Box-of-garden-vegetables, Round Two: Ratatouille

There is nothing quite like hearing a knock on your door, opening the door, and finding a box full of vegetables on your doorstep. You want to know why? Because this garden...

...gets packed in a box in the garden and sent to me.
(for more pictures of the garden, look at the end of this post)

This is the second box of vegetables my father has sent me. It doesn't get much better than this. He packs the box in the garden, drops it off at the post-office, and a few days later I have fresh corn, peppers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, okra, onions, shallot, cucumber, and radishes.

With the box in hand, my mind started racing through recipes and my fingers started thumbing through the 'vegetable' section of my Joy of Cooking. I settled on a recipe for Ratataouille Provencal.

This hearty, stew-like dish is packed with flavor. First, you have all the wonderful veggies: eggplant, squash/zucchini, peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Then you have some wonderful herbs: thyme, bay leaf, and basil. This dish could easily have turned into a disaster of mush-y, indistinguishable vegetable-like pieces. Fortunately, this recipe made it possible for the vegetables to marry together, and yet retain their individual flavors and shapes. What a perfect way to showcase these lovely, fresh Matherne-garden vegetables.

The prep:
Get the veggies out. And revel in how beautiful the are.
I started with the eggplant and squash. And, yes, I used a scale to weigh 1 pound of each and a ruler to cut 1-inch chunks. Here's the Japanese eggplant, slender and more tender than regular globe eggplant.


And the squash. I threw in a little zucchini for good measure.
Next, these lovely peppers. This time, I went ruler-free.

Then the onions. If they are sent to you from the garden, be sure to clean them well.


Mince up the garlic.

Gather your basil.

And you are ready to start cooking. Get some oil heating in your Dutch oven.

You start with the eggplant and the squash. You use high heat at this point, because you want to get a golden crust on the eggplant and squash, without overcooking them. They start like this:
And, once they are golden like this:
... remove them to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium-high, add a bit more oil, and toss in your onions.

Once they are softened, add the peppers and garlic.
Let those cook until just tender.

Then for the tomatoes. I decided to drain a can instead of peeling my own.

Now, you add in the tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf.

Cover and let that marry for about 5 minutes. Then add the eggplant and squash back in.

Cover that and let that marry for another 20 minutes or so. The timing is important on this because you don't want the vegetables to turn to mush. You want everything to still have body and be distinct. Remove the lid and throw in a handful of chopped basil.


Spoon that into your serving bowl. Garnish with some basil and a little grated parmesan.

Serve that with a side of corn on the cobb, and you have one fantastic way to use vegetables that were delivered by the mailman.


Ratataouille Provencal (adapted from Joy of Cooking)
Ingredients:
1/4 c, plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound zucchini (or squash), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
2 large bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, chopped fresh tomatoes or one 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 to 3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped basil

Directions:
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat. Add eggplant and squash. Cook, stirring until golden and just tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a plate and reduce the heat to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and onions. Cook until the onions are slightly softened. Add bell peppers and garlic cloves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are just tender but not browned, about 8 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add tomatoes, thyme, and the bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook until everything is tender, about 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in basil.

Serve garnished with basil and parmesan cheese.

Use this Ratatouille as a side dish, over meat, on a hummus sandwich, or on a salad.

More pictures of the garden and its delights:
Peppers,
Japanese eggplants,

turnips,onions,
squash,

zucchinis, cucumbers,
and rows of corn...

More fun with the box of squash: Zucchini, Squash, and Basil Soup

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently received a box full of squash and zucchini in the mail courtesy of my father and his garden. I used some of it for a squash, mushroom, marinara penne. I used some more of it for zucchini cupcakes. And I still had about 2 pounds left, i.e. the perfect amount for a soup. To be specific: zucchini, squash, and basil soup.

But, how did I know I had 2 pounds left? Well, I think it is about time you meet my new favorite kitchen acquisition: the scale.

Over the past few months, I keep on having these moments where I wish I had a scale. How many onions equal 2 1/2 pounds? Is this the right amount of crystallized ginger? How much is one serving of penne (I always cook way too much pasta)? And the questions proliferate from here. So I finally decided to buckle down and buy a scale. And I love it! Within the first two days of receiving it in the mail, I used it three times for cooking purposes (and probably 5 or 6 times just for fun). It is one of those purchases that I am going to use all the time and a year from now I will probably think, how ever did I manage without my scale?

Back to the soup. Since I had squash, zucchini, and onion from my father's garden and loads of basil on my porch, I decided to make a zucchini, squash, and basil soup. I was tempted to throw in some tomatoes or potatoes, but in the end I decided I wanted something a bit more 'pure'. And I am so glad I decided to keep it simple. The flavors were elegant, but well-rounded. The color was just beautiful! And it was so easy to make.

As you know, there was Colorado-grown squash and zucchini. And thanks to my kitchen scale, I knew that I had 2 lbs and 2 ounces. Also, since a couple of the squash were bigger, I went ahead and seeded them to try and avoid any bitterness.


My father also included a yellow, white, and red onion in the parcel. So those made it in. And let me tell you, they were so fresh I though I would never stop crying!


Beyond the squash and onion, most of the flavor for this recipe came from 2 ingredients: garlic and basil.


To prepare the soup, saute the onions.

Then add the garlic just before the onions are done. Even when recipes say to add the onions and garlic at the same time, I think that the garlic inevitable burns if you do this. So I have taken to adding the garlic right at the end of the onion-saute step.


Next, pile in the zucchini and squash. And flavor it with salt and pepper.
(How lovely is this color combination?)

Once that gets tender, you add the stock. Bring it to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Add in the basil and let the basil infuse the soup for a couple minutes.

Remove from heat, puree, and you are ready to go!

I garnished it with some small basil leaves and a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan.

Zucchini, Squash, and Basil Soup (adapted from epicurious)

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion (I used 3 small)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs zucchini and sqaush, halved length-wise and thinly sliced
1 tsp salt (plus pinches for seasoning each layer)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (plus pinches for seasoning each layer)
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup julienned basil

Directions:
Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until onion is transluscent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add zucchini, squash, salt, and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 cups stock, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes or until the squash is tender. Stir in basil and let that simmer for another minute. Remove from heat and puree. Season to taste.