Simple recipes for summer surplus

It's mid summer and produce is at high tide in farmers' markets. So here are a few ways to enjoy some of it right now:

Tomatoes:
Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes, Italian Style
This is something of an olive oil dish from Italy. 
 

Makes 4

4 tbsp olive oil
4 ripe, flawless medium/large heirloom tomatoes (don't buy paste tomatoes)
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 7 oz can oil packed tuna
2/3 c fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers
6-8 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c Parmesan or Asiago cheese, grated
Sea salt to your taste

Preheat oven to 375º. Get out a baking dish with room for all the tomatoes and very lightly coat the bottom with 1 tbsp olive oil.
Carefully slice a very thin slice of the base of any tomato that doesn't stand up straight. Do not puncture the interior. Slice the top off each tomato and spoon out as much of the juicy insides as you can without puncturing the sides; you need a solid shell for the filling. Sprinkle the inside of each tomato with a pinch of salt, turn each upside down on a paper towel to drain.

While they drain, coat the bottom of a small frying pan with 2-3 tbsp olive oil depending on the size of the pan. Warm over med heat. Sauté the garlic, onions and black pepper over med/low heat until the onions are soft, maybe 4 minutes. Don't burn the garlic. Stir in the breadcrumbs, oregano and tuna with its oil. Cook 1 minute to warm, the remove from heat. Stir in capers, 1/2 c parsley and the olives. Blend well.

Line the tomatoes in a baking dish and stuff each to overflowing, packing down as you go. Sprinkle each top with 1 tbsp of grated cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake 20 min. at 375º. Cool to room temp and sprinkle the remaining parsley on top of each one to serve.

NOTE; You can also fill 6 tomatoes by adding 1 c cooked orzo to the mix just before stuffing.

Peaches
Peach Chutney

I made the pictured batch with a few wild blueberries found in the freezer from last year this time but you can make it plain or with a few raspberries.
This makes 7 4oz jars

6 med/lg good quality peaches, ripe
1 c pecan halves, lightly toasted
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger peeled
1/2 c raisins
Optional: 1/2 c wild blueberries or fresh raspberries
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
3/4 c brown or turbinado sugar
1/2 c raspberry or plum vinegar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar

Dip the peaches into boiling water 60 seconds, then drain and run under cold water so the skins slip off.
Put the canning jars into a large pot of boiling water to sterilize them.
Chop the peaches into small pieces. Combine everything but the pecans in a deep heavy pot and cook over med/high heat to a boil. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to thicken. You will know because it will part for the spoon and you will see the bottom of the pot. Toss in the pecans and continue cooking until the mixture is thick enough to stick to the spoon.
Remove the jars from the boiling water and fill with the chutney, pressing down to prevent air pockets. Close tightly and return to the water bath 12-15 minutes.  Remove. When you hear the "pop" you will know jars are sealed. Cool, label and store. Great gift!

Corn
Corn and Crab Chowder
serves 6 as a cup

4 ears corn, cleaned of all husk and silk
1 lg potato
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lg onion, finely chopped
5 small heart of celery stalks, finely chopped
1 sm carrot, diced into cubes
1/4 c fresh red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 c half and half
1 c bottled clam juice
1 c water or fish broth
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt to your taste
Freshly ground black pepper to your taste
3/4 lb crabmeat, clean of shells and cartilage
1/4 c fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Fill a pot with just enough water to cover the corn cobs. Bring the water to a boil, put the corn in and when the water returns to boiling, cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes to blanch the corn. Drain and cool.  Cut off the kernels; hopefully you have 2 cups.

Peel the potato and cut it into small cubes. Heat butter in a medium pot over low heat until it's foamy. Add onions, carrot, red bell pepper, celery and potatoes. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft. In a small pot over low heat, bring the half-and-half to a simmer. Pour it, the clam broth, water, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper into the pot with the vegetables. Add the corn and half the crab. Simmer 6-8 min until the potatoes are tender and not mushy. Add the remaining crab. Stir gently to blend. Heat thoroughy.
Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro to serve. 

Eggplant
Italian Stuffed Eggplant

A change from the lamb stuffed Persian eggplant and the chickpea stuffed Arabic dish, a treat for vegetarians.
 
 serves 4
4 sm eggplants
6 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 anchovy fillets
6 parsley sprigs
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 c breadcrumbs
1/2 sm chili pepper, seeded and minced or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
12 thin slices fresh tomato
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Preheat oven to 350º. Cut eggplants carefully in half lengthwise and scoop out as much flesh as you can without puncturing the skin. Chop the flesh. Chop the garlic, anchovies and parsley together

 In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over med heat and add the flesh. Sauté stirring 1 minute. Add the garlic parsley mix. Add capers, olives, oregano, breadcrumbs and chili. Stir in 3 tbsp olive oil. Fill the eggplants with this mixture. Cover each with an overlapping layer of tomato slices. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Sprinkle the remaining olive oil over each eggplant. Place each on a baking sheet and bake at 350º 30 min until bubbling hot. 


All the leftover odds and ends vegetables
Vegetable Paella

Quick and comforting. Uses up what's lingering in the fridge so there's no ironclad recipe here. Just try to assemble 1 c of veggies for every person and be sure to include onion and carrots. Peas, green and red bell peppers are perfect. So are green beans cut into small pieces, fava beans, salad (Hakurei) turnips, corn, summer squashes, celery, cauliflower cut into small bites, 1 tomato grated.  If you are a carnivore, you can use a few small bits of chorizo to flavor this.

Liberally coat the bottom of a sm/med paella pan or sautoir with olive

oil. Warm it over med heat.  Toss in the chorizo if using, onions, peppers, carrots, celery, turnips and sauté 3 min to soften. Add the remaining vegetables and season with salt to your taste. Season with 1/4 tsp smoked paprika per person and continue to cook another 3 minutes.  Add 1/2 c paella or Calasparrra rice per person and 1 c veg broth for every 1/2 c rice. Add a pinch of saffron to glamorize the whole thing and cook over med/low heat until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Test to see if the rice is cooked: if not add more liquid and cook til it's gone. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.