My parents never made stuffed vegetables when I was growing up.

Now I know why.

Some people like their veggies filled with rice, ground meat, and onions – maybe even a little crunchy topping – but this does nothing for me, especially when the stuffed vegetable in question is a pepper. I think it comes down to two things: seasoning the pepper itself (it usually isn’t), and its texture after being roasted twice (or parboiled and roasted).

The filling may be tasty, but the pepper remains bland. I have yet to find a recipe that asks for it to be seasoned. (Any leads on this phantom recipe are welcome.) Additionally, cooking the pepper twice – once to make sure it finishes “tender,” and a second time with the filling inside – leaves it flaccid.

The only possible redeeming factor in this sad, sad dinner was a balanced, well-seasoned stuffing: and unfortunately, the one I used from saveur.com was lackluster. (You can find the recipe here, anyway.)

Thankfully, the squash turned out much better – probably because its firm, thick flesh naturally lent itself to roasting. Here’s our acorn squash, post-roast:

More adventures in stuffing to come in the future…

Creamy avocado, zippy onions and garlic, and a hint of smoke from cumin make this guacamole a sumptuous affair. Plus, when eaten with homemade chips, it’s practically a meal.

Guacamole

from Alton Brown’s recipe on foodnetwork.com

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1 lime, juiced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

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To make homemade chips, fill a deep fryer with a neutral-flavored oil (such as canola, corn, or safflower) and heat according to instructions. (Alternately, fill a saucepan with oil up to 1 inch, then heat until a wooden chopstick dipped in oil produces bubbles.) While oil is heating up, cut round corn tortillas into 6 wedges. When oil is ready, place tortilla pieces in oil in a single layer. Fry until lightly browned, then flip; continue frying until slightly deeper in color. Remove from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate to cool.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When your CSA gives you zucchini – and eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic – make ratatouille.

Ratatouille, it turns out, is a great way to cook away your CSA. Plus, with five zucchini in our half-share this week, there was no better opportunity to try out this famed French stew.

After briefly toying with the idea of attempting Thomas Keller’s version of the dish, confit byaldi, I selected Julia Child’s recipe, which Knopf Doubleday released in pdf form on their website, no doubt in anticipation of the release of the movie, Julie & Julia. Mr. Keller’s recipe, however fascinating in its intricate preparation and presentation, was simply too complicated to attempt that night. (Incidentally, the confit byaldi was created for another movie, Ratatouille.) Ms. Child’s, on the other hand, looked a bit more attainable: and so I set off to the kitchen with recipe in hand (or rather, on laptop screen).

It took a good amount of time to cut each vegetable to the recommended dimensions, then cook them separately before simmering them together, but the finished product was well worth the toil. The zucchini, eggplant, tomato, peppers, and onions maintained their own distinctive flavors, and there was none of the soggy, mushy mess that some associate with the dish.

Another commonly held assumption about ratatouille is that it tastes better the day after it’s made. Oddly, I actually preferred it on the day it was cooked, after letting it rest for 30 minutes or so: at this point, the vegetables still maintained their individual characteristics while being united in one dish. A day later, the flavors had deepened somewhat, but they also coalesced into uniformity. It tasted like a mundane stir-fry, sadly enough.

Regardless, I’d make this again when zucchini (or another vegetable) strikes.

You can find Julia Child’s recipe for ratatouille here.

Given the contents of this week’s CSA share, what else was I supposed to make for brunch?

Scrubbed and de-eyed potatoes were shredded in the food processor, then rinsed in cold water and drained thoroughly. Then a sliced onion half was sautéed in olive oil until golden brown. After removing the onions to a bowl, and adding more olive oil and some bacon grease to the pan, I tossed in the potatoes and sautéed them over medium heat. Diced green pepper, salt, and freshly ground pepper were added, and eventually the caramelized onions were returned to the pan. I allowed the hash to brown for a while before flipping it over (in sections) to brown the other side.

The result: crispy, golden, and relatively healthy hash browns – another breafast encore.

In this week’s share:

• Yukon Gold or Keuka Gold Potatoes
• Yellow Onions
• Long Green Peppers
• Green Bell Peppers
• Red Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Baby Arugula
• Cherry Tomatoes