August 1, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Eggplant

 

What's In The Box

Eggplant: The eggplant field is bursting with gorgeous fruit and we’re happy to share this unique vegetable with you as our featured item this week. You will receive one of our four varieties in your box. Visit our blog to identify the varieties and the best applications for each.

Italian Garlic:  For a delicious treat, gently heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and add a few crushed cloves of garlic. Remove from heat and allow the flavor of the garlic to infuse into the oil for 10 minutes or so. Steam or boil new potatoes. While still hot, smash them with a fork and drizzle the garlic oil over them. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Sierra Blanca or Talon Yellow Onions: We are finishing the last of the fresh white onions and starting on the first of our yellow storage onions. This week’s variety is “Talon,” and we ask that you forgive their appearance which may be a little rough. These onions are still very fresh from the field and have yet to form a fully dry skin that can be cleaned. Store them at room temperature where they’ll continue to dry down, if they last that long!
               
Broccoli or Cauliflower: We are almost finished with these crops until fall. Check out this week’s Cooking With the Box suggestions for a few new recipe ideas!

Zucchini and/or Scallopini Squash: With the summer heat we’ve been having, the zucchini fields have been doing their happy dance! Zucchini pairs well with all of this week’s summer vegetables. Add it to a simple pan of sauteed vegetables, include it in your morning scramble, slice it and throw it on the grill, shred it and add it to meatloaf, or layer it into lasagna….just a few ideas to get you started!

Orange Carrots: If you haven’t roasted any carrots recently, give them a try this week. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in these carrots and they taste like candy!

New Potatoes: This week’s potato variety is “Red Prairie,” a red-skinned, white flesh potato. Handle with care as the skin is very delicate in their fresh state. 

Italian Frying Pepper: This long, skinny pepper with a pointy end is known for being a very flavorful pepper, both when it is green as well as when it turns red. Cooking brings out the flavor, so consider using this pepper to make kabobs, grill it, or sauté with onions. This pepper is classified as a sweet pepper and does not have any heat.

Red Amaranth: This gorgeous summer green is known for its ability to thrive in the heat of the summer, and it’s loaded with nutrients. Compared to spinach, amaranth leaves have three times more vitamin C, calcium, and niacin! In this more mature state, amaranth is best used as a cooking green. Remove the leaves and tender portions of the stem. It may be cooked in any way you might cook spinach and it pairs well with other summer vegetables including peppers, potatoes, zucchini, sweet corn, and onions!

Jalapeño Pepper: There is one jalapeño pepper in your box, so make sure you locate it! If you are not a fan of hot peppers, feel free to deposit your pepper in the swap box and share it with another member. Of course, you can always adjust the amount of heat from the pepper simply by using only the amount that is to your liking and/or by removing the white ribs and seeds which is where most of the heat is.

Green Beans: If you have more food than you can eat this week, consider preserving your green beans for use over the winter months. You can do this by blanching them first, then freezing them in bags. Alternatively, you can turn them into pickled dilly beans!

Thai Basil: Thai basil has a unique flavor that is a bit like mint with a touch of licorice. It’s actually a great herb to pair with eggplant, especially in curries!

Sweet Corn: As this is our official first week of sweet corn season, it’s time for our annual public service announcement: KEEP YOUR CORN COLD! The key to truly sweet corn is to keep it in the refrigerator to preserve its natural sugars. Heat, as well as extended storage, are the two factors that allow the sugars to turn to starch and diminish its sweetness. If storage space is an issue, remove the husks first and/or eat it within a day or two of receiving it!

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents
Grilled Eggplant “Caviar” (See Featured Recipe)
Grilled Eggplant Salad with Quinoa & Dates
Roasted Eggplant with Spiced Chickpeas and Tomatoes
Eggplant & Chickpea Patties
Chocolate Eggplant Torte
Easy Baba Ghanoush (Eggplant Dip)
Better Thank Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Thai Basil Lemonade
Mint & Thai Basil Gelato
Roasted Maple Curry Carrots
Honey Garlic Ginger Roasted Carrots
Mediterranean Cauliflower Casserole
Vegan Broccoli Miso Soup
Vegan Carrot Pesto Pasta
Cheesy Broccoli Scrambled Eggs
Black Beans with Amaranth
Red Lentil Soup with Amaranth
Summer Rice & Cheese Gratin with Zucchini & Amaranth Greens
Amaranth & Corn Stewed in Coconut Milk
Sweet Corn Salsa
Sweet Corn Salad with Green Beans & Hazelnuts
Summer Corn with Green Beans and Herb Butter
Dilly Beans
Saltimbocca of Zucchini
Kung Pao Zucchini
Zucchini Blueberry Muffins
Cheesy Vegetarian Zucchini Enchiladas
New Potatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce
Crushed New Potatoes with Garlic & Herbs

Vegetable Feature: Eggplant

Eggplant, a member of the nightshade family, is one of the most beautiful crops we grow.  The plants grow several feet tall and, in their peak, are loaded with beautiful glossy fruit hanging heavy on the plant.  There are many varieties of eggplant ranging in size from small round eggplant the size of a golf ball to large globe eggplant weighing over a pound.  They come in a variety of colors ranging from various shades of purple to black, green, lavender, white and orange.  We have narrowed our lineup of eggplant to our four favorite varieties including Lilac Bride, Purple Dancer, Listada and the traditional Black eggplant.  Each variety has slightly different characteristics which may impact your decision as to how you want to prepare them.

