Summer Recipes of Yummy Goodness

(image not mine…I was too lame to take a picture. This picture was found here.)

This Sunday again found me at the Farmers’ Market, trolling for fresh summer produce. Ted’s youngest cousin had a birthday last week, and her party was on Sunday afternoon.  She is a fan of this bruschetta, so I happily made a batch to bring along.   There’s nothing like bruschetta to make you appreciate the bounty of summer…fresh, really ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, good quality olive oil…mmm.  Really, really good. The recipe comes from The New Basics Cookbook.

Bruschetta
12 to 14 fresh ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, slivered
8 thick slices round peasant bread

1. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch dice and place in a bowl.  Toss with the minced garlic and shallots.
2. Chop the basil coarsely and add to the tomatoes, along with the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and 1/3 cup olive oil.  Set aside.
3. Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet.  Saute the slivered garlic until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.  Discard the garlic and reserve the oil.
4. Toast the bread and cut each slice in half.  Arrange the slices on 8 small plates.  Brush the garlic-flavored oil over each slice, spoon the tomato mixture over the bread, and serve immediately.  The mixture should be at room temperature.

8 portions.

I adjust the recipe a bit. Instead of using peasant bread, I used a fresh loaf of French bread from the Farmers’ Market. I brush the bread with the garlic olive oil prior to putting it under the broiler, so that it gets crispy and yummy. This recipe made enough for about 20 pieces of bruschetta.

Miss Cherry is out of town, and on her way to the airport, she dropped off some lovely eggplants and tomatoes that she had picked in her friend’s garden. On Monday, I decided to make some baigan choka with it. I posted the recipe here, but I’ll post it again for you now:

Baigan Choka
1 globe eggplant, whole
2 or 3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 or 3 tomatoes, whole
1/2 small onion
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Poke holes in the eggplant, insert garlic slices into holes.
Place eggplant and tomatoes on a baking sheet.
Roast in 350 degree oven until eggplant gets soft and collapses.

Remove from oven, cool enough to handle. Scoop meat from eggplant. Smash with tomato, onion, salt and pepper.

Along with the pumpkin Ted’s mom and I cooked on Saturday, and some lamb curry, rice, and roti, it made for a perfect Labor Day dinner. Gosh, summer is great for the fresh produce, isn’t it?