My family is more than a little obsessed with the eggplant spread - or melitzanosalata - at It's Greek to Me.  The creamy eggplant is perfectly balanced with lemon, garlic, fresh herbs, and salt.  Nathan and I could sit down with just that, and a mountain of pillowy, hot-off-the-griddle pita bread, and stuff ourselves like fat little dolmades.

Yeah.

Needless to say, when I saw a pile of gorgeous eggplants at the farmers market, I greedily snagged several, with eggplant spread fully on my mind.  I used this David Lebovitz eggplant caviar recipe, because 1) David Lebovitz recipes are always fantastic, and 2) I loved the idea of the seared, blackened eggplant skins imparting a subtle smokiness to the spread.

Always go for the smoke, right?  Perhaps a rule to live by.

One note - definitely don't forget to poke a few holes in the whole eggplants before setting them on the hot grill.  If you don't, you'll learn that eggplants explode rather loudly.

When the skins are blackened, finish roasting the eggplants in the oven, until they're falling-apart tender.  Scrape the flesh into a bowl, mash with plenty of garlic & herbs, drizzle with olive oil, and smear generously on warm, grilled bread.

Commence stuffing yourself.

Recipe for Eggplant Caviar at www.davidlebowitz.com.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of farmers markets - what's not to love? - and the Minneapolis Farmers Market in particular because it's my "home" market.  I shop there every week, most weeks two or more times, loading up on all of my favorite fruits, vegetables, and local meats and cheeses.  The market represents everything I love about cooking and food - best ingredients, local growers, seasonal bounty.  (In fact, when food is this good - syrupy strawberries, warm tomatoes, fragrant basil, soft cheeses, rich honey - you don't even need to cook. But shhh, don't tell readers of this blog...)

I love to go on the weekends, when the scene is like a smaller, healthier version of the Minnesota State Fair - throngs of people from all over the world, eating, shopping, watching cooking demonstrations, buying flowers, listening to music, all wrapped in the smoky perfume of grilling brats and sweet corn.  Slightly chaotic.  Excellent people watching.  Pure summer.

But I love shopping on weekdays too, the yin to the weekend's yang.  It's mostly produce during the week, quiet as an eggplant, with easy parking and a calm, peaceful vibe.  I whip in and out of there in 10 minutes, loaded down with enough produce to feed an army.  Or my family.  If weekends are energizing, weekdays are relaxing.

Needless to say, I'm very excited (and honored) to chat with Susan Berkson on the Minneapolis Farmer Market's Fresh & Local radio show tomorrow morning.  Tune in to AM 950 if you're up and at 'em around 8 a.m., sipping coffee, kicking back and planning your gorgeous summer Saturday.  (If you miss it, or are out of range, you can listen later in the week off the MFM/Fresh & Local website.)

See you at the market!

Update: the interview is up, have a listen to Saturday, August 7, Part III, and the tail end of Part IV.  I had a great time!

I posted this recipe a few weeks ago at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly magazine.  I've probably said this about too many things to be credible (I'm aware that I lean a bit heavily on the superlative), but this is one of my absolute favorite dishes.  I crave it.  I devour it.  And now you will too, in less than 20 minutes.  Be warned, it's massively addictive...  I use the breakfast sausage I buy from Blue Gentian Farm at the Minneapolis Farmers Market if I don't have chorizo; it works beautifully. (In fact, I could pretty much eat it on everything.)

I've been sauteeing pans of crispy pork with beans and greens for years.  I start with a little bacon, ham, or sausage.  When the pork is nicely browned, I stir in minced garlic, sometimes something spicy, and then the cooked (likely canned navy) beans and saute until they're a bit crisp on the edges.  I finish with a handful of chopped cabbage or chard or spinach, whatever I have in the cooler, tossing things around a bit until the greens wilt.  I might have made it for you.  I always put half away before I dig in, because otherwise I'd eat the whole pan.

Of beans.

Which hurts.

