Ratatouille

Ratatouille, made famous by the French and even more famous by the movie, I believe originated in India.  When I look at it I see plants and a cooking method all appropriate for India.  The key to my Ratatouille is Fennel.  If you change the origin, you change the flavor just a bit and go from there.

If you want it to be completely authentic you would probably cook to whole spices until they pop, then saute the onion until tranlucent slowly adding all of the other ingredients and simmering all day.  My method is easier, and I will even give you a crock pot method.

RATATOUILLE

Ingredients

1/2 c butter or olive oil(vegan)
1 medium onion-perferably sweet
1 medium egglplant
1 large green bell pepper
1 large yellow or red bell pepper
1 large zucchini
1 large yellow summer squash
2 28oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes-preferably without any additives like Calcium Chloride
2 bay leaves
1/4 c garlic
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1-1 1/2 T fennel
1 t crushed red pepper(or 1/2 jalepeno seeded)
1 c fresh basil chopped
salt

DIRECTIONS

1)  Dice eggplant into 1/2" cubes

2)  salt eggplant liberaly and place in colander inside of bowl and weigh it down with a bowl to extrude bitter juices

3)  cut all vegetables into a small dice

4)  once eggplant has extruded about 1/2-1 c juice rinse it under cold running water until salt flavor is almost gone

5)  open tomatoes, retaining juice, squeeze each tomato, crushing it into several pieces


Crock Pot

After completing steps 1-5 above

6) Put all ingredients into crockpot and cook at a low simmer all day

7) adjust salt before service


Stove Top

After completing steps 1-5 above

6) melt butter or heat oil in pan and saute onions until translucent

7) add next 5 ingredients and stir until hot

8) add remaining ingredients, except for basil and salt, bring to a boil

9) reduce to simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally

10) 5 minutes before service add basil and adjust salt as desired


Traditional

After completing steps 1-5 above

5) heat pan dry and roast cumin, coriander, fennel and crushed red pepper seeds until they pop

6) add onions and saute until translucent

7) add remaining ingredients, bring to boil

8) reduce to simmer for 1+ hours

9) serve with rice

NOTES

1) this is great on its own or served with bread.  I believe it would traditionally be served with rice or and Indian flat bread like Naan.  It also makes a great pasta sauce and I have even made Lasagna with it.  You could also simmer a roast in it or serve it as a side dish.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I do not know about everyone else, but...  If I am throwing a party in cold weather I want hot dips.  My favorite of these is Spin(ach)Art(choke) Dip.

After researching and looking for the flavors I want, I came up with this recipe which goes equally as well with a French Baguette or Sourdough.  It goes together so quick.  You can make it in a crock pot, the oven or on the range.  It is even better the second day.  So, do not be afraid to make ahead and cook or reheat in when you need it.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 c sour cream
4 oz asiago, or other hard Italian cheese
4 oz mozzarella
1 (15 oz) can artichoke hearts in water
6 oz frozen spinach1 1/2 T garlic
1 t salt
1 t red pepper flake



DIRECTIONS

1)  Grate Asiago and Mozzerella

2)  Roughly chop Artichokes and mince Garlic

3)  Combine all ingredients and heat to 165, stirring occasionally

4)  Serve with slices of bread, chips or crackers

Green Waldorf Salad

Waldorf salad is a long time classic that I love to play with.  The part that has always been hit or miss for me is the dressing.  I finally got it right.  Aurora was all over it.

Green Waldorf Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 romaine heart
1 granny smith apple
1 lemon
3 ribs celery
1/4 c cashew chunks
1/4 c craisins
2 T honey
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 c plain yogurt or sour cream
1/1 rosemary

DIRECTIONS

1)  zest and juice lemon

2)  put half of the lemon juice in a bowl with 3 c water (for apple)

3) dice apple and put in lemon water

4) thin slice celery across the stock

5) mix lemon zest, remaining lemon juice, honey, mayonnaise, yogurt and rosemary together to make dressing

6) drain apples and mix into dressing with celery, cashews and craisins until coated

7)  serve on top of romaine

Red Quinoa

Tonight the Raging Mr. and myself had dinner with Tess, her family and other close family.  The menu was as follows:
Baby Purple Artichokes braised in olive oil, white wine and garlic

Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Baby Squash

Red Quinoa with lemon and herbs

Boneless Pork Chops

The two items that everyone OOOO'd and AWE'd over were the quinoa and the stuffed squash blossoms.  Tonight we cover the Quinoa.

