Hi Reader,

Late August rewards a market shopper who knows exactly what she's after.
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Which is why I never do.
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The stated plan was peppers. I leave with an armful of glossy eggplants and peppers in every shade from pale yellow to deep crimson. Basil that smells like it was picked five minutes ago. A bag much heavier than my original list.
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The best move, I've found, is to stop fighting it.
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This is the brief moment when the produce is at its best: eggplants glossy under the lights, peppers snapping when you break them open, tomatoes perfuming the whole kitchen before you've even reached for a knife. A generous, showy stretch of the year that doesn't last long.
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Years ago, I thought every beautiful vegetable deserved an elaborate recipe. Layers upon layers of ingredients. Fancy techniques. More garnish than good sense.
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Now I know better.
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The finest late-summer cooking is often an exercise in restraint. Roast the eggplant until it's silky. Blister the peppers until they're sweet enough to rival fruit. Add good olive oil, a handful of herbs, maybe a little cheese, and then have the good judgment to stop.
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When the ingredients are this good, your biggest job is to stay out of the way.

How to Cook Peak Produce

• Choose the produce that looks best that day. Don't arrive with a rigid shopping list. See what the peak of the week has turned out to be.
• High heat is your ally. Roasting, grilling, and charring bring out the sweetness in eggplant and peppers while adding smoky depth.
• Season generously. Vegetables take salt, acid, herbs, garlic, and olive oil well. Don't be shy.
• Mix cuisines with confidence. Eggplant works in a Sicilian caponata, a Middle Eastern dip, or a Taiwanese stir-fry. Great produce translates across a lot of kitchens.
• Leave a little on the cutting board before dinner even starts. Slice a pepper, taste a tomato, nibble a sprig of basil. When you're ready to cook, the peak-produce collection is just below. Pick the dish that fits what came home from the market.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Sheet Pan Sausage, Peppers, & Onions​
• ​Taiwanese-Style Eggplant​
• ​Eggplant Caponata​
• ​Moutabal ~ Roasted Eggplant, Yogurt, & Tahini Dip​
• ​Jazmaz ~ Syrian Shakshuka​
• ​Cedar-Plank Grilled Eggplant Parmesan​
• ​Rigatoni With Tomatoes, Eggplant, & Mozzarella​

​Sheet Pan Sausage, Peppers, & Onions​

These sheet pan sausage, peppers, and onions are a quick and easy one-pan weeknight meal. Just like what you'd get at the ballpark, but from the comfort of your home. Pork sausage, bell peppers, and onions all cooked with ease in no time. Beer, please.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Taiwanese-Style Eggplant​

For this, I prefer medium Chinese eggplants, the pale purple, slender ones that are ten to twelve inches long, over similar-looking but more bitter varieties. This calls for oil blanching and, because eggplant is basically a sponge, brining them for an hour first until they are saturated but not bloated. During frying, the water turns to steam and makes the eggplant creamy and not at all oily.

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​Eggplant Caponata​

This rich, garlicky eggplant caponata, made with zucchini, eggplant, onion, tomato, fennel, and olives is an intensely flavored cross between a side dish and a condiment that pairs beautifully with grilled meats.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Moutabal ~ Roasted Eggplant, Yogurt, & Tahini Dip​

Moutabal is usually served cold, as part of a mezze spread, though I harbor a secret preference for the more pronounced flavors of moutabal served warm.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Jazmaz ~ Syrian Shakshuka​

Jazmaz, a tradtional Syrian entree made of eggs poached in a chile-tomato sauce, is comfort food at its finest. Made with ingredients that you probably have—eggs, a couple of tomatoes, a handful of spices, and some black olives—we love this any time of day.

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​Cedar-Plank Grilled Eggplant Parmesan​

Cedar-plank grilled eggplant Parmesan is nothing short of genius. The eggplant slices are grilled then added as layers to the Parmesan. Best of all: all that flavor is imbued with the smokiness of the cedar.

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​Rigatoni With Tomatoes, Eggplant, & Mozzarella​

Rigatoni with sweet tomatoes, eggplant, and mozzarella is a deceptively easy pasta dinner that tastes much more difficult. Cheesy and filled with silky eggplant, tomatoes, and cream, it also bakes into a magnificent casserole.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​