Kitchen gadgets are fun to use and can lessen the time while lightening the load in food preparation. My daughter was my sous-chef in this project, as it was she who “spiralized” the zucchini into the pasta shape. Thanks, Jamie! (P.S. It is her gadget!)
Jamie used the wide blade of the Spiral Slicer to make a thick noodle-like spirals of zucchini. I sautéed those “noodles” in olive oil with some minced garlic, just to the point of being crisp-tender. We served it with marinara sauce topped with parmesan cheese -as a side dish to a veggie burger.
I was out of “sweets” so I needed to rustle up something……. biscotti are easy to mix and can be ready to eat quickly. Right up my alley….
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dates, chopped
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
4 eggs
1 cup neutral oil (vegetable or canola are good)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, baking soda and cinnamon
Add the dates and almonds. Combine and set aside
In a small bowl, whisk eggs
Add oil and sugars and whisk together thoroughly
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir with wooden spoon til just combined
Divide dough in half. Place each half on the baking sheet and shape into two logs that are the length of the pan and about 2 inches wide. The dough is a little sticky, so put some flour on your hands to do this)
Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm
Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes
Transfer logs to a cutting board and with a serrated knife, cut into diagonal slices about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. (This can make for long cookies, so I generally cut slices in half. You don’t have to)
Place slices back on baking sheet (or 2 sheets – this makes a lot of cookies and they might not fit on 1 sheet pan)
Bake again for about 5-10 minutes depending on how crispy you like
Remove to a cooling rack til cool enough to eat.
You can dunk them in a nice cup of hot coffee or tea or espresso!
One of my dearest friends Sara Saldi, a loyal blog follower, mentioned the Sicilian eggplant delicacy “Melanzone” that her mom used to make. She has inspired me to dig out my mom’s recipe and make great use of the abundant crop of eggplant this harvest season.
The crock I’ve used was my mom’s, and dates back to the 1930s or earlier, as I believe it originally belonged to my her dad- my grandpa.
The only trouble with this recipe is that it requires a fair amount of patience, since it takes about 4 weeks of curing time for the eggplant to pickle properly. The reward is that it is a delicious, savory treat – very worth the wait. Don’t forget the crusty Italian bread!
Melanzane Sott’Olio (Translation: Eggplant Under Oil)
(Pickled Eggplant)
2 eggplants, washed, unpeeled
Salt
Olive oil
Cider Vinegar
Dried oregano
Garlic, several cloves, thinly sliced
Hot red pepper flakes
Small jar of capers, drained
Slice the eggplants thinly, less than ¼”. Place in a colander, lightly sprinkle each layer with salt to draw the moisture out. Put some weight on it and let drain for about 40 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. I used gloved hands for this step, since the eggplant will stain fingers. Using a pottery crock or other non-reactive container, layer eggplant slices, oil, garlic slices, dash of oregano, light sprinkle of salt, red pepper flakes, to taste – and a splash of vinegar. Repeat to use up all eggplant slices.
Cover top layer with olive oil; place a small saucer and something to weigh it down. Cover the container and place a weight on top to keep the contents submerged under about 1” of oil at all times. (I placed a jar full of dried beans on the saucer, covered it with a plastic lid, and weighed it down with two 3-lb weights.) This prevents the contents from spoiling. Check, from time to time, to be sure that the protective layer of olive oil remains. Let it cure for about 4 weeks in a cool dry place.
Serve with crusty Italian bread. Replace oil, if needed, to keep remaining eggplant slices covered.
I’ll check back on the blog in about 4 weeks with the ready-to-eat Melanzane Sott’Olio. Yum.
Pasta of any kind is truly comfort food for many of us. Tortellini has the added bonus of cheese! You might prefer the meat-filled variety. The ingredients shown below are merely suggestions. Your pantry and refrigerator might contain some of your favorite add-ins, which you can happily enjoy in your salad.
¾ pound cooked, drained, cooled tortellini
⅓ cup sliced black olives
½ julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 cups crisp-cooked broccoli, drained
½ shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Italian salad dressing
Gently mix these ingredients or your favorite selections. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Since 2007, when the movie Ratatouille was released, children everywhere know Remy, a beloved animated character; a rat who dreams of being a great chef. His choice to prepare this particular dish proved that even humble food can be impressive, even to a persnickety food critic like Anton Ego.
