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(see page 190 for recipe)

Bring ½ inch of water to a boil in a saucepan. Rub a little olive oil in the egg wells of an egg poacher (available at most kitchen and cooking specialty stores). Crack eggs into the egg wells and reduce heat to a slow boil. Place poacher in the saucepan and cover. Extra-large eggs take about seven minutes for soft yolks; medium eggs, about six minutes. Remove egg poacher from pan with a hot glove, and free the eggs with a flexible rubber spatula. Gently transfer the eggs to a plate, and smother with Peach Salsa. Serves one.

VEGETABLE DISHES

Carrot-Mushroom Stir-Fry

6 carrots, sliced thin

4 T olive oil

5 scallions, sliced into 1-inch pieces

10 medium mushrooms, sliced thin

1 T lemon juice

½ tsp black pepper

Steam carrots until tender. Heat oil in large skillet. Add carrots, scallions, and mushrooms, and stir-fry until all are cooked. Add lemon juice and pepper, and mix well. Serves four.

Baked Mushrooms Contra Costa

12 large white mushrooms

4 T lemon juice

2 T olive oil

2 T minced parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T minced onion

1 tsp black pepper

2-4 T dry sherry

Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Sprinkle lemon juice on each cap, and set in 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Mince stems and sauté in olive oil. In a medium-size bowl, combine sautéed mushroom stems with remaining ingredients. Spoon stuffing generously into each mushroom cap. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for fifteen minutes. Serves three to four.

Marinated Mushrooms

20 medium mushrooms

2 red onions, sliced

¼ c fresh chopped parsley

1 c olive oil

½ c dry white wine

¼ c lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp oregano

Wash mushrooms, and slice in half. Combine with onions. In blender, puree remaining ingredients. Pour over mushrooms and onions, mixing well. Refrigerate overnight or longer. Serves four.

Ratatouille

2 large onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 T olive oil

2 green peppers, seeded and cut into strips

1 lb sliced zucchini

1 lb diced eggplant

4 large tomatoes, skinned and wedged

3 T fresh chopped parsley

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp black pepper

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer until vegetables are tender (about thirty to forty-five minutes). Serves six to eight.

Spicy Stuffed Squash

2 medium acorn squash

½ water

2 medium carrots, cooked and chopped

2 small turnips, cooked and

chopped

1 T olive oil

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 c peeled, coarsely chopped apple

Cut squash in half, and remove seeds and strings. Place squash, cut side down, in a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Add water, and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes. Remove from oven, and turn squash so that cut side is facing up. Cover with foil, and bake for twenty to thirty minutes more until tender. Scoop the pulp out of each squash half, keeping shells intact. Place pulp in blender, and add carrots and turnips. Blend until smooth. Stir in oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg, blending well. Fold in apple, and spoon into squash shells. Return to baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes or until heated through. Serves four.

Baked Tomatoes

2 large tomatoes

½ c minced mushrooms

1 tsp chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 scallion, chopped

1 tsp finely chopped fresh basil

½ tsp thyme

¼ c olive oil

Slice tomatoes in half, scoop out most of the pulp, and set in medium-size baking dish. Combine pulp with remaining ingredients, and fill each tomato half. Bake at 375 degrees for ten to fifteen minutes. Serves four.

Walnut Broccoli with Carrots

½ c olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced in rings

2 large carrots, sliced

diagonally 1/8 inch thick

2 large stalks broccoli, sliced

¼ inch thick

½ c raw, shelled walnuts

Heat oil in heavy skillet, and sauté onion until tender. Add carrots and broccoli, and stir-fry until tender yet crispy. Add walnuts, and cook three to five minutes longer. Serves