Ratatouille Tartine

"Ratatouille tartine" sounds fancy. But a tartine is just an open-faced sandwich. And ratatouille is a French dish of cooked vegetables.

Ratatouille usually includes eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic and herbs. If there’s a “right” combination of vegetables and a “right” way to cook it (and given that ratatouille is French, I’m sure there is) then I don’t know what it is. I do know that almost any combination of vegetables piled on top of luscious ricotta cheese and crusty bread is going to be delicious.

I first made this in August. It was a perfect summer dish. Warm veggies on cool ricotta and grilled toasts.

I made it again last week. And now it feels like the perfect fall dish, with eggplants, zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes all in season.

I'm guessing it's going to be just as good in the winter and spring.



Gather your vegetables. Grab whatever looks good.

Start chopping and sautéing. Cook a couple of vegetables at a time, so they have enough room to get tender and golden. Salt and pepper each vegetable as you cook it. I started with bell pepper and red onion.

As the veggies cook, put them into a large bowl.

Zucchini next.

Then yellow squash.

Finally, the eggplant. I like to do the eggplant by itself, to make sure it's completely tender.

Mix the cooked vegetables until they are well combined. Allow them to cool slightly.

To the mix of vegetables, add minced raw garlic and fresh thyme.

Then add uncooked tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta cheese with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. This gives the ricotta more flavor. (And makes it so delicious you want to eat it straight from the bowl.)

Toast the bread or grill until it's light brown. Top with ricotta cheese and veggies. Enjoy!

 

Ratatouille Tartine

Recipe from The Garlic Press

olive oil

1 red bell pepper

1 red onion

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 eggplant

1 tomato

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 pint whole milk ricotta cheese

salt

pepper

baguette or other crusty bread

1.    Chop the vegetables, all the same size. (A small dice gives you a nice combination of flavors in each bite.) You can chop all the vegetables at once, or chop as you cook.

2.    Put olive oil in a saute pan. Add one or two vegetables, then a little salt and pepper. Don't crowd the pan or the veggies will steam. Once each vegetable is golden brown and tender, add it to a large bowl.

3.    Continue until the bell pepper, red onion, zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant are cooked. Mix the vegetables together and allow them to cool slightly. Add the chopped raw tomatoes, minced raw garlic and fresh thyme leaves. Add salt and pepper if needed.

4.    In a separate bowl, mix ricotta cheese with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.

5.    Toast the bread or grill until light brown. Top with ricotta cheese and vegetables.

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer or 4 for dinner.

Grilled Corn Salad

  

My whole life I thought I didn't like grilled corn. All those warm summer evenings, while my husband was outside throwing meat on the grill, I was in the kitchen. Waiting for the water to boil. So I could cook my corn.

Did I have any inkling that I might be wrong? Maybe a few. Like the fact that almost every other person in the world loves grilled corn. Or that my favorite dish at my favorite restaurant involves grilled corn (though in my defense, that particular grilled corn is slathered with an insanely delicious cotija cheese, lime and butter sauce that I'd eat off a piece of cardboard).

But one day, a few weeks ago, I decided to put my prejudice aside and grill some corn. I have no idea why. And I'm not going to second guess it. Because I realized that I don't dislike grilled corn. I just dislike overcooked grilled corn -- which apparently describes most of the grilled corn I've eaten in my life. Grilled corn that's been cooked within an inch of its life is dry and tough and and shriveled and chewy and sticky. There's nothing about it to like.

But corn that's grilled attentively, turned every few minutes, and taken off at the right moment is a thing of beauty. The kernels are tender and juicy and charred and smoky.

Given that I have decades of missed grilled corn to make up for, I've been making it every day. Some days simply dotted with butter and sprinkled with salt. Other days kicked up with lime juice and cayenne pepper. Then yesterday I grilled the corn, stripped off the kernels, and tossed them with grape tomatoes, mozzarella and basil oil. Voila, corn salad.

Wow. Grilled corn. Who knew?

First, make the basil oil. Put fresh basil in a blender.

Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and about a tablespoon of olive oil.

Pulse a few times to get the basil going. Then turn on the blender and drizzle in the remaining olive oil while the blender continues to blend. Check for seasoning.

Now on to the corn. Start with fresh corn. Buy it in the husk and don't peel it until you're ready to cook it.

When you're ready, remove the husk and ask many of the silks as you can without driving yourself crazy. (You'll notice that my corn had plenty of silks left!)

Place the corn on the grill over medium heat. Grill, covered, for about 4 minutes.

Then turn the corn and put the cover down again. You want to cook the corn about 12 minutes total, turning every few minutes to make sure it's evenly charred.

Cut the kernels off the cobs into a large bowl.

Add halved grape tomatoes and mozzarella balls.

Drizzle with basil oil.

Mix thoroughly and serve!

