Quick Side: Roasted Veg

Roasted vegetables are one of my go-to side dishes. With one technique, I can make a variety of quick, homemade sides. I always have some sort of vegetable on hand: in my pantry, fridge, freezer or garden, so even if I don't plan ahead, I can have a tasty side dish ready in 30 minutes or less.

Roasted vegetables start with the same technique: Prep veg and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on an oiled baking sheet and roast at the suggested time and temperature below. If your oven has a convection roast function, this is the time to use it. The rotating air helps develop crispy, caramelized edges. Be sure to stir/flip the vegetables once during roasting.

Feel free to mix up the seasoning according to your tastes with different citrus juice and zest, herbs, spices, vinegars and cheeses. You can develop hundreds of flavor combinations!

Think you don't like beets? Try roasting. You'll want to make
extra to toss in a salad the next day.

Roasted cabbage pairs well with roast pork and sausages.

Caramelized carrots pair well with beef. Perfect with cube steak and gravy.

Crispy fries can be made in your oven. Your family will think they're deep fried!
I used a crinkle cut knife to create marcelled edges.

After prepping vegetable, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on an oiled baking sheet. Roast according to directions below stirring once during roasting.

Asparagus
Leave asparagus whole, snapping off tough ends. Roast at 400 degrees for for 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of the stalks. Sprinkle with the juice of half a lemon after roasting.

Beets
Peel and cut into small cubes. Roast at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with horseradish dipping sauce.

Broccoli
Break into florets. Roast at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with juice of half a lemon after roasting.

Brussels  Sprouts
Remove outside leaves and cut sprouts in half. Roast at 425 for 30 minutes.

Cabbage
Slice cabbage into thin wedges making sure to keep leaves attached to core. Roast at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the wedges.

Carrots
Chop into uniform sized pieces. Roast at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Top with fresh parsley after roasting.

Cauliflower
Break into florets. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with parmesan after roasting.

Green Beans
Roast whole beans at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese after stirring.

Potatoes
Cut into one-inch cubes or planks for fries. For for more spice, sprinkle with cayenne and garlic powder. Roast at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes
Peel and cut into small cubes. Roast at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Toss with fresh rosemary after roasting.

Tomatoes
Cut plum tomatoes in half lengthwise. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Roast at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil after roasting.

Freezing Peppers

We recently harvested the rest of the produce from the garden, including the last of the sweet peppers. One of the easiest foods to preserve, peppers can be frozen whole (core & remove seeds) or chopped. I chop in fairly large pieces, seal in a freezer bag and place in the freezer. No need to blanch.

Frozen peppers make quick work of dinner. I typically run under cool water for a few minutes and toss into the cooking pan. My favorite fast meals using peppers include sausage & pepper sandwiches and baked penne (with our canned tomatoes). While I depicted sweet peppers, the same method can be used with hot peppers. Frozen peppers should be consumed within one year.

Last sweet peppers from the garden.

Chop peppers to the size you prefer and place into freezer bags.

We use a vacuum sealer to eliminate freezer burn.

Place bags into freezer and consume within one year.

Here's my favorite quick pasta sauce that I use to make baked penne. I substitute fresh herbs in the summer. Feel free to add more (or hot) peppers to suit your taste.

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped sweet peppers

olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 quart home canned tomatoes, with juice

2-3 Tbsp tomato paste (depending on how thick you like your sauce)

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp dried basil

2 tsp sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

Saute onion and peppers in olive oil in a large pan until softened, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add tomatoes, paste, herbs, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Finish with salt and pepper to taste. 

To make baked penne, toss with 12 oz cooked penne or ziti noodles. Meat eaters can add pepperoni or cooked Italian sausage. Pour into a greased casserole dish, top with shredded mozzarella and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

What do you make with your frozen peppers? 

Crispy Eggplant Parmesan

Despite the unusual growing season, our eggplants produced decent fruit this year. While we occasionally grill or saute eggplant, one of my favorite ways to prepare this vegetable is in eggplant parmesan. 

I know this is not the traditional way of preparing eggplant parmesan. Rather than layering the veg between marinara sauce, I prefer to serve most of the sauce as an accompaniment on the side. That way, I preserve the light, crispy coating.

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Wash eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch thick round slices.

Place slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let drain for 5 minutes.

Coat slices by dredging in flour, then egg/milk mixture, then panko/cheese. Place on a rack.

When all slices are coated. Heat the marinara. I had leftover tomatoes from
the previous day's canning. I sauteed onions and added fresh garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper and pinch of sugar to a quart of chopped skinned tomatoes (I made more sauce than the recipe required).

Heat oil to 350 degrees and fry eggplant slices for 2 minutes on each side.
Remove to a wire rack until all slices are cooked.
If you're serving with pasta, boil the pasta water.

When all the slices are cooked, spread a thin layer of sauce over the
bottom of a baking dish. Shingle the eggplant in a single layer on top of the sauce.
Sprinkle with mozzarella.

Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta.

Serve with pasta and additional sauce.

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Eggplant Parmesan
Adapted from Chow.com
24 1/2-inch thick round slices of eggplant
Kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups panko (I like whole grain panko)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Oil for frying (I used peanut oil)
1 1/2 cups warm marinara sauce plus more for serving (jarred or homemade)
8 oz shredded mozzarella.

Position a rack in middle of the oven and heat the broiler to low. Place the eggplant slices in a colander set in the sink or over a bowl, sprinkle generously with salt, toss to combine, and set aside to drain for about 5 minutes.

