The Eggplants Are Blooming

I have been away for the past eight days. I was in Chicago at the Rotary International Convention. There were about 45,000 people from 161 countries. Great fun. I came back to find my garden doing very well. The eggplants are blooming, the yellow squash and zucchini are producing like mad, and the beets are wonderful. Tonight I made a very simple salad of sliced roasted beets and romaine lettuce. I dressed the salad with a bit of Kosher salt, olive oil and a balsamic vinegar. Very simple and quite delicious.

We also had squash casserole. It's also very easy. I used a mixture of yellow squash, pattypans and zucchinis.

Yellow Squash Casserole

3 pounds summer squash, sliced
1 onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
dash Tabasco, optional

Blanch squash in boiling salted water about four minutes. Drain and place in casserole dish. Saute onion and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons butter. Add to squash along with cheese. Mix soup and milk and pour over squash. Season as needed. Top with bread crumbs. Cut remaining butter into tiny pieces and sprinkle over bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Time depends on the shape of your casserole dish.

We went to some great restaurants in Chicago, Italian and Indian. Here's an eggplant curry.

Eggplant With Peanuts And Spices

1 medium unpeeled eggplant, chopped in large chunks (about 5 cups) . Simmer about 8 minutes until tender. Drain off the water and mash the eggplant in a bowl.
Add:
2 Tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
2 Tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped
In a saucepan, heat:
1 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cumin/mustard/sesame seed mixture
When the seeds pop, add to the saucepan:
3 Tablespoons onion, chopped
1/4 chili pepper, ground
2l cloves garlic, ground
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Sauté until the onions are lightly browned.
Add the eggplant mixture to the saucepan; combine, remove from the heat, and serve with basmati rice.

What is garam masala? It's a North Indian blend of dry-roasted, ground spices used to add spicy heat to dishes. Typically it includes black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, dried chilies, fennel, mace, nutmeg and other spices. I purchase mine from the San Francisco Herb Company.

Summer Drink Ideas
I like the Italian liqueur limoncello very much, and in an Italian restaurant we found a strawberry shortcake with the strawberries macerated with sugar and limoncello. I imagine about 2 ounces of limoncello would be enough for a quart of strawberries.

My husband discovered the mocha martini. He liked it. This is a real dessert treat.

Mocha Martini
2 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Kalua coffee liqueur
1 oz creme de cacao

Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into glass. Garnish with a chocolate curl if you're feeling fancy.

He is also intrigued by the appletini.

Sour Apple Martini
1 part Vodka
1 part Sour Apple schnapps (Pucker)
1 part Apple juice
Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a Martini glass.