Julia Child's Ratatouille

Rainstorms always put me in the mood for something heart-warming, cozy, and filling. Lucky for my tummy, it rained the other day and I decided to make ratatouille, an eggplant casserole with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and zucchini. I based my creation on the ratatouille recipe expertly crafted by the queen of French cooking, Julia Child. I changed a few things to the recipe, only to make it easier and a little more colorful. It'll be hard work, but it's so worth it and you'll see why. For the original recipe, please go to the following link Knopf Double Day: Julia Child's Ratatouille Recipe

What you'll need:
1 eggplant
1 zucchini or green squash
1 yellow squash (added to bring a little more color to the dish)
1 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper (added to bring a little more color to the dish)
1 green pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves mashed garlic
1 pound red tomatoes (about 4 large tomatoes)
3 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes (added cause Tyler and I love a little kick)
Thyme (added cause who doesn't love thyme)
Shredded mozzarella (added to top with  - really takes the dish to the next level!)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Wash all vegetables. Thinly slice the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, yellow onion, green pepper, and red pepper. Season with salt and set aside. Try not to mix the vegetables. It makes it easier to arrange the vegetables later.

3. Saute the eggplant, zucchini, and squash in olive oil for about 5 minutes browning each side  lightly. Remove to a side dish.  
4. In the same skillet, cook the onions and green pepper and red pepper for about 10 minutes. While that's cooking, mince garlic and mix in with vegetables.
5. Next, dice tomatoes. Mix with onions and peppers. Cook down until tender and soft. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes and thyme to taste.
6. Place the mixture of onions, peppers, and tomatoes into the bottom of an olive oil-coated casserole pan (I used fresh tomatoes and the mixture of onions, peppers, and tomatoes, as the base of the casserole). Sprinkle minced parsley over tomatoes.
7. Arrange eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash so you can see all the different colors. 
8. Do steps 5 and 6 repeatedly in that order until the casserole pan is full. Sprinkle fresh parsley, more thyme, and red pepper flakes on top.
9. Place in  heated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
10. Serve with shredded mozarella cheese and a good slice of bread to dip into the ratatouille sauce.

 

Mediterranean Chicken Roulade

As the fall season approaches, the herbs in Ty's garden have begun getting ready for the colder weather. We've been trying all sorts of new recipes to incorporate the herbs before they go dormant. Today we used Ty's oregano plant to make a Mediterranean chicken roulade. It turned out absolutely perfect and I have to say it looked and tasted quite gourmet. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

What you'll need:
1 package of thinly sliced chicken breasts (about 4 slices)
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
A dash of salt and pepper
A dash of red pepper flakes
A dash of sumac and za'atar
1 package of reduced fat crumbled feta cheese
A handful of oregano
1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic
Toothpicks

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. While that's heating up, make the filling. Start by finely chopping the oregano and garlic. Once chopped, mix with feta cheese. Zest half a lemon and mix in with filling. Set aside.

3. On to the chicken! Coat bottom of ceramic roasting pan with EVOO. Place chicken breast in pan and make sure both sides are covered with EVOO. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, sumac, and za'atar.

4. Place filling on the skinnier side of the breast. Roll as tight as you can. Set in place with a toothpick or a string of cooking twine.

5. Once all are wrapped, sear the chicken in a frying pan until brown on all sides. This should only take 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Place chicken in roasting pan and bake in oven for 10 minutes. Flip sides and bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Let the meat rest for a minute or two and then begin slicing. Place slices in a separate plate. Once all are placed, drizzle the remaining EVOO from the roasting pan and sprinkle a little more filling if you have some leftover. You can also squeeze a little lemon juice on top and/or place a few lemon slices for presentation.