Place the flour in a wide, shallow dish and season generously with salt and pepper. Combine the eggs and milk in another shallow dish and set aside; mix the panko and cheese together in a third shallow dish. Remove the eggplant slices from the colander and pat dry with paper towels. Bread the eggplant by coating a few slices in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour, dip the slices into the egg mixture, and press them into the panko mixture; be sure to coat the slices thoroughly at each step. Set the breaded eggplant on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining slices.

Line another baking sheet with paper towels and set a wire rack over the towels; set aside. Fill a large, straight-sided skillet or frying pan with 1 inch of the olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F on a deep-fat thermometer (the oil should be shimmering but not smoking). Add about a third of the eggplant slices and fry on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip and fry the other side for another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to the wire rack and repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Pour the warmed tomato sauce over the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Shingle eggplant slices, over the tomato sauce. Top with cheese. Place in the oven and broil until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and speckled with gold, about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately with extra tomato sauce on the side.

Note: Instead of pasta, focaccia would also make a great accompaniment to this dish.

How do you prepare your eggplant?

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Tomatoes in Jars

We preserve tomatoes lots of ways: salsa, pizza sauce and dried cherry tomatoes. But plain, unseasoned (except for salt) canned tomatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients in my cupboard. With a quart of tomatoes, I can make a quick chunky pasta sauce, add flavor to soups, stews and chili, make a side of scalloped tomatoes and tenderize slow-roasted meats.

Depending on the harvest, the jars can include a variety of slicing tomatoes, paste tomatoes or a mixture of both. I prefer to process tomatoes in a boiling water-bath canner, which requires acidification of the tomatoes. Because there are so many varieties of tomatoes, with varying acid levels, the USDA recommends the addition of 2 Tbsp of commercially prepared lemon juice or 1/2 tsp citric acid to each quart of tomatoes. It's important to use bottled lemon juice as it has a 5% acidity. The acidity of fresh lemons fluctuates.

We started with just under a bushel of tomatoes, fresh picked from the garden.
Most were slicing tomatoes.

Wash tomatoes, remove core and slice an "X" in the bottom. This will help loosen peels.

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 seconds.

Remove tomatoes to an ice bath. You'll notice the skins splitting.

Tomatoes will easily slip out of their skins.

We were able to fit all the toms into our biggest (5 gallon) pot.
Cover tomatoes with water and bring to a boil.

Be sure to stir to prevent burning.

Gently boil tomatoes for five minutes.

Ladle hot tomatoes into hot jars. Add salt and lemon juice.

Wipe rims, adjust lids and place in boiling water bath.

Cool jars for 12 hours. Remove rings, wipe down jars and store in a cool, dark place.

Tomatoes Packed in Water
From The Ball Blue Book
Click here for step-by-step water bath canning information

2 1/2 - 3 1/2 lbs. tomatoes per quart
Citric acid or bottled lemon juice
Salt (optional)

Prepare tomatoes: Wash tomatoes. Lower tomatoes into a large pot of boiling water. Blanch 30-60 seconds. Remove to a bowl of cold water. Slip off skins. Leave whole or cut in half or quarters.

Place peeled tomatoes  a large saucepot. Add enough water to cover tomatoes. Boil gently for five minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid or 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each quart. Pack hot tomatoes into jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot cooking liquid over tomatoes, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart, if desired. Adjust lids and process quarts 45 minutes in a boiling water-bath canner.

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John's August 2014 Garden Update

Hello everyone, its August but sure feels like September! Here's a few updates from the garden.  

Pepper row next to some buckwheat cover crop.The buckwheat suppresses the weeds very well. As I pick things or clean rows I just hand toss seeds on surface and they sprout within a few days if it rains.

Green chiles looking good.

Eggplants coming on with small sets, late but they look good.

Tomatoes ripening fast now. Let the canning begin!

Planted some broom corn for making decorative shocks this fall.

Tomatillos starting to fill out husks.

Tongue of fire beans, we pick some fresh and leave some for dried shelling.

Cantaloupes beginning to ripen.

Butternut squash filling out.

Long Island Cheese pumpkin getting bigger every day!

Brussels sprouts sprouting, can't wait for frost! We may pick some early, but they
are sweeter after a little frost hits them.

We have a few apple trees that produce some great tasting little apples, not sure what variety.
The tree were here when we moved in.  

Blackberries struggled this year, had a few to eat fresh,
but nothing like the gallons we froze last year.  

Time for a snack after working hard. This time of year we enjoy garden sandwiches:
thick cut bologna from our local processor Delaware Meats, ripe tomatoes, peppers, and beet relish. Yum!

Gardening Goings-On by guest blogger John Miller (chief gardener)

Hello everyone.  I am John Miller, Janet's hubby and chief garden guy.  I will post some pics of the garden and crops as they come in and keep things posted on whats coming in the garden.  We have flat ground where we live, and heavy soils, so gardening can be a real challenge in our plots sometimes with the poor drainage.  This year early was very tough, lots of rain early and things struggled early on.  As things have dried out and I have gotten ahead of the weeds, the garden is actually looking much better than it did in June.  So far this year we have harvested beets, greens, berries, turnips, summer squash and other early produce.  

Sweet corn, lima beans, zucchini, tongue of fire beans, tomatillos.  

Right now the zucchini and beans are starting to really ripen fast.  Zucchinis are looking great this year, deep color and nice flesh.  

Zucchini

Pickling Cucumbers

Pickling cucumbers were planted late this year due to wet weather, but the small row I have is producing nicely. We'll have enough to start pickling this week. Aside from mosquitos, we haven't noticed many bugs this year, so plants are thriving.

The tomatoes are picking up steam.  We both stake and use cages for support. I have had to hand prune them this year due to some yellowing of leaf branches, but the fruits are looking good.  

Tomatoes