About Gaby

When Life Hands You an Eggplant

We all know the adage “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” Well, when life—or a local farm—hands me an eggplant, I make ratatouille. A recent delivery from my CSA and a trip to a farm in Maryland just happened to yield pretty much everything I needed for this delicious dish, which can be eaten hot or cold. The only question was if I should roast the vegetables or sauté them.

Start With Tomatoes

I have a hard time relating to people who don’t like tomatoes, although I have a feeling people who say they don’t like tomatoes have never tasted good tomatoes. And I feel sorry for people who have never tasted good tomatoes. Perfectly ripe, recently picked tomatoes with that tantalizing, intense tomato smell—available from your CSA, farmers’ market and maybe even your backyard—are one of my favorite things about summer.

Simple and Delicious

Often in the summer, simple dishes are the most appealing. Tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar. Grilled veggies. Gazpacho. Letting the fresh flavors of locally grown produce shine and avoiding an evening in the kitchen are an irresistible combination.

With that in mind, I recently washed, oiled and salted a couple of root vegetables, popped them in the oven and returned a bit later to enjoy something delicious and …

Good Enough for the Aztecs

One of the wonderful things about community supported agriculture is discovering new food. By “new” I mean new to you. A recent box from the farm in which I have a share included many leaves of the plant amaranth. I can’t recall ever having seen it at a grocery store or farmers’ market, so what’s the story?

Seeking Inspiration

Last weekend, I went a little crazy at the farmers’ market. I bought chard, mesclun, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, carrots, summer squash, peaches and cherries. Plus, I had beets, an onion, purple green beans and other veggies from my community supported agriculture share at home. I was set for lots of salads for lunch but wanted something more substantial for dinner. I needed a plan for the chard, tomatoes and …