Mark Bittman/New York Times posted this version, Fried Chickpeas with Chorizo & Spinach, earlier in the year and of course it caught my attention.  It's everything I love, with two fabulous additions - a splash of sherry and breadcrumbs to finish, drizzled with olive oil and run under the broiler until golden brown.  Yes.

Fried chickpeas are a revelation, by the way, slightly crunchy outside, creamy inside.  The chorizo adds beautiful color, heat, and the necessary garlic kick.  The breadcrumbs are...sublime.

I warned you.

Fried Chickpeas with Chorizo & Spinach
Mark Bittman for The New York Times
Serves 4

Note: if you can't find stick chorizo, you can substitute spicy, garlicky ground sausage (don't tell Mark).  In that case, brown the sausage first (without oil), breaking into small pieces, then add the beans, and brown as in Step 3 below.  Smoked paprika, added with the beans, adds a lovely flavor and red color.

I still had blueberries left from last week's farmers market haul, but since they were just-past gorgeous (yet still perfectly edible), I decided that today was the day to bake them into this pretty blueberry lemon cake I'd had my eye on.

Although really, every day should be a day for buttermilk cake, don't you think?  It hardly matters the version, since they all share a soft, moist crumb - to me, the essence of cake. (And I am all about the essence of cake.)

I decided to treat this one like a tea cake and gild the lily with a lemon icing drizzle.  And why not?  As I pulled the cake out of the oven, Puppy Louis peed downstairs and the boys cleaned it up with newsprint.  Ink on the carpeting, carpet cleaner on the way...

Time for lemon icing.

And a slice of cake.

Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from www.noteaafter12.com
Serves 10-12

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 c. granulated sugar
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk 
10 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 c. blueberries
zest of one lemon

2 c. confectioner's sugar
juice from one lemon
whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder, and add the sugar and nutmeg. In a separate medium bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix well until incorporated. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Fold in the blueberries.

Spread the batter in the pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is just golden and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for 20 minutes.

While the cake cools, stir together the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice.  Add enough whipping cream to thin the icing to drizzling consistency.

Spread icing over warm (not hot) cake.  Serve cake warm or cool.

Green beans are the first vegetable that I genuinely liked.  My grandparents grew them in their garden, and my Grandma Meyer would pick them fresh, boil them until they were tender, and serve them with lots of butter and salt.  Alongside walleye fried crispy in...butter.

What was not to like?

I still like them the same way - but these days, with just a pat of butter and a sprinkle of salt.  It's nice that a little of both goes a long way.

It's also nice to change things up, like this dish which transforms green beans into a spicy, salty incredi-meal.  A little pork, a little black bean-garlic sauce, a lot of sticky-savory deliciousness.

I realize as I type this...I've suggested the Asian equivalent of butter-n-salt.  OK, maybe not all that different.  But still so, so good.

Yeah, finger-swipe-through-the-pan good.

Green Beans with Pork & Black Bean-Garlic Sauce
Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main course

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
1/4 lb. pork sausage or ground pork (I used pork breakfast sausage, specifically the pork breakfast sausage from Blue Gentian Farm)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. black bean-garlic sauce
2 tsp. Thai fish sauce
1/4 c. water
toasted sesame oil
optional: chopped toasted almonds

Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil.  When water boils, add green beans.  After 3 minutes (water will not quite return to a boil), drain in a colander.  Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage and onion together.  Stir in the minced ginger, red pepper flakes, black bean-garlic sauce, fish sauce, and water.  Add green beans and toss to coat.  Saute for 5-10 minutes, until water evaporates, the sauce thickens, and the beans become tender.

Transfer beans to a serving plate.  Sprinkle with sesame oil and almonds (if using).  Serve warm (not hot; the flavor will be better).

I know, I know.  Another tomato salad.  But bear with me for a minute, because of one special ingredient...burrata cheese.  It's fresh mozzarella, but with a creamier, tangier twist.  I bought it at Whole Foods, in the cheese section, and haven't looked back.  Burrata is completely incredible with garden fresh tomatoes, even more so than traditional fresh mozzarella, because of its loose, creamy-dreamy texture.