Black Globe Eggplant: This is the most familiar variety of eggplant. It is characterized by a dark purple skin that looks black. It is best used in dishes like Eggplant Parmesan or to make dips, etc. This variety will also hold up on the grill or if roasted.

Lilac Bride Eggplant: Lilac bride eggplant is long and slender with lavender to dark purple skin and white flesh. It is best used in Thai curry dishes, stews or any other preparation where you want the eggplant to hold its shape better. The skin is tender enough you don’t need to peel it.

Listada Eggplant: Listada is characterized by a small globe shape with dark purple/ magenta skin streaked with white stripes. It is characterized by dense “meaty” flesh that holds up very well with grilling or roasting.

Purple Dancer Eggplant: This superb variety is characterized by an elongated tear drop shape and a bright purple skin. Purple Dancer eggplant is an all-purpose eggplant that has creamy, white flesh. It is firm enough that it keeps its shape if you grill it or use it in curries, soups or stews. The flesh is also soft enough when cooked to use in dips, etc.

Preparation & Usage

Eggplant should be cooked before eating it. In fact, this is one vegetable that you may want to slightly overcook to ensure the flesh is very soft and silky as this is when it is the best. You can pan-fry, bake, grill or roast eggplant. Many resources will tell you to salt eggplant before cooking it to remove bitterness. While some older varieties were bitter, the new varieties we grow have been selected because they are not bitter, thus you can skip the salting step for that reason. You may still choose to salt eggplant to soften the flesh so it doesn’t absorb too much oil. Most of our varieties of eggplant have skin that is tender enough to eat, thus you do not need to peel them.

Since eggplant is part of so many cultures, there are a lot of ways you can use eggplant in your cooking.  It is often incorporated into curry and stir-fry dishes in Indian, Thai, and Chinese cuisine.  Sicilians are famous for eggplant caponata while Middle Eastern dishes include baba ghanoush.  The French put their mark on eggplant with the traditional Provencal dish, ratatouille.

Eggplant has a mild flavor and soft, silky texture when cooked, which is what makes it unique.  While it isn’t a predominant flavor, it has a texture such that it is able to absorb other flavors and pairs well with other vegetables including tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, potatoes and chickpeas.  It also goes well with flavorful olive oil, tahini, herbs such as basil and parsley and spices including cumin, coriander, sumac, and cinnamon.  It also goes well with dairy products including yogurt, cheese (feta, Parmesan and mozzarella), and cream and fruits including lemons and pomegranate.

Storage Tips

Eggplant does not store terribly well, so it is best to use it soon after getting it. It is best stored at a temperature of about 45-50°F, but your home refrigerator should be colder than this. Thus, we recommend storing your eggplant on the kitchen counter and use it within 2-4 days.

Grilled Eggplant "Caviar"

Photo from Olia Hercules' book, Mamushka: A
Cookbook, Recipes from Ukraine & Eastern Europe

This week’s recipe comes from Olia Hercules’ book, Mamushka:  A Cookbook, Recipes from Ukraine & Eastern Europe. I do not typically associate eggplant as a vegetable utilized in Ukrainian, Russian or Eastern European cuisine. When I came across this recipe in Olia’s cookbook I was surprised and had to do a little research. Now caviar is an ingredient that makes more sense as a food associated with this region, a classic pairing with Russian vodka. The story goes that Eggplant Caviar, which does not contain any actual caviar, is the poor man’s version of the more expensive and elite caviar. Over time it became more commonplace in the cuisine of these areas, and as with many recipes, every home cook and grandma has her own version.  Basically, it is kind of like a combination of a condiment/dip/salsa that is served as an appetizer with bread or crackers, much in the same way that Italians would serve Bruschetta.  Some recipes are more saucy and similar to baba ghanoush with a smooth texture while others are more coarse with distinct pieces of vegetables.  All that to say, feel free to adjust Olia’s base recipe to your liking by varying the herbs or adding a little more of the vegetables you may have available or simply just prefer.

2 beefsteak tomatoes (or other larger variety tomatoes)

2 long green peppers (i.e. Italian Frying Peppers)

1 eggplant (approximately 1 pound)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ small onion, finely diced

½ Tbsp unrefined sunflower oil, plus extra as needed

Sea Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp chopped dill

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp chopped basil

Crusty bread, to serve

1. Place the tomatoes, green peppers, and eggplant on a hot barbecue or oil lightly and place under a hot broiler. Cook them, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are well charred and have pretty much collapsed.
2. Pop the vegetables into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave them to sweat for 10 minutes—it will then be easier to take the skins off.
3. Core and deseed the peppers, discarding the stems. Take off most of the tomato and eggplant skins; if some black bits remain, don’t worry, as they will add a beautiful smoky flavor.  Roughly chop all the grilled vegetables.
4. Mix the chopped vegetables with the garlic and onion, then dress with a slither of oil. Season well with salt and pepper, then stir through the herbs. Serve with some crusty bread.