Ratatouille - Vegan

This is a very simple dish, coming from the Occitan Provença and Niça regions of France. Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but also may be served as a meal on its own.

Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, zucchini, aubergine, bell peppers, marjoram and basil, or bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs like herbes de Provence. There is much debate on how to make a traditional ratatouille.

I made this one very simple, in the style of Julia Child, using zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant in a sauce seasoned with marjoram, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and a splash of olive oil.

Baked in a casserole dish at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. it was served hot with Pomegranate glazed, Gorgonzola butternut squash stuffed Cornish Hen, Broiled Brussels sprouts with cracked pepper lime zest sauce, and a bottle of La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Ventoux Rouge 2011.

Late Summer Tomato Dressing

There was a little more than one pint of farmer's market yellow kumquat tomatoes left and I was sick of eating them as they were. I tossed them, along with four 'Baby Girl' tomatoes from my garden, quartered, into my new blender.

Then I squeezed in half an orange and added it's pulp and drizzled in 1/4 cup of D'Avalio's Cilantro & Roasted Onion Infused Olive oil. I also added fresh cracked pepper and flaked salt.

Blended the ingredients on high and then added in 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano and continued to blend until smooth.

The dressing was strong and rich and brought out the sweetness of the spinach and basil leaves in this salad. It was such a snap to make that I know I'll definitely be making this again soon.

No Mayonnaise Potato Salad - No Eggs!

Two Saturdays ago, while visiting the Bidwell Farmers Market, I stopped at the Lexington Co-op's tent and tried out their Potato Salad.

Potato salad usually makes me very sad. All those delicious potatoes coated in mayonnaise. Damn you allergy! You suck!

But these have nary a dollop of mayo, vegan or egg. And taste divine!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1⁄3 cup olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup basil leaves, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and chop the potatoes (skin on) into bite-sized chunks, place them in a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the salt and pepper. 

Place the potatoes on a sheet pan and roast until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

While the potatoes are baking, place the lemon juice, mustard, parmesan cheese and minced garlic together in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify, then add the fresh basil and mix well. Pour the dressing over the cooled potatoes and mix well. 

I served this with patty pan squash, grilled cauliflower and a blue cheeseburger wrap.

This gets better the following day so I recommend that if you're planning on taking this to a party, prep and refrigerate over night.

Garlic Scape Pesto Chicken and Sweet Pepper Pizza

Marinate chicken strips in pesto, or you can pick up a container ready made at the Lexington Co-op, for 2 hours. Cook the chicken on the stove for 15 minutes on medium. Cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces. Stretch the dough out on an olive oiled cookie sheet. Wipe down the dough with olive oil.

Layer on the chicken. Rough chop over 1 lb of sweet peppers and layer on top of the chicken. Sprinkle 1 lb of shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper and bake at 380 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Set out to cool on a cutting board for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut and serve with a big salad and iced tea.

Black Rock Kitchen & Bar

Since it's opening, The Black Rock Kitchen & Bar has been near the top of our must visit restaurant's list. We had all decided that twice a month we would, the four of us, visit an eatery we have never been to. I picked up a pack of Buffalo Dining Cards from the Lexington co-op two months ago and we've been steadily working our way through it.

On top of all of this, this is Chef Berdine's home and since watching and cheering him on at the Nickel City Chef Battle earlier this month we had to go to eat his tasty vittles!

We weren't disappointed! The place was bright, clean and in the setting sun, very winsome. The stunning and provocative art was created by Jackie Felix.

My oldest had the macaroni and cheese and the lamb and sweet pea pastries with curried yogurt sauce.

 I had the ocean perch tacos with guacamole and pico de gallo.

The fish was light and crisp and had a superb sharp lime taste. The pico de gallo was fresh and well seasoned, the guacamole was delicate and not grainy or overly seasoned.

My husband picked the 12 oz strip steak sandwich with onions, peppers and provolone. The fries were perfect, right mix of crunch and softness.

Juicy huh? Was so good I nearly yanked it out of his hands!

This was the biggest hand formed burger I'd ever seen and she ate every bite! This was a fantastic visit, the girls really liked our time there and we will certainly be returning. 

French Onion and Lentil Soup

In a crock pot set on low, pour in two day soaked French Lentils. Add 4 cups of water. Chop 2 onions and layer on the lentils.

