Tomato Salsa
We are blessed with tons of tomatoes and many, many peppers so what better way to make use of this bounty… SALSA I though I would share some of my favorite recipes for quick and simple salsa. If anyone need tomatoes give us a call… we have bushels for sale. We have both Roma tomatoes as well as regular canning tomatoes available.
Here are a few Salsa basics… Raw salsa is also known as “salsa cruda.” Leave your ingredients raw for a salsa with a bright, refreshing taste. Switch up your tomatoes for fresh seasonal fruit for a change of taste. Cook the salsa, and you’ll trade a bright, fresh taste for a deeper, sweeter one. Roasting the tomatoes, garlic and/or chiles lends rich, smoky flavors.
Fresh Tomato Salsa
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 small cloves garlic, minced
10-12 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 hot chile peppers, Serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
salt and pepper
Mix well and serve.
Watermelon Salsa
Watermelon Salsa
Juicy watermelon replaces tomatoes in this salsa that’s simultaneously cool and spicy hot — perfect for a summer barbecue. Serve it with tortilla chips, or use it as a topping for grilled chicken or fish.
3 cups chopped watermelon
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped “Candy” red onion
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
Mix well and serve, Enjoy!
Roasted Tomato Salsa
This chunky, smoky salsa tastes amazing with tortilla chips. Roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion and jalapeno are blended with cilantro and cumin to create one of the tastiest and easiest Mexican-inspired recipes you’ll ever try.
12 roma (plum) tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 small onion, quartered
1 jalapeno chile pepper
1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat the broiler.
In a medium baking dish, place roma (plum) tomatoes, garlic, onion and jalapeno chile pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
Checking often, broil 5 to 10 minutes, or until outsides of vegetables are charred.
Remove vegetables from heat. Remove and discard tomato cores, jalapeno stem and garlic skins.
In a food processor, coarsely chop the charred vegetables. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in cumin, salt, lime juice and cilantro.
Roasted tomato salsa
Tags: candy onion, cilantro, Garlic, Jalapeno, lime juice, salsa, Tomatoes, watermelon
Eggplant chips with cilantro pesto
Let’s get something straight: eggplant parmesan is delicious. Nobody’s contesting that. But is it the only way to enjoy eggplant? Eggplants are in peak season right now and there’s more to them than just making eggplant Parmesan. Eggplants can be grilled, steamed, roasted or baked. Next time you stroll through the farmer’s market and happen upon a table of the gorgeous plants, keep these ideas in mind. With a host of creative plans on hand, you won’t have to wonder if they’ll sit in your produce drawer unused.
Make Chips
Santa Monica-based Gaby Dalkin has an eggplant chip recipe sure to knock your socks off. Prep time is quick—just some chopping and salting, a brush of olive oil, and a little time in the oven. If you’re into dips, Gaby’s also got a cilantro pesto recipe that pairs perfectly. Find the full recipe at What’s Gaby Cooking.
Eggplant Dip – Baba Ghanoush
One of my new favorite dips is eggplant dip, or Baba Ghanoush. Low in saturated fat and with no cholesterol, this healthy appetizer to enjoy with whole wheat pita wedges or fresh vegetables.
1 large or 2 medium eggplant
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Paprika
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick eggplant all over with a fork, cut a slit in each side and insert garlic cloves. Place in oven for 45-50 minutes until very soft. Remove from oven, plunge in cold water to cool or simply wait for the eggplant to cool.
Peel and chop cooked eggplant. Place in a blender with the garlic, tahini, scallions, lemon juice and parsley. Blend until almost smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, sprinkle a little paprika on top. Enjoy with whole wheat pita bread wedges or cut vegetables.
Roast Them
We harvested some beautiful eggplant from the garden recently. Chop into large dice, halve cherry tomato, julienne our “Candy” onion, mince fresh garlic, toss with olive oil and roast until colorful. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley (and cilantro, if your husband will eat it). Great stuff.
Roasted eggplant & cherry tomatoes
***A few tips on eggplants:
- A two-pound eggplant will serve approximately six people.
- Eggplants discolor quickly after being pared and sliced, so wait to prepare them until you’re ready to cook them.