In real life, (not “reel” life😆), I enjoyed a surprise ending to a long-awaited, socially distant, outdoor meeting with a small group of best friends. Kathy S. offered us some vegetables, freshly picked from her garden! Eggplants, tomatoes, red, green, and sweet banana peppers!
Looks like Ratatouille for dinner tonight. But, what is it, exactly?
Ratatouille is a French Provençal stewed vegetable dish which has its origins in Nice, so it is sometimes called “ratatouille niçoise”. During the time of my studies in the neighboring city of Aix-en-Provence many years ago, I enjoyed my share of ratatouille prepared in a number of ways, always guided by the local bounty. Très délicieuse!
The cuisine of southern Mediterranean France is quite similar to Italian cuisine, so this stew always reminds me of the Caponatina my mom used to make, also called Caponata. The only difference is that the Italian version usually contains green and black olives and a dash of capers. If you have those on hand, my guess is that no one will complain, especially not me!
Ratatouille
2 eggplants, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet banana pepper, coarsely chopped
3 large tomatoes, cubed
Olive oil
Herbes de Provence
Dried Thyme
Salt and Pepper
Red wine – a splash or two
(If you have a zucchini handy, it makes a nice addition, cubed, and tossed in with the other vegetables.)
Sauté the onions, pepper, and garlic in some olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the other ingredients, stir to blend the seasonings -all to taste- cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time to avoid sticking. It’s done when the eggplant is tender the the sauce has thickened slightly.
Serve hot or cold, as a side dish with fish or a simply prepared meat, chicken or pork dish. I like it as a main dish with couscous or rice or atop a veggie burger.
Bon Appétit!
What a great gift it is to have a garden harvest; perfectly ripened, hand-selected vegetables, lovingly grown and tended by a dear friend. Thank you, Kathy!
This time of year you home gardeners may be experiencing an overload of your zucchini crop! If you are looking for some ways to use them, here’s an easy recipe to use any day of the week!
3 cups zucchini, sliced thin (I used a mandolin for thin, even slices)
4 eggs
1 cup biscuit mix (ie: Bisquick, Jiffy Mix, etc)
1 onion, minced
1/2 cup oil
2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
Salt & pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Add eggs to a mixing bowl and beat thoroughly with a whisk
Add in the onion, biscuit mix, oil and 1 1/2 cups cheese and mix until well combined
Fold in sliced zucchini with salt & pepper, to taste
Pour into an 8 – 9 inch pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray
Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top
Bake for 40-50 minuted til golden brown and cooked through
Several years ago, my daughter and I had lunch at a gourmet peanut butter café in Scottsdale, Arizona, called “P.B. Loco”. The store is no longer in existence. At the time we visited, among the treasures available for purchase -besides the may exotic flavors of peanut butter – was a book called “101 Recipes with Peanut Butter Cookbook”, published by CQ Products of Waverly, Iowa. Intriguing, yes? My daughter kindly bought the book for me and, truth be told, I have only made a couple of the recipes therein since then. I felt it was long overdue to try another one.
Thank you, Jamie! You know I love peanut butter!
The tiny, spiral-bound volume features 12 “Appetizers”, including the famous “Ants on a Log”- celery sticks filled with peanut butter sprinkled with raisins or chocolate chips. There are 7 “Main Dishes” such as “Baked Peanut Butter Chicken”, calling for a coating of eggs, mayo, peanut butter, wheat germ, milk and salt – baked 1 hour @350°.
That leaves 82 recipes in the category of “Desserts”, where this muffin recipe appears. I was anxious to test my latest acquisition- a set of silicone muffin cups recently purchased during a minor online shopping spree. They worked perfectly.
What I like most about these silicone cups is that the muffins baked evenly, with no sticking – and the cups stand up on their own, so, there is no need for an actual muffin tin. Clean up was simple – I just set them in some warm, sudsy water for a bit, rinsed them, dried them, and put them away. They are a great addition to my kitchen utensils and I recommend you give them a try.
