furbish

written by Uma Stewart

I love my summer walks to our local farmer's market where I visit the vegetables and invite them to inspire me, then proudly trudge back with cloth sacks filled with earthy treasures: farm fresh eggs, lovely carrots, globes of eggplant that gleam lavender, deep purple black, and white.

These market trips are altogether different from the culinary trip made to the Indian groceries in Edison, NJ, where I make my way through narrow aisles stacked ceiling high with packages of flour and rice to replenish supplies of a variety of split dried legumes, smoky spices, and tropical fruits.

The ingredients from both locales combine quite naturally to make miraculously good food. Summer is the time when you can go light on spices and showcase the vegetables themselves.

Try these recipes just perfect for a fun outdoor meal.

Tangy Carrot and Corn Saute

• 3 large carrots, grated on large grate
• corn kernels cut from 3 large ears of corn
• 1 large shallot
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp ground cumin seed
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp ground red chile powder
• 1 tbsp half n half
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• juice of 1 small lime

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the shallot and cok until translucent and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the grated carrots and corn kernels with 4 tbsp water and simmer and stir until the vegetables lightly cooked, about 5 minutes. Add half of the cumin and coriander along with the turmeric and red chile powder, the tablespoon of half and half, and sugar. Stir well and cover skillet for about 2 minutes of cooking time. Remove lid and add remaining cumin and coriander powder, salt, and lime juice. Turn off heat. Stir well and serve with grilled flatbread.

Summer Eggplant Bhartha

Serves 6

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 green chili
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 3 teaspoons coriander powder
• salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pierce eggplant with a fork in several places and place on a baking sheet. Bake 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until collapsed and soft. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Mix in ginger, garlic, and green chili and cook until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes and cilantro. Add eggplant and cover and cook 10 minutes over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to low. Mix in spices and continue cooking about 5 minutes.

Grilled Flatbread

Use a basic pizza dough recipe like this one on marthstewart.com. Take small palm sized amounts of pizza dough and roll into thin flat rounds with a rolling pin. Stack rounds of dough between wax paper and prepare an outdoor grill or use a grill pan indoors. Brush dough with olive oil and place oiled side down on hot grill. Heat for one minute, while brushing oil on side that is up. Flip and heat reverse side. Cooking time will vary some depending on heat of the grill, but bread will puff and cook, and become slightly charred with grill marks when finished.

Serve warm breads with vegetable dishes

Uma's sweet & savory Fruit raita

Serves 4

• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 cups yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves, lightly packed
• 1/4 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 peach, cut in small cubes
• 1/2 apple, cut in small cubes

Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a small frying pan until the aroma comes up clear and strong and seeds become toasty in color. Remove from heat and grind into powder.

Combine toasted cumin-coriander powder with yogurt, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Stir in fruit, onion, and cilantro. Serve.