Heart & Bowl: Hassle-free veggies

I remember when I was growing up, going to the grocery store with my dad or mom, who would load up our refrigerator for the week. But when you’re cooking for one or two people, it doesn’t make sense to get a week’s worth of produce. I always end up with a spoiled head of lettuce or a moldy tomato sitting in the fridge that I forgot to use in time.

That’s why I was so excited to hear about a new produce store in Brownsville. Tommy Boy’s Country Farmers Market opened on Sept. 22 on Old Military Highway. Other than juice, corn tortillas and some dips, the store is wall-to-wall fruits and vegetables. The list is too long to name, but to give you an idea, Tommy Boy’s offers peppers, mangos, pomegranate, eggplant, beans, apples, pumpkins, asparagus, potatoes, cabbage, garlic, shallots, oranges, kale, tomatoes, beets, turnips, lettuce, radicchio, fennel, and about 170 other items.

Tommy Rhodes, a New York native who opened the store with his wife, Gisela Gonzalez Rhodes, has worked in the produce industry since he was a teenager. He’s been a buyer for major supermarkets in the Rio Grande Valley for more than a decade, but it always has been his dream to have a store of his own.

The result – a warehouse filled with a wide variety of high quality produce at a low price – is a huge boon to the wellness of Brownsville residents. When the Brownsville Farmer’s Market opened downtown last year, locals were introduced to the low cost of local produce. Now, Tommy Boy’s compliments the Saturday market, offering a daily selection of fruits and vegetables that even the most dedicated carnivore can appreciate.

Rhodes and his family are just the kind of business owners every customer dreams of. They are perfectionists; meticulously managing their products and ensuring that every customer leaves satisfied. Don’t see an item on the shelf? Ask Rhodes. In all likelihood he has it in the back. He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of fruits and vegetables, and has used it to bring in the highest quality produce from all over the world.

When I returned home from Tommy Boys on Monday, I had a bag of vegetables with me. Red bell peppers at two for a dollar, fennel, and radicchio. I made them with a failsafe technique: sliced thin, then drizzled with olive oil and salt, and roasted near the top of a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. I put the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkled them with a tablespoon of parmesan cheese and a teaspoon of chopped basil. The sweet peppers and fennel balanced the bitter raddichio, and the salty parmesan melted slightly over the top. I added in some garbanzo beans I had left over from the night before. It was the best lunch I ate all week, and I spent about $2 on it.

This week Rhodes has contributed one of his all-time favorite recipes to Heart & Bowl, eggplant parmigiana. This classic Italian dish is beloved the world over. Eggplant, tomatoes, eggs and garlic all are available at Tommy Boy’s, and the cheese, breadcrumbs and olive oil can be found at the grocery store.

Eggplant Parmigiana

16 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese

¼ cup of parmesan cheese, preferably fresh

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 medium size eggplant

¼ cup milk

2 cups italian seasoned bread crumbs

16 oz jar Italian tomato sauce

1 tsp chopped oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (curly or flat leaf)

3 large eggs

1 pinch salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash eggplant, cut off both ends and peel. Slice into round, uniform pieces, about ½ inch thick.

Pour olive oil into a large skillet and heat to medium temperature. Crack eggs into a medium bowl. Add milk, oregano, salt, black pepper, chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon parsley into the egg mixture and whisk until it reaches a uniform consistancy.

Pour bread crumbs onto a plate.

Dip eggplant slices into egg batter until completely covered. Bread slice generously with the bread crumbs and put into hot skillet. Fry eggplant slices until golden brown. When each batch of eggplant is done frying, place it on paper towels, which will absorb the excess oil.

Cover the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish with enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Layer eggplant slices on top of sauce. Pour the rest of the sauce on top of the eggplant until it is completely covered, the top generously with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the parmigiana cheese and remaining tablespoon of parsley on top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional five to seven minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve with your favorite salad and vegetables.

Tommy Boy’s Country Farmers Market is located at 1254 Military Highway. For more information, call Tom Rhodes at (956) 621-3446.

Send your questions, recipes and comments to us at food@brownsvilleherald.com.