Dark Days meal

I set out at the beginning of last summer to make it to January using only vegetables from my garden (of the ones I grow, anyway).

Well, here it is, well into February, and it looks like I'm going to make it all the way to my first harvest in June, with some to spare. I've still got plenty of tomato sauce and frozen tomatoes, cucumber and eggplant, loads of pickles, several jars of corn relish, one more quart of blanched chard, roasted frozen green and jalapeno peppers. I have plenty of frozen vegetable peelings for making stock. Just used the last of the raspberries, making me eye my non-bearing apple tree with evil intent: wouldn't that space be better used as a a berry patch? Hmmmm.

So here's a "larder meal," made from my stores (plus some CSA onions). Oh, also? Go Team Eggplant.

Pumpkin-eggplant soup with carmelized onions
1 roasted medium-sized eggplant, peeled and cubed
3 roasted medium-sized tomatoes, or 3 tomatoes blanched and peeled
1 quart pumpkin puree (approximarly equivalent to a can)
1 quart vegetable stock

1 large onion
1-2 teaspoons molasses

seasoning:
1 teaspoon whole coriander
a few green peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon coarse salt

Put the first four ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, melt about 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, turn the heat down to low and add the onions. When they start losing their shape, add the molasses and slowly sautee until the onions are completely soft and shapeless. Grind the spices (in a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle) and add to the soup. Add the onions, draining any leftover butter into the pot.

Cool with a little cream or half-and-half when serving.

Are we frugal, poor, or just lazy?

One of the things I've found in trying not to buy anything, is that I don't really buy anything. I'm not really sure why this is. I've never been one of those people that hunts down bargains. (Talk to my brother in law, who once drove 30 miles to buy milk at $1.59 a gallon. In his defense he bought enough for everyone, and I mean everyone.) I don't clip coupons, mostly because they tend to be for name-brand extras that I don't use anyway.

We make a decent living. Yes, we're trying to put two kids through college with cash (one down, one to go), so that takes every dime of discretionary money, but the point is, we have discretionary money. If I buy an extra skirt, it's not going to put our tuition payments in arrears.

Which brings us to the most likely culprit-- it takes effort to spend money. Go to the store, go to the mall, stop off on the way home. Even entering all that initial info for "one click shopping" on line is often more effort than I'm willing to put in.

Which gives hope for everyone. If you're not naturally frugal, and you've got money to spend, you can still avoid the beast just by remembering that shopping is a pain in the ass.


The vegetable ingredients are all from my larder, frozen or canned last summer, but that's just me bragging. Feel free to buy these ingredients from your local CSA, neighborhood grocer, or even a chain or big box store.

Eggplant Chili
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound chorizo sausage, skinned and crumbled
1/2 cup eggplant puree
1 pint tomato sauce or loose paste
1-2 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and cut into chunks
1/3 cup salsa verde
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup dry mixed beans or 2 cups soaked or canned
chili powder to taste (at least 2 tablespoons)
sea salt

If using dried beans, the instructions will say "soak overnight" but I've found this is not enough. Boil your beans for 30 minutes in 2-3 quarts of water with a little salt, add another 1-2 quarts of boiling water and soak in the hot water at least 2 hours. Drain and discard the water (or pour it onto the compost).

To make the eggplant puree, slice one medium eggplant, dredge heavily in olive oil, and saute until it starts to fall apart. Peel off the skin, add about 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce, and whisk briskly by hand, or in a blender or small food processor.

Saute the onions in about a quarter cup of water, until soft; when all the water is gone (and not a second later, or the onions will burn), add a tablespoon of olive oil, then crumble the meat onto it. Brown the meat (don't worry if you get "burnt" meat on the pot-- this is good, it will flavor the chili. Add the chili powder and simmer a few minutes until thoroughly mixed.

Once the meat is browned add all the sauces and simmer until the browned residue has been released into the sauce, then add more chili powder if needed. Mix thoroughly and add the beans. Simmer at least 30 minutes, being careful not to burn it by stirring frequently.

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