August Garden Casserole

This was a total winner with everyone. Even my three-year-old wolfed it down.

Boil 1 package of whole wheat rotini according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Saute some garlic, onion, and diced swiss chard stems together for a few minutes until tender but not brown. Add a handful of fresh snap beans, chopped bell pepper, chopped tomato and some sliced carrots (though these can be omitted -- they weren't local) and heat just to warm. Then add to a large casserole dish along with the chard leaves (chopped) and the rotini.

Then make a roux. I would tell you how but I always forget and I end up looking it up in Joy of Cooking. It's basically melting butter and whisking in flour to create a base for a white sauce. So I made a roux and added milk and grated cheese to make a nice, thick cheese sauce, which I added to the casserole with 2 TB oregano, salt and pepper. There was only enough sauce to lightly coat the pasta and veg.

Covered with bread crumbs (seasoned with basil and oregano) and baked at 375 for 20 minutes.

Veg Dinner

I've always been a big fan of the vegetable dinner. It's usually on my menu once a week. It's just a bunch of side dishes without an entree, and I love it. With so much fresh veg in the house, veg dinner has been spectacular lately. Some favorites:

Fried okra - Okra chopped into 1-inch chunks, dredged in milk and egg, covered in cornmeal, and fried till done.

Baked pattypan squash: Yummy little funny looking squash, sliced longways into thick slices and covered in butter and parmesan, then baked.

Stir fry: This usually includes pepper, yellow squash, onion, and tomatoes, all sauteed together over high heat and spiced with something. Salt and pepper are sometimes enough, but we've also used lemon herb seasoning as well as italian seasonings like oregano and basil.

Roasted Butternut Squash Stuffed with Lentils and Pear

Cut two butternut squash lengthwise and remove seeds and strings. Lightly oil a baking dish and place the four halves, cut side up, inside and brush with oil. Cook at 375, covered, for 40-50 minutes until just tender.

Meanwhile, cook 1/2 C or so of yellow lentils in a small pot, adding water until tender. Add one small pear, chopped. Cook until crisp-tender.

When squash are cooked and slightly cooled, scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/4-inch to 1/2- inch shell. Add pulp to lentils, mix to combine. Add about 1/4 tsp sage, salt and pepper, 1 TB brown sugar, 2 TB butter. Mix until butter is melted.

Fill squash shells. Return to over and bake uncovered 20-30 minutes more. Serve with rice.

(Some folks don't like the butternut squash shell -- like my husband -- so if you're one of those, you could also serve the pulp mix over rice or in a ramekin.)

Eating Local - Panzanella

My family has decided to learn how to eat locally. We're not taking an exclusive Eating Local challenge or boycotting any big-box stores, but we are trying to progressively ease ourselves into a more local food life. We've been shopping almost exclusively at the local farmer's market or roadside stands for fruits and vegetables, and we've bought all our milk and eggs and nearly all our cheese from Wright Dairy, a couple of cities away, and we've been making our own bread (which is made a ton easier by my parents' recent donation of their old bread machine). And we've planted our first garden, after a few years of talking about it. It's even growing itty bitty plants!

I'm a vegetarian, so eating from the farmer's market isn't a huge jump for me. But eating only in-season fruits and vegetables could be a challenge. So far the only things I've missed are potatoes and onions, which I've had a hard time finding. But this is the time of plenty for so many other crops, we've truly had it pretty easy so far. You're likely to hear a lot more complaining in a couple of months when all my meals feature kale.

I'm going to start posting the best recipes we've used or manufactured to fit our farmer's market haul each week. The biggest problem with my recipes is that I don't usually have measurements to offer - I just make what looks right. If you're adventurous enough to wing it with me, I'd love to hear how yours turn out. This one is from our very first day of eating local. Thanks to my brother and his girlfriend for the inspiration!

Farm Fresh Panzanella
Cut a hearty bread into cubes. We used around half a loaf of homemade wheat, and it served three. In a cover-able bowl, mix bread with oil, sage, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover the bowl and shake to coat all bread cubes evenly. Then toast them on a baking sheet in the oven at 375 or until crisp - it took me 15-20 minutes.

Take a large bunch of swiss chard and cut stems from leaves. Dice stems and coarsely chop leaves. Keep them separate.

Melt 2TB butter and 2 TB oil in a hot skillet. Add a good handful of chopped onion and about 1 TB of minced garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add chard stems and cook about 5 minutes more. Then add a bunch of fresh snap beans - we probably used 1.5 cups or so. Add about 1/2 C white cooking wine and cover.

Meanwhile, husk and remove silks from 1 cob corn. Rub with butter, cover in foil and roast at 450 for 15 minutes or until tender. Cut corn from cob.

When the green beans in the skillet are bright and nearly tender, add your chard leaves and stir until wilted.

Combine croutons, corn and chard mix. Serve hot.