thoughtful consumption

Amazingly enough, some summer veggies have lasted into November:

grape tomatoes and Asian eggplant

Last week, I made a yummy, simple pasta dish with these tomatoes. First, I heated olive oil with a crushed clove of garlic on low until the clove was just brown.

While the garlic was heating, I tore over to Lucy’s herb garden for some fresh thyme. Thankfully, the garlic takes a long time to cook on low.

Then I chopped the little tomatoes in halves and quarters and added them, the thyme, and some salt  to the pan.

Looks like I removed the garlic clove, too.

At some point, I added a little red wine and let in bubble. Then I dumped the tomatoes into a bowl, tossed it with hot pasta, and topped it with Parmesan cheese. Hooray!

…

The salt I used was this great grey salt from France.

It tastes amazing! I want to say it has a dirty taste, but that sounds weird, right? My favorite part, however, is the following invitation on the bottle:

M. Pelin, I am so there!

…

Back in reality, I want to try this recipe from Cooking Light for the Asian eggplant.  It calls for fanning them, however, and I’m not sure my knife skills are up to that. It will probably be delicious. But I may not take a picture.

…

kale and sweet potatoes

Now this is more like fall! It’s our first kale of the season, and that means kale with raisins and pine nuts. Or walnuts. Actually, any green, nut, and dried fruit combination seems to work. It’s a great recipe, and we’ve enjoyed many variations.

My sweet potatoes have bad spots, so instead of baking them whole, I’m going to peel and cube them. Then I’ll toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast them at 450 degrees for 30 minutes until they brown slightly. Exactly like Lucy cooked her butternut squash in her butternut squash salad recipe.  The salad was great, but the butternut squash cubes alone were great, too.

…

crème fraiche, tofu, eggs

I love crème fraiche! Half of it will get cooked with Shiitake mushrooms and rice tonight. The other half will get cooked with shrimp and lemon juice later this week.

I got some of this tofu this spring and enjoyed it. If I make a lo mein this week, I’ll definitely add some. If not, I’ll freeze it for future lo meins.

…

arugula, Shiitake mushrooms

I’ve blanched, chopped, and frozen all but the tenderest of this arugula along with a bag from last week. It’ll make a wonderful addition to a pasta or casserole this winter.

…

snacking apples and beautiful romaine lettuce

This lettuce is terrific. The stiffer romaine texture is a welcome change of pace after the soft lettuce of recent weeks. Plus, it’ll keep longer. I’ve spun it with the tenderest arugula to have salad ready and waiting.

Just add radishes and grape tomatoes.

…

…

winter savory on the left and Pennsylvania Dutch tea thyme, lemon verbena, and pineapple sage on the right.

Fran listed this pack of herbs as tea, but I wanted to reserve the savory for cooking. Winter savory is a great herb for most anything. It’s got a peppery kick and lots of flavor.

The rest of the herbs have already been drunk up as herbal tea. Very comforting. Sadly, I was too congested to judge how much pineapple sage smells or tastes like pineapple.

…

Tonight’s supper will be Shiitakes cooked in crème fraiche with winter savory and maybe a little splash of (medicinal) brandy. Alongside, we’ll have roasted sweet potato cubes and steamed broccoli.

Enjoy your food!