Eating Local

Shopping at the Spice Market 

Change your culture and you will change your diet. Happily, I enjoy eating fresh vegetables and fruits, good cheeses, and whole grain breads. In fact, I thought that was what I was eating back home in Houston. Not really. I am amazed at how different a fresh peach, tomato or strawberry tastes over here. I don't know if it is the soil, the sun, or the lack of fertilizers and pesticides that make the difference, but I'm savoring every morsel.

I made ratatouille for dinner last night. It was a simple vegetable stew, made with zucchini, eggplant, onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and olive oil, served over penne pasta. It was absolutely delicious, and I'm looking forward to enjoying the leftovers at lunch. The tomatoes here are perfectly plump, perfectly red and actually have flavor and texture. I was inspired to make bruschetta a couple of nights ago, and am looking for a reason to make it again soon. Peaches are now in season, and are the size of softballs. But better than that, they taste like the peaches I ate as a child--so incredibly sweet and juicy that one is content to eat it in its natural state, instead of tarting it up into a cobbler or pie.

Prices for local produce are reasonable-at least by my reckoning of the exchange rate. I picked up a large package of fresh, white mushrooms--enough for two meals--and paid approximately $2.00. Meat is another matter. A pound of ground beef ran me about $12.00. Turkish wines are quite good, but a little pricey, starting at at $12.00 a bottle. However, an imported bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz will set us back $30.00, so we are definitely drinking the local stuff.

With produce this good, I am inspired to use it as the basis of my meal planning instead of resigning them to the sidelines. Below is the Ratatouille recipe I used, courtesy of Jacques Pepin

Ratatouille

1 eggplant (about 10 oz), chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 small zucchini, 3/4 inch pieces

2 Italian peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cups chopped onions

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup mushrooms, quartered (my addition)

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil.

Put all ingredients into a large sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Mix well, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook gently for 30 minutes. If the mixture still has a lot of liquid, reduce it by boiling, uncovered, for 3 -4 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Season to taste. ( I added Tony Chacheres Creole seasoning, as well as some chopped basil) Mix in cooked penne pasta, and serve at room temperature. Garnish with additional grated parmesan cheese and kalamata olives.