- If you’re wondering if your eggplant is still fresh, slice it open and look at the seeds. If they’re brown, it’s time to compost (white seeds indicate a fresh eggplant, but they also have a bitter taste, so remove them before cooking).
- Larger eggplants tends to be more bitter than smaller ones. Use large eggplants in dishes with other veggies or meats, and use smaller ones for grilling or frying in cubes.
Tags: Basil, cilantro, Eggplant, Garlic, olive oil, onions, Tomatoes
Kenny's beautiful heirloom "German pink" tomatoes.
Good evening,
Thanks again to all those brave souls that ventured out this past hot and muggy weekend; we appreciate all those that patronize Russell Veggies. Finally we got some much needed rain on Sunday, Kenny’s rain gauge measured 1.5 inches, hallelujah! Maybe those roma beans he has been babying will finally be ready to pick for the weekend, we have had a high demand for that type beans lately.
The summer seems to be quickly coming to an end, school starts next week and we will be ending our Wednesday’s Market at the end of the month, that means only 4 more Wednesdays. Beginning September 3, 2011 we will only be at the New Albany Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from 8-1pm.
This Wednesday at the market we will have tomatoes (many of his 19 different varieties will be available, like the beautiful German Pinks in the photo), sweet corn, beans, eggplant, peppers (it’s beginning to be pepper season…we will have over 10 varieties, from the mildest to the hottest) zucchini, summer squash, Kenebec potatoes, peaches and of course our Indiana grown seedless watermelons. Our blackberries are still hanging in there and we will have more on Wednesday and hopefully Saturday too. We still have a few cantaloupes this week, but we are beginning to run low on those.
We have plenty of canning tomatoes available for those wanting them to make homemade salsa, tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes or anything else” tomatie”. Call or e-mail if you need them, we even have Roma tomatoes by the bushel this week.
If anyone needs me to make them a basket to have ready for pick up, just e-mail me and let me know early Wednesday. I will have your order ready when you arrive on Wednesday. We also have a “Basket of the week” which includes a little bit of everything available the current week. The “Weekly Basket” run $25 and always includes fruit when available.
Thanks for supporting us with your purchases at the market.
Have a great Week,
Val & Kenny
Kenny with his white eggplant!
Good evening,
Just a quick note to remind you that we will be at the New Albany Farmer’s Market this weekend, Saturday 8-1 pm. Here is what we will available… tomatoes, they just keep getting bigger and better, we will have lots to choose from. We will also have corn, green beans, new potatoes, “candy” onions, cabbage, zucchini, yellow summer squash, peppers, cucumbers, and eggplants. Blackberries, peaches and our local Indiana grown cantaloupe and watermelons will also be available.
If anyone wants to pre-order to have ready for pick up, just e-mail me and let me know early Friday. I will have your order ready when you arrive Saturday morning (that way you can sleep in and still get what you want before we run out ).
We also have a “Basket of the week” which includes a little bit of everything available the current week. The “Weekly Basket” runs $25 and always includes fruit when available.
Thanks for your time and patronage,
Val & Kenny
Eggplant-Rollatini
Since we are growing so much eggplant this year I thought I would feature several recipes using eggplant. This is another recipe that my niece Amanda sent to me from Seattle. It not only makes a beautiful presentation but, it taste great too. Stop by the New Albany Farmer’s Market and pick up a few eggplants and try this recipe for yourself. I think you will really enjoy this entree.
INGREDIENTS:
1 eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
10 slices prosciutto
1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (I used our homemade sauce)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta
DIRECTIONS:
Dip the eggplant slices in egg, then coat with bread crumbs. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant on each side until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese onto each slice of eggplant.
Place a slice of prosciutto onto each one. Roll up tightly, and place seam side down in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over the rolls, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
While the eggplant rolls are baking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender. Drain. Serve eggplant rolls and sauce over pasta.
Tags: Eggplant, mozzarella cheese, prosciutto
"Fair" going eggplants
Good day to you,
We survived another record heat wave this weekend but the garden is sure struggling. Kenny has really been working hard trying to keep the water to it and the weeds from taking over. So far he is winning the battle by I am afraid he will loose the war! We really need some rain, I can’t believe how everything is drying up. The leaves are even beginning to fall from the trees and of course the grass has gone from green to brown. Considering the above average rainfall this spring, I never dreamed thing would already look so brown before August.
