A Garden To Table Food Blog

I have to give lots of props to the food bloggers out there! It is a lot of work making up recipes, taking pictures, and adjusting as you go to make sure it tastes good. I usually do my best work when I ‘wing it.’ Admittedly, this girl is really good at throwing things together when I have lots of leftovers and want to clean out the fridge. But this is a first for me – a garden to table recipe I made up myself.  

What was my inspiration?  

Our garden is impressive this year! My husband gets all the credit for that one. We almost doubled the size from previous years, and EVERYTHING is fruitful and multiplying. So I didn’t need a store, just went outside and picked. This is backyard garden to table with absolutely no pesticides ever – just some peppermint spray when the bugs attacked and to keep the vermin away. How beautiful is that??!!  

So I harvested some Japanese eggplant, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, basil, and scallions. Don’t they look pretty?

I discovered Japanese eggplant a few years ago. We thought it was regular Italian eggplant but when it started flourishing, they were these long purple things. Now I like Japanese eggplant better than any other kind. It is more flavorful and there are minimal, if any, seeds so less chance for me to get any diverticulitis pain. 

Ingredients of Riguzzi’s Garden to Table Ragu

• 1 large zucchini cubed but not too small (see pic below)
• 5 Japanese eggplants cut the short way about 1/4 inch thick
• 1.5 cups of any kind of diced tomatoes
• 2 cups of loose basil leaves roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 10 scallions are what I used, but a small onion would work
• 1/3 cup of white wine or whatever you have left in the fridge
• Light Olive Oil (keep the bottle handy)
• 1/2 cup of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil (at most)
• 8 drops of lemon essential oil (or lemon juice/more zest)
• 8 drops of oregano essential oil (or fresh oregano)
• 1.5 tbsp of balsamic glaze
• 1 tsp of crushed red pepper
• 1-2 tbsp of capers (I love them so used 2)
• Zest of a medium lemon
• Grated Romano and Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste ( I use lemon/pepper grinder and Himalayan pink salt, but sea salt is great too)
• A pound of pasta ( I used bowties because it was the only kind I had)

A little side note – This week my kids gifted me some free Hello Fresh, and I have to throw them some love. Not my kids, I mean Hello Fresh. I do love the children, don’t get me wrong, but this isn’t about them. As a very unorganized cook that can damage a kitchen by frying a simple grilled cheese, this company changed me. The recipes have you wash, dry, and prep everything before cooking. So at 57, I am finally figuring out how to prep first … I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. 😉 

On to the recipe … 

I use light olive oil in my cast iron pan. Nowadays, they say heating up olive oil too high is bad for you, so I use light while cooking and add the good stuff afterward. I honestly think adding it at the end is better because it has the most flavor when it is not cooked.  

After heating the pan, add the chopped garlic and saute for one to two minutes. You really don’t want to overcook the garlic; it should only be slightly browned.  

When the garlic looks just right, add the chopped scallions and basil while sautéing for another two minutes. Whatever you do, don’t turn your head for a second or answer a text, because that garlic will burn fast. It happens to me all the time!

• 

• 

• 

When everything looks browned, soft, and yummy, add the cubed zucchini. Honestly, you can chop it up however you like. I don’t want to cut it too small because I like it meaty. Zucchini gets very soft and mushy if you chop it too small. Sauté on medium-low for about 10 minutes or until it softens but is still a little firm and green. Drizzling more olive oil as you go to keep it moist and flavorful. It shouldn’t look dry!  

While that is sautéing, I like to add some pink Himalayan salt and Trader Joe’s lemon pepper grinder mix. This is my go-to for pepper, but by all means, use regular black pepper – you can always add lemon in other ways. Some people like to add condiments at the end or the beginning of cooking. I love adding salt and pepper between the layers because I feel everything is better seasoned a little at a time instead of all at once. 

Next, add the chopped eggplant, a little more basil, salt, lemon pepper, and another drizzle of olive oil. Eggplant cooks faster, so you really only need about 5 – 6 minutes.  

And I just so happen to have about 1/3 cup of pinot grigio in the fridge, so what the heck!

So maybe not all garden to table ….

When all of that is softened, but still slightly firm, throw in the chopped tomatoes, a little more salt, pepper, and another drizzle of olive oil. Now, since I started working with essential oils, it says they are great for cooking, so because I had no fresh oregano, I added about eight drops of oregano oil and because I love lemon, eight drops of lemon oil. I am not going to lie; at first, the oregano was a little strong for me, but when it was all done – perfect! It doesn’t seem like a lot of oil, but they are pure, so it throws a big punch.  

After cooking another 10 minutes, I added the crushed red pepper, capers, balsamic glaze, and topped it with lemon zest ( I told you I love lemon). This is when I lightly poured the good California EVOO over the top. I stirred it all together, turned off the heat, covered, and put aside. As far as measurements are concerned, I don’t measure, and I don’t know too many Italians, or cooks who do, but I did my best for you guys.  

I left it out on the stove for a while so the flavors could blend together. I am a big believer in the longer sauce sits, the more flavorful it is! Can you use it right away? Of course! But I like it better after it has sat and blended with the steam keeping it warm and still slightly cooking. It never hurts to throw on a little more fresh basil. All garden to table and healthy. Doesn’t that look pretty down there?

Fill a pot with water, add some salt, when it comes to a boil, add a pound of whatever pasta you have in the house. Cook for as long as the package tells you, strain, mix, top with grated cheese, and ECCO QUA …

There you have it – my first garden to table food blog!

I have to say for my first made-up recipe; I kicked some butt!

A few things heard were;

“Damn, Momma, that was good!”

“Wow, this has some really good flavors, what did you put in here?”

And when I asked Joey if he liked it, he just nodded and kept shoveling. Three thumbs up!

Speaking of the garden to table, one of my favorite summer recipes is Ina Garten’s, Summer Pasta. I make it at least 2 or 3 times a summer when the tomatoes really start falling off the branches in the garden. It takes 10 mins to put together and then sits for hours while the flavors blend – right up my alley!

What is your favorite summer garden recipe? Please share below – I need some recipes, as my garden is overflowing with blessings!

Today’s featured essential oil is LEMON! Click and read so many things you can do with it.

You can pin recipe here:

Another shout out to my friends, Theresa and Renata, who helped me name this dish!

Mangiare bene, ridere spesso, ama molto,

Sandy

#enlighten #empower #inspire #educate #bekind #eatwell