Mediterranean eggplant ratatouille

I made the recipe you sent me from The Meat Free Monday Cookbook but didn't have some of the ingredients so it changed considerably into this; very delicious! I'll definitely be making it again soon.

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped (or 3 small)
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
1 eggplant, cubed
1 - 1.5 cup Trader Joe's Harvest Grains blend (a mixture of Israeli/pearl couscous, red and green orzo, split dried garbanzo beans, and red quinoa). Substitute with whatever grains you can find, or potatoes.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 large (28 oz/800g) can/2 medium (14.5oz/400g) cans chopped tomatoes
2 cups/400g vegetable stock (or a bouillon cube and boiled water)
10-12 mushrooms, chopped
1 large apple, chopped (or 3 small)
1-2 Tbsp capers
2 oz/125g feta, crumbled

Heat some of the oil in a large soup pot, add the chopped onion and celery and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover with a lid (this helps them sweat but not brown). While the onion is cooking, chop the eggplant. Add the remaining oil and the eggplant and cook 4-5 more minutes, until the eggplant begins to soften. Add the tomatoes, stock/water, grains, oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for  25-30 mins until all the vegetables are tender and the grains are cooked (check halfway through to stir and add more water if necessary). At the end, it should be thick & chewy, not soupy.

Add the capers and heat through, and salt & pepper to taste. Serve with the feta.

Optional: additional vegetables like zucchini and red bell pepper, olives, and sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts (or more affordable: sunflower seeds). You can definitely make this ahead and let it sit, it will improve.

Flo's Tomato, Goat Cheese & Onion Tart

1 prepared pie crust (puff pastry is best)

3 TB olive oil 

2 large onions very thinly sliced 

 6 oz. crumbled goat cheese 

4 or 5 ripe tomatoes sliced [GOOD tomatoes e.g. beautiful summer heirloom/dashti toms]

Salt & pepper to taste

GARNISH: fresh basil or tarragon leaves

   

Preheat oven to 375 degrees/according to dough packaging. 
 Place dough into a tart pan with a removable bottom, press into sides. Prick the dough all over (including the sides). Blind bake (cover with foil filled with aluminum foil and beans, rice or pie weights) for approximately 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for approximately 15 minutes until light golden brown.

Remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool. Sauté the onions in the olive oil over a very low heat until caramelized [optional: stir a little dried basil into caramelized onions towards end of cooking time]. Cool the onions completely and spread over the cooled pie shell. Sprinkle with 4 oz of the goat cheese and make decorative spirals on top of the cheese with the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the remaining goat cheese and place under the broiler for approximately 5 minutes to brown and soften the goat cheese.

Garnish with small or shredded basil leaves, or tarragon leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Easy Gazpacho

I made this for dinner last night, and Nicki asked me to post the recipe. Works great when it's hot like it has been here, because it's nice and cold and doesn't require any cooking in a hot kitchen.

Gazpacho

16 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 medium sized bell or sweet Italian pepper
1 large red onion
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup of olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp fresh if available)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (ditto)
salt to taste

Finely chop the onion, garlic, cucumber and pepper (works best if you mince them in a food processor). Combine the finely chopped ingredients in a blender with the tomatoes and the olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire, vinegar, herbs and salt. Blend until smooth.

Chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours before serving. Serve cold with tabasco sauce, if desired.

Pizza!

I am not very fond of pizza unless it's really good - i.e. not of the frozen or take-away variety. So I bring you these recipes to make one heck of a delicious pizza! It's also fun to 'shock' your friends by telling them you're serving them pizza for dinner - esp. when you're a bit notorious for cooking well and elaborately - but then pull out this delicious home made one rather than a yucky frozen one.

The secret is in the red sauce, very simple and delicious, combined with making the dough yourself. This is also very easy after a bit of practice, and working with flour and water towards getting just the right consistency is also very therapeutic and calming, I find. It all sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't and trust me, it's soooo much better than a freezer pizza, really no comparison.

Here's two varieties: the first is a 'traditional' pizza with a really great red sauce (also perfect for pasta, lasagna, canelloni, etc.). This one also makes a great vegan meal if you skip the cheeses and add maybe some more vegetables (eg. thinly sliced sauteed mushrooms). The second is a hip pizza variety imported from LA (where else) which is made with red onions, port and brie.

For the pizza dough (2 pizzas):
500 grams of flour (white flour is easiest)
350 ml luke warm water
1 sachet yeast (7 gr.)
1 scoop of light castor sugar
salt
a sprinkling of corn meal, for baking tray

Add yeast and brown sugar to the water, stir and let sit for a moment. Pour flour in a mound onto a clean counter top, add a good pinch of salt. Make a large open space in the centre of the flour heap. Pour most of the water mixture into the flour, and using a fork, carefully stir in the flour, until the two have formed a good mush-like substance. When the water is absorbed by the flour, take over by your hands and start kneading the dough for about 5-10 minutes. You may need to add the rest of the water, or more flour, to get a good, fairly dry consistency. When the dough is 'right' (you will know when this is!), set it aside in a bowl, cover lightly and put in the fridge for about 1/2 an hour, or while you prep the pizza topping.

Turn on the oven to preheat to about 200 degrees C.

For the red sauce:
1 tin of plum tomatoes
1/2 box of passata
olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 cube veg. bouillon
herbes de provence

Pour a good layer of olive oil into a sauce pan. Don't be stingy with the oil!! Slice garlic. When oil is warm, add garlic. When it is golden (not brown!) add the tomatoes and the passata. Throw in a bunch of the herbes, some pepper and the stock cube. Turn down to a simmer and let it cook for about 20 mins for the flavours to absorb.

Oil the baking trays with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with the corn flour. Take dough out of fridge. Lightly flour the counter top, divide the dough in half and roll out for a thin crust to fit the size of your baking tray. Pop into the middle of the oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until crust starts to lightly turn brown. Remove from oven, and flip over so 'uncooked' side is facing up. Repeat for the other half of the dough. The dough will also start to bubble a bit but that's okay, it will 'relax' once the toppings are on.

For the toppings:
Basically, you can add whatever toppings you like best, but the general rule of thumb is less is more. So I usually go for the original, basic 'Tuscan' variety:
- a good serving of the red sauce to cover the dough all around, leaving an edge of about 1 cm.
- a light sprinkling of grated gouda
- a can of artichoke hearts, sliced up
- a ball of mozzarella, torn into small pieces
Return pizza to oven for 5 minutes or until mozzarella is melted and starting to brown.
Pull out of oven, add a sprinkling of arugula (aka rocket salad, rucola, etc.) over the top and serve immediately!

Red onion pizza variety
For a fancier version (I usually serve both), try this.
- 3-4 red onions, sliced in thin rings
- a large glass of red port, or red wine and a heaped teaspoon full of light castor sugar
- 1 section of brie (200 gr?)
- pine nuts

Slowly sautee the red onions in olive oil. When they are halfway done (i.e. starting to soften), add the port (or the red wine/sugar). Finish cooking until soft. In the meantime, carefully brown the pine nuts in oven or dry pan. Take a cooked pizza crust (see above), turn onto uncooked side. Spread the onions over the top. Cut brie into thin slices and lay over the top of the onions, sprinkle pine nuts over this, and cook for a few minutes until the brie has melted. Make sure the pine nuts don't burn. This is a very subtle yet extremely tasty pizza.

Source: red sauce & pizza dough adapted from Jamie Oliver; onion topping adapted from Nicki Ferguson (LA Ring?)