Scatter pieces over juicy sliced tomatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, add crispy olive-oil fried croutons.

Then finish with plenty of fresh basil. (Unless Japanese beetles have decimated your basil plant.  In that case, use other fresh herbs and it will still be fabulous.)

Our dog Louis learned how to jump into the pool today.  Witnessing his pure joy is almost as delicious as tomato salad.

I've had my eye on this Sunday Suppers at Lucques dessert for awhile.  It's really just fruit and custard, keeping the focus firmly where it belongs - on perfectly ripe, juicy, summer-bursting-in-your-mouth berries.

(The recipe calls for raspberries; I used both blueberries and raspberries.  It's worth hitting the farmer's market for the real deal - the berries don't cook, so you want them to taste great on their own.)

It's a neat trick to run the dish under the broiler - the heat warms the berries and browns the top of the custard a bit, while the custard underneath stays cool.

Did I mention that there's creme fraiche in the custard? Uh yeah...

It's therefore not a shocker that the whole emerges tangy & creamy, pleasantly sweet but not overly so, and pretty enough for a party.

Or for a pretty damn tasty Sunday morning breakfast!

Raspberry Gratin
From Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
Serves 6

1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 c. plus 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. corn starch
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
a pinch of salt
1 c. creme fraiche
1 pint (2 baskets) raspberries
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

In a medium heavy-bottomed pot, bring the milk to a boil, and then turn off the heat.  Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl, and then whisk in 1/2 c. sugar and the cornstarch.  Continue whisking until the mixture thickens and is a pale  yellow color.  Slowly whisk in the hot milk, at first a few tablespoons at a time, and then more quickly.  Return the mixture to the stove, and cook over medium heat, alternating between a whisk and a rubber spatula, until the custard thickens to a puddinglike consistency.

Remove from the stove, and stir in the butter and salt.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface to keep it from forming a skin.  Poke a few holes in the plastic to let the heat escape.  Cool in the refrigerator.

When the custard has cooled, fold in the creme fraiche.

Preheat the broiler.

Toss the raspberries with 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, and scatter half of the them on the bottom of a 9x9-inch (or equivalent) gratin dish.  Spoon the custard into the dish, and scatter the rest of the berries on top.  Sift the confectioners' sugar over the top, and pass under the broiler for about 7 minutes (watch carefully!), until bubbling and gratineed on top.

Serve the gratin at the table with a big serving spoon.

Every time I go to the farmer's market, I come home with more berries - yesterday I found strawberries still poking around, and raspberries and blueberries out in force.

Man do I love this time of year!

If you, like I, get a little carried away and buy far more berries than your family can eat in a day or two, then this crumble is for you.

And if you, like I, get a little carried away and buy peaches, cherries, rhubarb, apricots, and plums too, then this crumble is definitely for you.

For that's the wonderful thing about crumbles - you can layer any ripe summer fruit under a crisp lid of streusel and it will be unforgettably delicious.  Tart and sweet, soft and crunchy, lightly buttery with a hint of cinnamon.  For about 15 minutes of effort.  How great is that?

Man do I love this time of year!

Note: Blueberries are particularly perfect right now, so after you make this crumble, grab a few pints of the blues and make my friend Susie's blueberry kuchen.  I did just that last weekend, and entered a couple of pans in the Kingfield Market's Berry Bake-Off for fun...and won the Critics' Choice Award!  Just like this crumble recipe, blueberry kuchen is so easy to pull together and keeps the spotlight on the berries.  I posted the recipe last week at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine's blog, check it out.  And get berry baking!

Summer Berry Crumbles
Adapted from www.foodnetwork.com
Serves 6

I like the berries a little tart, a nice contrast with the sweet streusel topping and ice cream.  If you add rhubarb, however, you'll likely need to add more sugar.  I bake these in 4 oz. ramekins to keep the serving size in check, but you could bake this in one large quiche/tart pan as well (add 5-10 minutes to overall baking time).

