L ifestyle /C ulture
Make the Most of August Produce
F OO D
LINDA MOREL | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
I LOVE LATE AUGUST!
Farmers markets and backyard
gardens are jumping, offering
the summer’s best yield.

Think of crisp string beans,
firm cucumbers,
plump tomatoes, sweet corn on the cob,
summer squash, baby eggplants
and big, round berries.

I buy bunches of basil,
parsley, dill and mint.

Whatever I don’t use in a
couple of days, I chop, place
in individual Ziplock bags
and store in the freezer. I
recently discovered you can cut
uncooked corn off the cob and
freeze it, preserving the best of
summer far into the fall.

August is the last full
month of summer. By
mid-September, there’s a nip
in the air and the angle of
the sun has tipped toward
autumn. Of course, it is
feasible to find many of the
same local fruits and veggies
in September, but they won’t
be quite as juicy and delicious.

So, while a cornucopia of
summer produce is available, I
joyously fill my shopping basket
with foods that flourish in the
sun’s last strong rays of the year,
relying on recipes that are as
easy to prepare as lounging on a
hammock during Sunday after-
noons in August.

GRILLED BABY EGGPLANTS |
PAREVE kasto80 / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Serves 4-6
Nonstick vegetable spray
3 baby eggplants, peeled
and sliced about ¼-inch
thick ¼ cup olive oil, or more if
needed Kosher salt to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder, or
more if needed
Equipment: a barbecue grill
and a vegetable grill
basket JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Preheat your barbecue grill.

Place the eggplant slices on
a plate. Pour the olive oil into a
small bowl. Dip a pastry brush
in the oil and coat the top
side of the eggplant slices with
oil. (If you don’t have a pastry
brush, drizzle on oil with a
teaspoon.) Sprinkle on salt
and garlic powder. Turn the
eggplant slices over and repeat
on the other side.

Lightly coat your grill basket
with nonstick vegetable spray.

Move the prepared eggplant
slices to the grill basket. Place
the grill basket on the grill
rack. Grill the eggplants for 4
minutes on each side, or until
cooked through and crisping.

Serve immediately or at room
temperature. BARBECUED CORN ON THE
COB | PAREVE
Serves 6
Nonstick vegetable spray
6 ears of fresh corn on the
cob Kosher salt to taste
Equipment: a barbecue grill
and barbecue tongs
Before preheating, spray the
rack of your grill with nonstick
vegetable spray. Preheat your
barbecue grill.

Remove the husks from the
corn and discard. Place the corn
on the grill. Using barbecue
tongs, turn the corn about every
two minutes so that all sides
are exposed to the grill’s flame.

Grill for about 10 minutes, or
until the corn is caramelized
and golden to slightly brown.

Remove the corn from the
grill and sprinkle salt on all
sides. Serve immediately.

MIXED TOMATOES AND
HERB SALAD | PAREVE
Serves 4-6
Salad: 2½ pounds tomatoes in a
variety of colors (red,
orange, yellow, etc.)
⅛ cup basil leaves, chopped
⅛ cup dill fronds, chopped
⅛ cup chives, chopped
Optional: Glass bowls show
off this stunning summer
dessert to advantage.

Into each of six bowls,
scoop 2 heaping tablespoons
of ice cream or sorbet. Arrange
Core and slice tomatoes the berries attractively over
thin. Arrange them on an
attractive platter, overlap-
ping the colors. Sprinkle the
basil, dill and chives over the
tomatoes. Reserve.

Dressing: ¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Place all the dressing ingre-
dients in a small bowl and
whisk them together until
they are well combined. Slowly
drizzle the dressing over the
tomatoes. Serve immediately
or within a couple of hours.

BERRY DELIGHT | DAIRY OR
PAREVE Serves 6
1 pint vanilla ice cream, or
coconut or lemon sorbet
3 cups assorted:
blueberries, raspberries
and sliced strawberries
6 sprigs of mint
6 gingersnap cookies (store
bought) JEWISH EXPONENT
the ice cream or sorbet. Scoop
1-2 tablespoons of ice cream
or sorbet over the berries.

Top with a generous sprig of
mint. Slide a ginger snap into
the ice cream or sorbet at an
attractive angle. Serve immedi-
ately. l
FAMILY REUNION
The family of Yitzhak and
Marya Belitsky of Anashushek,
Lithuania will be holding a reunion
on the weekend of
August 21 and 22, 2021.

If you believe you are a descendant
of Yitzhak and Marya Belitsky and/or
their children, Jacob, Joseph,
Morris and Herman Belitsky or
Jennie Belitsky Morganstern,
please contact drbelitsky@aol.com
or Jack Belitsky @ 215-694-7130
to seek further information.

AUGUST 12, 2021
17