Big Bend Eats
by Carolyn Brown Zniewski
G
S UMMER G ARDEN V EGETABLES
rab a basket and head out to
one of the local farmer’s mar-
kets. Several of them dot the
Big Bend, five at my last count: Alpine,
Marfa, Fort Davis and Terlingua. The
counters and tables are piled with fresh
vegetables from local gardens. If you
have your own garden you only have
to walk out your door for the taste of
spring and summer. There are always
delicious salads to make with a combi-
nation of fresh lettuces and vegetables
dressed with your favorite dressing, yet
may I suggest something more? With
zucchini spilling off every vine and
summer squash and eggplant not far
behind, try them in a fine vegetable
stew: Ratatouille in France, Caponata
in Sicily or Vegetales in West Texas.
The seasonings vary, but the basic veg-
etables are the same.
Here I have a simple recipe open to
lots of variation depending on your
taste buds and what is in your veg-
etable basket. Put together the
chopped vegetables and then add the
seasonings of your choice for a variety
of possibilities. Serve this hot right off
the stove, or at room temperature,
with a great loaf of crusty bread.
Combined with some good salami
or a nice chunk of cheese, you have a
great meal on the table with all the fla-
vors of the garden.
Vegetable stew, three ways
Dice into one inch cubes:
1 good-sized eggplant
Several zucchini
3-4 summer squash
2 red or green bell peppers
2 cups fresh tomatoes or
1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes
Optional additions:
Mushrooms
New potatoes
Green beans
Fennel bulb
20
Cenizo
You want a total of 12 cups diced
vegetables, add:
Large onion, thinly sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ cup olive oil
Toss these into a nice big pot with
one of the following three spice com-
binations:
Ratatouille - French:
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 Tbps chopped tarragon
¼ cup fresh chopped chives
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream
and chopped green onions
Second Quarter 2016
Caponata - Sicilian:
¼ cup green olives
3 Tbls wine vinegar
2 Tbls brown sugar
1 Tbls basil
Garnish with parmesan cheese and
chopped green onion
Tex-Mex Vegetales - West Texas
2 Tbls chili
1 Tbls cumin
2 tsp oregano
Hot sauce to taste
Garnish with grated jack cheese and
chopped green onion
Put everything in a big pot, give it
all a good stir, cover it and put in on to
Photo courtesy Maya Brown Zniewski
cook. You may simmer gently on top
of the stove for about an hour, put it in
the oven at 250’ for an hour and a half
or cook it in a crockpot for about four
hours. Serve with crusty bread, either
warm or room temperature. Great for
a day when life forces everyone to eat
supper at different times. Good for a
potluck and the perfect solution to the
prolific zucchini. If you are worried
this won’t be hearty enough after the
cattle drive, throw in a can of your
favorite beans.
This is a truly delicious taste of sum-
mer any time of the year.