Anybody want some squash?

Well, we survived the first week of school. (Correction: It was just a half week. This is the first full week. We haven’t survived the first full week yet. I’ll let you know if and when that happens.)

As we started on a Wednesday last week, this is our first official Monday. And when I arrived on campus to pick up the boys, I found a nice little surprise waiting for me: a big basket of vegetables!

Well, it actually shouldn’t have been a surprise, but I’m unbelievably forgetful, so my life is pretty much a non-stop string of surprises. You see, last week, we signed up for a vegetable co-op or CSA (community supported agriculture). It’s the first time the school has offered it, and the first time we’ve ever participated in one, and let me just say it is super nerdy fun!

As I walked up to get the boys, there were 3 or 4 shelves lined with green bins with the words Pinckney’s Produce emblazoned on the side. And each basket was filled with yellow squash, zucchini, raw peanuts, peppers, cucumbers, corn and crowder peas. And one of those baskets had our name on it!

Yeee-hah!

It was like Christmas, except with a farmer coming down the chimney instead of Santa Claus.


Very exciting! --And, as someone who has a dreadfully hard time striking up conversations with about 90 percent of the moms waiting to pick up their kids, I was suddenly Miss Chatterbox. “Oooooh, you got an eggplant! How’d you manage that?” And, “You know what to do with all that zucchini, right? It’s called Zucchini Chocolate CAKE.”

I mean, generally speaking, I hate small talk. But I do love talking about food. So it seems that my love for food-talk trumped my hate for idle chatter. I mean, I’m still pretty much guaranteed to be a cranky misanthrope four out of five school days, but at least now on Mondays, I will be more sociable.

Happy day! Happy day!

Now, if I had just managed to find someone to trade me an eggplant, I would have had all the ingredients for a deeeeee-licous ratatouille. Hmmm…I may just have to make a run to the store and pick one up.

Here’s the recipe:

Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 large, ripe tomatoes (about 3/4 pound), halved
1 small eggplant (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large zucchini (about 1/2 pound), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large yellow squash (about 1/2 pound), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons freshly minced basil leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish
A loaf of ciabatta bread (or any good crusty loaf)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rub 2 teaspoons of the oil and a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper on the tomatoes. Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes, depending upon the size of the tomatoes. Remove from the heat and, when cool, roughly chop.

Meanwhile, on another baking sheet, combine the minced garlic, eggplant, zucchini, and squash, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.

In the bottom of a large bowl, pour the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, and the vinegar, and whisk to combine. Add the chopped vegetables, tomatoes and the basil, and toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with Parmesan.

(The ratatouille can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight to allow the flavors to further develop.)

Serve atop toasted ciabatta bread.

Yield: 6 servings


PS. A not-so-delightful surprise I discovered in the boys’ backpacks today: Apparently, the kids are supposed to sell wrapping paper as a stinking fundraiser for the school. Again, given that I am a disorganized, finance-impaired, forgetful introvert, this sounds like my own personal circle of hell. Grrrrrr....