Easiest Ratatouille

Easiest Ratatouille - America's Test Kitchen

Preheat oven to 400F
Ingredients and Method:
Add to dutch oven

• 1/3 c oil
• 2 onions, cut into 1" pieces
• 8 cloves garlic, left whole
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Cook for 7-10 minutes for onions are translucent and soft. Meanwhile prepare

• 1 1/2 lb eggplant, peel and cut into 1" cubes
• 2 lbs plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded (or 28 oz canned tomato)

To onions, add

• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp French herbs (herb de province)

Mix together and let cook until it becomes really fragrant, about 1 minute. 

• Add eggplant to onion mixture.
• Add the 2 lbs prepared tomatoes
• Add 1/2 tsp Salt
• Add 1/4 tsp pepper

Bake, uncovered in 400 F oven for 40-45 minutes until veggies get nice and brown and broken down. 

Mash into a sauce then add

• 2 zucchini cut into 1" pieces 
• 1 yellow bell pepper cut in 1" pieces
• 1 red bell pepper cut in 1" pieces
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Put back in oven, uncovered for 20-25 minutes

Remove and cover and let sit for 10 minutes. 

Use spatula and scrape down brown bits on sides of pot. Then add

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or sub 1 tbsp sherry vinegar)
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley 
• 1 tbsp fresh basil

Serve hot or cold. 

Flour Tortillas

FROM: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/best-ever-homemade-flour-tortillas/#_a5y_p=3639653

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup warm water

Instructions

1. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Using the dough hook, mix dry ingredients until well combined.
3. Add oil and water with mixer running at a medium speed. Mix for 1 minute, stopping several times to scrape the sides of the bowl. 
4. After about 1 minute, or when mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, decrease mixing speed to low. Continue to mix for 1 minute or until dough is smooth.Transfer from mixing bowl to a well-floured work surface. 
5. Divide into 16 fairly equal portions. Turn each piece to coat with flour. 
6. Form each piece into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand. 
7. Cover flattened balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes before proceeding.
8. After rest period, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. 
9. Roll each dough piece into a rough circle, about 6-7 inches in diameter, keep work surface and rolling pin lightly floured. Don’t stack uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will get soggy.
10. When pan is very hot, place one dough circle into pan and allow to cook about 1 minute or until bottom surface has a few pale brown spots. The uncooked surface will begin to show a few little bubbles. If tortilla is browning too fast, reduced heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on underside of tortillas, increase heat a bit. 
11. Flip to other side and cook for about 30 seconds. You want the tortilla to be soft but have a few small pale golden brown spots on surface. 
12. Remove from pan with tongs and stack in a covered container or zippered bag till all tortillas are cooked. This will keep them soft and pliable.
13. Wipe out the pan in between tortillas if flour is started to accumulate.
14. Serve warm or allow to cool for later use. 
15. When ready to use, place a slightly damp paper towel in the bottom of a microwave-safe container (with a cover) that will hold the stacked tortillas. Microwave, uncovered for 15-25 seconds (start with 15) or until warm, then cover to hold heat while serving.
16. Store in an airtight container or plastic zippered bag at at room temperature for 24 hours.
17. Refrigerate for up to 1 week, stored in a zippered bag. 
18. Or freeze indefinitely. To freeze, separate tortillas with parchment paper or waxed paper and place in a zippered bag before placing in freezer.

Red Cabbage And Sausage Soup

Modified from . . .RED CABBAGE AND SAUSAGE SOUP

This is yummy! I made it was the 'meat' for Joe, but the same could be accomplished without. I would use cabbage, maybe add some quinoa and some more smoked paprika.

prep time: 20 mins
cook time: 35 mins
total time: 55 mins
serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup black eyed peas, dry (or 2 cups cooked)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 leeks, chopped or 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp hot pepper flakes 
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 8 cups chicken/vegetable stock (Healthy DIY stock powder) 
• 1 lb red potatoes, washed and cut into ½ inch pieces
• ½ lb pork sausages, cooked and then sliced into ½ inch pieces or sliced garlic sausage
• ½ lb red cabbage, shredded (cabbage is about the size of 2 fists held together)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

If starting from dry black eyed peas:

Prepare Peas:

• Soak peas overnight in a large bowl of water. 
• Drain water and transfer peas to a pot. 
• Cover with at least 1 inch of water. 
• Add bay leaf and a healthy dose of salt and cook for 30-40 minutes, until peas are tender and soft. 
• Drain and set aside.

No time to soak peas: 

• On stove top - Put 1 cup of dried peas in a 4-qt. stock pot. 
• Cover peas with 6 cups of hot water. 
• Add salt and pepper to taste, along with seasonings if desired. 
• Bring the pot to a boil. 
• Cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer. 
• Cook peas for 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender.

