Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

It has been a long time since I’ve blogged about any of Ina Garten’s recipes.  I used to belong to a group called the Barefoot Bloggers and we all chose particular recipes from The Barefoot Contessa and blogged about them twice a month.  The group has disbanded, but I still like to rely on her recipes from time to time.

One of her cookbooks that I never purchased was Barefoot in Paris.  Can you believe it?   I checked it out of the library last week.  Saturday night dinner is usually special in our house.  I was in the mood to cook again and wanted to try something new.  This vegetable tian is so pretty.  It is easy to assemble and cooks simply in the oven.  The only thing you need to be aware of is choosing vegetables that have the same diameter.  The zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes should be about the same size.

Also I am looking for recipes that can be made ahead of time.  Bike week in Daytona is coming up in March and our biker friends will be here for the event.  I always like to have a few dishes stashed in the refrigerator to be easily rewarmed and served.  This tian fits that category beautifully.

VEGETABLE TIAN ( Barefoot in Paris Ina Garten )

Serves 4 to 6 ( I will make a larger one next time to serve 6 )

Good olive oil
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled
3/4 pound zucchini
1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes (I used plum tomatoes)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 tablespoons Panko crumbs (my addition)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush a 9x13x 2-inch baking dish with olive oil.  In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch-thick slices.  Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only one layer.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle with cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, or until browned.  Serve warm.

Can be made ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated at serving time.

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While on our motorcycle trip to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest we met Carole and Laurent on the ferry trip down the Inner Passage toward Vancouver Island.  We thought we were brave souls for making the trip to Alaska, but Carole and Laurent have us beat by miles.  They have taken a year off from their jobs, shipped their bike to Montreal, ridden across Canada, toured Alaska and now have ridden from West to East across the United States.  We invited them to stay with us on their trip South.  They are on their way to Florida to stay for a few weeks and then will head west again through Texas, into Mexico and Central America.  They will then load their bike on a boat to South America and spend the remainder of their trip exploring that continent.  Not only do they have all of their clothing for all kinds of weather, camping gear and supplies with them, but they travel with panache.  Carole always wears her pearls and her hair is cut in a short style that defies the evil effects of helmet head.  They have a blog which chronicles the trip and Carole has a separate section “just for girls” that tells you how to travel with very little and still look good.

Carole’s silver fox helmet attachement is tres chic.  As is her recipe for ratatouille.

Ratatouille has it’s origins in Provence and uses a melange of summer vegetables.  Eggplant (Aubergine), zuchinni (corgettes), peppers, onions and tomatoes.  Carole and Laurent live in Tours which is in the heart of the Loire River Valley.  They have invited us to stay with them when we visit France next summer.  Carole’s version of ratatouille differs from the recipes I have seen before only in the seasonings.  Most ratatouilles are seasoned with thyme and bay leaves.  Carole uses cumin and cilantro.  That is “so individually Carole” and so good.  Here is her recipe.

RATATOUILLE

1 eggplant cut into small cubes
1 onion, chopped
3 zuchinnis cut into small cubes
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin powder (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
Olive oil for sauteing

In a large skillet coated with olive oil saute the eggplant and onions until they are soft.  Remove from pan to a bowl.  Add more oil to pan and in it saute the zuchinni and and red pepper until they are soft.  Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the cumin and the cilantro.  Stir.  Return the eggplant mixture to the pan along with the can of diced tomatoes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer and cover.  Cook over low heat for about 45 minutes.  Serve as is or over rice.

Dinner was delicieux, tres magnifiques.

We said our au revoirs this morning.  We hated to see them leave.

Rendez-vous l’annee prochaine.  See you next year.  Bon Voyage Carole and Laurent!  You can follow their blog and adventures here.

