BEEF WITH BROCCOLI
8 oz. lean steak, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 tsp. peanut oil
a couple dashes of Tabasco
1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
3 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. peanut oil
6 oz. broccoli, in smallish florets
2 large green onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2/3 c. beef stock
2 tsp. cornstarch
4 tsp. water

Cut the steak against the grain into thin strips and place in a shallow glass dish. Mix together the garlic, 1 tsp. peanut oil, Tabasco, ginger, five-spice, and soy sauce. Pour it over the beef and toss thoroughly. Cover and allow to marinate, refrigerated, for at least 4 hours.
Heat 1 Tbs. peanut oil in a wok or wok-style pan. Add the broccoli and stir-fry over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the green onions and stir-fry until bright green. Remove broccoli and onions with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Add the steak and its marinade, and stir-fry until browned and sealed.
Return the vegetables to the wok and stir in the beef stock.
Whisk the cornstarch with the water until it forms a smooth paste. Stir it into the wok and bring to a boil, stirring, until thickened and clear.
Serve with rice or noodles.

More Thai food, made with homegrown eggplant and basil...

GREEN CHICKEN CURRY
meat from 3 or 4 chicken leg quarters, cut into bite-size pieces
1 1/4 c. coconut milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. fish sauce
1 1/2 to 2 Tbs. green curry paste (2 will make it pretty hot)
1 large or 2 small Asian eggplants, cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 a green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
several basil leaves, torn up
a squeeze of lime

Pour the coconut milk into a wok or wok-style pan and bring to a boil. Add chicken, garlic, and fish sauce. Reduce to a brisk simmer and cook until chicken is completely cooked through.
Add the green curry paste, eggplant, bell pepper, cilantro, and basil. Cook until eggplant and bell pepper are tender. Near the end of the cooking time, stir in the squeeze of lime.
Serve with rice.

And some Southern/Thai fusion food, because I happened to have a lot of okra and tomatoes...

SPICY STEWED OKRA
1 Vidalia onion, sliced
2 c. chopped fresh okra
1 to 2 Tbs. olive oil
3 chopped tomatoes
1/2 to 1 Tbs. red curry paste

Sizzle the onion and okra in the olive oil, stirring occasionally, until they soften. Add chopped tomatoes and curry paste, cover, and simmer until tomatoes have broken down completely. Serve with rice.

Thai food...woo hoo! Both of these recipes turned out really well.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AND SPICES
4 garlic cloves, chopped
half a small sweet onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 large lemon grass stalk, minced
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon if you've got it)
1 Tbs. tamarind paste
2 Tbs. peanut oil
6 to 8 mixed chicken legs and thighs
1 1/4 c. chicken stock
1 Tbs. fish sauce
1 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
4 oz. Chinese noodles
4 Tbs. chopped roasted peanuts

Place the garlic, onion, jalapeño, lemon grass, cilantro, tamarind paste, and cinnamon in the food processor. Whirl a few times, scraping down the sides frequently.
Heat the oil on medium-high to high heat in a wok or wok-style pan. Add the chicken and fry, turning often, until golden-brown on all sides. Remove chicken from wok and pour off extra fat.
Turn down the heat to medium. Add the spice paste to the wok and stir for a minute or two. Add stock and chicken and bring to a rolling boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, turning chicken occasionally, until chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.
Stir in peanut butter and fish sauce and simmer gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil some water and cook the noodles for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Drain. Mix a little of the meat sauce into the noodles.
Serve the chicken on a nest of saucy noodles. Brush a little more sauce on top and sprinkle with peanuts.

THAI GREEN SALAD
2 c. torn romaine lettuce
half a small sweet onion, sliced
1 small or 1/2 large cucumber, peeled and shaved into long strips with the peeler
1 c. cabbage, sliced very thin
small handful of cilantro leaves
small handful of mint leaves
small handful of basil leaves
4 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. fish sauce
a little bit of minced jalapeño pepper
1 scant Tbs. sugar

Arrange the lettuce, onion, cucumber, cabbage, and herbs in a salad bowl.
In a jar, whisk the lime juice, fish sauce, jalapeño, and sugar until they're very well combined. Pour over salad.

EGGPLANT PARM SANDWICH
A simple summer pleasure, thanks to our garden.

First make some baked Eggplant Parmesan slices. I prefer these to the traditional fried kind because they're not all greasy.
3 slices white bread
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
a pinch of red pepper flakes
a couple grinds of black pepper
1 smallish eggplant, in 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 eggs, lightly beaten
cooking spray (olive oil is nice but not vital)
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Tear up the bread and combine it with the cheese, oregano, red pepper, and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse repeatedly until it's a uniform crumb mixture.
Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg and dredge them in the crumbs. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, lay the slices on it, and spray them lightly.
Bake, turning when necessary, until both sides of slices are nicely browned. To get the middles to cook sufficiently before the outsides become too brown, you may want to lay a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over the slices.
Remove from the oven and salt lightly.

Now, to make the sandwich, toast a couple of slices of nice white bread in the toaster oven. Halfway through, lay some mozzarella cheese on one slice and let it melt. Remove to a plate.
Layer Eggplant Parmesan slices on the cheese, then add lots of juicy chopped fresh tomato, some freshly plucked basil, and (if you like) a swipe of Miracle Whip or mayonnaise. Top with the other slice of bread and enjoy while it's warm.

