New Crop Chilean Fruit

• Nectarines
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Red and Green Seedless Grapes
• Cherries
• California Navel Oranges
• Texas Star Ruby Grapefruit (Red and White)
• “Seedless” Clementine’s from Spain
• Mineolas Tangelos

Produce

• Southern Eggplant
• Texas Swisschard
• Texas Bunch Beets
• Texas Dandelions
• Texas Arugula

Uncommon Vegetable

Puntarella

This unique vegetable has a short growing season from November through January. It adds a wonderful taste to salads and it can also be baked

Recipes

Eggplant With Sweet Onions and Tomatoes

I like to use organic canned tomatoes in this dish because they just taste fresher. Feel free to use 2 cups of peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes in place of the canned tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant, sliced in 1/4-inch thick rounds
• olive oil
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, cut in thin slices
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• pinch dried leaf basil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 slices Mozzarella cheese or about 1 cup shredded

Preparation:

Layer eggplant slices in a colander, salting each layer generously. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add eggplant to the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Repeat until all eggplant slices are cooked, using as little oil as needed to brown the slices. Transfer to a plate. Add more oil to the skillet if needed; add onions and garlic. Cook until tender. Combine tomatoes with onion mixture, basil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Layer eggplant slices with the onion and tomato mixture in a shallow casserole.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350°. Top with sliced or shredded Mozzarella cheese and cook for 8 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted. Serves 4.

Beets in Orange Butter Sauce

Cooked beets are combined with an easy and flavorful orange butter sauce. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups sliced cooked beets

Preparation:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in orange juice. cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add butter and beets; heat through.