Ratatouille

Why did it take us so long into our cooking careers to make this? Well, because Claire doesn't really like vegetables. Or ratatouille. So we got a bunch of eggplants in our farm share and I was sick of making baba ganoush, so I made something more substantial. To be fair, though, eggplants are kind of a waste of a vegetable. The big Western eggplants aren't nearly as flavorful as Asian varieties, and I gather that they're nutritionally nil. Maybe the skins are healthy. They're purple. That's something, right? This recipe makes enough for about 8-10 servings. But we had to use the eggplants.

Ingredients

• One yellow onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2" dice, skins on
• About 2-3 zucchinis (depending on size), 1/3" half-moons
• about 1.5 lbs of cherry tomatoes or similar, cut in half
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• olive oil, salt, pepper
• goat cheese and couscous, to serve

To a pan, add the yellow onion and a lot of oil. Saute over medium heat while you cut up the eggplants, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic. Add the eggplants, basil, adn thyme after 5-10 minutes and stir around (while you do the zucchinis). You may want to sprinkle a little salt to help encourage the eggplants to give up their water a bit. After 3-5 min, add the zucchinis. Cook another 10 minutes or so, adding oil if necessary. When the zucchinis are starting to get cooked, add the tomatoes. At this point, my ratatouille was getting a little dry, so I added about 1/2c of stock, turned heat to low, and covered. I left that for about 10-20 minutes, checking on it occasionally. When everything looked like it was starting to meld, I uncovered and turned the heat up to evaporate a little of the stock. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over couscous with a dollop of goat cheese.

Thoughts: This was really easy, relatively healthy, filling, and vegetarian? What the hell? I would make this again. Maybe Claire not so much. Maybe next time I'd try Japanese eggplants. That would also allow me to make a much smaller (single) serving if I used one Japanese eggplant, one zucchini, etc. Anyway, if you let this stuff cook down long enough, it's great. Actually, it might be possible to make this in a slow-cooker. Or maybe it would turn to mush. I'm not really sure. Hm. Something to ponder.

Disaster Index: 1/10

Couscous with Fennel

and other vegetables?

Ingredients

• 1 large fennel bulb, cubed
• 2c chicken broth
• 1c water
• 2c couscous
• 2x zucchini, chopped
• 1c grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2c raisins
• carrots?

In a pan, add oil and the fennel, zucchini, and any other vegetables that you want to have in your couscous.  I can't remember what we put in.  Once the fennel is tender (about 8 minutes), add the broth, water, and raisins.  Bring to a boil, then  stir in the couscous.  Remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes until the couscous has absorbed the water.  Add grape tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.

Thoughts: We first made this with just the fennel and found it lacking, so we added all the other vegetables and the raisins.  I think it turned out really well, though I believe Claire wasn't as fond of it.  This has less to do with the quality of the recipe and more to do with her distrust of couscous.  This was incredibly easy and really good.

Disaster Index: 1/10

Wheat Berry Salad with Tomato, Feta, Zucchini, and Olives

Based on a dish we had in Italy that originally uses farro instead of wheat berries. We couldn't find farro in our local Giant. Wheat berries worked just fine.

Ingredients

kalamata olives, as many as you'd like

chopped tomatoes, as many as you'd like

1/2 cup dried wheat berries

1.75 cups water

crumbled feta cheese, as much as you'd like

salt

pepper

basil (though mint would be even better)

olive oil, to drizzle on top

grilled zucchini, if you like that sort of thing.

The trickiest part of this recipe is making the wheat berries (i.e making sure you have the ratio of berries:water correct). We tried doing it on the stove, but you know what happens when you turn your back on stovetop wheat berries? They totally burn and ruin your new cookware (we actually salvaged the pot but we did start a fire and now our apartment is filled with the lingering scent of burned wheat berries. What does this smell like? PRAY YOU NEVER FIND OUT). We also tried cooking them in our new slow-cooker, which worked much better but which left a lot of water. If you do it on the stove, you will need to stir constantly. CONSTANTLY. SERIOUSLY. I would recommend using a slow-cooker, if you have one.
Once you have your wheat berries made, refrigerate them until they're cool (several hours).
Mix in your tomatoes, zucchini, feta, olives, basil/mint, salt/pepper, and olive oil. Toss. Eat.

