Mark Bittman's Chickpea & Fennel Ratatouille

 

The mark of a good dish can be many things.  The creativity, the flavor, or just the simplicity.  As the holidays approach and I start to plan a number of larger family meals, the main mark for me becomes making it onto my extended holiday menu. That list of 2-3 meals, outside of the traditional big holiday events, that I will cook for a crowd.  After just a few bites, this list was all I could think of when devouring this ratatouille. 

Sure, it came from the Vegan Before Six marketing bonanza series. Yes, it happens to be gluten free.  But I promise you none of that matters.  This dish is just so so so right.  When Mr. Bittman calls it one of his best, he really isn't exaggerating.  It is deliriously aromatic and so rich in flavor I challenge any meat lover to not enjoy it.  It will grandily and happily grace our table this December 26th as a delicious, healthy second act to Christmas eating.

Chickpea & Fennel Ratatouille

Courtesy of Mark Bittman 

Ingredients

• Optional: 1 pound eggplant cut into large chunks
• 3/4 pound zucchini, cut into large chunks
• 1 pound Roma (plum) tomatoes, cored and chopped, or 1 28-ounce can, drained
• 1 onion, finely sliced 
• 2 bell peppers, cored, seeded and sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, rimmed and cut into large chunks
• 5 garlic cloves, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
• Salt & Peppers to taste

Directions 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Combine all ingrediants except the oil, chickpeas and thyme in a roasting pan.  Drizzle the oil over, toss to combine
• Roast in the oven, stirring twice, for about 30 minutes
• Add the chickpeas, stir to combine, cook for another 10 minutes.  Add the herbs, season to taste and enjoy over rice or alone.

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds - Flash Tip

If, like us, you are late to the pumpkin carving and seed roasting this year I have a tip for you!  Clean your seeds, and then boil them in salted water for 10 minutes.  The boil, I learned, ensures that the entire seed cooks evenly and that the inside doesn't blacken up!   Post boil, dry them, sprinkle with salt pepper and cayenne, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 - 12 minutes at 325.

Roasted Mushrooms with Crispy Sage and Walnut Oil

You may not have walnut oil in your cabinet, but you are going to buy some.  You may have slight sticker shock at the price, but I can all but guarantee you will thank me when you taste these mushrooms.

I've had walnut oil in my cabinet for sometime and just recently started exploring with it again thanks to the nudging of one of my besties.  She was touting the health benefits, of which there are many, but really, it's the huge, earthy flavor that I adore.  In the dish below, the sage crisps up, the mushrooms drip and the nutty flavors just scream fall.  Enjoy!

Roasted Mushrooms with Crispy Sage and Walnut Oil
Ingredients (serves 2 as a side) 

• 2 cups of whole button and portobella's chopped into a 2 inch dice. note: bunches of enoki would be glorious here
• 1.5 tablespoons of walnut oil
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 10 - 12 sage leaves ripped in half
• Salt to taste 

Directions 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Drop the whole button and chopped portobella on a baking sheet, condensing into a single, close knit center
• Drizzle with the two oils, sprinkle with sage and toss to coat
• Cook for 15 - 20 mnutes until fragrant, but not too shrunken
• Season to taste and enjoy

Marcella's Tomato Sauce

Now that my work life and personal passions are so wonderfully, blissfully aligned, I find myself trying things in the kitchen that I wouldn't have otherwise had the gumption to.  I've made homemade bread, TWICE, in a week.  It was pure elation eating homemade grape jelly on my inaugural loaf of bread last week. 

This inspiration has lead to  more exploration with tomatoes,  which as you may know, is an unexpected turn.  When I read about Marcella Hazan's passing, I knew it was time to try my hand at her tomato sauce.  Run to your local market, scoop up the last tomatoes and do the same.   I included a few yellow heirlooms creating the lighter hue.

Marcella's Tomato Sauce
Ingredients  

• 2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, (skins peeled**) or 2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes skin less, cut up, with their juice
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
• Salt to taste 

Directions 

• Put the tomatoes, butter and onion in a saucepan, and cook uncovered at a simmer for about 45 minutes until the butter slick floats on top. 
• Stir from time to time, mashing up large chunks with the back of a wooden spoon.
• Taste, add salt, discard the onion and enjoy. It's best soupy over pasta with freshly grated cheese. 

