I made this delicious, simple Indian dish once for Taste & Create. But, my version of bread was lacking in flavor, texture… just wasn’t very good. And, produce wasn’t in season, which changes everything. So, I made it again. Here’s the link to the Bazaar Jaisey Aloo recipe.

The only thing I did differently was use 3 nicely ripened, large, fresh tomatoes that I chopped instead of the canned tomatoes I used in the past, and I added a chopped zucchini… just because.

I served this with some homemade naan. Delicious dinner.

I, like a lot of Boulder residents, read The Daily Camera– our local paper- online. I saw this recipe in August and recreated it it exactly. This simple, fast dish had me so impressed that I made it again.

The second time was just as great as the first, and led to a conversation about how such a simple dish can have complex, developed flavors. Fresh, seasonal produce is the key to an absolutely delicious ratatouille. It is the time of year to make ratatouille, so let’s all head out to our gardens or local market, gather these ingredients, and savor some seasonal veggies.

Here is the recipe from The Daily Camera, courtesy of The Culinary School of the Rockies:

Ingredients:

• 1 small eggplant, un-peeled, cut in 1/4 in dice
• 3 TB olive oil
• 1 pound zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 cup onion, thinly sliced
• 1 TB finely chopped garlic
• 6 plum tomatoes, 2 beefsteak, or 2 large heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut in large dice
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 4 TB fresh basil, coarsely chopped

I can’t believe I forgot how much I love pan-fried zucchini. I totally spaced this out and stood there staring into my fridge thinking, “What the **** am I going to do with all this zucchini?”

Then the hungry voice from the living room yells, “Do we have enough to bread and fry?”

Genius! Yes! We DO have enough to bread and fry. How did I forget that I loved doing that last summer when I had tons of zucchini?

It is easy. Slice the zucchini. Crack a few eggs in a bowl and mix them well.

Get another bowl for your breading. I used whole wheat flour mixed with 1 tsp sea salt and 1 tablespoon Spicy Spanish Paprika from Savory Spice Shop.

Then, get an assembly line going. Dip in the egg, roll in the breading, place on a plate. Then pan-fry them on medium high in a little olive oil until golden and crispy on each side. It’s best to only flip them once so you don’t lose any breading.

Let them sit on some paper towels to drain off any excess oil before devouring them all.

Enjoy.

Zucchini is in season, which means we’re getting zucchini as part of our CSA vegetables. What’s one to do with so much zucchini? I made some savory muffins.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups finely grated zucchini
• 3/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 small red onion, finely chopped and sauteed in a little butter for a few minutes to soften
• 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup walnut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 TB dried minced white onion (from Savory Spice Shop)
• 1 TB dehydrated garlic (also found at my favorite spice shop)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• sea salt (I used Red Algae Hawaiian Kai Sea Salt from Savory Spice Shop)
• Urfa Pepper (again, from Savory Spice Shop)

Enjoy.