Every late summer for the past several years my Concord, MA friend, Judith, has invited me for a day of produce shopping at her favorite local farm stand.  Late summer most years means the end of August, the height of tomato season. This year, however, Judith and I didn’t get our trek planned until mid-September.  The tomatoes by then were on the wane, yielding center stage at Hutchins Organic Farm to their apples, squashes, dark leafy greens, and various root vegetables.

Which is just fine with me.  I admit I need a little attitude tweaking when seasons change; I find it hard to give up the warmth and ease of summer even for a crisp New England fall.  But the bounty of a farm stand – any season’s bounty – can usually hasten the adjustment, and Hutchins’ overflowing bins of produce did the trick.

File this under "I didn't even know it was edible." Radish leaf. Who knew? Not me until this past weekend when I improvised one of the best soups I have ever made - it was perfect for a cool rainy Sunday. Let me walk you through from the beginning.

Radishes are abundant in the New England area, in season from May to November. They are best in the spring and the fall when they aren't too "hot"; that bitter spiciness that make some believe they don't like radish. Our Hanson's Farm CSA has been delivering radishes all season from the first pick-up in June to now. A farm-fresh radish is quite unlike the dried and bitter root vegetable found on supermarket dip trays. It has an ethereal mushroom quality I had never fully appreciated before. For most of the spring and summer my wife and I had sliced them into salads for crunch. (Also, if you haven't tried it yet, check out Jon's recipe for a quick Radish and Cucumber Salad.) As we have been getting into the fall, I have found myself looking for something else to do with them.

As the last of the zucchini, summer squash and eggplant came in these past few weeks I made my favorite late summer / early fall dish - ratatouille. Before it was a cartoon, it was just classic French comfort food and the epitome of seasonal cooking. Traditional ratatouille is made with tomato, eggplant, zucchini and/or summer squash. In the past I have found that the acidity of the tomatoes dominates the dish. For my version I dialed up the eggplant and dialed down the tomato which, I believe, makes the dish more "stick-to-your-ribs" delicious. I adjusted the acidity near the end with a little red wine vinegar which adds some deeper complexity. The traditional recipe calls for Herbes de Provence (dried savory, fennel, basil, thyme, lavender, etc.)  I do keep some around the house but it's not a staple in everyone's kitchen. For this dish I think fresh thyme and some dried fennel and basil is enough the get the flavors right.

I love sushi.  Love, love, love sushi.  I would eat it for dinner every night if my wallet could handle it.  A few years back, I was on a major sushi kick, so I thought, "why not teach myself how to make it?" Certainly not a revolutionary idea, but one that provided me with access to large amounts of sushi at a fraction of the cost. To me, it was the equivalent of opening up my own mint, and just printing out one hundred dollar bills whenever it struck my fancy.  Until I made this recipe (which uses acorn squash and beets), I hadn't made sushi rolls (maki) in a while, and I was pleased with the outcome.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

Why is it called "Chip Chip" Maki?