As evenings get cooler, we don’t mind switching on our ovens and roasting vegetables at high temperature. You might want to try roasting eggplants while they are still plentiful. Choose the regular glossy dark eggplants for this. The addition of a pinch of turmeric is less for taste than for color – it imbues the eggplant slices with a golden hue. You can omit it if you don’t have ground turmeric handy.

Roasted Eggplant with a garlic-yoghurt sauce
1 medium eggplant
2 Tbs. light olive oil,...
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It’s been the vogue for a while to barely cook green beans—just plunge in boiling salted water for a few minutes until crisp tender. And, especially if they are skinny, beans are good cooked like that, in a squeaky, vibrant-green sort of way. There’s something to be said, though, for cooking beans over very low heat in their own buttery juices until they’ve wilted into a sweet, rich, slightly caramelized heap. A comforting dish, especially now the evenings are drawing in.

Wilted Beans
F...
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We still hope to see peaches and plums, the stone-fruits of late summer, before they vanish for another year.  Here’s a recipe for a gooey plum paste that makes an unusual addition to a cheese plate.  It’s also good with roasted meats, game and turkey. And, of course, you can use it in sandwiches or spread on toast.

Sticky Plum Paste
1 lb or so purple plums, washed
2 cups sugar
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
2-3 leaves Thai or other anise-scented basil (optional)

Halve plums and remove stones. Cut plums...
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We’re still enjoying peaches, one of summer’s quintessential treats. Easily bruised, peaches are often brought to market on the hard side. Put them inside a paper bag (side by side, rather than all piled up) and give them a day or two to fully ripen. Here’s a simple way to prepare peaches, to serve with cream or ice-cream. You’ll need to peel and pit them. You’re usually told to blanch the whole peach, then skin and halve it to remove the stone. If you’ve had plenty of practice at...
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