Late summer blues...

So tomatoes and zucchini and tomatoes and zucchini.. we definitely need a fresh flavor profile if we are to continue to enjoy eating from our well ripened summer garden.

I browned some well salted boneless , skinless chicken thighs. Cut up you-know-what and used the tomato juicy-ness to scrape up the good bits of brown in the pot. Mashed up several garlic cloves (does this sound familiar?) and threw into the pot. Added a half of a nice jalapeno and a little dry while wine. But wait. This time: No Basil !!!

I added a bit of cumin, a little coriander and a small pinch of curry. And cooked some of that lovely pearly Israeli couscous and dumped it in the pot. And around 10 or so small green olives, cut up. And a handful of fresh oregano, well chopped up.

Slow cooked for a while.. sort of a soupy stewy thing.

Real good.

Eggplant jam

Our Georgia-terranean summer means our garden produces tons of eggplants. We love not only their taste, but their adorable looks: cute and fat and purple.
The other night I peeled two medium cuties, cut into approx. three quarter inch cubes inch and tossed in olive oil. Then I put them in a hot heavy pot and stirred a little, so at least one side would get nice and brown. After a little while, I added 3 chopped garden tomatoes that I'd cored. (If I were making this for company I probably would have skinned the tomatoes) Threw in several peeled smashed garlic cloves. Covered, turned down the heat and cooked for awhile, stirred occasionally, to let the tomatoes meld with the eggplant and for the eggplant to melt: like a jam.

Served on mezzaluna ravioli with a handful of fresh chopped herbs and few tablespoons of parmesan.

Not bad. I'll make that again.

And speaking of not bad, this afternoon I found a beautiful cantaloupe half all sweet and juicy and cold and ready to eat in my fridge. There was a small container of crumbled Maytag blue cheese in there too. Lightbulb went on in head!!!

Sweet and salty: great.

nice easy Sunday late lunch

Take some leftover couscous, a little chopped red onion, a fresh tomato, chopped smallish, a handful of basil, also chopped, a couple of tablespoons of rinsed capers, and a few cups of arugula, chopped. Toss with a little olive oil and some red wine vinegar.
Place on two plates. Top with some toasted pine nuts and piece of grilled or broiled fish of your choice. I used swordfish, and doused it in that green Tabasco sauce before cooking.

No need to make dinner.

big zuke

uh oh.. a zucchini hid under the leaves of the plant and it is massive. Not quite torpedo, but almost. Just seeing it takes me back to living in the house in Maine with my friends in the early 70's.. we gardened all summer and ate zucchini stuffed with brown rice and sauteed veg's . This was way back before we knew to harvest our squashes while they were young like we were!
Well tonight I will stuff this big guy, but not with rice. I have some leftover couscous, and a little basil turkey sausage, and some fresh garlic, a little onion, a bit of garden tomato, and one half the diced zucchini scooped from the split squash. I'll saute all these things, stuff into zucchini shell and add a handful of chopped basil and oregano, a splash of white wine and top with good grated parmigiano reggiano. Bake at 350 til tender, covered for awhile with foil, then remove for the last 10 minutes when you add the parm.Toast some pine nuts, sprinkle on top.

Yummm.
Hearty but not heavy.

a better breakfast

I was poaching chicken breasts early this morning because I've been hungry alot from not eating enough lean protein.

After my cantaloupe, I decided to have a poached egg, and saw all that lovely chicken breast poaching broth. Hmmmm, why not cook the egg in that broth? I was not adding vinegar to the broth so I had to figure out a way to support the egg while the exterior firmed up enough to not break up while it cooked. (It helps that our eggs are fresh from our chickens). I used a soup ladle to support the egg while it cooked for a minute or two, then gently tipped the egg out to swim in the hot winey, celery-full, onion-y poaching broth.

I remembered some lovely arugula in the fridge and poured some broth over that in the bowl, then added the poached egg.

It was quite good!