Farmer's Market Recipe

We have been using Berry Creek Farm CSA this year, so every week we get a bag of fruits and veggies from our selected farm. We don't get to pick what's in it, it's just what they've got... so I've gotten better at improvising recipes and using produce this summer. Last week I struck upon a recipe that I thought was pure awesome, so I am sharing it with you. Sorry. No pictures. Mea culpa. But this is one of the few vegetarian meals I've ever made that my husband has been happy with, so that's a major score in my book. (He's a meat and potatoes kinda guy)

Tangy-sweet Midsummer Stir-fry with Rice
 2 small onions or 1 medium onion
1 tomato
1 squash
1 cucumber
Red wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Fresh garden herbs: basil, thyme, oregano, parsley
Sesame Seeds
Rice of choice

Chop up two small, sweet onions and start to cook them in a skillet with a small amount of oil, stirring occassionally. While onions are cooking, you can chop the tomato, squash, and cucumber. I used an average sized squash and tomato, but only a small portion of a huge Armenian cucumber, so I'm not sure what that equates to. I'd play with it. After onions are cooked to taste, add squash and cucumber with a few shakes of red wine vinegar; stir. (This will make up most of the sauce so no need to skimp) When these veggies are softened, throw in the tomato, herbs, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. For chopped herbs, whatever is fresh from your garden or I suppose even dried would do. I used a small handful of fresh herbs - basil, parsley, oregano, and thyme. Stir, and leave in a few minutes. At this point you can taste and see if you like it, and adjust it if you don't. I thought it was fantastic.

Spoon the veggies over rice (or pasta). They should be in a nice light sauce by now. I sprinkled sesame seeds and basil flowers on top (my basil will not quit flowering in this heat, so I decided to use them - you are supposed to pinch off the flowers anyway in order to help the leaves retain their flavor), but this is optional. The seeds added protein and a nice crunch and the flowers made the dish beautiful! Something about having tiny pink flowers all over the top of my dinner is just delightful.

The next day I ate the left-over veggies cold and by themselves, like a salad.


I threw this together after re-reading Tom Bergey's cookbook, Recipes from the Golden Trowel Herb Farm. I've had and loved this book for several years, but never made any of the recipes... seems the ingredients required are never in my pantry when I'm thinking about it. Even then, the book is a good resource and inspiration for learning how to cook with fresh ingredients. Tom Bergey uses his ingredients in delicious and creative ways... if it weren't for him I'd never have been brave enough to try stir-fry cucumbers! I went to a cooking show of his once and had stir fry *cantaloupe,* my friends. Now that is bravery! Delicious bravery.