Knowledge and awareness of the changing of the seasons was paramount to early agricultural people since their survival depended on successful crops and seasonal animal migration patterns.The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year and the winter solstice marks the shortest.Our modern supermarkets and the ability to import food from across the globe makes it possible for me to invent a recipe containing a mixture of vegetables normally grown in opposite seasons of the year, with the brussels sprouts harvested in winter and tomatoes and peppers ripening during the heat of the summer. I came up this recipe trying to envision a simple combination of flavors, textures, and colors that would include brussel sprouts. This was delicious served with a simple whole seasoned trout en papillote. Also note the beautiful watermelon radish slices from my Dad's garden!

Solstice Vegetables

12-15 large brussel sprouts
3-4 vine-ripe tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
1/2 yellow bell pepper
olive oil
butter
parmigiano reggiano

Prepare the brussel sprouts by stripping off the loose outer leaves, quartering, cutting out the core pieces to release the leaflets, and separating leaflets into a bowl. Cut the yellow bell pepper into 2" julienne strips. Remove the papery sheath and the bitter green sprouts from 3 garlic cloves and slice them thinly. Cut the vine-ripe tomatoes into 8ths.

Heat about 1T of butter and about 2T of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet until the butter is melted. Add the sliced garlic and sautee over medium heat until just beginning to cook. Add the brussel sprouts and peppers, gently toss them in oil to coat, and sautee over medium/high heat until they begin to turn bright green. Add the tomatoes and continue heating the vegetable mixture until the tomatoes are warmed through and a few of the sprout leaf edges just begin to brown. Remove the vegetables from the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the vegetables with grated parmigiano reggiano.
Serve along-side whole wheat fusilli.

As a LEFT-OVER ... mix the vegetables and pasta together and save it for lunch or make a new meal by adding sliced grilled chicken breast to the solstice vegetable pasta. Brighten the flavors with grated lemon zest.

Last summer I did something I've never done before -- I canned tomatoes. It all worked out OK but I struggled, as I had none of the necessary canning tools such as a rack for inside the pot and most importantly, those tong-thingies to lift the searing hot jars out of the boiling water bath. The tomatoes were from my parents' fantastic garden, St. Phocus Garden. I did them Italian style with a little salt, onion, garlic, and fresh basil (from my own garden). Our family has enjoyed them all winter and now as tomato planting season approaches, I find myself rationing the last 3 jars.

With two of those precious jars, I made a faux-cassoulet based on Mark Bittman's Fourty-Minute Cassoulet (How to Cook Everything - 10th Anniversary Ed., p. 786). In my peasant style, I used no duck fat, opting for crispy-cooked bacon and a drop of liquid smoke to add depth and warmth. The main meat ingredient was a brined Pork Tenderloin. (I like Alice Waters' brine recipe.) I would also recommend some sweet Italian sausage in the mix.

Peasant's Table Cassoulet

6 strips of thickly sliced bacon

1c cabernet sauvignon

4c chopped canned or stewed tomato, including juice

5 cloves chopped garlic

4c white beans (save and use liquid as needed)

salt, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

2 drops liquid smoke

1 pork tenderloin (1-1.5 lb) cut into cubes

4-6 sweet italian sausages

Preheat oven to 350 and roast the bacon until crispy (place strips across a rack on a baking sheet to catch grease drippings). Add bacon drippings to a dutch oven and brown the sausage in the dutch oven on the stove top. Set sausages aside. Loosen browned bits with wine. Add the tomatoes and garlic and bring to a boil. Add the beans and return to a boil. Simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes, adding liquid as necessary. Stir-in the salt, cayenne and liquid smoke, and add the sausage and tenderloin chunks. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the meat is cooked evenly throughout. Crumble the bacon into about 1-inch chunks and stir in to the cassoulet. Serve with rice, tender salad greens (dressed only with olive oil, salt and pepper), thick slices of buttered homemade bread, and (of course) that bottle of wine you opened to make the cassoulet!