Grilled Eggplant

This is an easy appetizer, side, or vegetarian option for a dinner party. The grill marks are quit pretty, and the eggplant keeps in the fridge for several days. To slice the eggplant i recommend cutting it in half length wise, then placing the flat side down, slice off the top and then carefully slicing pieces about an eighth of an inch thick. I used several spices, all of which are optional. Serve warm from the grill, or at room temperature.



Grilled Eggplant

2 eggplants thinly sliced
1 pepperoncino (small red chili pepper) or red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic cut in half or diced
Handful of flat leaved Italian parsley chopped
Olive oil
Salt

In a shallow bowl put about a 1/4 inch of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and add the chili pepper, parsley and garlic. Place a dry grill pan over medium heat, and place as many eggplant slices as will fit. Leave the eggplant to grill until dark marks have formed on the bottom, then turn over and grill the other side. Once grilled, place the eggplant in the bowl with olive oil dressing, turning to coat all sides. Leave in bowl to absorb flavor, and continue adding grilled eggplant. If all the olive oil gets absorbed add more.

Serve alone as an anitpasto, or over grilled bread.

Zucchinata di Cettina

Cettina's Zucchinata

I got this recipe on my recent trip to Calabria. What I love about it, is that it is simple to make, but can be served on its own, over bread, or over pasta. Any leftover can be put in the fridge and served at room temperature the next day. The zucchini gets pretty well cooked, but the dish really flavorful.

2-3 small to medium zucchinis sliced
½ a medium red onion sliced
2-3 plum tomatoes chopped
Sprinkle of oregeno

Put all ingredients in a large frying pan. Drizzle with olive oil and add enough water to cover about the bottom half of the vegetables. Cover and cook over medium heat. Check every once in a while to make sure the water hasn’t cooked off if it has, add some more. The onions will become translucent, and the tomatoes will disintegrate. The zucchini will also fall apart a bit. If the zucchini is cooking more than you would like, remove the cover, and let the water cook off. On the other hand if the zucchini is still hard and the water has evaporated, add more water. The way I had it in Italy, the zucchini was pretty soft, and the slices had lost their center. Once the water has cooked off, add salt to taste and a light sprinkle of oregano.

Peperonata di Zia Agatina

I have a friend from Calabria (the toe of the boot of Italy) and I have heard about his Aunt Agata’s Peperonata for years. My friend has fond memories of staying at the beach swimming all morning and then sneaking into Agata’s kitchen and eating bread topped with peperonata before lunch. Everyone has some food that takes special place in the memories of childhood. It’s easy to see why this dish is remembered so fondly; its great comfort food.

The vegetables are fried (in extra virgin olive oil which makes you forget the frying part). You wouldn’t expect a bunch of vegetables to be so tasty, but it’s hard to not eat all of this at once. This can be served on top of bread, or on its own as an appetizer or side dish. Because it is hardy, I expect it would be paired well with meat. Serve at room temperature, and store in the fridge. It won’t last long, but it should keep for about a week.



Peperonata
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into fourths and sliced
2 medium eggplant, chopped in about ½ inch pieces
3 red peppers, sliced into 2-3 inch long slices
1 peperoncino (small hot pepper)chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped
3-4 fresh basil leaves

In a large saucepan put a good amount of olive oil. You are not deep frying, but you want about ½ an inch of oil. Heat on medium high heat, you know the oil is hot when very small bubbles will occasionally rise to the surface. Fry the potatoes. You may have to do this in batches of 2 or 3, because you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. I use a slotted steel spoon with a long handle to avoid hot oil splashes. Stir once in a while so that the potatoes cook on both sides. To check that they are done, fish out one slice, let it cool a bit and taste. They should no longer be starchy or mealy inside. Once they are done, remove with a slotted spoon, and put on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Once all the potatoes are done, add the eggplant to the same oil. Fry the eggplant and then the peppers in the same manner as the potatoes. With the peppers, add the peperoncino, add only a small amount if you don’t like things too much heat. Once you have fried the potatoes, eggplant, and peppers, pour the hot oil into a mug and lower the heat. You don’t need to wash the pan, just cook the tomatoes for a couple of minutes to soften. Add all the vegetables to the tomatoes and stir to mix the flavors. Let cook on low heat until any excess water from the tomatoes has cooked off, and the vegetables have melded. Add salt and basil to taste.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is one of my favorite Pixar movies, and its signature dish spurred a host of Ratatouille-style Ratatouille recipes. The New York Times ran an article about how the food was created for the movie, and printed this recipe that was used in the film. My version of Remy’s Ratatouille uses my Provencal tomato sauce, and herbed olive oil. It seems like a lot of work, but it’s the hacking and chopping that takes the most time.