Grilled Corn Salad

Recipe from The Garlic Press

1 1/2 to 2 cups packed fresh basil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

salt

black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

4 ears of corn, husks and silks removed

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

8 oz small mozzarella balls

1.    For the dressing, place basil, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and pepper in a blender. Pulse a few times. Then turn blender on and slowly add the rest of the olive oil from above (your blender lid should have a piece that you can remove for this purpose).

2.    Preheat grill over high heat.

3.    Place corn on grill and turn down heat to medium. Grill, covered, for about 12 minutes. Turn the corn every few minutes for even charring.

4.    Remove the corn and let it cool for a few minutes. Using a knife, remove the kernels from the corn into a large bowl. Add tomatoes and mozzarella. Stir to combine.

5.    Drizzle about half of the basil dressing over the salad, then stir to mix. Taste and add more dressing, if desired.

6.    Chill salad until ready to serve.

Serves 4 to 6

Creamless Creamy Vegetable Soup

  

On the one hand, I’m so ready for spring. We enjoyed our share of sledding, snow tubing and skiing. But this was one of the coldest, snowiest winters I can remember. I’m ready to walk down the sidewalk without slipping on a patch of ice. I’m ready to leave the house without snow boots, a down coat, hat and mittens. And I’m so ready to put away the shovels and ice scrapers.

But I’m not quite ready to get into shorts and a t-shirt. Blame the hearty stews. The rich pastas. The creamy hot chocolate. That “it’s okay, spring is months away” mentality seems really convincing when there’s two feet of snow on the ground. But I really need to be a little more grounded in reality when the calendar says it's March.

So what to do when the calendar demands healthier, lighter eating but the thermometer suggests that comforting winter dishes are still in order?

Start by making this soup. The creamy texture fools you into thinking you’re eating something rich and indulgent. But you’re not. It’s just tons of veggies simmered in water or stock and then pureed into a creamy soup.

Have a bowl of this soup for dinner. Or have a bowl right before dinner. It’ll fill you up so you won’t eat as much of everything else. Before you know it you’ll be ready for those shorts and t-shirts.

Just please don’t mention bathing suits.

Potatoes give the soup some substance. Other than that, you can really use whatever veggies you have in your fridge. Butternut squash, parsnips, turnips and cauliflower would all be great. This time I used potatoes, zucchini, carrots, leeks and a couple of tomatoes. 

Chop up the veggies and put them in a large saucepan. 

Add enough water, vegetable broth or chicken broth to cover. (I also threw in some thyme.)

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

Use a regular or immersion blender to puree to whatever consistency you like. I like a smooth puree. But you can leave it a little chunkier if you prefer.

Serve hot.

Creamless Creamy Vegetable Soup

Recipe from The Garlic Press

2 potatoes

2 zucchini

2 leeks

2 carrots

2 tomatoes

(or whatever combination of vegetables you like, in addition to the potatoes)

1 sprig fresh thyme other herb

6 cups (approx.) water, vegetable broth or chicken broth

Salt

Pepper

1.   Chop up vegetables and place them in a large saucepan.

2.   Add enough water or broth to cover.

3.   Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

4.   Remove thyme sprig (if using). Puree using an immersion blender or regular blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6 to 8

Shakshuka

A few weeks ago my husband and I went to see Gravity in the theater. Watching a movie in a theater is a big deal for us. If I’m paying for a sitter to go watch a movie, then the movie better be worthwhile.

Most movies we go out to see are big budget action flicks best appreciated on the big screen. Think James Bond and Jason Bourne.

We’d heard and read a lot about Gravity. That the special effects were AMAZING. That the technology behind the visual effects was MINDBLOWING. That we simply HAD to see it in the theater. And not just any theater. An IMAX theater. So we did. And it was…boring. Yes, the special effects were good. But with the amount of hype I’d heard, George Clooney would have had to take my hand and pull me into his orbit to live up to my expectations.

That’s the problem with hype. Most things can’t live up to it.

That's why I waited so long to buy Jerusalem, the not-so-new cookbook featuring the multiculturally-influenced cuisine from (you guessed it) Jerusalem. I’d heard about it. Of course I had. It had generated lots of buzz in the foodiverse. But the hype held me back. There were too many superlatives being used to describe it. Too much swooning. Too many adjectives ending in “est.”

harissa

But then I heard about specific dishes. Read a couple of recipes featured alongside the book reviews. Saw photos. Of roasted butternut squash and red onion drizzled with tahini sauce. Lentils and rice topped with caramelized onions. Chicken and rice infused with cardamom. Tomato and eggplant baked into cheesecake. And shakshuka, a mix of tomatoes and peppers, flavored with harissa and topped with poached eggs. This year’s Eggs in Purgatory, apparently.

