Veggie Table

Eggplant, Squash, and Tomato Saute adapted from this Serves 4 1/4 c. chopped onion 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1/2 c. diced eggplant (I found that this was about four 1/4-inch thick slices of a mondo eggplant) 1/2 c. diced yellow squash 1/2 c. diced tomato 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped or 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; saute onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes or until onions start to brown. Add eggplant and squash. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the eggplant starts to get soft, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook another 5 minutes or so. Serving suggestion: Spoon it over hot rice with plain yogurt on top. Sounds weird? Absolutely. Try it though, and tell me what you think. The first time I made this, I added some sweet corn (maybe 1/2 cup?) somewhere in there - maybe when I added the tomatoes - and also substituted fresh basil for the fresh oregano (I know, I know. They're not interchangeable. But they are both fresh, which beats dried in my book). The second time, I forgot the corn, but it was still really good. I even got my husband to eat it. And he had told me he wasn't a fan of eggplant. BAH! I showed him. A few little snippets of thought: 1. I love poetry so much, and I think my parents are to blame. Mom used to make us memorize a poem a week if we wanted to have the privilege of watching TV on the weekend. I'm totally going to pull that one on my kids. Last night at the dinner table, something that my husband said made me think of a poem, so I pulled my copy of Best Loved Poems of the American People off the shelf and proceeded to sing a poem about dried apple pies. He laughed at me, but then we read poetry together for another few minutes and decided that we were going to subject our own children to Casey at the Bat in utero and that poem about Paul Revere when they're in diapers. (By the way, this isn't a subtle disclosure of any sort. Just a thought). So, in honor of my poetry-stuffed childhood, I have composed a simple end-of-summer Ode to Veggies:

Peppers and squash

Apples and berries

Picking and eating

Cooking and sharing

Freezing and jamming

Preserving and drying

This poem isn't much

But at least I'm trying.

2. I'm going to see the movie Julie and Julia tonight with 4 girlfriends. I am really excited and will share my thoughts in a coming post!

3. Does anyone have knowledge of dehydrating? I'm thinking of borrowing a dehydrator from a friend and working up some apples, but I don't know how long home-dried fruit will last, and where I should store them. Any dried apple skills you have would be appreciated.