[Week 10] It's About That Time

Hello Farm Share Friends:

First, thank you all so much for your words of encouragement earlier this week. They gave me such a boost.

Good news, bad news: I did not meet my deadline, but before I even attempted to ask for an extension, I was gifted the weekend to continue working. So… bad news, bad news?

I’m kidding. While I of course would like to be finished with this phase, I am grateful to have the cushion of a few more days to complete it. And best news of all, while I’ve been preoccupied with pizza-book matters, the above-pictured mass of vegetables has accumulated on my countertop, which means one and only one thing: It’s ratatouille time!

I have three (cooking) goals this weekend:

1. Make ratatouille.

2. Pickle jalapeños.

3. Make a large-batch of basil pesto.

Friends, the bounty is real! It’s going to be a weekend of damage control for me. What’s on your cooking agenda?

Roasted Ratatouille Review

This is one of my all-time favorite dishes to make for its no-measure approach. It’s very forgiving, so don’t worry if you have more or less of one vegetable or another: it always works out.

Let’s review: Gather all of your ratatouille vegetables: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, onions, summer squash, and garlic.

Roughly chop everything. As you chop, pile the vegetables into your largest roasting pan, seasoning each layer of vegetables with salt. Pour olive oil and vinegar over the top. Crack pepper over the top.

If your pan looks like this, don't worry! (And don't stir either.)

Transfer the pan to the oven and roast at 400ºF for 45 minutes. At this point, when the vegetables have released some of their juices and have shrunk down considerably, you can remove the pan, and carefully give it all a stir.

Return the pan to the oven and continue to cook for 2 hours (or more or less), stirring halfway, until the vegetables become completely stewy, almost jammy in texture.

Spread your ratatouille over toast, toss with pasta, use as a layer in a summer lasagna, or simply eat with a spoon. Ratatouille freezes beautifully, too, so don't be afraid to pack it into quart containers, and stash it away for future use.

This week we received tomatillos, and I’m excited to try this salsa verde recipe. If you are not going to use your tomatillos immediately, I