To make soup:

1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot. 
2. Add garlic and leeks or onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often until translucent.
3. Add paprika and hot pepper flakes and stir and fry for 2 minutes. 
4. In a small bowl, combine corn starch and ¼ cup stock. Whisk until corn starch dissolves. 
5. Pour corn starch mixture into dutch oven and cook for 1-2 minutes. 
6. Add remaining broth, potatoes, and sausage. 
7. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
8. Optional: saute red cabbage until soft.
9. Add red cabbage and black eyed peas to pot and cook for an additional 10 minutes. 
10. Lastly stir in cream and cook for 4-5 minutes more (Optional).Instead, we will add sour cream when serving and again, that's optional. 

Fresh Spinach & Ricotta Galette ~ EXCELLENT

 NOTES:

• 1 lb. of fresh spinach = 6 cups leaves = 1 & 3/4 cups cooked. 
• To cook fresh spinach like the stuff in a frozen 10 oz. box, just clean the leaves, chop, and steam it. Squeeze the water out of the leaves, and you're ready to cook. I hope this is of help.
• One standard 10-ounce package of frozen spinach equates to approximately 1 1/2 pounds of fresh spinach

Spinach-Ricotta Galettes and Tartelettes
Makes about 10 2" tartelettes or 6 4" galettes

For pastry crust:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 Tbsp cold butter (I used salted sweet cream butter)
• ~1 Tbsp ice water

For filling:

• 1/2 medium shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 3/4 cup frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to damp
• 1/3 cup ricotta
• 1-2 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• Basil (I prefer fresh, but my basil plant is in St. Louis at the moment, so I used dried)
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Olive oil

To make the crust, chop the butter into 1/2 inch slices and combine in a food processor with the flour. You can do this by hand as well, but appliances make it easy. Pulse the food processor a few times until the mixture consists of small balls of flour and butter, almost cornmeal-y. If the mixture is too dry, add a LITTLE BIT of cold water, then pulse again. Don't over-do the water - you don't want soggy dough. The mixture should by quite dry (but not crumbly) and able to be formed into a ball. Dump the mixture out onto a cutting board and mash it all together with your hands and make sure the butter is well-distributed and it is smooth. Form the dough into a ball, flatten it a little, then wrap it in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a pan. Mince the garlic and chop the shallot and put it in the pan, frying for only about a minute to soften the shallot. Don't burn your garlic! Remove the pan from the heat and dump in your spinach. Give it a good stir, letting it cook just a bit, then forget about it for awhile.

When your crust is cold, take it out of its covering and cut off a small chunk. Spread a little flour on a cutting board and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. It should end up very thin!

For tartelettes, cut a 6" diameter piece (it doesn't have to be a circle or any specific shape for that matter) and place it in a small, round baking dish of some kind, like a ramekin or even a cupcake pan, and form it to the edges.  Place about 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of your spinach mixture in the bottom of the crust and flatten it just a bit.  Grab about 2 teaspoons of ricotta and form it into a ball, then flatten it in your hands to make a small disk, then place this on top of the spinach (half of the fun in cooking is getting your hands messy!).  Place 1 tomato slice on top, drizzle or brush the tomato with a tiny bit of olive oil, and top with a little sea salt, black pepper, and basil.

For galettes, cut a 6" diameter piece (once again, it doesn't have to be any certain shape) and stack the ingredients the same way in the middle of the dough, trying to keep them in a neat(ish) circle.  Fold up the edges of the dough around the fillings to make a nice little free-standing tart.
Put your galettes or tartelettes in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes or until your pastry is nicely toasted and the filling is hot.  I kept my galette in about 5 minutes longer and bumped up the heat to 400 to better brown the crust.

These turned out beautifully, and the crust was perfectly flaky and savory.  All the flavors combined very nicely and - this does not happen often - I would make this exactly the same way again and be 100% happy with it.  The only change I might make would be toasting the shells of the tartelettes for a few minutes before adding the filling because the bottoms were a little too soft from the liquid of the spinach.  I ate 4 tartelettes and 1 galette, so they are not particularly filling, but they make a fabulous appetizer, snack, or side dish.  Enjoy!

Slab Galette with Swiss Chard, Laccinato Kale, Mushrooms and Cheddar

Modified from FOOD52



Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion
• Salt to taste
• 2 cloves garlic
• pinches crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bunches Swiss chard, stems removed (about 500 grams, post-stemming) (I used 6 cups of finely chopped swiss chard & laccinato kale mixed) 
• 1 cup thinnly sliced mushrooms
• 1 Cornmeal Galette Dough
• 1 cup fresh ricotta
• 1 cup grated Gruyère or Comté or cheddar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon milk or water

Make Filling: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or soup pot over medium heat. 
2. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. 
3. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. 
4. Add mushrooms and cook until soft. 
5. Pile the chard on top, cover the pan if you are able, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the leaves begin to wilt. 
6. Uncover the pan, use tongs to rearrange the leaves and continue cooking the chard until any liquid evaporates. Taste. This is your chance to season the chard, so add more salt if necessary.

