Sauté the garlic until fragrant, then add the tomatoes. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and are juicy. Add the kefir and cook another 3 minutes or so until thickened. (Kefir and yogurt might crack but they still look and taste delicious.) Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the sauce evenly in the pan, make 4 slight indentations, and crack the eggs into them. Cover and cook until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny, about 5 minutes.

Serve the eggs with lots of sauce and baguette and butter on the side.

Serves 2

(Make sure to eat all of it at one sitting — that won't be difficult. It does not keep well because the egg white moves through the sauce — fine for breakfast but weird to pour over spaghetti later.  You can reserve some of the sauce before putting the eggs in. It's great over pasta or rice. Or on bruschetta. Or eaten with a spoon. Simple is so often the best.)

Expanding our Barbecue Horizons

Larry recently brought home a fun book on barbecuing vegetables. It's called From Garden to Grill by Elizabeth Orsini.

The conceit is that each recipe can be altered slightly to make it vegan or paleo or gluten-free, so the cook can feed a diverse group with minimal difficulty.

I browsed through it for inspiration before we took our weekly trip to the Hollywood Farmers Market.

There, at one of the organic farm stalls we frequent, I noticed the first spaghetti squash of the season. I told the farmer that I was going to barbecue it. He allowed as to how grilled banana squash is one of his favorites, so he wasn't taken aback at the idea of grilling spaghetti squash.

Larry was. He buys me a huge beautiful book on barbecuing vegetables and I find a spaghetti squash recipe! But I promised him corn and potato salad, and he agreed grilling squash would be an interesting experiment.

Well, I have to say, grilled spaghetti squash is awesome. We use charcoal briquettes — the regular kind from the grocery store — not gas. I don't know if that was the difference, but the squash was smoky and mellow and somehow rich - completely different to the oven-baked kind.

It was simple to cook. I washed the outside of the squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scooped out the seeds. I rubbed the cut part with olive oil and sprinkled on some hot paprika, salt and pepper. Then I placed it skin side down on the grill, put the lid on, and let it cook for 20-30 minutes until it was tender. (Fortunately Larry came home partway through and showed me how to adjust the air vents on the grill to increase the heat.)

While it was cooling enough to handle, I warmed some halved cherry tomatoes with olive oil and garlic in a skillet on the grill. Then I scraped the flesh from the squash into a bowl, tossed in the cherry tomatoes and sprinkled some basil on top.

Of course, food eaten outside always tastes better. But I think this spaghetti squash was the best I've ever eaten. Even Larry had second helpings.

Asparagus Frittata

It was cool and overcast Sunday morning, so I made this sunny asparagus frittata to brighten us up. I served it with simple fried potatoes and a bowl of strawberries and pomelo. 

The frittata is beautiful. If I'd used a non-stick pan, I could have tipped it out onto a plate to serve. But I prefer my trusty old cast iron, even if eggs do seem to stick to it. (Maybe I need to re-season it.)

The asparagus to egg ratio is high, so this very healthy dish would also make a great light lunch. In fact I plan to serve leftovers for Memorial Day lunch.

Asparagus Frittata

1 lb asparagus

2 tbsp olive oil

3 shallots, diced (about 1 cup)

7 medium eggs (or 6 large)

1/2 cup parmesan

1/4 cup chopped basil leaves

Bring an inch of water to a boil in a saucepan large enough to hold the asparagus. Rinse the asparagus and snap off the ends. Cook, covered, in the water for 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain, refresh with cold water, and drain again. Chop into one-inch pieces and set aside.

Warm the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet with an ovenproof handle. Add the shallots and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add asparagus and warm through.

Lightly whisk together the eggs, parmesan, basil and a little pepper. (I find the parmesan is salty enough, but add more salt if you're used to eating restaurant food.)

Pour the eggs into the pan and stir gently to mix the eggs with the vegetables. Cook over medium-low heat until the sides of the frittata and most of the top is set, about 10 minutes, making sure not to let it burn on the bottom.

Preheat the broiler to high. Put the skillet under the broiler and cook until the top is golden brown and set, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature and serve in wedges.