BAKED MACARONI
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 pint milk, heated (I use mostly 1% and top it off with a bit of cream; otherwise you'd want to use whole milk so the bechamel has enough fat to set up nicely)
1 1/2 tsp. coarse Dijon mustard
pinch of nutmeg
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
a handful of fresh basil, chopped
half a large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 lb. macaroni
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
a generous handful of fresh seasoned bread crumbs (for mine, I whirl a heel of whole wheat bread in the food processor with a bit of dried oregano, a pinch of cayenne, and a grind of pepper)

First make a bechamel sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the flour and stir it around for a minute or two. Add the milk one cup at a time, stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and let the sauce thicken further over low heat. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and cover.
In a large skillet, saute the onions, garlic, and basil in the oil. When the onions are translucent, add the cauliflower and saute for 5 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the cauliflower is tender (you can cover it for part of the time to help it get done faster).
Meanwhile, cook the macaroni for about ten minutes (or according to package directions) and drain. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the cooked macaroni, the sauteed vegetables, and the lemon juice. Mix in the bechamel sauce. Put half the macaroni mixture in an oiled baking dish. Sprinkle on half of each of the cheeses. Add the rest of the macaroni mixture and then sprinkle on the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle on the seasoned bread crumbs.
Bake covered for 25 to 30 minutes, then uncovered for 15 minutes, or until bubbling and golden.

ITALIAN BAKED CHICKEN
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 chicken leg quarters, thawed
1 small tomato, sliced very thin
a sprinkle of dried oregano
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Oil a large glass baking dish and arrange the leg quarters in it, skin side up. Cover each leg and thigh with a tomato slice. Sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper.
Bake 1 hour covered, then uncover and baste with juices. Return uncovered to oven and bake another 45 minutes or so, basting midway through, until crispy outside and very tender inside.

RATATOUILLE
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 large onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 medium eggplant (about 3/4 lb.), peeled and cubed
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme, leaves pulled from stems
1 medium to large yellow crookneck squash, cubed
1 large green bell pepper, chopped coarsely
a few grinds of black pepper
a 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or deep skillet. Add garlic, onion, and bay leaf. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Add eggplant, salt, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until eggplant is soft.
Add squash, bell pepper, black pepper, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until squash and bell pepper are tender. In the last five minutes, stir in the basil and let it cook very slightly.
Serve warm with crusty bread.

I'm currently making a half-size test batch of these:

REFRIGERATOR PICKLES
7 c. cucumber slices
1 c. onion slices
2 Tbs. canning salt
2 c. sugar
1 c. vinegar (5%)
1 Tbs. celery seed
1 tsp. mustard seed

Combine cucumbers and onion in a large nonmetal container. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 4 hours. Rinse and drain.
Boil sugar, vinegar, and spices for 5 minutes. Cool mixture and pour over cucumbers and onions.
Keeps in refrigerator for several months.

TWO SISTERS MUFFINS
Another of my own inventions.

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
a pinch of cayenne pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 c. buttermilk, or a combination of milk and plain yogurt
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. cooked sliced yellow crookneck squash, extra liquid squeezed out
1/2 c. cooked corn kernels (grilled over coals is optimal)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-divot muffin tin with papers.
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix eggs, buttermilk, and canola oil in a separate bowl or other container. Pour the wets into the drys, add the squash and corn, and fold with a rubber spatula until just evenly combined.
Divide evenly among muffin papers and bake 25 minutes, or until golden brown and well risen.

A couple of (slightly altered) Jamie Oliver recipes we tried today. Really good!

KINDA SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE
half a package of thick-sliced bacon, fat removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. ground chuck
1 wineglass red wine
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 small can tomato paste
3/4 lb. dried spaghetti
1 small handful fresh basil, coarsely chopped or torn
grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, fry the bacon and rosemary in a little olive oil until the bacon begins to curl. Add the onion and garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add ground beef, cook until no red remains, and then add the wine.
Reduce the sauce slightly, then add the oregano, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer 1/2 to 1 hour.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.
Stir basil into the cooked sauce until it wilts. Dish out the spaghetti and top it with sauce and a sprinkling of cheese.

BASHED-UP PINE NUT, BASIL, AND BALSAMIC DRESSING
1/2 a clove of garlic, smashed and minced
a large handful of fresh basil, minced
a small handful of toasted pine nuts, chopped
1/4 tsp. coarse Kosher salt
6 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
coarsely ground black pepper

Mash the first four ingredients together with a mortar and pestle. Combine this mixture with the remaining ingredients and whisk well.

HAM AND CHEESE QUICHE
9-inch pie shell, unbaked
1 c. diced ham
1 c. coarsely shredded Swiss cheese
6 eggs
3/4 c. plus 2 Tbs. 1% milk
1/4 c. cream
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch nutmeg
several grinds of black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bake pie shell 5 minutes, then remove. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle ham and cheese in pie shell. Beat remaining ingredients together and pour over ham and cheese. Bake 35 minutes or so, until crust is golden-brown and quiche filling is set. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.