Recipe: Mustard Potatoes

A twist on the classic oven roasted potatoes, this recipe uses a lemony-mustard glaze to add flavor to an old standby. Pre-boiling the potatoes cubes in water with a splash of vinegar shortens the overall cooking time and produces evenly crisped potatoes with tender, fluffy insides, in other words, the perfect roasted potato. I now use this pre-boil method every time I roast potatoes - the extra step is well worth it for the delicious final results as well as the slightly faster prep time.

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 L water
- 2 tbsp. vinegar

Steps:
1) Preheat oven to 450 F. Bring a pot of water with vinegar to boil while you cut potatoes into roughly 1 inch cubes. Add potatoes to boiling water and vinegar and set timer for 10 minutes once the pot has started boiling again.

2) Combine mustard, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and whisk until well mixed.

3) After 10 minutes of boiling, drain potatoes and pour mustard glaze into pot, stirring until potatoes are well coated. Lightly grease a roasting pan and place potatoes in it.

4) Roast potatoes until crisp, about 20 minutes. Don't worry if the glaze sticks to the roasting pan a little bit, just scrape it up. Serve immediately.

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Recipe: Roasted Sweet Pepper Salad

Roasting peppers under the broiler brings out a sweet earthiness that pairs wonderfully with summery basil. So that the raw onions wouldn't overtake the more delicate flavours of this salad, I soaked them in balsamic vinegar first, softening their bite and muting their pungency. Onions can be soaked in ice water to achieve a similar effect, but I find that vinegar (or anything acidic) mellows them the best. An acidic soak also seems to lessen the heartburn and other unpleasant reactions that some people have to raw onions. Give it a try!

Ingredients:
- 3 - 4 sweet peppers
- 1/2 - 1 onion
- 1 bunch of basil
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- salt

Steps:

1) Cut peppers in half and place skin side up in a shallow baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil and put under the broiler.

2) Remove peppers when skins are thoroughly blackened, about 5-15 minutes, depending on how hot your broiler is.

3) Put peppers in a glass bowl and cover with a lid for about 20 minutes. The steam from the peppers will loosen the skins and make them easier to peel.

3) Meanwhile, slice onions thinly and place in a small bowl with balsamic vinegar to soak. You will need just enough vinegar to wet all the onions, about 2-4 tbsp.

5) When the peppers are cool enough to touch, peel the skins with a paring knife. Don't worry about getting every scrap of skin off so long as the blackened parts are removed.

6) Slice peeled peppers and combine with onion and basil. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar from the bowl the onions soaked in. Salt to taste and serve.

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Recipe: Onion Marmalade

Sweet onions take a bit longer to caramelize because of their higher water content, but the results are sweet enough to make into a jam. Slow cooked in a balsamic reduction along with some basil and garlic you get a lovely combination of sweet and savory flavours that can be used to dress up a multitude of dishes. Try it in a sandwich or with a soft cheese, mixed into a salad dressing or on the side with a roasted meat. It looks so pretty in the jar you may consider giving it as a gift.

Ingredients:
- 3-4 onions, sliced thinly
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch basil, cut into thin strips
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar

Steps:
1) Heat olive oil on medium and fry sliced onions until soft and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

2) Add sugar, minced garlic and balsamic vinegar and turn heat down to low. Simmer until reduced to a thick, jam-like consistency, about 60 minutes.

3) Add butter and basil and simmer for 5 minutes.

4) Spoon into a jar and refrigerate. Will last for several weeks. Gift accordingly.

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Recipe: Ratatouille

Late summer veggies combine to make an amazing stew on a evening when you might notice that the sun is setting earlier. Rather than cook all the ingredients together in a single pot, this alternative version of ratatouille oven roasts each veggie separately before putting them all together for the final simmer. This method speeds up the recipe a bit and produces a prettier result as all the ingredients hold their shape and colour better when cooked separately first.

Ingredients:

- 1 large or 2 small eggplants
- 2 summer squash (zucchinis or patty pans, or 1 of each)
- 2 medium onions
- 2-3 peppers
- 3 large tomatoes
- 1 bunch basil
- olive oil
- salt

Steps:

1) Chop eggplant into 1 inch chunks. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Leave to drain while you prep the other veggies. Preheat oven to 450 F.