1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch salt
1/3 c. oats
4 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 c. mixed berries (can include diced peaches, apricots, plums, rhubarb, cherries...)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set 6 4-oz. ramekins on the baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, salt, and oats.  Use your fingers to work butter into dry ingredients.  Chill.

In a medium bowl, combine fruit, cornstarch, and 1/3 c. sugar; toss to coat.  Evenly divide the fruit mixture between the 6 ramekins.  Top with the crumble topping.  Bake until tops are golden and fruit is bubbly (it will bubble out of the ramekins), about 35 minutes.  Cool for 20 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Bored with broccoli?  Tired of tilapia?  Sick of scrambled eggs?  Add breadcrumbs!  A spoonful of buttery, toasty crumbs can make the most ordinary dish sublime.

Like the portabella mushroom, endive gratin, baked eggs, and fried chickpeas, above.  What began as potentially bland fare - vegetables, an egg, canned beans - became something special with the addition of...yes, breadcrumbs.

Ditto this head of cauliflower.

We eat a lot of cauliflower.  We get tired of cauliflower.  But roast it to caramelize the edges, and top it with caper-and-almond-studded breadcrumbs, and all of a sudden this simple vegetable is wearing a bikini.  Of bread!  Hot.

Any bread will do - gluten-free, sprouted grain, challah.  Grind in a food processor, toast in a skillet with butter and/or olive oil, add a little salt.  Sprinkle over sauteed beans, or an omelet, or pasta, or grilled vegetables, or baked fish.  So not boring.

Roasted Cauliflower with Toasted Breadcrumbs, Capers, & Almonds
Serves 4

1 c. fresh bread crumbs (about 2 sandwich-size slices of bread; I use Ezekiel bread, ground in a food processor to uniform crumbs)
1 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/4 c. almonds, ground in a food processor (or chopped finely)
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. capers, dried and chopped
1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Stir in the breadcrumbs, almonds, and garlic and saute, stirring frequently, until breadcrumbs are toasted and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in capers and a sprinkle of salt.  Set aside.

Put cauliflower in a large bowl.  Drizzle with remaining 3 Tbsp. of olive oil, add a generous sprinkle of kosher salt, and stir with a rubber spatula to incorporate oil and salt evenly over florets.

Spread florets on a baking sheet, making sure they're not touching much or at all stacked on top of each other - the florets need room to roast and become crisp, otherwise they'll just steam.  Put cauliflower in the oven and roast for 12 minutes.  Check florets to make sure they're lightly browned on one side - if they are, remove the pan from the oven and turn each floret over with tongs.  Return pan to oven and roast for another 10-15 minutes, until florets are nicely browned and very tender.

Remove from oven, transfer cauliflower to a serving platter, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.  (Store any remaining breadcrumbs in an air-tight container.)  Add salt & freshly ground pepper to taste.

Have I got a gazpacho recipe for you.  This version is smooth and creamy (without cream), made crunchy with a garnish of minced cucumber, green pepper, tomato, and croutons.  Serve it icy cold for summer in a bowl.

Or cup - sip it while you fry a few potato pancakes, poach a few eggs.  That's what I did, while John worked on his 9,500-song - no lie - iTunes library and read me raves from the newspaper.  I cook, he sits with me, that's our thing.

I picked up the tomatoes and cucumber at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market yesterday.  Real garden gazpacho.  Nice.  I plan to sip more later for an afternoon snack.  It's light yet filling, perfect for a hot, sunny Saturday.

Or ooh, pour the gazpacho into a thermos and take it for a bike ride-picnic, with good bread and cheese, cold white wine, and fresh cherries or berries.  Damn, I wish I were doing exactly that right now.

But then I would have missed making the second course...  I know, I know, yet another poached egg dish, sorry for the redundancy.  But poached eggs are so easy and delicious, I can't help myself.  They just make everything special.  Agree?