Herbed olive oil
Herbes de Provence (traditionally savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender)
Olive oil
Jar

You can buy dried Herbes de Provence mixes, but I picked fresh herbs from my mother’s herb garden. Dried herbs pack more of a punch, so I used several handfuls of fresh herbs. I didn’t stick to tradition; I used basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. If you’re French feel free to scoff.
In a jar place about ¼ a cup olive oil and your herbs. Cover and let sit overnight.

Ratatouille
1 standard eggplant or three small ones (sliced about ¼ of an inch thick)
2 small zucchini (sliced into ¼ inch pieces)
2 small summer squash (sliced into ¼ inch pieces)
4/5 roma tomatoes (sliced thicker – little less than ½ and inch)
Peppers could also be used (also sliced thicker)

Layer the eggplant in a bowl generously sprinkling each layer with salt. Let sit for about 2 hours. (less time with smaller eggplants) Moisture will bead off the slices and the bowl will be filled with a brown water. Drain the water and rinse the eggplant. Pat dry with a tea towel or paper towel. This will make the eggplant more tender and less bitter.

Spoon Provencal tomato sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. You should have covered the bottom of the dish with about half an inch of sauce. You may have sauce left over.
Arrange the vegetable slices like dominos, so that they fit snuggly leaning on each other, but you can see the top part of each slice. If your vegetables are not all uniform in size, you can cut the larger pieces. I cut the eggplant into quarters and placed each quarter skin side up so you could see the pretty purple part.

Drizzle the herb infused olive oil over the vegetables, and sprinkle the herbs form the oil on top. Salt and pepper (I had lavender sea salt, but regular salt is fine) Cover tightly with tinfoil and place in the oven at 350 for 45 min. The vegetables should be easily pierced with a knife, but not falling apart. The tomatoes sauce will be watering and bubbling, remove the tinfoil and let cook another 15/20 minutes or until the water has evaporated. The vegetables should not be crispy or burnt.

Serve with a drizzle of fresh olive oil, herbed crème fraiche on the side, and some crusty bread.

PASTA SALAD

LOVE this stuff. The spouse does too. Works as a quick lunch over lettuce and tomato or as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cooked wheat pasta (macaroni shape)
1 carrot shredded
½ British cucumber diced (I prefer these because the skin isn’t bitter tasting)
½ red bell pepper finely chopped
¼ onion finely chopped
5 small pickles diced (I like garlic dills)
½ tbsp pickle juice
2 hard-boiled eggs diced
2 generous tbsp relish
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 generous tsp mustard (I use garlic mustard)
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Feta cheese (optional add on for when served)

Cook and drain the pasta. Cook the eggs. Meanwhile, shred the carrot and dice/chop the cucumber, pepper, onion, and pickles. Once the eggs have cooked and cooled, chop those and add to the vegetables. Then add the pickle juice, relish, mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir everything and then add the pasta. I like both a balanced flavor and pasta-to-other-ingredients ratio, so I usually add the pasta in batches last, especially if I am trying other ingredients in the mix. Green olives and finely chopped celery can be added or substituted for flavor and texture.

ORGANIC INGREDIENTS: Unless ridiculously overpriced, I tend to purchase as much organic as possible. I won’t note organic this/or that, I’ll leave it as assumed.

FROM “SCRATCH” NOTE: I started making pasta salad because I find it too expensive as a pre-made grocery item and it often drowns in mayonnaise and is somewhat lacking in flavor. I’m still at the bread phase for making everything from scratch, but I sometimes try to trace everything back to its original state to imagine if I could make it or not. I could learn how to make pasta, pickles, relish, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and cheese. At some point I will try, but as time is a significant factor, I doubt I will ever make this pasta salad entirely from scratch. Maybe when I retire. I might even grow my own vegetables.