 Finally sprinkle in 2 tbls rubbed sage, 1 tbls pepper, 1tbls salt, 4 tbls bacon drippings and crumbles, and thinly slice or crumble 1/ 2 pound of sausage.

Cook for 6 hours and then use a stick mixer to blend some of the onions and lentils. Just enough so the soup has a creamier texture. Serve with bread and enjoy!

One Pan Southern Rice, Beans, and Sausage

 Fry up a chopped onion and sweet pepper in olive oil.

 Slice chorizo sausage and add to the pan. Cooking on a lower heat until the sausages are cooked through.

Add well rinsed pink beans, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of brown rice, dry mustard, pepper, and cover. Cook until the water is absorbed.

Garlic stuffed Olive Herbed Focaccia and Spinach-Ricotta Dumplings in Red Pepper Sauce

I led a class on Italian cooking yesterday and felt honored to be surrounded by such a lovely group of ladies.

We made this delicious focaccia!

2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbls olive oil
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbls thyme and oregano

Olives stuffed with garlic cloves
Olive oil for brushing onto surface and sprinkle with salt.

Proof yeast. Mix with flour and olive oil. Mix, adding a little flour until a soft elastic ball forms. Place in an oiled bowl and cover until doubled in size. Divide and pull into round disk shapes. Place in cake pans, dimpling the surface. Insert olives into one or both, which ever your prefer. Bake until golden brown. approximately 15-20 minutes. Pop out of pans and bake for five more minutes. Best served still warm.

4 large, fleshy red bell peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 5 fresh basil leaves salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons yogurt


Cook on a high heat and use an immersion blender to make smooth.

For the Dumplings:
3 bunches spinach, stems removed
3 eggs or yogurt
3/4 cup freshly grated Italian parmesan cheese, plus cheese for garnishing
3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
 2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, plus flour for dredging
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 tbls sage 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted









We ended up putting these in a large, well oiled pan and under the broiler to bake when boiling our dumplings led to half results, sometimes this mix isn't quite firm enough to handle boiling. Baking it produced beautiful little rounds of hot cheese and spinach.

Photos courtesy of Kate Goehrig Scott.

Oven-roasted Sausage, Garlic and Sweet Potato

 8 large sausages
1-2 sweet potatoes
2 large carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Quartered 1 garlic bulb, top sliced off
1/2 cup stock

3 tbls olive oil

3 tbls honey
2 teaspoons dried mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of fresh sage leaves

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Arrange the sausages in a casserole dish with the sweet potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and olive oil, making sure not to overload the dish. 

 In a small bowl, mix together the stock, mustard powder and honey. Pour the stock mixture over the sausages and vegetables, tossing to make sure everything is coated.

 Season with salt, pepper and sage. Roast in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes. Make sure to spoon over any remaining juices into the serving dish.

Bob made an outstanding bruschetta salad and we enjoyed this with a bottle of Magic Hat's Howl.

Rennisance Chicken Stewed in La Fiera Puglia's Moscato, Shallots, Apples, and Dried Fruits

Chicken fried then stewed in La Fiera Puglia's Moscato, dried cherries and currants, a sliced Pink Lady apple, minced ginger and shallots, and freshly grated cinnamon and nutmeg.

 Dredge chicken thighs in flour, salt and pepper and fry in olive oil. Then remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Add 1 1/2 cups Moscato to the pan and scrape up the flour bits. Add dried fruits, minced shallots and ginger, sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Stir well and then layer in the apples. Cover and reduce the heat, cooking for 10 minutes. Then add in the chicken and continue to cook for 20 more minutes.

Serve with bread and butter and the the rest of the Moscato.

Beef Pot Pie

1 lb sirloin steak
8 large garlic cloves
2 scallions
1 medium Spanish onion
Organic Beef:
Better Than Bouillon
1/4 of warm water


Cook over medium until garlic is soft and the beef is tender, approximately 1 hour.

Boil potatoes, carrots, and leeks until soft. Add salt and pepper. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Then layer onto the beef.

Fold gently and then pour into a large pie pan.

Layer on the pie crust, making at least four heat vents. Set onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

 Let sit for 20 minutes to cool slightly.

Dish and enjoy!