Ratatouille

I don't know about you, but when I saw this movie I was like "What the heck is ratatouille?" So we promptly looked it up on the internet and found a recipe. And it was actually really good! Well folks...it's ratatouille season once more! Ratatouille is basically just a veggie stew type of dish. So it's perfect for this time of the year because it uses all the yummy veggies we have coming out of the garden. Or in my case...from my Bountiful Basket this week! Since this is all in season right now you *should* be able to find this stuff at farmer's markets or the grocery store for cheap. What do you need? Another website suggested the phrase EZ-POT to remember what goes in it AND the order to put it in: Eggplant, Zucchini, Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes.

Oh and can I say that I think that Basil is just really essential in a garden? If you don't plant any other herb, plant basil. I use mine more than I use any other herbs I've planted. And it's easy to grow. Plus it's really expensive if you have to buy it in the store. I think this year I'm going to transfer mine to a pot I can keep in the house 'cause I like it so much...

One final suggestion: you can use the movie as a way to get your kids to try it. It might not look like much, BUT if you can get them to try it, they will probably like it. I also served this with my homemade breadsticks. It was a good night! :)

Simmering Summer Ratatouille

2 TBLS olive oil (I think I used a lot more than this...ha ha!)

2 eggplants, cubed (I peeled mine because I was concerned about the texture of the skin being problematic in this dish...)

2 zucchini, cubed

2 bell peppers, chopped (I used green, but other colors would be yummy too, I'm sure!)

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (I always use a garlic press instead)

5 - 8 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (peeling and seeding optional...)

3 - 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 TBLS fresh thyme, chopped (I substituted dried)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Note on eggplant: I always try to work very quickly with this. It browns quickly once peeled and cut open. If you really want to you can put it in water or cover with Fresh Fruit or lemon juice. But in a dish like this it doesn't really matter anyway. So I just work fast. So as you cut your eggplant place it in a colander and sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant if desired. Pat it dry. (I actually forgot to rinse the salt off...oops! Tasted great to me, but if your really conscious about your sodium intake you probably should rinse it...)

2. (Skip to next step of you don't care about the tomato skins.) If you want to peel your tomatoes: Fill a large bowl about 1/2 way with water and ice. Boil a large pot of water. Cut small x's in the bottom of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for about a minute. Immediately place the tomatoes in an ice bath for another minute. Remove the tomatoes and place in a colander in the sink until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the tomatoes. If you want to seed them also just cut the tops off and squeeze as many seeds out as you can. (NOTE: I peeled 6 of my tomatoes. Then I decided I wanted more in the stew, but didn't want to go through all that again...SO I just chopped them up and put them seeds, skin and all. Couldn't tell a difference...next time I will probably just leave them as nature intended in the first place)

3. Heat olive oil in a large pot. NOTE: While adding veggies, make sure you stir them around frequently to promote even cooking. Add the eggplant and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add the zucchini, cook for another 5-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes and cook until the liquid reduces. You can create a thicker sauce by adding tomato paste if desired.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Adjust seasoning as needed to taste and serve.

Just to warn you, it really does kind of look like a pile of mush. The eggplant gets really soft and isn't a super appetizing color when it cooks. But it is really good. Really. Try it. :)

Grilled Veggie Panini

If you've ever wondered "what the heck do you do with eggplant????" here is a GREAT recipe for you. I saw this recipe on food network a few years ago. We had it for the second time tonight and let me tell you it is SO DELICIOUS! Even if you are not a vegetarian or if you are a picky eater I think you will like it. Joey thought it was great which is saying something! Most of the ingredients came from my garden also this year which was extremely satisfying. If you don't have a garden you will have to plan ahead and get some things at the grocery store, but it is well worth it...believe me!

*A note on eggplant. I've found, especially if you are buying your eggplant, that it's best to use it within a day or two. It goes bad quickly. What we've picked from our garden seems to last a bit better simply because it's fresher. Also don't slice it open it until just before you are ready to cook it. It gets discolored quickly once cut.

Grilled Veggie Panini - from Giada De Laurentiis

1/4 c olive oil

2 small japanese eggplants or 1 medium to large regular eggplant cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices

2 zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 small red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 baguettes (each about 2 feet long) or other speciality bread (I used Oro Wheat Sandwhich Thins, 100% Whole Wheat)

1/2 C Basil Pesto (recipe below)

8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, sliced

2 tomatoes, slices

1/2 C roasted red peppers

8 large basil leaves, optional

Basil Pesto:

2 C fresh basil leaves

1/4 C toasted pine nuts (I used slivered almonds because it was what I had and it was GREAT!)

2 garlic cloves, peeled (I just put mine through a garlic press and toasted it with the nuts)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/3 C (about) extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 C grated parmesan (I just used the regular old stuff you buy in the bottle and keep in the fridge, nothing fancy)

If your nuts aren't already toasted, heat a skillet over medium heat, add a little olive oil and toast your nuts and olives together for just a few minutes. In a blender (I used a small hand blender we have because it seemed to be better for the amount I was making) pulse the basil, nuts, garlic, salt and pepper until finely chopped. With the blender still running gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency. Transfer to the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in 1/2 C of cheese. (The recipe doesn't call for it, but I then had to add more olive oil because the cheese soaked up all the moisture in the original mixture!). Season with more salt and pepper if needed. (The pesto can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate).

Directions for the sandwich:

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, zucchini and onion slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill these veggies until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Cool completely. (I tried to use our George Foreman grill and it worked OK, but didn't make really nice grill marks and I had to do it in small batches. I ended up giving up and just broiling most of my veggies, which seemed to work just as well!)

Prepare your bread (this size of recipe is made to serve 12), spreading with pesto and adding the slices of eggplant, zucchini, onion, tomato, mozzarella and roasted pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If your bread is really soft I would actually probably toast it before prepping the sandwich.

*Other options: We actually didn't have any mozzarella so did without the cheese and it was still REALLY good. The cheese probably adds a bit more heartiness to it however and would be a delicious addition. We also added Roasted Red Pepper hummus, which gave it a totally different flavor, but was a really nice compliment to the other flavors in the sandwich.

Despite all the "fancy" ingredients and what appears to be kind of a gourmet sandwich, it was actually really easy to put together and really delicious.

Up soon...a few more eggplant recipes. I had them coming out my ears this year so experimented with a few things that turned out nicely. I will share soon...hopefully :)