Celebrating the summer’s vegetables

My garden has been a bit of a disappointment this year. The heat and/or the rain came at times that the plants didn’t need them and quite honestly I have subscribed to the Darwinian school of gardening “survival of the fittest”. I planted, then I neglected.

My herbs have flourished but little else has. By some miracle though I have gotten some produce. This meal is going to be all about celebrating my little bit of bounty.

I’ve got zuchinni, a tomato, garlice, basil, oregano, onion, and some eggplant.

Ratatouille anyone? And by Ratatouille I don’t mean:

Instead, think of a lovely vegetable stew that you would find in the South of France. Ahhh…South of France. Stop for a minute and picture you are there with a glass of rose wine and a view of the mediterranean.

Ok, back to suburban Ottawa.

The only thing is, this is one of the very few things that my husband is not fond of. This is a guy that is happy with everything from sushi to Portuguese food but he isn’t a fan of the great stew. But I have a cunning plan-encase it with pastry.

Start by sauteeing an onion and a fat clove of garlic in fruity olive oil until soft.

Take out a great antique pie plate-don’t worry if you don’t have one. I just really like this pan.

Butter the pan and layer in a piece of phyllo dough. Brush the phyllo with melted butter and repeat six times. Each time you add a layer, turn it so you have the long ends hanging over another side. Not clear-just take a look at the pictures that follow.

Add 1 small zuchinni, 3 small eggplant, 1 tomato and your herbs.

Here’s your happy phyllo, add a thin layer of crumbled feta.

Now that your vegetables are nice and soft add 1/2 head of chopped kale. You can substitute the kale for spinach or chard. Let wilt.

Top your feta and add another layer of cheese.

Fold all of your ends into the middle and brush with more butter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Slice and serve with a salad or a nice lamb chop (grilled). This dish is also great the next day when it is at room temperature and I’m sure it would be terrific for a picnic.