I know Quinoa sounds exotic.  Quite honestly I was concerned about serving it to my husband as he does not always respond well to new foods, especially "healthy" alternatives.  We tried it for the first time the other night and he said it reminded him of rice.  The beauty of Quinoa is that it is gluten free and 53 on the glycemic index.  One of the most memorable comments at dinner was that if it is not seasoned Quinoa can taste like moist sawdust (EWE!!!).

Red Quinoa

Ingredients

1 c Red Quinoa
2 c water
1 lemon
1/2 T garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Directions

1)  Put 1 c Quinoa, 2 c water, 1/2 T garlic and the juice of half the lemon into a 1 1/2 qt sauce pan.  Cover and bring to a boil.

2)  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

3)  Adjust flavor with juice from the second half lemon, salt and pepper.

4)  Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.



I hope this inspires you to try Quinoa and other alternative grains.

Fish on the rocks a.k.a. drunken rockfish

Every Friday from now until perpetuity we will be having fish.  I will say that living on the coast I expect to be able to find fresh, wild caught fish all the time.

Not so much....

Today my choices were either Ahi or Rock Fish.  The Rock fish was not only much more affordable, but also something I had not cook with before, so the adventure begins....

Fish on the Rocks

Ingredients

2 lb rockfish
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/2 c vodka
1 t dill
1/2 t garlic
1/2 t chipotle
2 T capers
3 T butter

Directions

1)  preheat oven to warm

2)  heat olive oil in a large saute or fry pan on med high heat

3)  lightly season both sides of fish with salt and pepper

4)  cook fish on each side for 3 minutes on each side

5)  turn off oven and put fish on a cookie sheet in the oven

6)  turn off heat and mix remaining ingredients in pan until butter is melted

7)  put fish on a platter and serve with sauce over the top


This dish as been described as lightly savory with a touch of natural sweetness.  I hope you enjoy trying it in your kitchen as well.

Anthoinette

Torta de Pasquelina

I got really lucky with this recipe. I have seen several versions but none of them thrilled me. Already having committed this item to a feast and having bought the ingredients I tweaked the seasoning, forgot the onion that I was going to add and thankfully ended up with a fabulous appetizer that will please anyone who likes spinach. CATEGORY: Vegetables Recipe Name: Torta de Pasquelina Ingredients: Crust 1 1/8 c flour 1/2 T olive oil 1/3 c cold water Filling 1 1/2 oz grated parmesan 6 1/4 oz ricotta 10 oz frozen spinach 1/2 t salt 1 t pepper 1 t lemon juice Other 4 eggs Steps: CRUST * mix flour and oil then * add water until it slips the bowl. This may take a few minutes of mixing. * Divide it into 2 pieces, one about 2/3rds and the second about 1/3. Set aside. FILLING * thaw the spinach then squeeze out liquid. * mix all ingredients together ASSEMBLY * roll out crusts, the larger one needs to be 3"+ larger than your pie tin, the smaller one only needs to be as large as your pie tin * center the large crust in the pan, hanging over the edges * put filling in pan with an even top * use a shotglass or other item to create 4 holes in filling that go to the bottom crust * break an egg into each hole * place top crust in center * fold edges of bottom crust over the top crust decoratively * bake at 350 for 1 hour NOTES: * Every recipe that I have seen for this has double crusts with olive oil between. I personally think this makes it too fussy so I just made single crusts * I would not bother with fresh spinach as you end up with the same product and a much higher cost.