Ratatouille for a late summer night

     Ratatouille is as much fun to make as it is to eat and to say.This is such a simple dish I don’t know why I don’t see it more often.

     I've been experimenting with baking petite fours today so I needed an easy dinner that I knew was going to turn out well with very little tending to.

     I love the taste of the roasted vegetables and I like this change from the usual of root vegetables I roast. It is a great dish to make as summer ends and you find such a beautiful selection of eggplant and peppers.

1  Eggplant $.88

1  Green pepper $.59

2  Zucchini    $.65

1 Summer squash $.35

3 Tomatoes $1.75

1 Red onion  $1.00

2 oz       Olive oil   $.20

1 Tbs    Dijon mustard $.20

1 oz      Balsamic vinegar $.50

 3         Fat Garlic cloves $.40

Basil     A small handful of fresh or a a teaspoon of dry

1 Tbs   Italian seasoning

Red pepper flakes a sprinkle to taste

Mix the vegetables with the sauce and place in a roasting pan

Place in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour 

(till they are tender and done).

I’m serving this with the lavash I baked earlier today.

 Total $6.52 give or take a few cents

 TIP OF THE DAY: Don’t overlook or rule out trying a dish because it sounds fancy or unfamiliar. It may turn out to be easier than you think. It also may become one of your all time favorite summer comfort foods.

Cioppino :A Salute to Fishermen Everywhere

      We have found a wonderful fishmonger this summer at the farmers market. He has provided us with some of the freshest shrimp and scallops I have seen in a very long time. Tonight I tip my sailor hat to Captain George and all the fine fishermen who work hard to provide us with terrific seafood. I’m preparing a Cioppino, fish stew that has its roots in California. I’ll use shrimp and scallops today but it is very versatile, use what you have. Cioppino is a dish conceived by the fishermen themselves, traditionally comprised of the leftover bits and pieces of the days catch. Tonight we imagine we’re in San Francisco and enjoy a savory bowl of Cioppino.

2 Tbs olive oil in the cooking pot

Add

½  Onion $.35

(I used leek onion combo because I had leeks on hand and was curious on how it would taste)

¼  green pepper diced $.20

2  Tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley$.50 

2  Sliced mushrooms$.10

2  Cloves garlic minced fine or grated $.30

                            Cook for a few minutes

Add

1-2                 Diced fresh tomatoes $.60

1 Tbs or so      Tomato paste $.35

¾ cup             Red wine (white is ok too)

I used merlot we had on hand (use a decent wine) $2.50

 I simmer the pot about ½ hour to 45 minutes

Simmering the cioppino

I made a small bundle or rosemary thyme and oregano from the garden (tied it for easy removal) and tossed it in the pot to simmer

 add S&P to taste

                               MEANWHILE

I’ve cleaned and *steamed

3oz scallops  $.300

4oz shrimp $3.00

2oz cod $1.20

*(I place the shrimp shells in the steaming water

and use the drained steaming liquid (minus the shells)

as part of the 1 cup of water I’ll add to the pot later)

When fish are done steaming I added them to the pot with

1-cup or so of water including steaming liquid

I also cut them into pieces for the two of us.

(When making this for a group I leave the shrimp whole because it makes a good presentation.)

as a finishing touch I add 1oz cooked crab meat $1.00

(It was $14.99 per Lb. I needed almost ½ Lb for a dish later this weekend

and the ounce I used today really worked well in the soup.

Total $13.10 (Cost still rivals a trip to any fast food drive thru)

TIP OF THE DAY: Don’t feel as if you must buy and entire pound on any one ingredient. Most fishmongers and butchers for that matter realize a small quantity may be all that’s needed for a dish. I purchased 2 oz of cod at the store and the fishmonger behind the counter was happy to help. I often buy 1 or 2 slices of good bacon for a dish and rule out the pre- packaged slab. Think creatively and a special dish like Cioppino does not have to cost a great deal.     

Stuffed Pork Chop Parsley Potatoes & Crispy Kale Chips

     I had one nice big unused pork chop in the refrigerator today.There were however two of having dinner tonight.   Although it was a big chop I had to get a bit creative to make it a suitable meal for the two of us. I decided to butterfly the chop and stuff it with a spinach, onion & feta filling. I think I found a good solution. I thought we could all revisit our choices when faced with a slightly smaller portion of meat than normal.

