Since starting my apprenticeship at Fair Share Farm, an organic CSA vegetable farm that hands out shares of its weekly crop to its members, finding tasty and easy ways to use up my share of the bounty before it spoils has become a welcome daily challenge. This part of the season yields mounds of delicious produce, including tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers and eggplant, so I’ve been making lots of salsas and dips for my friends and myself.
All it takes are a few tomatillos, an heirloom tomato, an onion, a jalapeno and a few cloves of garlic to make an amazing salsa. You can blend your produce raw, but I love the smoky flavor of roasted veggies. Photo By Dani Hurst.
Spicy Heirloom Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa
5 small to medium tomatillos
2 small onions
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno
1 large heirloom tomato
1. Slice all ingredients in half horizontally and roast in oven or toaster oven at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes (depending on how charred you want your veggies to be).
2. Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth.
My fellow apprentice and I are constantly looking for ways to utilize our share of the weekly crop. Pictured here is one day’s worth of peppers about to be roasted. Photo By Dani Hurst.
Roasted Pepper Bean Dip
3-5 peppers (any color)
3 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno (optional)
1 can refried beans (or make your own)
Salt to taste
1. Slice all produce in half horizontally and roast in oven or toaster oven at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Blend roasted veggies with refried beans until smooth.
2 large eggplants
2-4 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
A squeeze of lemon juice to taste
Foil for wrapping
1. After you wash and dry the eggplants, wrap each completely in foil and place on stove top coils or open flame.
2. Cook each over high heat until they are charred and soft to the touch, turning with tongs every 3 to 5 minutes. (The cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of each eggplant, but will range between 10 and 15 minutes.) When done cooking, remove the eggplants from the stove top coils or flame and set aside to cool, about 15 minutes.
3. When cool enough to handle, open the foil and slice each eggplant lengthwise. Scoop out the insides with a large spoon into a food processor and blend with the cloves of garlic and lemon juice until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Try one of my go-to recipes after your next visit to the farmer’s market and enjoy what late summer has to offer!