The muffins are really tasty, and take no time to put together and bake. My bias that peanut butter is one of nature’s most perfect foods, may have a little to do with that, but, aside from people with peanut allergies, I think they will be generally well received.
Peanut Butter Muffins
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
A few peanuts for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°. In bowl, stir together flour and baking powder, set aside. Add eggs, milk, sugar, peanut butter and salt and mix until just moistened. Fill muffin cups ⅔ full. Bake in 400° oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Excellent served warm with butter. Exceptional served warm with, jam or jelly! You know, like a PBJ, only better!
One of the BEST economical and tasty shortcuts you will find in the grocery store is a rotisserie chicken! I bought one recently and got 4 meals out of it just for me! Here is a recipe that I made with one of the breast quarters of the chicken!
The province of Brittany -roughly indicated by the oval on this map- is the leading agricultural region in France and the leading agri-food region in Europe. There are approximately 775,100 dairy cattle in Brittany; 52% of French milk and 42% of the eggs are produced in the Western region of France. You have not really enjoyed butter until you have tasted the creamy, delicate texture of the Echiré variety.
And, let’s not ignore the amazing varieties of fish and seafood harvested in this coastal region – oysters, mussels, scallops, sea bass- and even seaweed, with its exceptional nutritional qualities finds its way to the menu in La Bretagne. Seafood crêpes, anyone? 🐟🐠🐡
Because of the abundance of top notch milk, eggs, and butter, Brittany is famous for crêpes, delicious thin pancakes that can be served with assorted fillings. There is great variety in what we foreigners might class as crêpes.
The savory varieties are called Galettes de Blé Noir made from buckwheat, or sarrasin (which is called blé noir, or black wheat.) They differ from dessert crêpes due to the lack of sugar in the batter. Just one of these babies offers a hearty meal that may include such ingredients as cheese, ham, egg, mushrooms, or other vegetables. But, feel free to have another!
Please do not be intimidated or discouraged by the very wordy directions in this recipe. It takes more words than it does effort to prepare this specialty. Once the pan reaches the proper temperature, and you’ve made the first few crêpes, you’ll be zooming along smoothly.
Savory Crêpes
1 cup all-purpose flour (I did not have buckwheat flour available.)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided use
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Whisk together the flour, eggs, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the salt and pepper in a large bowl. Continue whisking until you have a smooth batter. Add the remaining cup of milk and stir well to combine.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Just before you are ready to make the crêpes, whisk in the melted butter. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it is too thick, add milk slowly while whisking constantly until it is the right texture.
Heat a 9-inch non-stick skillet or crêpe pan over medium heat. Melt a teaspoon of butter in the pan or spray with vegetable spray, and heat the pan until a drop of water “dances” across the surface.
Using a ladle or a measuring cup, pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan. Hold the pan with one hand and pour the batter in with the other. Swirl the pan while pouring so that the batter covers the pan thinly and evenly for each crêpe. Try not to leave any holes. After the first few crêpes you will know exactly how much batter your pan will hold. And you won’t have to keep treating the pan, as the butter in the recipe melts and keeps the crêpes from sticking as they cook.
Cook the crêpe over medium-high heat until the edges turn brown, about 15-30 seconds. Flip the crêpe using a small spatula. Cook on the second side for another 10 to 15 seconds. The second side will not be as evenly browned as the first side. Remove the pan from the heat and layer between sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Keep warm until ready to serve at the lowest setting of your oven. Continue making crêpes with remaining batter, adjusting the heat as needed. This process goes very fast – faster than you might expect!
If not using immediately, place a square of waxed paper between each crêpe, place in a resealable plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Crêpes can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for several months. Reheat uncovered in a low oven (250°) for 15 minutes or until warm. Fill with your favorite filling.
Authentically prepared galettes are often folded as if bending the 4 points of a compass inward creating a squared design with the filling in the center exposed. Anyway you choose to fold the crêpe will work just fine.
This Galette de Blé Noir is shown here as it is typically served; with a poached egg in the center. Note the 4-corner fold.
Bon Appétit!
(Excusez-moi for the long treatise on Brittany – it’s hard to get the French teacher out of this girl’s lifelong identity. 🇫🇷)
2SISTASCOOK 