I love fresh produce, and especially when it is locally grown and available in large supply. I stumbled across a produce market in Arlington that I highly recommend, called Green's Produce. They are friendly folks, and they know the produce business. The website will fill your eyes with great pictures, so check it out.
Below a recipe that I've been working on. I created it myself, so you might want to tweak it a little with your own preferences.
Red Pepper and Eggplant Relish
3 red bell peppers, stems in
1 large eggplant, stem in
½ whole fresh garlic, cloves still attached to root
½ cup of green olives, quartered
¼ cup red wine vinegar (other vinegars may be substituted as desired)
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp Louisiana Hot Sauce (or to taste)
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place whole red peppers and eggplant in roasting pan. Prepare the eggplant by cutting a line from end to end, barely penetrating the skin. Cut two or three lines, dividing the eggplant into two or three sections. The lines will help when peeling the eggplant after it has been roasted.
Prepare garlic by cutting off the tips of the cloves, still attached at the root
After 10-15 minutes, place garlic cloves (still attached to root and unpeeled) alongside the vegetables in the roasting pan. Roast garlic until soft.
While roasting, prepare green olives by quartering them.
After roasting, allow vegetables to cool for at least 15 minutes, or longer if necessary, to permit ease of handling and peeling.
Remove stems from peppers, but do not remove loose seeds. Dice peppers and place them in a medium-size mixing bowl.
Slice off the tips of both ends of the eggplant, and peel it. Dice eggplant in 1/8” to ¼” size, and place in mixing bowl. It is not necessary to seed the eggplant.
Squeeze garlic cloves into the bowl. Remove any skins that fall into the bowl.
Add olives and all liquid ingredients, and mix with wooden spoon.
Salt to taste.
Cover bowl and refrigerate for a few hours for a better blend of flavors.
Use as toppings or relishes. Tastes great on a baked potato with nonfat Greek yogurt, instead of sour cream.
Makes about 1 pint.
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