**Boil water and drop the whole tomatoes in for just a minute.  Remove, let cool slightly and peel. 

Romano Bean Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette & Egg

I love this salad. It includes a just hard-boiled egg, which as you know, makes everything better.  It takes less than 20 minutes to prepare, a major win when on those nights when you just don't feel like putting a lot of time into dinner.  And even the little man in my life loves it.  He first sucks off all the dressing, then delicately pries open the pod to fish the inner bean out with his tongue.  It is a specific and sweetly enjoyable process.

Romano Bean Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette & Egg

Ingredients  

• 1 pound fresh Romano beans, washed and ends trimmed
• 1 just hard boiled egg 
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1.5 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• Salt & Pepper

Directions 

• Steam the romano beans to your liking. I prefer them still crispy, just 3 - 4 minutes in a inch of boiling water
• Meanwhile,  hard boil an egg, keeping it in the water about 10 minutes post boil so the inner most yolk is still tender
• Make the dressing by whisking the finely minced shallot, olive oil, vinegar and mustard, then add salt and pepper to taste.  You want this dressing to be bright and bold to stand up to the thick beans, so add more vinegar if necessary
• Arrange the beans on a plate, crumbling the hard boiled egg over top, and then drizzling with dressing 
• This salad is best warm, or brought back to room temperature before serving 

Lauren Lately: Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta

"Lauren Lately" is a series featuring the latest quick meals in my rotation when I cook but don't necessarily create a blog-worthy meal. 

  

This is my new midweek staple. It's barely a recipe and so easily uses up all those summer squash in your crisper.  Make it the next time you are long on squash or tonight for a easy mid-week meal. And the little hand grabbing at the vegetables is pretty cute too. Yes, I am biased, but who doesn't love a blurry chubby wrist?

Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta 

100 Days of Real Food 

Ingredients  

• 3 - 4 cups of one-inch cubed summer vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, eggplant, carrots and/or tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, basil or oregeno
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper  
• 1/2 pound of pasta
• Chili oil (optional) 

Directions 

• Lightly coat all the diced vegetables in oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs.  Toss with the white wine, and roast in a deep dish or pan at 425 for 35 minutes, stirring once.
• Meanwhile, cook 1/2 lb of pasta according to instructions, drain and set aside. 
• Tear up the chunk of mozzarella into bite size pieces.  
• Remove the veggies from oven, toss in the cooked pasta, 1 cup of sauce, the shredded cheese and if you wish a 1 - 2 tablespoons of chili oil, toss to mix.
• Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts. 
• If desired, top with more chili oil, then enjoy!

Genius Grilled Fava Beans

This recipe single-handedly changed my view on the large lump of fava beans that frequent my CSA.  It literally transforms them into the loveliest, gooiest summer appetizer.  No need to peel, no need to boil, no need to pop out the little inner bean out... just toss, grill and enjoy!

It, of course, comes by way of the amazing Kristen Miglore at Food52 who scours the internet and cooking world for transformational recipes. And it makes for gorgeous photos to boot!

Genius Grilled Fava Beans

Ingredients  

• 1 pound fresh fava beans in their pods
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground chile pepper
• 1 teaspoon  rosemary
• 3  cloves chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 lemon
• 8 canned anchovies in oil, chopped finely

Directions 

• Mix all the ingredients except the lemon and anchovies together in a bowl, toss the fava beans well to coat and place them on a grill over medium-high heat. 
• Grill the favas for several minutes, until charred, then flip them over and char the other side.
• Remove from grill, and plop them back in the bowl.  Toss the pods to re-coat, and drizzle with fresh lemon juice.   
• Add the anchovies to the bowl, and mix well.
• Arrange the pods on a serving platter and serve! 

About Fava Beans
It's not all Hannibal Lecter and Chianti, though the latter sounds like a wonderful addition.  Fava beans or broad beans as they are referred to in the UK, are native to North Africa and Southwest Asia and can withstand very harsh climates.