Pork Chop $1.75

Spinach $.89

½ onion $.35

1 Tbs Feta cheese $.40

Fennel (I ground a few seeds to add to the S&P)

Potatoes $.50

I saute the onion in olive oil till about tender

Add the spinach & season fennel S&P

Cool completely ( I prepared it this AM and kept it in the fridge)

I butterfly the boneless chop and pound it till slightly flattened

Place filling inside

Place cheese inside

Roll up the chop

Tie or toothpick to fasten

Sear in frying pan 1.5minutes on each side.

Finish in oven 15 minutes or till to temp 160 degrees.
It’s a large enough portion for two.

I’m serving it with red potatoes cooked till tender and tossed with butter and parsley

The Kale growing in our garden

And crispy oven baked kale chips (a favorite or ours from our garden)

Total $$3.89

TIP OF THE DAY: You might think one pork chop cant possibly work as a dinner for two people. The way I have prepared this one it certainly can. Don’t let perfectly good food sit in the fridge till you have to throw it away. Create a dinner that will showcase the amount you do have by supplementing it with unique and deliciously prepared ingredients.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

      This week I have noticed that everywhere I turn people are talking about meatballs. I’ve seen about 30 recipes I'd like to try and today is the day. Recently I’ve been learning to make my own pasta from scratch and I have enjoyed taking my old standard recipes and trying them with fresh pasta. Today however is all about the meatball. I’m excited to take the classic Spaghetti and meatballs recipe in different direction…Abondanzza. 

Ground beef $2.00

Ground pork $2.00

Garlic $.30

Handful of fresh parsley $.50

Handful of fresh basil

¼ cup Breadcrumbs $.30

2 Eggs $.50

¼ cup Parmesan cheese $.70

Mix all the above ingredients and form meatballs

Tuck a small cube of mozzarella in the center$ 1.00

Roll in meatball in more breadcrumbs  $.30

After browning them in a pan I’ll finish them in the simmering sauce.

(I’m doing a quick sauce of tomato, basil and garlic)

When fully cooked

Add cooked pasta to a pan and mix in sauce and meatballs

It will absorb sauce nicely

Meatballs are simmering away on the stove

Tomatoes for sauce $.75

Garlic for sauce $.30

Basil from the garden

Pasta ingredients (egg flour oil salt water) ($1.00 if that)

Total $9.65 give or take a few cents

TIP OF THE DAY: Take a look at your tried and true meals and give them a makeover. We all get into food ruts but it’s OK to shake things up once in a while. Take a classic dish you love and revisit the preparation. Look at many recipe adaptations and pick components of several that appeal to you. Take ingredients that intrigue you and use your imagination to create a new twist on a family favorite.

Leek & Potato Soup

     We picked up some beautiful leeks at the farmers market this past weekend. I immediately began imagining all the recipes that call for leeks and deciding which ones I would prepare. They are a favorite of mine and I've been eyeing them in the fridge since Saturday. 

     We had a hearty lunch today and I wanted to serve a dinner on the lighter side. Leek and potato soup seem to be the perfect answer.

1 Tbs oil $.25

1 Leek cleaned and chopped  (little over 2 cups) $.50

2 –3 small red potatoes  $.50

(peeled & diced)

4 cups stock or water or a combo of both $2.50 (I used broth today)

¼ cup Parsley $.30

½-1 Tbs Thyme (to taste)

1 /2 Tbs oil in stockpot

Slice 1 thoroughly cleaned leek

And cook for a few minutes but don’t brown it.

Add water or broth  

Add   potatoes

Bring to boil

Simmer about 20 minutes or so till tender

Add parsley and Thyme

Sweating the leeks

Take 2/3 of the mixture and carefully puree

This will thicken it while keeping some of it chunky.

(I’ve also pureed it all for a smoother soup)

Finally add

 1-cup milk $.40 to finish the soup (optional)  (from skim to half & half what ever you use)

(The heavier the richer and creamier)

S&P to taste

I’m serving the soup with some nice cheddar cheese and crackers. $ 1.00

Total $ 5.45 give or take a few cents

 

TIP OF THE DAY: Leeks are often overlooked in the produce section. They might be a few cents more than some other vegetables but don’t let this stop you from trying them. Leeks are delicious, versatile and well worth making a part of your menu plan.  I’ve used leeks as the main ingredient in tonight’s dinner and as you can see it was a very economical dish. This is a perfect choice for a light summer meal. Embrace the elegant leek as part of your vegetable cache.

