— Guest Post by Tarney Sheldon, CSA Member —
This week I found myself with TWO big eggplants, two patty pan squash, and family members who aren’t enamored with mushy vegetables. So… how could I cook up these tasty summer fruits in a way that just MIGHT have a chance of being tasted by my family?
The answer came, when my friend Kimberly Smith, of Leadership Mendocino, told me about the roasted eggplant and mixed veggies recipe that she recently made. I took her ideas and gave it a tex-mex twist! Here it is:
Eggplant… All Fired Up!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: about 4
Ingredients:
two eggplants (diced in large chunks)
two patty pan squash (diced in large chunks)
green bell pepper (diced in large chunks)
Hatch green chile (diced in large chunks)
jalapeno pepper (diced, super-small)
olive oil
salt and pepper
polenta
Preparation:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Start a pot with 4 cups of water and a dash of salt on the stove.
2) Dice veggies and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread mixture out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put in the oven at 425 for 30 minutes.
3) When water is boiling, stir in 1 cup of polenta. Leave pot uncovered, reduce burner to low, stir every 10 minutes. The polenta will be ready in 30 minutes.
4) Serve a dollop of polenta, topped with roasted eggplant. Garnish with salsa and cilantro. Enjoy!