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Quinoa, once considered “the gold of the Incas”, is a rich source of many healthful benefits. Although it is used like a grain, it is actually a seed that is a relative to spinach and swiss chard. It has all 8 of the amino acids needed to form a complete protein, so is particularily good for vegetarians who seek protein from sources other than meat. But the health benefits go beyond the protein. It is very high in fiber which contributes to cardiovascular health and manganese and copper which are antioxidants and aid in cell repair. The Inca warriors relied on quinoa to give them stamina during battle and, frankly, I can use all the stamina I can get these days. Quinoa is just one of those wonderful foods that will make you feel better.

We spent the weekend with our Son, Daughter-In-Law and Granddaughter. It was also our anniversary and Kristen and Michael treated us to an unbelievable evening of food and wine – more about that later. I am waiting for the recipes from the chef. On the evening that Kristen cooked she served these quinoa cakes with eggplant and tomato ragu with smoky mozzarella. They were delicious. The cakes were crispy and nutty.

The ragu was just perfect over them. The combination of eggplant, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garlic and smoked mozzarella was the perfect piquant foil to the mild quinoa cakes.

Served with a green salad with blueberries and strawberries and a homemade poppy seed viniagrette, it was goodness on a plate. Never mind that it was also so good for you.

QUINOA CAKES WITH EGGPLANT-TOMATO RAGU (adapted from Epicurious)

For quinoa cakes:

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

1 large egg, lightly beaten

dried parsley flakes or oregano to taste

4 to 5 tablespoon olivel oil, divided

For Ragu:

1 1/2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup drained bottled roasted red peppers, rinsed and chopped

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf

1/4 pound smoked mozzarella, diced (1 cup)

Make quinoa cakes:

Bring water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan.

Meanwhile, wash quinoa in 3 changes of water in a bowl, then drain well in a fine-mesh sieve.

Stir quinoa into boiling water and return to a boil, then simmer, covered, until quinoa is dry and water is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Transfer to a large bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, then stir in egg.

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and lightly brush with oil. Lightly oil a 1 cup dry-ingredient measure. Pack enough quinoa into measure with a rubber spatula to fill it two-thirds full. (If spatula becomes sticky, dip in water.) Unmold onto baking sheet and gently pat quinoa into a 4-inch-wide patty with spatula. Make 3 more quinoa cakes, brushing measure with oil each time. Chill cakes, uncovered, at least 15 minutes.

Make Ragu while quinoa chills:

Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and drain 30 minutes. Squeeze handfuls of eggplant to extract liquid, then pat dry.

Cook eggplant, onion, garlic, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, roasted peppers, and water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender and mixture is thick (if dry, thin with a little water), about 10 minutes.

Cook quinoa cakes:

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Carefully add quinoa cakes and cook, turning once carefully and adding remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons oil, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes total (pat cakes to reshape with cleaned rubber spatula while cooking if necessary). Transfer to plates.

To serve, return eggplant ragu to a simmer and stir in parsley and half of mozzarella, then simmer stirring, until cheese just begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Spoon over quinoa cakes, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Cooks’ notes:

Quinoa cakes can be formed 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Eggplant-tomato ragu, withour parsley and mozzarella, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

I am entering this recipe in The Two for Tuesdays blog hop. Go over to Girlichef for all of the links to REAL food posts. We are a group of bloggers who post healthy, made from scratch, real food every Tuesday.

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One of the reasons I love being back at the cottage is that I have access to my considerable collection of Gourmet magazines. They fill the lower shelves of our bookcase and date back to the 1970’s. I still miss my favorite magazine and wish Conde Naste would bring it back. In the meantime, I will continue cooking the well thought out recipes that were published over the years and feel myself lucky to have been such a pack rat. You can still go to Epicurious to download many of their recipes.

Sunday night in our house is either pizza night or experimentation night. This black bean tart is just the kind of meal that fits the offbeat unusual meal that I favor. I love the spice accented buttery crumbly crust that is so easy to assemble and pat into a 10″ tart pan. I love the vibrant colors of the bean, corn, and red pepper toppings. And I love the flavor combination with the accompanying lime sour cream on the top. Add a salad and you have a supper to savor.

BLACK BEAN TART WITH CHILI CRUST (Gourmet Jan. 1996)

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