Serves 4

Strawberries and pomelo wedges

Grilled Zucchini Sandwich

Continuing the theme of thank goodness there are farmers to grow my food for me, I planted zucchini seeds in our vegetable garden this afternoon and then served a simple supper of grilled vegetable sandwiches made with zucchini from Finley Farms. I am optimistic that in a couple of months I will be serving home-grown zucchini, but in the meantime we won't starve.

These sandwiches taste of summer - tomato, basil, arugula for kick, and the grilled zucchini adding substance. It's best to serve these on whole wheat sandwich bread that you can squeeze together so the filling doesn't slide out. I have used Whole Foods rosemary boule before, which adds more flavor but also more difficulty in handling the finished sandwich. Toothpicks are helpful.

I was happy to find first-of-the-season organic tomatoes at the Givens Farmstand. While the arugula adds enough interest that flavorful midsummer tomatoes are not necessary, this sandwich won't taste good with a flavorless winter tomato.

I served the sandwich with potato salad and iced tea - a true summer meal in mid-May. Kind of amazing.

Grilled Zucchini Sandwich
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp minced basil
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
2 slices red onion, about 1/4 inch thick
4 slices bread
1 cup arugula, thick stems removed
1 tomato, thinly sliced

Combine mayonnaise, basil and lemon zest. Set aside. (This is more than you will need for the sandwiches, but it's good on pretty much anything you would use mayonnaise for.)

Warm a grill pan over high heat. Brush zucchini and onion with oil and grill until tender but still slightly crunchy, 3-4 minutes per side.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread mayonnaise on the slices of bread. Top two with zucchini, onion, arugula then tomato. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the the remaining bread slices.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Braised Beets

It's so easy to toss beets in the toaster oven to bake that I rarely cook them any other way.

But I recently tried pan-braising them in a little water and oil, and was so impressed I'll be doing it more often, especially in the summer when it's too hot to turn on the toaster oven.

I did peel and chop them before I cooked them, which was messy, but the red stains on my fingers wore off eventually, and the finished beets were really beautiful.

I contrasted them with an easy pistachio pesto that stayed bright green for days. I'm not sure why because it was my regular pesto recipe with pistachios instead of pine nuts. I guess the nuts helped the basil stay a bright spring green.

This dish served four and left them wanting more.

Braised Beets

2 bunches beets, roots only

2 tbsp olive oil, divided use

Scrub the roots and peel off any rough spots at the stem end. Chop into quarters (or 1/2 inch rounds if the beets are large). Place them in a heavy saucepan with 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp oil. Place on medium-low heat and cook, covered, until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the pan is getting dry. But if they're young beets they'll release a surprising amount of water while cooking. When they are tender, toss them with the other tbsp of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter.

Pistachio Pesto

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup basil

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp parmesan

Toast the pistachios lightly in a heavy skillet. Pour them into the food processor and add the garlic, salt and basil. Grind coarsely. Add the oil and purée until relatively smooth. It will be a thick paste. Stir in the parmesan.

Arrange the beets on a platter and dollop the pesto on them.

Serves 4

Fall Bean Salad

The beautiful peppers at the Hollywood Farmers Market inspired this chickpea salad. Because this is southern California, I was able to buy fresh asparagus at the market to add contrast. I could have used green beans instead.

It had good staying power - I took it for lunch 3 days in a row along with a green salad. I tossed the two together for an excellent lunch, followed by a farmer's market apple. Real food is a great break in a busy day.

Fall Bean Salad
1/2 cup chickpeas
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp basil, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
8 oz asparagus
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
12 kalamata olives

Pick over chickpeas and remove any stones or clumps of dirt. Bring a quart of water to the boil and add the chickpeas. Cover and simmer, adding boiling water from the kettle as necessary, until the chickpeas are tender - 2-3 hours.

Whisk together the lime juice, basil and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Drain the chickpeas and put in a bowl. Add the dressing and stir to combine.

Steam the asparagus until tender. Cut in 1 inch pieces and add to the chickpeas along with the chopped peppers. Pit and slice the olives and add to the salad.

Serve on lettuce.

Serves 4

Lazy Sunday Cooking

This is day-old pesto stew - the pesto turned
brown, but it was still delicious!

Sometimes I wake up on Sunday morning with no desire to think about food, even though we're about to head to the Hollywood Farmers Market to do our weekly grocery shopping. When this happens, I turn to Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker to inspire me to make Sunday dinner.

