Ratatouille

In search of a healthy meal and missing my Moosewood Cookbook (which is in some storage box), I went online looking for a ratatouille recipe and found the roasted version from the Moosewood Simple Suppers Cookbook on another blog. I stole an idea from my Moosewood book's "Pepper and Onion Shortcake" recipe and served the ratatouille on cornbread sliced in half, like an open faced sandwich. It was delicious! The cornbread is a cheap and delicious way to make the ratatouille go for longer (it is tasty, but the vegetables are expensive if you want to eat enough to get filled up) and the Robber and I agreed that it added and did not take away from the vegetables even if the French are flopping over in their graves at the idea. We topped it all off with grated Romano cheese and it was a wholesome, warm Sunday meal.

The website I got this from is a little pretentious... but... I'll take it:

http://www.thedcladies.com/2010/03/ratatouille-from-moosewood.html

Ingredients:

1 zucchini (I used 3 green, 2 yellow)

3 onions (I used two)

1 eggplant

2 tomatoes

2 bell peppers

6 garlic cloves

1/3 C. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1 C. packed fresh basil leaves

Grated Romano, Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Chop all plants except basil into 1" chunks. Toss the chopped ingredients with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. (Note, you will probably have to use two bowls to do this.)

2. Pre-heat oven to 450F. Spread vegetables out over two large cookie sheets. It is smart to put foil on the cookie sheets first as it makes cleaning the pans much easier.

3. Roast the vegetables at 450F for 15 minutes, then turn them and roast for an additional 25-30 minutes, stirring/turning occasionally until vegetables are soft.

4. While roasting, chop the basil leaves finely. Remove vegetables from oven and transfer to bowl. Stir in basil leaves.

5. Serve over cornbread and sprinkle Romano cheese on top as desired.

Notes: Peeling the eggplant is optional.

Broccoli and Red Onion Quesadillas

Another Recipes For Health concoction by Martha Shulman. Good thing I found this column, as it is just getting me into cooking up a storm. These looked healthy and good and I always like quesadillas but don't do well with too much cheese. Sad. :( But these looked like they had a good balance I could handle.

I didn't want to buy cheese for just 2 oz. and then have it go moldy before I use it. And I had two slices of Muenster cheese and some pecorino romano hanging around from when the Robber came last, so I substituted the cheese in the recipe for one slice of Muenster per quesadilla and some pecorino and was suitably satisfied; in fact, I kind of really liked the pecorino flavor with the red onion.

These are relatively easy and I could see making them for the Robber and me again since it's an easy recipe to scale. I also think that the amount of filling better makes three quesadillas rather than two, unless I am just using too small of tortillas.

Here is the link in the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/health/nutrition/15recipehealth.html?ref=nutrition

Ingredients:

1 large broccoli crown, about 1/2 pound

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced across the grain

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro or epazote (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 corn tortillas

2 ounces grated Monterey Jack, Cheddar or mixed cheeses (1/2 cup)

Salsa for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Make the broccoli filling. Steam the broccoli crown for four minutes, then remove from the heat. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Slice 1/4 inch thick. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy frying pan, and add the red onion. Cook, stirring, until tender and seared on the edges. Add the sliced broccoli. Cook, stirring, until seared on the edges, about three minutes. Stir in the cilantro or epazote, season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.

2. In a microwave: Place a corn tortilla on a plate. Top with half the broccoli and onions, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on half the cheese, and top with another tortilla. Press down gently, then microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove from the microwave, cut into quarters or sixths, and serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

In a pan: Place a corn tortilla in a pan. Top with half the broccoli and onions, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on half the cheese. Turn the heat on medium-high, and heat until the cheese begins to melt and the tortilla begins to brown. Place another tortilla on top of the cheese, and press down lightly. Flip over the quesadilla in the pan, and heat for about 30 seconds or until the cheese has melted. Flip back over, and remove to a plate. Cut into quarters or sixths, and serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Yield: Two quesadillas.

Advance preparation: The steamed broccoli will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per quesadilla: 294 calories; 6 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 28 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 267 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 12 grams protein.

Pizza Rustica

This I made for the Robber hoping he would love me forever. Instead, he just slathered this with catsup. Well he loves me forever anyway. I was proud of myself for making this recipe and having it turn out pretty much exactly like it should. The crust and the filling were both perfect!

Notes: I had to add serious amounts of flour to this dough while kneading it to make the correct product. I don't know if it is better to just not add as much water, or add more flour while kneading? At any rate, if you follow the directions you will get a very gummy pre-kneaded dough and will have to grapple with that mess.

I baked mine in an 8 x 13 and a 9 x 9 pan because I didn't have a 10 x 15 and I still had lots of dough left over, which I froze and hope to use for empanadas, calzones, or pizza in the future.

I didn't buy the diced form of some of the meats, and in the future I definitely would do so because it was a mess trying to cut up the sliced versions of the meat. It may be cheaper to do it that way also-- as this cost a pretty penny to make!

This feeds an ARMY-- or a Bob. So halving the recipe would make it cheaper and a lot more feasible, you could probably bake it in an 8 x 13 pan. Apparently this is an Italian Easter recipe. I guess it feeds and ARMY or a large Italian family.

This is a lot of work, but delicious! And good cold too, you can just take in a slice and eat it without warming it up and it is good that way as well as-- I hate to say this-- with catsup. Shudders!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/dining/30feedrex.html?ref=dining

Adapted from Carlo’s Bakery, Hoboken, N.J.

Time: 21/2 hours, plus time for cooling

Ingredients:

FOR THE DOUGH:

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound chilled salted butter, cut into large pieces
5 large eggs, beaten

FOR THE FILLING:

12 ounces prosciutto, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces boiled ham, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces pepperoni, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces soppressata, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces mozzarella, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces provolone, in 1/4-inch dice
2 pounds ricotta
4 ounces grated pecorino Romano
10 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pepper

1 large egg, beaten, for brushing crust.

Directions:

1. For the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together 6 cups flour and the salt. Using a pastry cutter, large fork, or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and knead for 1 minute. Add about 1 1/4 cups ice water, a little at a time, to form a cohesive dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it forms a large smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

2. For the filling: Mix the meats, cheeses, the 10 eggs and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the dough into two pieces: two-thirds for the bottom crust and one-third for the top. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger portion of the dough into a rectangle to line the bottom and sides of a 10-by-15-inch glass baking dish, with some overhang. Add the filling and smooth it lightly. Moisten the edges of the dough with a little water.

4. Roll out the remaining dough to cover the top of the dish with some overhang. Trim off excess dough and crimp the edges to seal. Poke several sets of holes across the top with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush top and edges with the beaten egg, then return to the oven until golden brown, another 45 minutes. Let pie cool completely before serving.

Yield: One 10-by-15-inch pie.