 

Pork Stir Fry

     Tonight seems like a great night for a quick stir-fry dinner.

This morning I cut all the ingredients in to small wok friendly pieces. 

     Getting the ingredients cut and lined up in advance is a really important part of the process. Stir- fry cooking goes very quickly so in order not to over cook anything I’m making sure to have all the chopping finished before I begin.

Pork cubed  $2.00

Broccoli $ .40

2 Carrots $.30

½ green Pepper $ .30

½ Onion   $.30

3 cloves Garlic $.30

1 Tbs Oil( I used grapeseed because I was out of Peanut & it worked well)

Rice ½ cup $.30

Marinade

1/8 tsp cornstarch

Soy 1 ½ Tbs

OJ concentrate 1 Tbs

Ginger 1 inch (1/2 oz) peeled and grated

(I usually pay $1.99- $2.49 per pound for ginger)

Pepper

Heat the wok

Then carefully add oil

Cook the pork till done and set aside

Add the veggies and cook till done

Add the marinade

Add the pork back in

Serve over rice 

(1 used a cup dry brown and 2 cups water in a rice cooker)

$3.90 Give or take a few cents

TIP OF THE DAY: I chopped the veggies for tonight’s dinner this morning. I often do two or three days of meal prep at a time if it makes sense within my menu plan. Cleaning and chopping the vegetables in advance can make the preparation of a meal much more relaxed and there is less of a danger of accidentally omitting an important ingredient. This is even more helpful if you work outside the home all day and find yourself with very little time to prepare the family dinner. Plan ahead and enjoy the process.

Sunday Brunch ~ Dutch Baby & Eggs en Cocotte

     I love the relaxed feel of a Sunday morning. Plenty of time to linger over that extra cup of coffee, recharge our souls and let the day slowly unfold. A dear friend from overseas is visiting us this weekend and I am preparing a Sunday Brunch.

     I’m taking the classic pancakes and egg concept in a bit of a different direction for this meal.

The pancake will be a Dutch baby and I will serve eggs en cocotte.

The Dutch baby is a pancake variation I prepare in a cast iron skillet in the oven where it puffs up and looks beautiful.

  DUTCH BABY

I use 3 eggs (beat alone till frothy then add) $.75

½ cup milk $.25

½ cup bread flour (you can use AP flour as well) $.30

¼ tsp vanilla

¼ tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

a small peeled sliced apple (optional) I sometimes use a baked apple $.50

I use my lodge cast iron skillet for this dish

I preheat an oven to 450 degrees 

I put the skillet in the oven

So it gets very hot

I make the batter (above)  (beat till smooth) 

Remove hot pan from the oven  (USE POTHOLDERS)

Carefully place butter in the hot pan to coat

Place batter in the hot pan

Return to oven for about 20 –25 minutes till its puffy

When done I drizzle a touch of lemon juice on top an

I like to serve it with maple syrup

EGGS EN COCOTTE

Take a ramekin for each person

Rub inside sides and bottom with a thin coat of butter

Put ½ tsp of basil pesto in the middle of the ramekin

Put 2 eggs in each ramekin  $ 1.50

Add ½ tsp half & half to the top of each $.25

Add ½ tsp grated Parmesan to the top of each $.50

S&P to taste

Place all ramekins in a baking dish

Carefully pour boiling water in the baking dish till it reaches

halfway - two thirds up the ramekins

Place in 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes till done

I like to turn them out onto a plate to serve

Note: you can prepare these eggs so many ways, experiment with different cheeses and different herbs. Have fun with it.

Total $ 4.05 gives or take a few cents

 TIP OF THE DAY:  Take staples of your diet and play with the possibilities. Instead of the usual pancakes make a Dutch baby. It’s easy and inexpensive. Think of which meals you regularly prepare that could benefit from a new and different twist. Treasure the old standbys but be adventurous and discover new

Family favorites