Thoughts: Oh my goodness this is so good. It's like, taking all of the most savory things from the Mediterranean and putting them together and then eating them. It's exactly like that. The only thing we're missing is anchovies...we'll have to experiment with this. The first time we made this (on the stove) the wheat berries were not quite soft enough, but the second time we made them (in the slow-cooker) they were perfect. Seriously, I could eat this all day and it's hella easy. It's a really nice summer dish.

Disaster Index: 1/10

Pasta with Artichokes and Zucchini

CLAIRE IS IN MINNESOTA. COOK NEW RECIPES.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb farfalle
  
• 1 zucchini
  
• 1/2 a jar's worth of artichoke hearts (I hear that jars of artichokes are of higher quality than cans. Confirm/deny?)
  
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  
• generous pinch of salt
  
• 2tsp garlic
  
• olive oil
  
• a few tbsp pesto
  

Set the pasta to cook. Meanwhile, prep the vegetables. Cut the zucchini as you see fit (I cut it into 1.5" wedges - each about 1/8 of a cylinder, if you can imagine what I'm failing to describe). Saute over medium high heat with some olive oil. Add the garlic and toss around until the garlic is fragrant - 30 seconds? Then add the artichoke hearts. Mine were jarred with some vegetable oil, vinegar, and various spices. I pulled the artichokes out individually with a fork, leaving whatever juice was on them. Anyway, toss those in and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice and pesto and turn the heat off. When the pasta is done, toss it in with the vegetables and toss them around.

Thoughts: This was pretty delicious. The serving is really designed for two people, but I ate most of it. In the future, I would consider adding sliced olives to this. Otherwise, pretty fantastic.

Disaster Index: 1/10

Vegetarian Enchiladas

We've already done this once, but the recipe has changed so much since the first time we made it that it merits posting it again.

Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  
• 2 zucchini/yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
  
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  
• 1 jalapeno pepper, skin charred and removed, seeds removed, chopped (see note)
  
• 1tbsp garlic
  
• neutral oil
  
• 1/2tsp cumin
  
• 2tbsp flour
  
• 1c chicken stock (or veg)
  
• 6oz pepper jack cheese, chopped or grated.
  
• tortillas
  
• 1 can enchilada sauce
  
• cilantro
  

Start by sauteing the onion in a little neutral oil over medium heat. Once it's getting toward translucent, add the zucchini, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, cilantro, and jalapeno. Cover for about 5 minutes, then remove lid and cook for another 5 minutes or so. When the zucchini are just tender (but still have a little tooth to them), take everything out and put it in a separate bowl. To the pot, add the flour and stir around. Add the chicken stock and turn the heat back on to medium-high, stirring to break up any huge lumps. Small lumps are okay. When the mixture is just starting to thicken, set to low heat and add 2-3oz of the cheese, stirring constantly. When all of the cheese is melted, re-add the vegetables and stir to coat.

Preheat oven to 350. In a baking dish, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce. Then place tortillas in the dish, filling with the vegetables. This recipe makes two enormous burrito-sized servings or many more small servings, which would probably be more appropriate. Once all the filling is divvied up, fold the tortillas closed as best you can and pour enchilada sauce over everything, brushing even with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and fresh cilantro. Bake for 30 minutes or until you can't take it any more.

Thoughts: Our recent addition of the jalapeno was a huge success. This is giving Casa De Lara a run for their money.

Disaster Index: 1/10

*note: to char the skin of a jalapeno pepper, just turn on a burner and hold the jalapeno over the burner with tongs until the skin is burnt on all sides. It takes a while. By burnt, I mean completely blackened. If you don't have a gas burner, put the jalapeno on a baking dish and put it in the oven with the broiler on. When one side is amply burnt, turn it over and do the other side. Run the jalapeno under cold water after burning the skin, then just rub with the edge of a knife. The skin will just flake/slide right off.

