Vegetarian today: Make a soul warming meal

Growing up in our house was all about food. My parents owned small restaurants, and food was the topic of discussions. I remember talking about what was for dinner at 8 a.m. Every morning I woke to another aroma wafting from my mother’s kitchen. As I packed school lunch, I already knew what tonight’s dinner would be.

Pots were always simmering on Mom’s small electric cook top. There was no top-of-the-line gas range with convection oven in my childhood home.

I lived in the Catskill Mountains where everyone gardened. If it didn’t grow outside the door, one of the neighbors grew it. My grandmother lived down the street, so did my two aunts. Everyone grew amazing vegetables and beautiful flowers to decorate the dinner table. We lived on a farm surrounded by goats, dairy cows and wild blueberries.

My mother sorted through all of these ingredients and instilled them with love.

I hope to pass that love to my kids and their friends who are growing up in a world of fast food, empty dinner tables and frozen dinners. I remember simple dishes like a tomato and dill salad and eggplant caviar, which I pass to you.

Serve this dinner with a loaf of warm Italian semolina bread and maybe some minestrone soup, if you feel inclined. Everything can be made in advance for a soul warming meal.

Salad/Appetizer Claire’s Tomato and Dill Salad

Please don’t substitute dried dill. If you are not a blue cheese fan, use feta or goat cheese instead. Serve the tomatoes at room temperature to bring out their flavor.

2 large ripe tomatoes at room temperature, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

6 sprigs fresh dill, minced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

Arrange sliced tomatoes and onions on a large plate. Sprinkle with dill; drizzle with oil and vinegar. Distribute crumbled cheese over all. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 2 appetizer servings.

Appetizer Russian Eggplant Caviar

There are many versions of eggplant caviar or “poor man’s caviar.” Baba ghannouj is the Middle Eastern version, which can be made by adding sesame tahini to this recipe. Serve with crackers, garlic bread or pita.

2 large eggplants, left whole with peel intact

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and minced

1/2 cup minced parsley

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

1 long hot pepper, minced, optional

3 tablespoons sesame tahini, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place eggplants on a baking pan with sides and stick randomly with tines of a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake 40 minutes until eggplants are cooked through and very soft. Remove to a plate and let cool.

Place garlic, onion, peppers, parsley, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a nonreactive large mixing bowl. Scoop cooled eggplant pulp from skin into bowl; discard skin. Mix with a fork or whisk until well combined. Add hot pepper and tahini, if desired. Makes 4 to 6 appetizer servings.