The Family Table: Garden variety dinner
This May, Mike and I decided to put in a garden.
We never thought it would take off like it has.
What we’ve affectionately started calling “Jurassic Garden” — a free standing box set up — has yielded us zucchini and yellow squash plants with leaves the size of serving platters, tomato plants that grew so big they lifted their cages out of the ground and cucumber plants that have weaved through the eggplants and peppers.
Our radishes, carrots, beets, kale, various lettuces and herbs also took off.
While we’ve shared our bounty with friends and family, we’ve also really enjoyed finding inventive ways to eat everything. I recently schooled 9-year-old Wesley on making fresh salsa, and Gabe and Josie have gotten in on the action, too, roasting squashes, picking herbs and learning the art of seasoning a fresh tomato.
One of my favorite suppers to whip up in a snap is stuffed zucchini, yellow squash or eggplant. It’s one of those meals that practically makes itself, and the ingredient list can be entirely determined by what you have in the fridge, or in our case, outside in the garden.
The recipe below is one of my most recent variations, based on what veggies were most plentiful. Feel free to substitute whatever variety of ground meat you have — or go meatless by using some ricotta cheese, and another tomato or two.
Stuffed zucchini
1 big or a few small zucchini, halved vertically
Oil, salt and pepper
3/4 pound loose sweet sausage
3-4 garden onions, whites and greens thinly sliced
1 clove garlic
4 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
1 large ripe red tomato, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup shredded cheese, plus some for the top
Rub the cut side of the zucchini with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast it, cut side down, in a 425-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Let it cool, and scoop out the insides, leaving enough flesh so that the shells make a boat. Cook the sausage in a skillet, and drain well, then sautee the onions and garlic, until just softened. Add the onion, garlic, basil, tomato and cheese to the sausage and stir to combine. I also chop up the scooped out zucchini flesh to the mix.
Add filling to the zucchini, top it with cheese and bake for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!