Assemble the Galette:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat the oven to 375° F. 
2. Line a jelly roll pan with with kitchen parchment paper.
3. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about 15- x 21-inches or about an inch or two bigger in length and width than your sheet pan. Flip the dough every so often to ensure it’s not sticking. If it is, dust the surface with more flour. Loosely fold the dough in half and half again and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Unfold the dough and center it to your pan.
4. Spread a thin layer of ricotta on the bottom of the dough, leaving a two-inch border all the way around.
5. Spread the onion and chard mixture over top in a thin, even layer. 
6. Sprinkle the grated cheese over top. 
7. Fold the edges of the dough inward over the filling. Pinch together any tears in the dough. 
8. Mix together the egg yolk and milk or water and brush it over the exposed crust.
9. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust has browned and the cheese has melted. 
10. Slide the galette off the parchment and onto a cooling rack or cutting board. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut the galette into 24 pieces. Serve.

Cornmeal Galette Dough

• 2 1/2 cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cups (102 g) yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled(I substituted 1/2 box of lard)
• 6 tablespoons olive oil(omitted because of amount of lard used) 
• 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt until blended. 
2. Add the chilled butter to the bowl and pulse until it is evenly distributed but still in large, visible pieces.
3. Add the olive oil and ice water and mix until the dough begins to come together. 
4. Dump dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Roughly shape the dough into a rectangle. 
5. Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Alternatively, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter using the back of a fork or pastry cutter. Add olive oil and ice water and mix until dough just comes together.)

Garlic Broth

Garlic Broth
Super easy!

Most recipes call for either vegetable broth or beef broth to create a soup. I like this garlic broth recipe! 

Yield: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

• 4 whole garlic bulbs, peeled, broken up and smashed.  (Easy Peeling Trick)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 9 cups water

Method: 

1. Combine all ingredients in large pot. 
2. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 1 hour. 
3. You can strain the cloves out if you want. I leave them in to add flavor to my soup. 

Hungarian Lentil Soup ~ EXCELLENT!!

June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Lentil Soup (Lencseleves) << EXCELLENT!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. dried lentils, washed and drained 
• 1/4 cup of lard, bacon drippings, or oil 
• 2 medium onions, chopped 
• 1 parsnip or parsley root, chopped 
• 2 medium carrots, sliced 
• 1 cup sliced celery 
• 8 cups water 
• 1 tsp. salt to taste 
• several whole black pepper corns 
• 2 whole cloves 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 large potato, peeled and grated 
• 2 large links, or 4 small links smoked sausage, skin pricked with fork 
• 2 Tbls. good vinegar

METHOD: 

1. In a large pot, heat fat and add carrots, root vegetable and onions.
2. Saute until onions are golden.
3. Add lentils, water, celery, and seasonings.
4. Grate the potato into the mixture and add sausage.
5. Simmer covered 1 hour until lentils and vegetables are tender.
6. Remove bay leaves.
7. Add vinegar just before serving and adjust salt.
8. Serve with a crusty bread and salad

NB. Mongol Soup: If you add one can of tomato paste and two cans of water to the above soup and puree it, you will have made another soup called Mongo Soup. Try it, it is good.

Serves 6.

ON MY TEST LIST:

• Best lentil soup ever: http://mariannika.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/the-best-lentil-soup-ever/
• Rachel Ray Hungarian sausage and lentil soup: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/hungarian-hot-sausage-and-lentil-stoup-recipe/index.html
• Lentil paprika soup: http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/1695/lentil-paprika-soup.aspx
• Provencal lentil zucchini soup: http://mobile.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/02/provencal-lentil-zucchini-soup-recipe.html
• Lentils.Ca: http://www.lentils.ca/simple-nutrition/super-easy-guide-to-cooking-canadian-lentils
• LENTIL BASICS: http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/how-to-cook-lentils/
• Hearty Lentil Soup (Vegan): http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/everyday-meals/hearty-lentil-soup/

Hot & Spicy Sour Cream & Garlic Dip

When it's summer and hot, it's veggies and dip time! 

Ingredients:

1 C               sour cream
2 tbsp           fresh parsley finely chopped
1                  green onion finely chopped
3                  cloves garlic finely chopped
1/4               roasted jalapeno pepper finely chopped
salt               to taste
pepper          to taste
dash             worcestershire sauce

Mix and enjoy!!