The Pennsylvania "Simply Delicious, Simply Nutritious" Vegetable Recipe Contest is also simply charming and simply useful.

Four Pennsylvania women won the seventh annual contest's cook-off, held Aug. 6 at Harrisburg Area Community College. Each received $100, and their winner recipes and other finalist recipes are being shared with the public by the contest's sponsor, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program.

The program wants to help farmers sell more produce, but the recipes give consumers fresh ways to use what's local and seasonal.

First-time finalist Karen Parish of Fleetwood, Berks County, received the highest score for her Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, which took the Winter Squash/Pumpkin category.

Elysa Boffo, another first-time finalist from Camp Hill, Cumberland County, won the Tomato/Peppers/Eggplant category with her Ciotola di Panzanella, a mix of tomatoes, onions and bread sticks served in a tomato topped with pancetta.

Harrisburg's Debra Deis became a three-time first-place winner and took the Melon/Cucumber category with her Cucumber and Shrimp Margarita Cocktail, which one judge described as an "amazing mixture of flavors" with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, lime, lemon and cilantro.

Kathy Rohrbaugh of Shrewbury, York County -- a veteran contestant and past winner -- earned the top prize in Summer Squash/Zucchini with her "Zucchini -- Japanese Style," a side dish featuring zucchini and onions in a sesame-seed sauce.

Just in time for August "Pennsylvania Produce Month," judges chose the finalist recipes from 110 entries submitted by 43 cooks from across the state. Criteria were creativity, nutrition/healthfulness, ease of preparation and overall appeal. Recipes had to include at least one vegetable in the category entered and had to be created or modified by the entrant or a relative.

Cook-off judges were Sue Gleiter, food editor for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg; Autumn Patti, chef instructor at Harrisburg Area Community College; Fay Stricker, retired extension educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension; and Teresa Yoder, nutritionist formerly with the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Program.

All the finalist recipes, including one from Western Pennsylvania (Mt. Pleasant's Bonnie Mortimer's Stuffed Pepper Nachos), are available at paveggies.org or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: PA Vegetable Mktg. & Res. Program, 815 Middle Road, Richfield, PA 17086.

-- Bob Batz Jr.

Cucumber and Shrimp Margarita Cocktail

This is inspired by the Mexican version of shrimp cocktail, in which the shrimp are served in a juicy spicy tomato-based sauce.

• 6 cucumbers, small pickle type, or 2 long greenhouse type
• Salt
• 2 tomatoes, large, very juicy and ripe, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• 2 cups tomato or V-8 juice
• 1/3 cup sweet onion, such as Pennsylvania Simply Sweet, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup sweet pepper, diced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/3 cup cilantro leaves
• Black pepper, ground
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and cooked
• 1 avocado
• Tortilla chips
• Salt, flaked or coarse

If the cucumber skin is tough, peel it. Otherwise just slice in half, then cut into 1/4-inch chunks. Add to a large bowl and salt lightly. Let sit 10 minutes, then add tomatoes, tomato juice, onion, jalapeno and sweet pepper, lime and lemon juices, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some ground black pepper.

Slice shrimp in half, then into bite-size pieces and add into vegetables. Let sit 1/2 hour.

Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice. If not spicy hot enough, add more jalapeno or your favorite hot sauce.

Right before serving pit the avocado and cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Gently stir into the bowl of vegetables.

To serve, choose oversized goblets or margarita glasses. Rub rim with a cut lemon slice and dip the rip in flaked salt. Carefully ladle in the shrimp cocktail with a lot of the juice. Top with additional cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips and a spoon. Pass hot sauce at the table.

Debra Deis of Harrisburg

Ciotola di Panzanella (Panzanella Bowls)

• 4 large tomatoes, of different colors if available (about 3 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons or more red wine vinegar, divided
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper, freshly cracked
• 1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup or more olive oil, garlic flavored (or infuse oil by adding garlic to heated oil and then cooling, or use olive oil and add garlic powder carefully to taste)
• 4 ounces grissini (bread sticks), thin, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 rounds pancetta (or slices of bacon)

Cut the top 1/4-inch off each tomato and reserve. With a serrated knife, cut the tomato meat away from the outside skin without cutting through completely. Scoop the membrane and seeds out with a spoon and transfer to a strainer set over a bowl to drain.

Season the hollowed tomatoes and the membrane in the strainer with a drizzle of vinegar and some salt and pepper.

Put onion slices in a small bowl and cover with 2 tablespoons vinegar and a pinch of salt. Let stand 10 minutes to remove some of the raw sharp flavor of the onion.

Whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, garlic oil and 1/4 cup of the drained tomato water. Season with salt and pepper.

Coarsely chop the drained tomato and put in a mixing bowl. Drain the onions and add them along with the grissini pieces. Drizzle the dressing over the bowl and toss very well. Season again and add more oil, tomato water and vinegar, as needed, to evenly moisten the stuffing.

Stuff each tomato with 1/4 of the stuffing and garnish with the tomato tops. Chill until ready to serve.

Fry pancetta/bacon and set aside for assembly. Before serving, top with the crisp pancetta or bacon.

Elysa Boffo of Camp Hill

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