Zucchini Bread

Our first attempt at zucchini bread! Worked quite well. Makes 2 loaves or 1 loaf + about 9 muffins.

• 2 medium zucchinis, grated/skin on (we used a cuisinart attachment).
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 2c sugar
  
• 1c vegetable oil
  
• 1tsp vanilla
  
• 3c unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• 1tsp salt
  
• 1tsp cinnamon
  
• 1/4tsp baking powder
  
• 1tsp baking soda
  
• optional nuts or chocolate chips
  

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all of the dry ingredients together into a bowl. Add all of the wet ingredients and mix further. Easy, right? Pour half the batter into a 9x5 bread pan and the rest into a muffin tin... or else maybe you could make it more like zucchini-bread cake in a wider pan (like a casserole?). Bake for about 60 minutes and let cool 10-15 minutes before you try to turn the bread/muffins out.

Thoughts: I felt I could have used a LITTLE less sugar, though I'd have liked chocolate chips. Claire disagrees. This recipe takes a long time to bake. Make sure to take it out just a LITTLE early because of carry-over baking. Timing is tricky with this. For a single recipe I'd probably use 2 smaller zucchinis or one bigish one, 2 eggs, and half the other ingredients (except baking powder, which I would keep the same).

Disaster Index: 1/10

Asparagus Lasagna

Most of the directions are in the "ingredients". I've given them in the order they were prepared. I've made this twice so far, and this was the most successful version. I do all of the ingredients in one pot, incidentally. This works out to be about a half-batch, but I make it in a deep bread 9x5" bread pan.

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a largish vidalia onion or 1 medium onion, sauteed with olive oil until translucent
  
• 3c asparagus, (I'm guessing - bunched up they were about 2-2.5 inches diameter) steamed about 5 minutes until just tender
  
• 1 small zucchini or 1/2 of a large, sliced thin and sauteed in olive oil until tender
  
• 4 whole wheat lasagna noodles (yeah, only 4) cooked until al dente
  
• 14oz tomatoes, cooked with a spoonful of garlic and pesto (to taste). Cook down until reduced about 10-20% and a little thicker.
  
• 8oz ricotta cheese
  
• .25lb mozzarella (total ballpark), cut into thin slices
  
• salt and pepper to taste in just about every step of this
  
• Optional basil leaves
  

Preheat the oven to 350. Stir together the onions and the ricotta until well mixed. Put a layer of sauce at the bottom of the 9x5" bread pan. Thin layer. Add a layer of noodles (because of the size of the noodles, it does not take 2 full noodles to cover, so cut accordingly). Add a layer of ricotta/onions (about half the mixture). Add the asparagus, then another layer of sauce. Add another layer of noodles on top, then layer the zucchini across that. Top with the remaining ricotta, and any sauce that you might have left (once I didn't have any left, once I did - doesn't make much difference). If you are using basil leaves, place them evenly across the top at this point, and then cover the whole thing with slices of mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Thoughts: This is a delicious lasagna. It's also like my 3rd time ever making lasagna. I have to say, one of the most important things about this recipe is that you cook down the tomato sauce a bit. Otherwise it will be too liquidy and not as good to eat. Otherwise, this is super good. You could PROBABLY expand the recipe for use in a normal 9x11 sized pan (or however big) but the number of layers really necessitates steep sides, and if you make it in a bread pan then it's just enough for up to 3 people, or for 1 person with a few days' leftovers.

Disaster Index: 1/10

Chicken Enchiladas II

We used "enchilada sauce" as a huge shortcut, and it worked very well.

Ingredients

• 1 15oz can "enchilada sauce"
  
• 1lb boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed
  
• 1/2c water
  
• 1tsp garlic powder
  
• 2tsp cumin
  
• 1/2c chopped cilantro
  
• ~2c shredded monterey jack cheese
  
• ~6 large (10"?) flour tortillas or ~12 6" ones.
  