(Then I buy a lot of good-looking vegetables at the market and figure out what to do with them later.)

Every recipe I've made from her book works and is delicious - unlike some of the other vegetarian slow cooker books I have (see my post on squash and barley risotto - not from Robin's book.)

On a recent Sunday morning,  she inspired me to make white beans with pesto. Yum. I had vegan pesto (no cheese) in the freezer from last fall, so it was simple to defrost and stir into the stew before serving it.

It cooks for 6-8 hours, so I had time to make it when we got home from the market - I soaked the beans while we were out so they would cook more quickly.

Usually I don't bother peeling tomatoes, but it really is an easy thing to do once I've boiled the water, and it makes a textural difference. So I rose to the occasion.

Larry usually only likes pesto on pasta, but he thought this stew was just great. I hope you enjoy it too.

White Bean and Pesto Stew
1 cup dried white lima beans or other white bean1 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion (about 1 cup chopped)
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
3 tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
1/4 cup pesto

Pick over the beans and discard any stones. Wash them, then put in a saucepan, cover with 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Put the lid on, and let the beans simmer gently until they are tender, 90 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age of your beans. When they are tender but not soft (no hard center), drain them and set aside. (At this point they can be refrigerated for 2-3 days until you're ready to use them.)

Warm the oil and sauté the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Cut an X through the skin at the base of each tomato. Put them in the water for 30 seconds, then lift them out and put them in a  bowl of ice water. Let them cool enough to handle, then peel off the skin with your fingers, starting at the X. Then cut each tomato in half along the equator and scoop out the seeds with a small spoon or your fingers. Chop them coarsely, removing the stem end.

Scoop the cooked onions into a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the diced red peppers, chopped tomatoes, cooked beans and water or stock. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Just before serving, stir in the pesto.

Serves 4-6

Bean Salad with Basil

Bean salads are an easy bread-free way to add protein to the vegetarian lunch box.

Take cooked beans, add some celery or green pepper for crunch, some cherry tomatoes or cucumber for juiciness, and some herbs for flavor. Toss in a simple vinaigrette and you have an easy dish that will last a few days in the fridge, ready to be scooped into cup-sized containers and added to the lunch box.

This week we'll be eating this pretty salad in our lunches.

Bean Salad with Basil
1 cup dry beans (I used a combination of white limas and Christmas limas)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the beans in plenty of boiling water until tender, about 90 minutes. Drain and toss with the vinegar. Let cool at room temperature.

Add the remaining ingredients. Toss well. Season to taste.

Enjoy at room temperature.

Serves 4-6

Colorful Garnish

A few weeks ago, I wrote about cooking cherry tomatoes with mint. This week, I cooked them with a little garlic and basil for a side dish that Larry said would go with anything. That was good, because we ate them with tofu, and with eggplant, and with rice. They reheated well, and kept their red color and good flavor.

Here's what I did.

Colorful Garnish
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 scallion, sliced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp chopped basil
salt and pepper

Warm the olive oil in a skillet. Add the tomatoes, garlic, scallion and red pepper flakes. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and start to crack, about 5 minutes. Stir in the basil and cook another couple of minutes until the tomatoes are juicy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Refrigerate leftovers, and reheat in a skillet or in a covered container in the toaster oven. They last a few days in the fridge, if you hide them.

Serves 4

Braised Carrots Provençale

I had long slender carrots in the fridge and decided they would look beautiful cut in slivers and cooked Provençale style with tomatoes and basil.

I rarely cut vegetables into julienne, but these carrots were so slender it was easy. I cut them in half lengthwise, then put the halves flat side down on the board and cut them into 3 or 4 long slender pieces each. Some of the carrots were so long that I cut them in half horizontally for ease of cooking.

(No self-respecting cook would call these juliennes because I cut the carrots much larger than matchsticks. Feel free to cut matchsticks if you prefer - the carrots will take less time to cook if you do this.)

You will notice the carrots are steamed in a little oil, no water. Hard to believe it will work, I know. But it does. And I feel that cooked this way, all the nutrients are preserved in the carrot.

I used a ripe red poblano pepper from our garden for color, but an ordinary red pepper would work just as well.

It made a colorful and tasty vegetable side. The main dish was an awesome homegrown eggplant - more on that later.

