Finally a farmbasket. Lots of good stuff this week, tomatoes, both large and cherry (really sweet!), mesclun, corn, jalapenos, green and red peppers, pimentos, yellow and green zucchini, a big yellow melon (muskmelon?), eggplant, and leeks. The pepper, eggplant, zucchini, and tomato combo calls for a batch of ratatouille, and since it’s going to be cooler, I don’t mind standing over the stove. Since I’m going to be grilling a leg of lamb, it’s a perfect side dish.
The leeks are a pleasant surprise, not meaning to be ungrateful, a handful of potatoes would have made vichyssoise a snap. Ah, I’d have to go buy cream, so it’s no biggie. Creaming the leeks to go with the lamb is also an option, I’ll let you know which way it goes.
The other thing I keep hoping will show up in my basket are those weird little green peppers that are supposed to be like playing Russian Roulette with food. One out of ten of them are supposed to be really hot. You saute them in olive oil until they’re blackened, sprinkle them with sea salt, and enjoy. Addictive.
