Kitchen Garden Journal

• 1 lb eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 medium sized fresh red or green chilies (or sweet bell pepper for the meek)
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1 bunch Thai basil

Coat a large fry pan with about ¼ inch of oil and carefully fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown and melting.  Meanwhile, cut the garlic into slices and the chilies into diagonal rings.  When the eggplant is ready, remove it and add 2 Tbsp of fresh oil to the pan, add the garlic and half the chilies, and stir-fry until the garlic is golden.  Add the soy sauces and sugar, stir for about 30 seconds until the sugar starts to bubble, and return the eggplant to the pan.  Add torn basil leaves, stir and serve, garnished with the rest of the chilies (if you dare!)

Comment (0)

This recipe has been a favorite of ours for years, adapted from Jack Bishop's The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook.

• For the Basil-Garlic Crust
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 medium garlic clove
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut in 8 pieces
• 4-5 Tbsp cold water

Place basil and garlic in the bowl of the Cuisinart fitted with the normal blade. Process until finely chopped, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add flour and salt and pulse to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture is the size of peas. Drizzle in the water and pulse until the dough comes together into a ball. Remove and flatten into a disc wrapped in plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour.

• For the Tart
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes (about 1 lb), sliced thin
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Fit the dough into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Preheat the oven to 375. Line the bottom of the tart shell with mozzarella slices covering it completely. Arrange tomato slices over the cheese in an overlapping ring starting along the outside edge and another on the inside to cover the entire shell. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has golden blisters, about 35-40 minutes. Cool at least 5 minutes before slicing, or serve at room temperature.

Comment (0)

• 1 pound zucchini or other summer squash
• vegetable oil to come ½ inch up the side of a skillet
• 1 pound fusilli (or any short, stubby pasta)
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp flour, dissolved in 1/3 cup milk
• salt
• 2/3 cup roughly chopped basil
• 1 egg yolk, beaten lightly with a fork
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup freshly grated Romano cheese

First, put a large pot of water up to boil. When the pasta water comes to a boil, add 2 Tbsp salt and stir in the pasta and allow to cook while you prepare the sauce. Slice zucchini into sticks 2 inches long and 1/8 inch thick (about the size of the pasta). Heat the oil and fry the zucchini sticks in batches, without crowding the pan, until they are light brown, turning occasionally. As each batch is done, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Melt half the butter and all the oil in a skillet. When the butter foams, turn the heat down and stir in the flour-and-milk mixture, a little at a time, stirring constntly for 30 seconds. Add the fried zucchini sticks, ¼ tsp salt and the basil and stir gently. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining butter, egg yolk and grated cheese. Strain the pasta when it is al dente and toss it with the sauce in a large serving bowl and serve immediately.

Note: I made this recipe recently with a simpler method: fry the zucchini all at once (in only about 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil)--if you have a large enough pan, then just push it to the sides and finish the sauce in the center of the pan with the butter, milk flour, etc. I also added some garlic for extra flavor about halfway through the zucchini frying stage.  Either way this is an absolute classic early summer dish.

Comment (0)

• 1 lb eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 medium sized fresh red or green chilies (or sweet bell pepper for the meek)
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1 bunch Thai basil

Coat a large fry pan with about ¼ inch of oil and carefully fry the eggplant in batches, following the procedure described in Pasta alla Norma, above.  Meanwhile, cut the garlic into slices and the chilies into diagonal rings.  When the eggplant is ready, remove it and add 2 Tbsp of fresh oil to the pan, add the garlic and half the chilies, and stir-fry until the garlic is golden.  Add the soy sauces and sugar, stir for about 30 seconds until the sugar starts to bubble, and return the eggplant to the pan.  Add torn basil leaves, stir and serve, garnished with the rest of the chilies (if you dare!)

Comment (0)

This recipe has been a favorite of ours for years, adapted from Jack Bishop's The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook.

• For the Basil-Garlic Crust
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 medium garlic clove
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut in 8 pieces
• 4-5 Tbsp cold water

Place basil and garlic in the bowl of the Cuisinart fitted with the normal blade. Process until finely chopped, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add flour and salt and pulse to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture is the size of peas. Drizzle in the water and pulse until the dough comes together into a ball. Remove and flatten into a disc wrapped in plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour.

• For the Tart
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes (about 1 lb), sliced thin
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Fit the dough into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Preheat the oven to 375. Line the bottom of the tart shell with mozzarella slices covering it completely. Arrange tomato slices over the cheese in an overlapping ring starting along the outside edge and another on the inside to cover the entire shell. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has golden blisters, about 35-40 minutes. Cool at least 5 minutes before slicing, or serve at room temperature.

Comment (0)

This works well with chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes!

• 3-6 ears sweet corn
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• few sprigs basil
• cider or red wine vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper

Cut the corn kernels off the cob into a bowl and mix with tomatoes. Tear the basil into the bowl and dress with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. This is the essence of summer!

Comment (0)

• 1 cup water
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• ½ lb. stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped (beefsteak) or halved (cherry)
• 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 medium sweet red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup basil, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper

In a large bowl, mix the water with 2 Tbsp. of the vinegar. Toss the bread cubes in the vinegar water, then drain the bread in a colander, gently squeezing out any excess moisture. Combine tomatoes, celery, cucumber, onion, basil, parsley and bread and dress with oil and remaining vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Comment (0)