Sweet Pepper Salsa With Peaches & Basil

Most of these ingredients were in the previously posted red pepper chutney recipe, but this raw-food version is amazing, and so lovely on top of grilled meats, in a taco, or with almost anything. Mix the following ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for up to one day.

4 cups of diced sweet peppers (mixed colors) 1 red chili pepper, diced (optional) 1 cup diced yellow or sweet onion 1 large firm-ripe peach, diced  3-4 cloves of garlic, minced Juice from 1 lime 1 tsp sea salt Freshly ground black pepper About 15-20 10-15 large fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

Summer party Idea: Bite-sized squash fritter with smoked salmon, garlic & herb goat cheese and sweet pepper salsa

Minty Sauteed Potatoes and Squash

Ingredients: 8-10 small red potatoes 2 small zucchini or squash, sliced into 1/4 -1/2 inch slices 2 Tbs olive or canola oil 4 garlic cloves, minced 2-3 Tbs chopped fresh mint leaves Sea salt to taste

Method: Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Place in a bowl with cold water and rinse the excess starch from the potatoes.  Drain, then lay the slices out on paper towel and pat dry.  Sprinkle with salt.  In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil in the pan on medium-high heat until it shimmers.  Test to see if the oil is hot enough by placing one of the potato slices in the pan.  It should sizzle when it's ready. Put all of the potatoes in the pan and occasionally stir gently, using a spatula to lift any slices that begin to stick.  Cover with a lid when you are not stirring the potatoes.  When they have begun to brown and are soft enough to pierce with a fork, add the garlic, mint and zucchini slices.  Saute until the garlic and mint are evenly dispersed and the zucchini is bright, but still crisp.  Serve immediately.

Chattatouille

When my daughter was three years old she insisted that I needed to watch Remi (a cartoon rat/chef from the 2007 animated film Ratatouille) make a 5-star version of ratatouille, so I "could make it just like he does." The animated food fascination started with this classic rustic stew of vegetables, and continued on with gingerbread that runs out of the oven, soup from The Tale of Despereaux, and Gruffalo crumble (though we did have to make some substitutions for that one.)

The ratatouille was by far the most interesting and fun cartoon culinary challenge.  Although I did find some recipes online from others who had tried to mimic the animated version, there were some parts of our final product that evolved from choosing the best of whatever was locally and seasonally available.  When we first tried Remi's ratatouille four years ago there was a bumper crop of eggplant in the region, and we happened to have beets available at the same time.  The weather this year has left us with a slightly different assortment of choices. But if you happen to be growing beets and eggplant in your home gardens, or find them at your local farmer's market, this version of the little rat's signature dish will have you licking your plate like Ego (the fictional food critic) did with his own serving.

Ingredients: 2 medium tomatoes (cores removed and quartered), or 1-2 cups of cherry tomatoes 1 red bell pepper, (or any other sweet pepper), seeded and quartered 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges 4 cloves of garlic, peeled Canola or olive oil Sea salt Black pepper 1 Tbs herbs de Provence 1 zucchini, thinly sliced 1 Medium Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced 1 or 2 small beets, thinly sliced

Sauce for garnish: 1/4 cup light olive oil or 4 Tbs butter Juice from 1/2 lemon 1/8 tsp turmeric 1/8 tsp fenugreek powder About 1/4 of a whole nutmeg, grated Dash of white pepper Salt to taste 6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic in a baking dish and drizzle with some oil.  Season with the herbs de Provence, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the tips of the vegetables are dark brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes.  Puree the vegetables in a blender until smooth. Spread the pureed mixture over the bottom of a large baking or casserole dish. Place the sliced zucchini, eggplant and beets (alternately) in a fanned pattern over the top of the tomato and pepper puree.

Brush with a little oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cut parchment paper to the size of the dish and lay it over the top of the sliced vegetables.  Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

While the ratatouille is baking, prepare the lemon sauce for garnish.  Place all ingredients, except the basil, in a saucepan and whisk over low heat until the sauce is warm and begins to emulsify.  Remove from heat and stir in the sliced basil.  Place in a warmed jug. To serve the ratatouille, scoop out some of the vegetables and arrange on the plate.  Drizzle a little warm lemon sauce over the vegetables or on the plate.

Grilled Squash "Slaw" with Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes

Ingredients: 3 medium or 2 large zephyr squash 2 sweet peppers, any variety 1 yellow onion Oil Salt & pepper Fresh basil leaves, sliced (optional) 1 cup Marinated Tomatoes with liquid

Method: Slice peppers in half and remove seeds and stem.  Remove stems from the squash and slice in half lengthwise. Cut the onion in half.  Lightly brush the vegetables with oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  When your barbecue is very hot, place the vegetables on the grill cut side down.  Leave them there for 5-10 minutes, or until they begin to sweat and the cut sides have dark brown marks from the grill.  If you like softer veggies, you can turn them over and cook both sides.  When they are done, remove from the heat and let them rest until they are cool enough to handle.  Slice thinly or julienne the vegetables.  Add the sliced basil leaves (if desired) and more salt and pepper to taste.  Toss the vegetables with diced marinated tomatoes, adding some of the marinating liquid.  Serve warm or cold.

Marinated Tomatoes

1 large heirloom tomato, or two medium tomatoes of any color 1/4 cup vinegar (balsamic or wine vinegar's are the best with this recipe) 1/4 cup olive oil 2 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced or minced 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt 1 Tbs herbs de Provence Freshly ground black pepper

Slice or dice the tomatoes into a wide bowl.  Combine gently with the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate for at least two hours.  Can save in the refrigerator for up to two days, but the tomatoes will become softer and lose their form as more time passes.  These are fantastic on a sandwich or as a relish or salad dressing.