More beets, and eggplant

I bought three large beets today, and this afternoon, despite the heat, I boiled them until tender. After peeling, I sliced them and pickled them with the beet juice, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf, 3 pepper corns, 2 cloves, and slices of green pepper. They are delicious, assuming you relish the sweet-sour combination.

Not only was I being a virtuous housewife, to make such swift use of the beets, but also by using up a chunk of green pepper which otherwise would most likely have gone the way of yesterday's beets. The recipe, by the way, is from The Joy of Cooking.

Before this, I roasted an eggplant, also bought today, in the manner of aubergine en gigot--the little spears of garlic inserted into the fresh vegetable, which is then baked for an hour, allowed to drain, peeled, and chopped, with the addition, in this case, of parsley, lemon peel and juice, olive oil, and fresh yoghurt. This recipe is from Greens rather than Elizabeth David.

At this point, despite the heat, I am pleased with myself. If only the sensation would last.