Combine enchilada sauce, water, garlic, and cumin in a large pot. Bring to a boil, add chicken, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is just done through (and a thermometer should read ~160*, though we don't have one) - about 10-12 minutes. If the chicken started out frozen, you'll probably have to remove the chicken after about 8 minutes, cut it into smaller pieces, and then add it back in for another 8 to 10 minutes. When the chicken is done, turn off the heat and remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Shred the slightly cooled chicken using two forks. In a bowl, mix shredded chicken with 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, 1c of cheese, and cilantro.

Stack all the tortillas on a plate and microwave them for about 40-60 seconds. Add about 1/3c (if you're using small tortillas) or 2/3c (if large) in a line down the middle of the tortilla. Roll tightly, and place seam-side down in a greased casserole pan. Repeat with all of the tortillas. Spray the tops of the tortillas with PAM. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce evenly over the top, and then top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. I recommend using two spatulas to get them out of the pan.

Thoughts: I thought these were delicious, but Claire thought they needed a little more flavor. She prefers vegetables in her enchiladas. To that end, we sauteed some zucchini with some red and yellow onions. When they were done, we gave them the exact same treatment as the chicken (mix with cheese and cilantro, fill enchiladas, top with more sauce and cheese) and they turned out very well. Next time we will probably mix the vegetables in with the chicken. Also, we have some mole sauce, so next time we might make mole enchiladas, too, by pouring the mole over the top at the end rather than the enchilada sauce.

Disaster Index: 1/10

Vegetable Enchiladas

There are several components to this dish. We'll start with the enchiladas themselves.

Ingredients

• extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock (or veg)
  
• many cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 small zucchinis, chopped
• small red onion, in rings/slices
  
• salt and pepper
• 6 flour tortillas (medium-large)
• 1/2 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
• salsa (storebought is fine, but if you want to go all out and make your own, go for it)
  

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Heat some olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and cook until caramelized. Add garlic and cumin and cook for another minute.
Add flour and mix very well. Make sure that all the pieces of flour are incorporated. Add the chicken stock right away so the flour doesn't burn. Mix well.
Turn heat down to a simmer and continue to cook the mixture until thickened.
Turn off the heat and set aside.
In another pan, cook the zucchini and onions with some olive oil. Cook until the onions are caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
When they are done cooking, add them to the flour mixture. Stir well to combine.
Change oven temp to 350 F and begin assembling enchiladas.
Smear some salsa onto the bottom of a baking pan (enough to coat).
This is the easiest way to fill the enchiladas:
Place the 6 tortillas in the bottom of the pan and position them so that they look like hardshell tacos. Then just go down the line and place a bunch of the flour/vegetable mixture on the tortilla, followed by some shredded cheese (use all the flour veggie mixture but save about half of the cheese). Once the tortillas are full, fold them over as best as you can. I don't know how to describe this. Just do what you feel like doing.
Smear the top of the enchiladas with more salsa, then sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
Serve with refried beans, yellow rice (recipe follows), guacamole, and salsa. Or whatever.


Ingredients for Yellow Rice

• 2 cups long grain rice
• 4 cups water
  
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt

Put all the ingredients in a pot, stir, and bring to a boil over medium-high/high heat.
Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and let cook over low heat until rice has absorbed water.
Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and serve.

Thoughts: The enchiladas were pretty good. In our original foray, we made our own roasted tomatillo salsa, which was super acidic and totally not worth it. So we didn't even include that part in the recipe. Don't even bother. Just use store-bought salsa. Also, the original recipe (Tyler Florence's) called for a roasted deli-style chicken for the filling instead of just vegetables. We were going to use one but we forgot to go to the store and we were already half-way through the recipe SO we just said screw it. But we would definitely use chicken next time because it would make them so delicious. So yes.
As per the yellow rice, we would definitely use chicken stock instead of water because it would make the rice more savory. If you're a vegetarian (why??), you might try vegetable stock because it still might add some extra flavor. Also, Dan suggests that we add to the rice half a green bell pepper and then discard it when we serve the rice. Apparently it adds more flavor. So we'd do that too. Overall, very very delicious.

Disaster Index: 1/10