Braised Carrots Provençale
1 lb slender carrots
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 red poblano or red pepper
1 large tomato
2 tbsp basil, chopped
lemon

Trim the carrots and peel them. (They look prettier peeled, but feel free to leave the peel on for the extra nutrition.) Cut them lengthwise in half, then put the cut side on the board and thinly slice them lengthwise.

Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet. Add the carrots, cover the pan, and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan, stir, cover, and cook another 5 minutes until the carrots are flexible but not overcooked. Pour them out of the pan onto a plate.

Halve, seed and slice the pepper thinly. Core, halve and slice the tomato. Put the skillet over high heat, add the pepper and tomato with 2 tbsp water, cover, and cook until the water starts steaming (a glass-covered skillet makes this easy). Then cook 2-3 minutes until the pepper is tender.

Return the carrots to the pan, toss lightly, add the basil, toss again, and cook until warmed through. Squeeze some lemon juice over and serve.

Decorate with basil flowers if desired.

Serves 4

Yummy Potato Casserole

I maintain that if you want someone to eat something weird, make it smell like pizza.

This casserole of eggplant, potato and tomato smells like pizza, and it tastes really good. The vegetables are layered in a dish, sprinkled with a little parmesan, and baked for a couple of hours. They soften and meld together like the best ratatouille but with very little oil and no stove-top cooking.

You will read this recipe and think it can never work: not enough liquid, everything will be dry. But the long cooking allows the vegetables to release their juices, and the flavor is unbelievable. I think it's similar to the long slow cooking of meat, but of course this is way better.

I prepped it Sunday afternoon, let it sit for a while before putting it in the oven, and then let it cook gently until we were ready to eat dinner. Wow. It should feed 6, but 4 will fight over it.

I feel this recipe is a throwback to when we cooked in clay dishes in the ashes of our fires. It is too hot to have a fire, but you'll get the same flavor in pyrex in the toaster oven. I cannot recommend this dish more highly.

Potato Tomato Eggplant Casserole
3 large tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
6 potatoes (18 oz)
1 large onion (8 oz)
1 medium eggplant (1 lb)
1/2 cup parmesan
fresh basil to garnish (optional)

Start by making the tomato sauce. Cut the tomatoes on the equator and scoop out the seeds with a small spoon or your finger. Core and chop the tomatoes into small dice. Stir together with the olive oil and tomato paste. Peel the garlic, chop it and mash it with the 1/2 tsp salt. Add to the tomatoes along with the red pepper flakes.

Peel the potatoes and slice thin. Peel and halve the onion and slice thin. Take the top and bottom off the eggplant. Slice the rest thin.

Butter a 6-cup casserole. Put 3/4 cup of the tomatoes in the bottom, spread thin. On top, put 1/2 the potato slices and season with a little alt and pepper. On top, put half the onion slices and season again Pour another 1/2 cup tomato sauce over top, then half the eggplant slices and more salt and pepper. Next put 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/4 cup parmesan. Then the remaining potato slices, salt and pepper, the onions, more salt and pepper. Finally, the last of the eggplant, more seasoning, and the last of the tomato sauce.

The vegetables will rise up above your casserole. That's okay. Squash a lid on them. Press it down while you preheat the toaster oven to 350°F.

Bake the casserole, covered, for 1 hour. Use a spatula to press the vegetables down (and peel them off the lid if necessary). Put the cover back on and continue to bake for another hour. Press the vegetables down again. Sprinkle them with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or so until the cheese is bubbly.

Let the casserole sit at room temperature at least 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with the fresh basil (I usually forget to do this).

 It's also good at room temperature and as leftovers reheated the next day.

Serves 4-6

I pressed the vegetables down with a jar of kamut while the
toaster oven was warming up. By the end of cooking, they
had shrunk down to below the side of the casserole dish.

Summer Entertaining

Summer is an easy time of year to entertain. The fresh produce is spectacular and needs very little fussing - serve plain old corn on the cob and everyone's happy. And many dishes can be made ahead and served at room temperature on these warm evenings, so the chef can mingle with her guests.

Saturday night, we invited Shane and Emma to dinner. We poured glasses of hibiscus-lime iced tea and strolled the garden. I picked some herbs, greens and cherry tomatoes to round out the main course, and Shane picked blueberries for dessert.

