Sicilian eggplant pizza: light meal from a gorgeous farm market vegetable

A slice of Sicilan eggplant bakes into a soft, tasty base for individual pizzas. We topped with marinara and Asiago cheese.Sicilian eggplant at Scotch Plains Farmers Market. Prepared in old-fashioned ways, eggplant dishes can be full of sodium from the salting and weighting that squeezes out excess moisture. 

They can be full of fat because eggplant's spongy texture soaks up a lot of oil when fried.

We recently found globes of spectacularly gorgeous purple and white Sicilian eggplant at Scotch Plains Farmers Market and decided to try using half-inch slices in place of a bread crust for home-baked individual pizzas.

We had previously baked slices of the regular type of eggplant with good results. So, we placed the eggplant slices on a pan brushed with olive oil. No foil or parchment lining is needed. The exposed eggplant tops also were brushed with oil.

After 20 minutes of roasting at 425 degrees, the eggplant was tender. We flipped the slices, spooned marinara over the tops, sprinkled on shredded Asiago cheese and returned to the oven 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

The flavor and soft texture reminded me of eggplant rollatini -- with less cheese and without the breading or fried oiliness.

The flavor of the Sicilian eggplant was slightly sweet, and it seemed lighter. It was a quick and easy way to enjoy fresh eggplant.

Here's the recipe we'll start with for real-deal rollatini.

Chocolate banana muffin-top cookies

Chocolate banana muffin-top cookies

Chocolate banana muffin-top cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup mashed overripe banana

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

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Julia Morgan: An intimate biography of Hearst Castle's little-known architect

Hearst Castle, the estate architect Julia Morgan designed for William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon, in California's coastal mountains. Photo by Alexander VertikoffIn 1919, a 47-year-old woman began work designing one of the world’s most impressive estates, a sprawling compound at a 1,600-foot elevation about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Architect Julia MorganWhen architect Julia Morgan died in 1957 at age 85, she had designed an estimated 700 structures — schools, churches, office buildings, hospitals, stores and residences -— most notably La Cuesta Encantada, William Randolph Hearst’s home on “the Enchanted Hill.” More than a century later, what came to be known as Hearst Castle continues to draw throngs of tourists to California from across the globe. Yet many visitors never learned that for nearly three decades a female designer was the planner who oversaw every detail of the estate’s evolving landscape.

It wasn’t until 2014 that Morgan’s lifetime of work was recognized by the American Institute of Architects with its Gold Medal. With the posthumous award, she became the first woman to join the ranks of such revered architects as Charles McKim, Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbsier.

In “Julia Morgan: an Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect” (Chronicle Books, $32.50), author Victoria Kastner offers keen insights into Morgan’s life, her career, and the friendly working relationship that shaped Hearst Castle and other properties of the newspaper tycoon; his mistress, Marion Davies; and his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, who attempted in vain to rein in her son’s extravagance.

In addition to his structures and gardens at San Simeon, Hearst installed an extensive zoo, for which Morgan designed bear pits, a giraffe house, open-air shelters and quarters for an elephant called Marianne.

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Recipe: Savory apple relish

Try apple relish as a cranberry sauce alternative. Chopped apples and apple cider vinegar are blended with onions and peppers. With ribs and seeds removed, the jalepeno only adds a mild kick. The savory-sweet result complements turkey breast roasted in a bacon wrap to help keep it moist.Savory apple relish

(6 servings) 

Ingredients

2 cups chopped apples, such as Macoun or Cortland

1/2 cup diced red  bell peppers

1/2 cup diced yellow bell peppers

1/3 cup diced red onion

1 small jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced 

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

4 strips crisply cooked bacon (optional

Instructions 

Toss all ingredients except bacon in a large bowl to combine. If using bacon, keep it crisp by adding it to individual portions just before serving.

Photo and adapted recipe courtesy U.S. Apple Association

"Plant Partners" looks at beneficial relationships above and below garden soil

Catmint has lovley flowers and deters beetle-feasting on its potato patch neighbors. Angelo Merendino photo"Plant Partners" by Jessica WalliserIf you hope to grow tomatoes, peppers, zucchini or eggplant this year, consider planting the bed beforehand with a spring crop of buckwheat.

Annual buckwheat (Fagopyron esculentum) is among “cover crops” that Jessica Walliser recommends in “Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden” (Storey Publishing, $24.95).

While cover crops are widely used by commercial growers and large farms, Walliser identifies six cover crops that are easy to grow in home gardens. Depending on their growing season, cover crops are grown to be mowed down and turned into the soil or simply killed by frost.

Before they go, however, they can benefit future crops in many ways. They might draw up nutrients from low in the soil, improve soil structure and fertility, and provide organic matter that feeds beneficial microbes while improving moisture retention. Their growth can supress weeds and create habitat for pest-eating beneficial insects. Some, such as peas and beans, can fortify the soil with nitrogen, an important macronutrient that supports green, leafy growth. Walliser variously describes these plants as green mulch, green manure or living rototillers.

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