Garden Kitchen

Stuffed vegetables

(Photo LOF - Sweet peppers Biber dolmasi with thin skins)

1 – If you say "stuffed vegetables" its cute and you avoid feeling guilty or rude. If you say "fat stuffed vegetables" its really not socially acceptable especially when being over weight has become everyones common enemy. Yet a stuffed vegetable is always a bit on the fat side. 
2 – You can stuff many garden inhabitants : not too ripe tomatoes (or they are too watery), zucchini, pattypan squash, sweet peppers (turkish variety Biber dolmasi), cucumbers, turnips, kohlrabi, potatoes, onions, lettuce, blanched cabbage ...provided they are all young.
3 – The stuffing... everything is in the stuffing (I don't mean literally).

Add to sausage meat or ground chicken
finely chopped :
- parsley (quite a lot)
- sweet onion (so that the stuffing does'nt get too dry)
- bread (to bind it)
- garlic (for taste)
- whole eggs (for texture),
- a good dollop of whiskey (use armagnac for poultry ).

(Photo LOF - Stuffed tomatoe, cucumber and a pattypan)

4 – Bake at 200°C for about 45 minutes.
5 – They should be served just warm, some even prefer them cold. At Lugar do Olhar Feliz we serve them warm on top of a little couscous to help soak up the cooking juices. Try it and see.
6 – When stuffing pumpkins, remember to invite friends.

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Onions

(Photo LOF, salad onions)

White onions add a bit of crunch to tomatoe or green salads. They are a bit sweet and a bit spicy .
When the weather is hot and you don't feel like garlic in your vinagrette, use onions . You can read everywhere how good it is for your health.
However they are not great for your love life. Onions smell like onions.
So how can you eat a raw onion without the nasty side effects? 
Slice it and soak in vinegar for about 20 minutes before using it in your salad - it works. If your white onions resist - insist.
Note : This method can not be used for dirty socks.

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Pattypan squash

 
(Photo LOF - baby Pattypan squash - so cute)

The pattypan squash, commonly known as Patty is easy going with an adaptable nature - like people.
Pattypans can be stuffed, made into soups, juices, made with shrimp, scallops, served with meat, or fish, au gratin...
You can use them instead of zucchini.
Like people - there are fat ones and skinny ones. In the Alentejo they eat the big, fat ones. They cut them into thin slices, bread them, then quickly cook them in a pan with a little olive oil. Muito bom!
Bela likes them when they are small marinated in vinager.
 
(Photo LOF - Small green Patty)

LOF recipes: Pattypan carpaccio - thin slices poached in beef stock served warm with olive oil and basil.
Pattypans with a gribiche sauce. Unpeeled pattypans are cut into pieces poached in veal stock and served with a gribiche sauce - a favourite. 
Pattypans "au huitres chaudes" - poach oyster sized pieces in salted water, place them in oyster shells with a touch of lemon juice, white wine and a spinkle of grated cheese, brown them under the broiler.
Who knows whats next. Never underestimate humans, they are capable of anything - just like Pattypans.

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