We chatted over corn chips and our homemade salsa while I dressed the greens for the grilled eggplant salad. I had grilled the eggplant a couple of hours before when I got home from work, and left it at room temperature.

Warming up in the slow cooker was a white bean and tomato stew I had cooked early that morning. It had a little heat from our home-grown poblano and jalapeño peppers, but was still a gentle foil to the tart and spicy greens on the eggplant. (The slow cooker is a great way to warm food without having to watch that it doesn't burn.) Larry cooked corn on the cob, and we sat down to an easy yet delicious meal.

Dessert was peach ice cream that I'd made Wednesday evening with mountain-grown peaches from Ha's Apple Farm. I felt bad turning this luscious fruit into ice cream, but it got rave reviews, especially with our homegrown blueberries scattered on top.

As we ate dessert, the night grew dark and we lit candles. An owl flew to the top of our cypress tree, and the full moon rose. There's nothing like a simple summer dinner in the garden.

White Bean and Tomato Stew
1 cup dry white beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
1 heaping tablespoon fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 cup parsley

Cook the beans in plenty of simmering water until tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on the age of the beans. They should be just cooked, not mushy, because they will cook further in the stew. Drain them and set aside. They can be refrigerated overnight. If you prefer, you can use 2 14-oz cans of cannellini beans. Drain them and rinse them well.

Warm olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the garlic, tomato, and seeded and chopped peppers. Cook a couple of minutes and add the beans. Season with salt to taste. It can be refrigerated now if necessary.

Chop the fresh herbs and add to the stew as it warms. If it gets too dry, add a splash of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve warm.

Serves 6

Poblano peppers - like green peppers but with a little heat

Grilled Eggplant Salad

I know summer is the season of barbecuing, but I actually prefer to use my grill pan. I take an electric hot plate out on the patio, put my cast iron grill pan on it, and turn out great dishes like this eggplant salad.

Feel free to barbecue the eggplant if you prefer (especially if the barbecue is lit for another reason).

The greens on top of the eggplant are a combination of spicy arugula and lemony sorrel. If you can't find either, use more basil and mint and parsley. The idea is to have a fresh zesty contrast to the soft eggplant and salty feta.

I adapted the recipe from Jeanne Kelley's decidedly non-vegetarian book, Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes. (Warning - there's at least one dead animal picture in it.) However, the vegetable flavors she puts together are really good.

Grilled Eggplant Salad
1/2 lb eggplant
olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 small clove garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup arugula
3/4 cup sorrel
1 cup mixed basil, parsley and cilantro
1 oz feta

Wash the eggplant, slice off each end and discard. Slice the rest into 1/2 inch thick circles. Brush them with oil and grill about 5 minutes per side until browned and tender. Remove from heat to a platter, and let cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the lemon, garlic, cumin and olive oil. Drizzle half over the cooled eggplant.

Add the greens to the remaining dressing and toss well. Put the greens on the eggplant, and scatter crumbled feta over the top.

Serves 2-3

Whole Oat Pilaf

Oats are one of the best foods we can eat to keep our inner microbes happy. There are a wide variety of microbes living inside us - the ones we hear most about are the ones in the large intestine that benefit from yogurt and other probiotics, but there are many many more -  and the fiber and natural sugars in oats do a great job of keeping them balanced and harmonious, which in turn helps us stay healthy.

Rolled oats serve this purpose, so granola is a good way to start the day.

However, whole oat groats are even better for the body.

And they make a fine substitute for brown rice when you're looking for a grain to round out a meal. Make sure to buy hulled oat groats, not the ones with the husks on that are used for sprouting. They should look similar to brown rice or barley.

I took advantage of the fresh peppers at the market to make this cheerful fall pilaf that I served with a bean stew, beets with mint, and wilted greens. It was a colorful meal that our bodies really appreciated.

(And it tasted good too!)

Whole Oat Pilaf
1 cup whole oats
1 jalapeno
1/2 red peppers
1/2 orange pepper
4 mushrooms
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh basil

Bring three cups of water to a boil, add 1/2 tsp salt and the oat groats, cover and simmer until cooked, about 20 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile dice the peppers and shallots. Chop the mushrooms and mince the garlic.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the peppers, shallots, mushrooms and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until crisp tender, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and add the cooked oats. Season with salt and pepper. Toss so all is warmed through. Stir in the basil and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Peperonata

The red peppers and tomatoes in the market are just beautiful at this time of year.