Back to the market… this Wednesday we will have plenty of tomatoes (“canners” are now available with advance notice), yellow summer squash, golden and green zucchini, green peppers, onions, potatoes, cabbage, hopefully some green beans, watermelons (local of course), a few cantaloupes and of course our ” Fair” going eggplants. Our blackberries are fading fast due to the lack of rain, we picked 6 gallons yesterday to fill and order and we will probably not have anymore until the weekend. We will also have peaches on Wednesday as well as Saturday.
If anyone needs me to make them a basket to have ready for pick up, just e-mail me and let me know early Wednesday. I will have your order ready when you arrive on Wednesday. We also have a “Basket of the week” which includes a little bit of everything available the current week. The “Weekly Basket” run $25 and always includes fruit when available.
Thanks for supporting us with your purchases at the market.
Have a great Week,
Val & Kenny
Caprese Salad
Tomato and Mozzarella salad is the perfect summertime dish for cooks in a hurry; slicing is the hardest part. We had this last night for supper and it was wonderful. It’s so nice to just go outside and pick a couple of tomatoes and some fresh basil, wash, slice and eat. I’m thankful that Kenny loves to grow tomatoes!
Ingredients:
2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes (about 4 large), sliced 1/4 inch thick (I like to use various types and colors of tomatoes)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup packed fresh basil, washed well and spun dry
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
On a large platter arrange tomato and mozzarella slices and basil leaves, alternating and overlapping them. Drizzle with olive oil, then season salad with salt and pepper. When it’s just Kenny and myself for dinner, I like to just arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella on individual salad plates and serve. (as seen in photo)
Tags: Basil, mozzarella cheese, Tomatoes
Eggplant Au Gratin
My niece from Seattle, Amanda, sent me this recipe… I believe she may have found this on line. I saw this or one similar in A Taste of Home magazine. We tried it last week and I thought it was good enough to share with all of you. Just one more way to fix the wonderful summer vegetable…EGGPLANT.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce (I used our home canned sauce)
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Brush both sides of eggplant slices with oil. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees, for 8 minutes. Turn and bake 7-8 minutes longer or until lightly browned and tender. Cool on a wire rack.
Place one eggplant slice in each of two 10-oz. ramekins coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top each with 2 tablespoons spaghetti sauce and 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees,for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
**A special thanks to Amanda for sharing this recipe with us!
Tags: Eggplant, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese
Russell Veggies is again sponsoring Sizzling Summer Series Fun Run. This is the last of the Sizzling Summer Series races! Come by and pick up your blackberries or peaches when you finish the run/walk !
Join in on the fun this Saturday at the New Albany Amphitheater; registration begins at 7 and the run begins at 8.
Pre-register to save $5 or come the day at the race at 7am for $20. You can also pre-register at Strandz Salon & Threadz Boutique 322 Vincennes Street in New Albany.
You can download registration info at www.developna.org
Thanks to our Sponsors:
Floyd Memorial Hosiptal
YMCA
Pacers & Racers
Creative Enterprises
Park Commuinty Bank
Russells Veggies
Hillview Farm
MainSource Bank
Strandz Salon & Threadz Boutique
Blackberries are here!
Good evening,
Just a quick note to remind you that we will be at the New Albany Farmer’s Market this weekend, and let you know what we will have available. The tomatoes just keep getting bigger and better, will have lots to choose from. We will also have corn, green beans, new potatoes, “candy” onions, cabbage, zucchini, yellow summer squash, peppers, cucumbers, and eggplants. Blackberries, peaches and our local Indiana grown cantaloupe and watermelons will also be available.
If anyone wants to pre-order to have ready for pick up, just e-mail me and let me know early Friday. I will have your order ready when you arrive Saturday morning (that way you can sleep in and still get what you want before we run out ).
We also have a “Basket of the week” which includes a little bit of everything available the current week. The “Weekly Basket” run $25 and always includes fruit when available.
Thanks for your time and patronage,
Val & Kenny
Basket of the Week
