Southwestern Vegetable Hash

Veggie hash good as dessert

I'm still on a vegetable kick. After turning butternut squash and tomatoes
into soups last week, I returned to the store and loaded up on zucchini, yellow
squash, eggplant, garlic and tomatoes. This week I hankered for bold flavors
and a bit of texture.

Originally, I planned to make ratatouille, then grilled walleye over
ratatouille with rouille. Maybe next week. The problem was a surfeit of ingredients in
the fridge. A nosegay of cilantro in the crisper begged me to use it or lose
it. A log of goat cheese in the meat keeper looked so creamy and fresh that I
couldn't resist adding it to the heap on my kitchen counter.

Even as I began peeling and chopping the eggplant, I had no idea what I would
create. I let the food guide me. The tomatoes were squishy, so I stuffed them
in the disposal and opened a can of unseasoned diced tomatoes. With an eye on
the cilantro, I added sea salt and a pinch of cumin to the sizzling eggplant,
garlic and summer squash. I cut everything into tiny cubes so they would cook
faster. I was hungry.

While the vegetables cooked, I sauteed a boneless chicken breast in another
pan, deglazed the pan with good raspberry vinegar and poured a few drops of the
"sauce'' over the chicken. By this time, the fresh cilantro had been stirred
into the vegetables and a virtuous amount of goat cheese melted on top.

The vegetables were so good, I could have eaten them for dessert. In fact, I
did.

If you're making the dish in advance, cook the vegetables until almost
tender, then refrigerate. Reheat, covered, in the pan, then stir in the cilantro and
melt the cheese on top just before serving.

I think the hash tastes best with just-chopped cilantro, which eventually
wilts and loses flavor. However, a friend raved when I served the hash as a cold
salad the next day, so even at its worst, this recipe is a winner.

Southwestern Vegetable Hash

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced eggplant (about 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups finely diced zucchini or yellow squash
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
Sea salt, freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. goat cheese Heat a large skillet (not nonstick) over medium-high
heat. When hot, add oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add eggplant and stir-fry
until the cubes are saturated with oil and begin to soften and shrink. Add garlic
and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add zucchini, tomatoes, salt, pepper and cumin
and stir well. Sizzle over high heat for 1 minute, then reduce heat, cover and
cook until vegetables are soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in cilantro. Crumble goat cheese evenly over the vegetables. Cover and
cook until cheese melts.

Makes 4 servings.

By Jane Snow Akron Beacon Journal