COOK'S CORNER : TURN HARVEST OF SUMMER INTO HOMEMADE RATATOUILLE.Byline: Marge Powers Joni Sneed of Encino had an abundant harvest from her garden and wanted to use her produce in ratatouille-type recipes. Three readers sent in recipes to share. Carolyn Rothberg sent along two of her favorite recipes, which she has made dozens of times for parties. The Ratatouille ra·ta·tou·ille n. A vegetable stew, usually made with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions, seasoned with herbs and garlic. [French, from alteration of toillier, touiller, recipe came out of a newspaper more than 20 years ago. Bobbe Bassman cooks her Ratatouille in the oven; and Barbara Brown's Grilled Ratatouille was taken from a cookbook, ``50 Ways to Cook Most Everything.'' For all you Southland vegetable gardeners, put your harvest to work with these wonderful recipes. RATATOUILLE (Shared by Carolyn Rothberg, Tarzana) 2 red onions, thinly sliced 5 medium zucchini, sliced 1 eggplant eggplant, name for Solanum melongena, a large-leaved woody perennial shrub (often grown as an annual herb) of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family), and also cultivated for its ovoid fruit. , cut in cubes 2 celery stalks, sliced 2 (1-pound) cans whole tomatoes 10 cloves garlic, pressed Olive oil olive oil, pale yellow to greenish oil obtained from the pulp of olives by separating the liquids from solids. Olive oil was used in the ancient world for lighting, in the preparation of food, and as an anointing oil for both ritual and cosmetic purposes. Salt and pepper
2 cups shredded Jack cheese In a Dutch oven, arrange as many layers of vegetables as will fit. Between each layer of vegetables add garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When done, sprinkle with Jack cheese and heat until cheese melts. Makes 6 generous servings. RATATOUILLE PIE (Shared by Carolyn Rothberg, Tarzana) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 eggplant, cut in cubes 2 zucchini, sliced 1 onion, chopped 4 tomatoes, cut in cubes 3 eggs 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese a kind of cheese of a rich flavor, though from skimmed milk, made in Parma, Italy. See also: Parmesan Parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil and oregano oregano (ərĕg`ənō), name for several herbs used for flavoring food. A plant of the family Labiatae (mint family), Origanum vulgare, to taste 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella moz·za·rel·la n. A mild white Italian cheese that has a rubbery texture and is often eaten melted, as on pizza. [Italian, diminutive of mozza, a cut, mozzarella, from mozzare, In a small amount of oil, saute sau·té tr.v. sau·téed, sau·té·ing, sau·tés To fry lightly in fat in a shallow open pan. n. A dish of food so prepared. eggplant, zucchini and onion in a skillet. Add tomatoes and cook about 20 minutes, until soft. Increase heat to evaporate liquid from vegetables. In a bowl, beat eggs with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Add to vegetables and combine well. In a buttered pie pan, add 1/2 of vegetables and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. For second layer, add remaining vegetables and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Top all with mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven 40 to 45 minutes, until firm. Cool a few minutes before slicing to serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings. RATATOUILLE IN THE OVEN (Shared by Bobbe Bassman, Sherman Oaks) 2 large onions, sliced 2 large cloves garlic, minced OR mashed 1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/2-inch cubes 6 medium zucchini, thickly sliced 2 green OR red bell peppers, seeded and cut in chunks About 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon basil 1/2 cup minced parsley 4 large tomatoes, cut in chunks 1/4 cup olive oil Parsley sprigs Sliced tomato (optional) Layer all ingredients, except oil, parsley sprigs and sliced tomatoes in a 6-quart casserole, pressing down to make fit if necessary. Drizzle oil over top layer. Cover casserole. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 3 hours. Baste top occasionally with some of liquid from vegetables. If quite soupy soup·y adj. soup·i·er, soup·i·est 1. Having the appearance or consistency of soup. 2. Informal Foggy: soupy weather. 3. Informal Sentimental. , uncover during last hour of cooking. When ready to serve, mix gently and season to taste with salt. Garnish with parsley sprigs and sliced tomato. Can be served hot, room temperature or chilled. Can also be reheated. Makes 8 to 10 servings. GRILLED RATATOUILLE (Shared by Barbara Brown Barbara Brown may be one of several people:
White parts of 2 leeks, cut into 2-inch pieces 12 large mushroom caps 1 red onion, thickly sliced 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 3-inch long pieces 1 large zucchini, cut into 1-inch thick slices 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, thickly sliced 1/2 cup olive oil In a large bowl, toss all vegetables with olive oil until well coated. On preheated grill, grill vegetables in following order, turning each vegetable several times while grilling: Leeks, grill 8 to 10 minutes Mushrooms, onion and eggplant, grill 5 to 7 minutes. Zucchini and tomatoes, grill 3 to 4 minutes. Arrange all grilled veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. on a large platter and serve. From ``50 Ways to Cook Most Everything.'' Can you help If you have recipes that can help this reader, please send them along to us at the address below to share in a future column. When I was a boy, my mother made a creamy chipped beef chipped beef n. Dried beef smoked and sliced very thin. dish. It was very comforting to eat. I would like to taste that dish again. Help. - Mike Blaine Tarzana |
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