So I gave in. In spite of my misgivings I bought the book. And tried one recipe after another. The book opened up a new world of flavors for me. Earthy z’aatar, piquant harissa paste. Savory dishes redolent with cinnamon and cardamom. Simple ingredients, prepared simply, but in unfamiliar ways.

Some things, it seems, do live up to the hype.



Finely dice red peppers.

 Put peppers in a large saute pan along with harissa, tomato paste, garlic, cumin and salt.

Cook down until the peppers are soft

Add tomatoes (I used canned).

Simmer until the tomatoes and peppers begin to dissolve into a thick sauce.

Create dip in the sauce and pour one egg (or yolk) into each dip.

Cook until egg whites are set and yolks are done to your liking.

Serve hot with sliced baguette.

Shakshuka

Recipe from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Pilpelchuma or harissa paste
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (this isn’t in the recipe, but I added some for extra kick)
2 tsp tomato paste
2 large red peppers, cut into ¼ inch dice (2 cups in total)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
5 large, very ripe tomatoes, chopped (a 28-oz can of diced tomatoes is also fine)
4 large eggs, plus 4 egg yolks
½ cup labneh or thick yogurt
Salt

1.    Heat the olive oil  in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the pilpelchuma or harissa, smoked paprika (if using), tomato paste, peppers, garlic, cumin and ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes, to allow the peppers to soften.

2.    Add the tomatoes, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for a further 10 minutes until you have quite a thick sauce. Taste for seasoning.

3.    Make 8 little dips in the sauce. Gently break the eggs and carefully pour each into itw own dip. Do the same with the yolks. Use a fork to swirl the egg whites a little bit with the sauce, taking care not to break the yolks.

4.    Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny (you can cover the pan with a lid if you wish to hasten the process).

5.    Remove from the heat, leave for a couple of minutes to settle, then spoon into individual plates and          serve with the labneh or yogurt. (I served with slices of baguette.)

Serves 2 to 4

Red and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash and Other Yummy Things

Sometimes choosing a recipe is like buying a new shirt. You search through racks and racks of clothing looking for something interesting, something different. You promise yourself you’re not going to buy another black sweater. But then you see one that has a different neckline. And just as you reach for it, your shopping buddy spots you and yells, “Put that down right now! The last thing you need is another black sweater.” You protest weakly, pointing out the neckline.

Your buddy isn’t buying it. She hands you a blouse. It's yellow. With buttons. You look at it in alarm. You look at her in alarm. “But it’s yellow. I never wear yellow. What would I wear it with? I don't even know what goes with yellow.” “Just try it on,” she says. And you do.

And you love it. This colorful, not-black, not-remotely-your-taste shirt that you never would have considered picking up off the rack.

This wild rice salad is my yellow blouse, courtesy of my sister. I saw it in this month’s Bon Appetit. So did she. I glanced at, then turned the page. She looked at, bought the ingredients, made it, and loved it. She told me about it. And I protested. Salad in winter? Pomegranate seeds? Don’t they get stuck in your teeth? Microgreens? Really? How pretentious.

Thai red rice and wild rice

She walked me through it. The rice had an unusual, earthy flavor. The squash was creamy and substantial. The pistachios added a salty crunch. The microgreens lent the salad a hint of bitterness. And the pomegranate seeds supplied a refreshing pop of juice when you bit into them.

She’d sold me on trying it. But would I like it? I did. I really did. The taste was interesting, complex and unexpected.

The yellow blouse really wasn’t my style. Or so I thought until she took it off the rack and made me try it on.



 Cut butternut squash and place it on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast until squash is tender.

In the meantime, bring salted water to a boil. Add black (or red) and wild rice.

Cook until rice is tender but not mushy. Drain, rinse and set aside. (Isn't that red rice pretty?)

Whisk together vinegar, honey and olive oil.

Place rice in a large bowl.

Add vinaigrette, scallions, pomegranate seeds and pistachios and mix gently.

Add squash and microgreens and incorporate gently into the salad. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

 
Red and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash and Other Yummy Things

Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

1 1/2 cups black rice (I searched everywhere for black rice but couldn’t find it. I substituted Thai red rice and it turned out fine.)
1/2 cup wild rice
Kosher salt
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into pieces
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 cup microgreens or sprouts
1/2 cup roasted pistachios, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 450°F.

2.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Add black and wild rice and cook uncovered, over medium heat, tender, 35–40 minutes. Drain and rinse, shaking off as much water as possible. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.

3.  Meanwhile, toss squash with 1/4 cup (or less) oil on another baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 20–25 minutes. Let cool.

4.  Whisk vinegar, honey, and remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large bowl.

5.  Add black rice and wild rice, squash, scallions, pomegranate seeds, microgreens, and pistachios. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

6.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.


Serves 8 as a side or 4 as a main dish.

Note: Salad (without microgreens) can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.