The other night I combined them in this simple, sweet side dish that perfectly complemented fried tofu, braised eggplant and coconut rice.

This recipe is also excellent in an omelet, or stirred into rice or pasta. It also makes a great topping for bruschetta.

Peperonata
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup basil
2 tbsp parsley

Warm oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, red peppers and jalapeno. Cook briefly. Add wine and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, another 10-15 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom.

Stir in the chopped basil and parsley. Add salt to taste, and heat through.

Eat hot, cold or anywhere in between.

Serves 4

White Bean and Tomato Stew

We're having a heat wave. It is just too darned hot to cook.

But we still need to eat, so I braved the kitchen to stir up this simple but delicious white bean stew. It's a one-pot meal that can be eaten hot or at room temperature, and it takes full advantage of the bounty of fall produce.

I had planned to use our home-grown tomatoes, but I think the heat is too much for them and the tomatoes on the vine are stuck at yellow.

I used dried white lima beans, but you can use any white bean like cannellini. Canned is okay too. Use 3 14oz cans, well drained and rinsed to remove the tinny flavor.

While I used just red peppers the other night, I have made this recipe before using a green bell pepper and an anaheim pepper (which is slightly spicy). So vary the peppers based on what your garden is producing or what you find at the market.

We enjoyed this easy meal sitting under the fan on our covered patio, listening to the Dodgers game. It was filling and tasty and very simple to eat. Just what was needed on that hot summer night. I enjoyed leftovers for lunch the next day.

If we had been hungrier, we could have eaten the stew with rice or another grain to up the protein count. A crisp salad would have been a nice addition too. I'll try that when it cools off.

White Bean and Tomato Stew
1 cup dry white beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes)
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 heaping tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

Cook the beans in plenty of boiling water until tender but still firm -- probably about 2 hours depending on the age of your beans. Drain them and set aside.

Sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add garlic, tomatoes and peppers. Cook another couple of minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook another 15 minutes or so until the flavors are blended and the tomato juice has cooked off enough to make a thick stew.

Serves 6

Charred Zucchini and Onion Salad

Cooking vegetables in a cast iron frypan without oil is similar to barbecuing. The vegetables char and blacken and develop great flavor.

I usually use this technique when making Mexican food - it adds a smokey flavor to tomatillo salsa and enchilada sauce.

This recipe, however, is more Italian in nature, using basil, thyme and balsamic vinegar to season the blackened zucchini and onions.

It's from Peter Berley's interesting book The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen. It's a little too heavy on the seitan and tempeh for me, but has some good ideas like this one.

(There's nothing wrong with seitan and tempeh, but they are usually used to imitate meat. I don't like meat so I'm not interested in trying to replicate it.)

I cut the zucchini in 1-inch rounds. It looked a little weird, but I was happy with the chunkiness of the finished product. You could cut the slices lengthwise instead if you prefer.

Charred Zucchini and Onion Salad

3/4 lb green or yellow zucchini

1 large red onion

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp chopped basil

1 small clove garlic, chopped fine

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped fine

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt to taste

Cut the zucchini in 1-inch slices and the onion into 1/2 inch rings. Heat a cast iron fry pan over high heat until very hot (water should sizzle when a few drops are tossed on it). Lower the heat to medium and place the zucchini and onion on it. Cook for 6-10 minutes per side, turning each piece when it is brown in spots and beginning to char. Don't let it get too black.

The vegetables need to be in a single layer, so do a few batches if you have too much for your pan.

When cooked on both sides, put the pieces in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, basil, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes. Whisk well. Pour over the hot vegetables and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and let marinate at least 10 minutes. Toss again and salt to taste before serving.

Serves 2-3

Mint is good in place of the basil. The salad lasts well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Simple Summer Supper

I came home from work pretty tired Saturday. Plus it was hot.

So a simple supper was in order.

I picked some basil and cherry tomatoes in the garden, and whipped up this simple pasta with pesto.

(Click here for my favorite pesto recipe.)

I would have made a salad too, but it was hot, and I was tired. Does pesto count as a green vegetable?