The Other Woman Cooks

Don't let my last name or the fact that I make golumpki and pierogi with my husband fool you. My maternal grandmother, Maria Cavelli, was my first cooking teacher. Lasagna and insalata caprese served with hot crusty bread was the first menu I learned to make. A great meal anytime of year but not as good as what came during harvest season. Stuffed eggplant dinner was something she made in late summer and early fall when the locally grown eggplants and tomatoes are ripe and fresh. When Tiny Weisblat from In Our Grandmother's Kitchens asked me to participate in the blogathan during Farmers Market Week, I knew this was the recipe to share. Thanks to Farmer Paul, access to garden fresh (and I mean just picked fresh) fruits and veggies are at my fingertips daily. But not having backyard bounty is no excuse for not making the best of the harvest season. Shop at farmers' markets and roadside stands -- loving local this time of year comes easy. My grandmother was a fabulous c...

Turns out there are several versions of ratatouille that include yellow squash in addition to zucchini. I love Google. I have never bothered to look for ratatouille recipes because I had a perfectly good recipe developed over many years and committed to memory. In the end what I chose to do in making my veggie stew was to fall back on familiarity. But I did do one thing differently than usual. I'm not talking about the fact that I substituted yellow squash for traditional zucchini. For once, I wrote down the recipe measure by measure. SUMMER RATATOUILLE 1/4 cup olive oil 1 clove garlic, grated 1/2 small yellow onion, grated 3 medium size meaty tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped 1/2 cup beef, chicken or vegetable broth 1 medium size eggplant, about 1 lb. 2 medium size zucchini squash, about 8 oz. each (yellow squash tastes great too!) 1 medium sweet bell pepper, cut in thin strips 1/4 cup carrot coins, thin sliced 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil (1 teaspoon dried)...