dublin dishes

by Maisie Fitzmaurice

Photo courtesy of Shannon Mauer

Homegrown Recipes Make the most of the gardening season

As spring arrives, gardening can be a fun activity that’s good for your mental and physical health in addition to contributing to delicious meals.

“Gardening, whether it’s a little raised garden bed in someone’s backyard, or planters on their patio, or if they have an actual garden plot, really gets people in touch with nature directly,” says Barbara Ray, nature education coordinator for the City of Dublin. “People like to get their hands in the soil.”

Produce such as kale, cabbage and basil are relatively low maintenance to grow, Ray says. Other great vegetables to include in your garden are beets, eggplant, leeks and onions, parsley, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, and leafy greens like lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard. Some vegetables, such as onions and radishes, can be harvested and replanted a couple times through the year.

There are plenty of ways to get creative after bringing garden produce into the kitchen.

One relatively easy family-friendly recipe you could make with your produce is a garden vegetable pizza, Ray says.

“You could just use your marinara or maybe pesto sauce, and then slice or dice your produce, might be tomato, yellow squash, green squash, zucchini, spinach, all those kinds of things that cook up really well on a pizza,” she says.

Salads and salsas can make use of many vegetables. Squash and corn go well in soups.

“You might not be a five-star chef, but you can make basic foods taste like a fivestar chef made them,” she says.

Matt Guthrie, assistant horticulturist for the City of Dublin, has a few tips for improving garden results: • Wait until the last expected frost date to start planting vegetables – that’s around May 11-20 here in

Dublin. • Use a layer of wood mulch or straw to help control weeds. • Consider companion gardening:

For example, lettuce grows well with carrots but not with celery or parsley. Cabbage grows well with cucumber, dill or potatoes but not with beans, peppers or tomatoes. Gardeners in the City of Dublin’s Community Garden.

Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

Zucchini Boats

Serves six

• 6 medium zucchinis • 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for brushing • 1 tsp. kosher salt • Black pepper, to taste • 1 ¾ lb. ground beef • 1 small onion, chopped • ½ to 1 poblano chili pepper, seeded and chopped • 2 tbsp. chili powder • 1 tsp. ground cumin • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper • ¼ tsp. garlic powder • 2 tbsp. tomato paste • 8 oz. can tomato sauce • ¼ cups chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish • 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese • Sour cream and sliced scallions, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the ends off the zucchinis, then slice in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and hollow out the centers. Brush with olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Set on a rimmed baking sheet. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, poblano, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, garlic powder and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the skillet and cook until darkened, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato sauce and ¾ cup water until everything is combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until very thick, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Let cool slightly. Fill the zucchini boats with the chili and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the zucchini is just tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is golden, 10 to 15 more minutes. Top with sour cream, scallions and cilantro. Jacquemin Farms

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