2) Chop onions and fry in olive oil on high, adding a splash of water when the onions start to stick to the pan. The standard method for caramelizing onions is slow work, so we often use this short cut method to save time.

3) Chop summer squash into 1 inch chunks. Place in a roasting pan, salt light and drizzle with oil. By now the eggplant should be drained so you can drizzle than with oil in a separate roasting pan (so that you don't crowd any of the veggies) and put in the oven.

4) Slice peppers in half and place skin side up on a cookie sheet. Coat with olive oil and put in the oven. The squashes, eggplants and peppers should all take about 15-20 minutes to roast.

5) While the other veggies are roasting, coarsely chop tomatoes and mix with caramelized (or at least cooked down) onions in a pot with a sprinkle of salt. Heat on high until boiling and tomatoes start softening, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring to break up the tomatoes.

6) Remove roasting pans from the oven when veggies are thoroughly browned. Slice peppers into strips. Mix all into pot with onions and tomatoes.

7) Add basil to pot and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Taste and add more salt as needed.

8) Serve with a starch of your choice, like rice or pasta. For this meal, Eric made cornbread triangles to dip into the rich, tomato-based sauce.

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Recipe: Tomato Lentil Curry

Heirloom tomatoes in-season are incredibly juicy, having a much higher water content than the kind of tomatoes available off-season that have traveled long distances and were picked when still green. That juiciness certainly makes them a joy to eat raw, but it can also be an element of cooking with heirloom varieties. In this recipe I used the water in my tomatoes to cook lentils, but I've also cooked beans, stews and pasta this way. The tomatoes add an amazing flavour of high summer to any slow cooking one pot meal. It also a good way of using tomatoes when you have an abundance and a few have split skins or look like they need to be used right away.

Ingredients:

- 3-4 large or 6-8 small tomatoes
- 1 cup green lentils
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp cinammon
- 3 tbsp butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup beans, chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

Steps:

1) Put tomatoes in a pot with a splash of water and cook on on high until tomatoes are sweating and bursting, about 3-5 minutes.

2) With a potato masher or large fork smash up the tomatoes and reduce heat to low.

3) Add lentils, water, salt, cumin, cinnamon and butter or coconut oil and simmer on low for 40-60 minutes.

4) Add beans and garlic and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

5) Serve with rice and plain yogurt or raita.

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Recipe: Tomato and Basil Two Ways

When fresh, in-season tomatoes and basil are around, I feel a bit like I'm cheating in the kitchen. Combining them in a dish is so simple and quick, yet the results taste like something that took way more effort and skill to prepare. Truly these veggies belong together, and this week I've got two ways to prepare these partners in crime that bring out some of the best they have to offer. I left out specific quantities for these recipes because for the most part when it comes to tomatoes and basil I just max out what's available of both – it's nearly impossible to go wrong with such an exquisite combination.

Ingredients:
- tomatoes
- basil
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- salt
- garlic, minced
- oregano, fresh or dry

Fried Tomatoes with Herb Dressing

1) Finely chop basil and oregano (if using fresh).

2) Heat olive oil and balsamic vinegar on medium-low until warm but not boiling, about 5 minutes. The quantity of oil and vinegar depends on the amount of herbs you use, but you should have enough liquid to soak all the herbs. Oil to vinegar ratio should be 3:1.

3) Add herbs and minced garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, slice tomatoes in half and place cut side down on a pan or griddle on medium-high heat.

5) Fry until lightly browned on cut side and then flip to brown other side. Tomatoes should be nearly falling apart when finished.

6) Transfer tomatoes to serving bowl and spoon herbs on top along with some of the liquid. Serve immediately.

Tomato Basil Salad

1) Chop tomatoes and place in a strainer. Salt lightly and let tomatoes drain for at least 10 minutes. This step is very important as these varieties of tomato are MUCH juicer than what you typically find at the grocery store and you don't want a pool of water at the bottom of your salad bowl.

2) Layer basil in salad bowl and place drained tomatoes on top. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve.

3) If you want to go for a full Caprese salad, add thin slices of the freshest bocconcini you can find.

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