INGREDIENTS: 2 large eggplant 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese 2 plum tomatoes 1 bunch fresh basil 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided Dressing 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Salt and pepper METHOD: Wash the eggplant and remove the ends. Cut the eggplant into 16...Read More

I love chunky vegetable braises where I treat the vegetables like meat, browning them and then cooking them in a modicum of liquid. This recipe lists zucchini, but you can use other summer squash just as easily. Just remember to cut them into asymmetric sizes. Use a roll cut for long squash, and for things...Read More

This dish comes together quickly if you have some soffrito on hand in the freezer. If your soffrito is frozen, get it out and defrost it while cutting the beans. INGREDIENTS: 10 – 12 ounces flat green beans such as Scarlet Runners or Romano 1/4 – 1/3 cup soffrito 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and de-germed,...Read More

INGREDIENTS: Salad 8 new potatoes, about 1 pound, scrubbed 2 pounds green beans, cooked 10 ripe plum tomatoes 1 purple onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup Niçoise olives 1/4 cup rough chopped Italian parsley 6 hard-cooked eggs, quartered 1 8 oz. ahi tuna filet Dressing 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon...Read More

  INGREDIENTS: 4 cups minced onion 2-3 cups minced celery 2-3 cups minced carrot or fennel bulb (or a mixture of both) 2-3 cups olive oil METHOD: You can use a food processor to mince all the vegetables except the onion. (Onions will simply liquefy in a processor or blender. Chop the onions by hand...Read More

Think of how often a dish starts with a sauté of onions, carrots, and celery. In Italy, this combination is called soffritto. In France, it is cooked with butter and is called mirepoix, but for general purposes I like it cooked with light-flavored olive oil or even grapeseed oil, which is neutrally flavored, so I...Read More

This dish is inspired by the classic succotash, but I have changed it to suit my tastes. I use fresh snap beans instead of limas, and I cook it fast as a sauté instead of simmering it. I season with flavors of the American Southwest. This dish has lots of sweetness and bright flavors with...Read More

Here’s my version of a classic spicy dish made traditionally with Chinese Long Beans. If you can’t find yardlong beans, use regular green beans. Normally, the beans would be oil blanched (fried in oil), but I read about this oven method in Barbara Kafka’s book “Vegetable Love” and think it is great, especially since my...Read More

This appetizer is full of late-summer flavors and is wonderful served with a glass of wine on a warm evening. Feel free to use several varieties and colors of cherry tomatoes. INGREDIENTS: 1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 11 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved Scant 1/4...Read More

This late summer dish features chicken that is pan-seared in a skillet and then braised in the oven with a fresh fig sauce. Easy and delicious! INGREDIENTS: 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped...Read More