What are your plans for Independence Day?  We're having our Annual Super Duper Shubert Coopster 4th of July Celebration, including my sister Stacey, and hoping it won't rain all day so we can be in and around the pool.  I'm making the no-fail pork ribs and crunchy, creamy coleslaw I posted on Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly magazine blog, as well as mini-burgers and boiled new potatoes with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and preserved lemon.

Suz is bringing blueberry kuchen, which we'll top with a scoop of homemade strawberry-rhubarb ice cream.  Red, white & blue, woo hoo!  Have a Bangin' 4th everyone!

Andalusian Garden Gazpacho
Adapted from www.latimes.com
Serves 6-8

Author's note: the gazpacho should be the consistency of light cream.  If it is to be served for sipping, thin with additional cold water.  Lemon juice can be a substituted for the vinegar.

Stephanie's note: I used both a food processor and blender - food processor to puree the bread and tomatoes, blender to puree the gazpacho itself so it would be as smooth and creamy as possible.

4 slices bread, crusts removed (4 oz.); plus 2 slices bread, diced and fried in a little olive oil (for garnish), divided (Stephanie's note: I used the bread crusts to make the croutons)
water
5 tomatoes (2 lbs.), cored and roughly chopped; plus 1 small tomato, finely chopped (for garnish)
1/2 green pepper, cored and roughly chopped; plus extra finely chopped (for garnish), divided
1/2 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped; plus extra finely chopped (for garnish), divided
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 c. ice cold water

Break the 4 slices bread into chunks and soak it in water to cover until softened.  Squeeze the water from the bread and place it in a food processor with the garlic.  Process until smooth.  Transfer to the bowl of a blender.

Without washing the food processor, add the chopped tomatoes and process until smooth.  Press the tomato juice and pulp through a sieve or colander, discarding the skin and seeds.  Add the tomato juice and pulp to the blender.

Add the green pepper, cumin, and salt to the bread and tomatoes in the blender.  With the blender running, add the oil in a slow stream.  Blend in the vinegar and some of the cold water.  Transfer the gazpacho to a large pitcher and stir in the remaining water.  Serve immediately or chill until serving time.  (Stephanie's note: I like to leave a couple of hours for it to chill and for the flavors to blend.  It's best icy cold.)

To serve, pour the gazpacho into individual bowls.  Place each of the garnishes (finely chopped green pepper, cucumber, tomato, and crispy bread) in small bowls.  Pass the garnishes with the gazpacho and allow guests to serve themselves.

Poached Eggs Over Potato-Green Pepper Pancakes
Serves 2

1/2 c. safflower, canola, peanut, or other high-heat oil
1 large russet potato, peeled and shredded
1/2 green pepper, shredded
1 large shallot, peeled and shredded
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs

Set a saucepan 1/2 filled with salted water on to boil.

Heat oil in a large (preferably nonstick) skillet over medium-high.  While the oil heats, stir together the potatoes, green pepper, shallot, flour, and salt.  When the oil is hot, drop 2 or 3 large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil.  Use a spatula to flatten and spread the potatoes a bit, into pancake shapes.  Fry until golden brown, then turn pancakes over and brown on the other side.  Drain on paper towels.  Fry remaining pancakes; drain.  Place one or two pancakes on each plate.

The water will likely boil as you're frying pancakes, which is great.  Turn heat down so that the water is barely simmering - small bubbles should barely break the surface.  As soon as you're done frying the pancakes, crack one egg into a small dish and slide it into the water.  Quickly do the same with the second egg.  Set the timer for 3 minutes.  The eggs whites will look shredded, but that's OK.  When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to scoop one egg out of the water.  Tilt the spoon so the water drains completely off, then place the egg on top of one of the plates of hot potato pancakes.  Repeat with the second egg and second plate of pancakes.  Top eggs with a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of black pepper each.  Serve immediately.