Many people who grew up around gardens in this neck of the woods probably aren’t real familiar with eggplant, a delicate tropical perennial plant often cultivated as a tender or half-hardy annual. I wasn’t. Dad’s garden had all the usual suspects — tomatoes, beans and peas, onions, cucumbers, cabbage, plus a few other vegetables such as radishes, carrots, beets and …
Two of the garden vegetables that are first on the scene during the summer are eggplant and zucchini. Both lend themselves to a variety of recipes. Eggplant Parmesan and moussaka come to mind for the purplish aubergine, while the zucchini version of carrot cake and carrot bread get the nod in many corners. Pairing the two with tomatoes and pasta …
Fall is in the air, with the possibility of Jack Frost making his first appearance any day. And that means some gardeners are scurrying about, deciding which plants to cover and which vegetables to pick — tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, squash. The list can go on and on and on. A proliferation of fresh veggies means only one thing to …
My garden is really starting to produce these days, so my cooking has definitely been on the upswing. And as any cook knows, a good garden is about the biggest blessing you could have. We’ve been eating green and yellow beans for almost two weeks (steamed and in a three-bean salad), some Roma tomatoes have found their way to our …
A person couldn’t do much better than a good homemade tomato sauce during times of health crises when eating at home may be one’s only option. Cooked tomatoes are high in the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. And when put in a sauce with other vegetables such as nutritient-rich …
Anyone who has read one of Donna Leon’s best-selling novels knows about Commissario Guido Brunetti. Brunetti is the intelligent and capable police commissioner who confronts crime around his hometown of Venice, Italy. And he’s also the namesake of a cookbook by Leon and Roberta Pianaro, which features Venetian recipes such as orecchiette with asparagus; ravioli with squash, butter and sage; artichokes stuffed with …
The summer of 2015 is going to be one to remember for gardeners and grillers alike. Abundant rain and sunshine have resulted in bumper crops for a lot of people in the Northland, many of whom are fond of cooking outdoors. While many associate grilling mainly with meat, there’s a growing number of food aficionados who know that the veggies …