Recipes

Serves 6 to 8

2 medium sized Italian Eggplant
1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices
2 cups fresh tomato marinara sauce
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Finely milled sea salt and black pepper to taste
3 tbs shredded fresh basil

Preheat the grill.

Wash and trim away the stem ends of the eggplants. Slice the eggplants lengthwise into approximate ¼” thick rounds. Arrange the slices on a large platter and drizzle with a bit of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Arrange the seasoned slices on the hot grill and cook until the slices begin to brown and become tender but not crisp. While grilling brush the eggplant slices with a bit more olive oil as needed. Remove the tender cooked slices of eggplant from the grill and arrange half of the slices in the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Top with half of the mozzarella slices and spoon half of the marinara sauce evenly on top. Assemble a second layer of eggplant, marinara sauce and mozzarella and sprinkle with the parmesan to finish. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 oven until bubbly hot throughout. Top with the fresh basil and serve hot.

Serves 8 as a side or 4 as a main dish

This recipe also works well with yellow summer squash and or the nice little round variety of zucchini.

4 medium sized zucchini
¼ cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
3 tbs shredded fresh basil
¾ cup bread crumbs
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small dice
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Wash the zucchini. Trim and discard the stem and blossom ends. Cut in half lengthwise and using a melon baller or small ice cream scoop carve and reserve the center meat of the squash creating a uniform well or boat with about a 1″ thick shell. Coarsely chop the inside meat and heat the olive oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the onion and sauté until tender and just beginning to color. Add the chopped zucchini and garlic and continue to sauté until tender and fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a medium sized bowl to cool. Meanwhile arrange the zucchini boats in a baking pan just large enough to accommodate all in a single layer. Sprinkle each with a pinch of salt.

Add the tomato, basil, bread crumbs and mozzarella, toss to combine well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats, dividing evenly and packing lightly. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and drizzle with a bit of additional olive oil. Bake in the oven until the zucchini is very tender and topping lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot with rice pilaf for a main course.

Ingredients:

4 small seedless cucumbers – peeled and grated
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
Directions:

Combine the grated cucumber, lemon juice, mint, dill, garlic, yogurt, olive oil, and salt in a large mixing bowl; stir with a large spoon. Pour the mixture into a blender; blend on high speed until smooth. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. Divide the soup between four bowls; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon raisins.

Prep time 20 Min
Ready in 20 Min
Serves 4

This is a great little recipe for grilling a delicious batch of perch.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 12 ounce perch, scaled
2 slices zucchini
3 roma tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 sprigs fresh sage

Preparation:
Preheat grill. Make about 4 slits into the flesh of each fish on each side. Coat inside with oil and stuff with sage sprigs. Place on oiled grill and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Half way through cooking time add zucchini and tomatoes to grill. Remove everything from the grill. Take out the sprigs and stuff with zucchini and tomatoes. Serve.

http://bbq.about.com/od/fishseafoodrecipes/r/bl80919b.htm

Serves 4 to 6

The simplest and way to prepare the vegetables for this dish is using the grating disk on a food processor. You can use fresh garden spearmint in the dressing as well but the intense flavor of dried mint is something very different and unique.

6 cups grated or finely julienne sliced zucchini, about 4 medium zucchini

2 cups grated carrots

1 large bunch or 1 cup coarsely chopped spring onions

Juice of 3 lemons

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon of crushed dried spearmint

1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

Large pinch of sugar to taste

Combine the lemon juice, spearmint, garlic salt and pepper in a jar fitted with a lid and shake to combine and season with additional, salt, pepper and sugar to taste.  Set the dressing aside while you prepare the vegetables.

Scrub and trim the stem and blossom or root ends off the zucchini and carrots. Thinly skinned summer zucchini and carrots do not require peeling for this dish. Combine the grated zucchini, carrots and chopped onion together in a large salad bowl. Toss well to combine. Add ½ to ¾ of the dressing and toss well. Taste and add more dressing as desired. Chill until ready to serve.

Serves 4 to 6

Italian frittatas make a great summer meal served with good bread and a simple green salad. They are delicious served warm straight from the pan but also hold up well prepared in advance and served at room temperature. Like meatloaf, leftover slices of frittata make a great summer picnic sandwich.

For this dish, wash zucchini well, trim away stem and blossom ends, slice in half lengthwise then slice each half into thin crescents.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini)

Finely milled sea salt to taste

5 eggs

2 tbs. shredded fresh basil

2 tbs. chopped fresh chives

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

Additional fresh herbs for garnish

Using a 10″ non stick skillet, place the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion along with a generous pinch of salt and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, another pinch of salt, and continue to sauté until the zucchini is completely softened, reduced by half, and beginning to take on a nice nut brown color like the onion. Using a slotted spoon, remove the browned vegetables from the pan and set aside to cool while you prepare the eggs. Discard any remaining oil left in the pan.

Preheat the broiler. Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly with a fork  breaking up the yolks. Add the parmesan & herbs along with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. When the vegetables have cooled down, stir them into the egg mixture. Place the skillet over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt becoming foamy, but not browned. Add the entire contents of the bowl, reduce the heat to low, and cook gently until the eggs have set up nicely and begun to thicken through the center. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent the frittata from sticking as well as give you an idea of the texture of the eggs. When only the top surface remains runny place the pan under the boiler and cook briefly  until the top layer has set and just beginning to color. Remove and serve straight from the pan or invert onto a serving platter and garnish with a sprinkling of more fresh herbs. Serve warm or room temperature.

Serves 2 or 3 as a side dish

Adapted from Elizabeth Schneider’s Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables, this is our favorite way to enjoy collard greens.  Other leafy greens can be used in this preparation. Swiss Chard, mustard greens and kale all work. Just adjust the cooking time for the more tender greens.

1 generous pound collard greens

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon finely milled sea salt, or to taste

Wash and remove stems from collards. Drop leaves into a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil until tender, about 15 minutes (this may vary-test frequently). Drain leaves, then chop finely.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large sauté pan. Add the shallots and saute over moderate heat for about 3 minutes or until soft. Add the ginger and remaining spices as well as salt and toss for a minute over the heat.

Add the chopped collards and stir over heat until warm, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Season to taste with additional salt as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4 as a side

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 medium head (about 1 1/2 lbs) Bok Choy

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root

3/4 cup chicken stock

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Trim and discard bottom inch from head of bok choy. Wash leaves well and pat dry. With a chef’s knife separate leaves from stalks by cutting away the leafy green leaves from the triangular white stalks.  Cut stalks in half lengthwise then slice across into thin strips. Stack the green leaves and slice across into thin strips.

Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat and add the peanut oil, swirl to coat. Add stalks and cook stirring frequently until very lightly colored, about 5 mins. Add ginger and garlic and cook stirring until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add greens, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce heat and cook stirring occasionally until greens and stalks are very tender. Remove cover, increase heat and cook another 2-3 mins. Stir in vinegar. Serve hot.