Ratatouille

I have been dreaming - obsessing - over Provence lately. I have been researching the price of vacation cottages, looking at plane tickets. I mean, I live in Germany...its not that far right? What was that about a budget again? Oh right. See, summer is ending; Christmas is looming menacingly on the horizon; we just went through a big move (make that 2 big moves in the past year); we have already taken 2 vacations this year and have another coming up in November (Istanbul!!)...um, yeah. I think my wistful holiday picking lavender and drinking wine in Provence is going to have to be put on hold for now (insert eye roll directed at myself here).

But that doesn't mean I can't have a little taste of it right here at home. The markets are full of dirt cheap Zucchini, Eggplant and tomatoes that are sure to disappear in the coming weeks. Eating on a (extremely tight) budget means I like dishes that use those inexpensive in-season veggies, makes a ton, and is delicious to eat as leftovers. Ratatouille is the perfect dish.

This is a dish that requires a bit of prep. I mean, normally when a recipe tells me to do something as silly as peel the eggplant I laugh and say "no thanks". However, this was my first time making this classic so I did (almost) exactly as I was told and I do not regret it at all. It is delicious, rich, smooth and will make lovers out of any vegetable hater you serve it too. Promise. Its really a very simple dish, all the slicing and basting aside, and the flavor of all the vegetables come together in a way that is simply sublime. Oh, and guess how much this cost? Just guess. A whopping 3 euros.

I found this to be a very forgiving and flexible recipe. You can make several hours or a day ahead, and while its fun to get everything just right - if you slice the veggies different, or under cook the zucchini (like I did) - well, it still tastes just as good (no food snobbery around here). Now that I have made it once, I will have fun playing with different ingredients and flavors as I try this again and again (oh, yes, this will be eaten many more times at this house).

We enjoyed plain as a main course with a glass of wine and some nice music on the patio while fantasizing about our vacation in the South of France; but I can imagine cooking this up on a Saturday afternoon with the fam, watching the Pixar classic by the same name, and eating with some roast lamb, or even tossed in couscous, pasta or eaten cold on sandwiches.


Ratatouille
based on this recipe by Julia Child

1/2 pound eggplant
1/2 pound zucchini, trimmed
salt/pepper
Olive oil
1 8-ounce onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced into strips
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 pound firm but ripe tomatoes, seeded, cut into thick strips
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 or 2 tablespoons thyme

Peel eggplant; cut lengthwise into slices, then cut into 3-inch-long, 1-inch-wide strips. Cut zucchini into same size strips. Place vegetables in a separate bowl or colander; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain; dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 425 F / 204 C. In a small shallow pan, toss eggplant with a bit of olive oil and roast in oven until starting to brown - around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, working in batches, add zucchini to a heated skillet with olive oil; sauté until light golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to plate; reserve.

Add a bit more oil to skillet; heat over medium heat. Add onion and peppers; sauté until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Place tomato strips atop onion-pepper mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover skillet; cook over low heat until tomatoes begin to juice, about 5 minutes. Uncover; baste vegetables in skillet with juices. Boil until juices are almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer 1/3 of onion-pepper-tomato mixture to 2 1/2-quart pot; sprinkle with a bit of the parsley, basil and thyme. Top with half of eggplant and half of zucchini, then remaining onion-pepper-tomato mixture; sprinkle with herbs. Layer remaining eggplant and zucchini over; sprinkle with a bit more of the herbs. Cover; simmer over low heat 10 minutes.

Uncover; tilt pot and baste with accumulated juices. Pour a bit of red wine over the whole pot (not too much - a glug or two). Increase heat to medium; simmer uncovered, basting several times with pan juices until only 2 to 3 tablespoons juices remain in pot, watching closely to avoid scorching, anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes longer (I had a lot of juice and this phase took awhile). Season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm with baguette.

Double Chocolate Espresso Brownies

I am an unabashed brownie lover. I cannot make them that often because I will literally gobble down the entire pan - I cannot control myself. Moving to Germany and not having Ghiradelli Brownie mixes readily available has been a pretty good thing for me (or really horrible depending on when you ask me).

However, I have been committed to make more things from scratch whether or not a mix is available - especially things that have such a short list of ingredients that are all part of my regular pantry. A little while back I visited the Lindt Chocolate museum, followed by a (very long) visit to the museum gift shop. It was full of every kind of amazing chocolate product you can think of and the largest selection of high-cacao-percentage bars and powders I have ever seen. It was glorious. I picked up some amazing Cocoa made from fair-trade South American beans and I knew right then and there the first thing I made with it would be brownies.

I really did my research. I must have read every brownie recipe known to woman, and when it came time to make them my chocolate-loving instincts really kicked in. I knew I wanted moist fudge like brownies that were so chocolaty only a true chocoholic would appreciate them. Be warned - I really think I succeeded.

These Brownies have a perfect flaky top crust, get the perfect amount of crunchy on the edges, and have a deep, dark, and rich chocolate flavor (enhanced by a shot of espresso). Little bursts of milk chocolate from the chips are just the bonus that will put you over the edge into chocolate bliss. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and any guests might never leave.


Double Chocolate Espresso Brownies
120 g Butter (roughly 8 1/2 tbs)
1 cup Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
handful milk chocolate chips
3 1/2 Tbs good Cocoa Powder (preferably Broma process NOT dutch process - it has a more intense chocolate flavor)
about 10 g semi-sweet chocolate (a small chunk or two of semi-sweet baking chocolate)
1 shot of espresso*

In a double boiler (you can just use a pyrex bowl over a small sauce pan) over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate and espresso and stir until well combined. Remove from heat.

Place chocolate in a mixing bowl (can use same bowl as you used to melt it in - just let it cool down a bit) and stir in sugar until well combined and dissolved. Add vanilla and eggs and quickly whisk until all well combined. Fold in flour and salt.

Pour into a buttered/floured 8 in square pan (or round). Sprinkle milk chocolate chips over the batter so they kind of float on top. Bake at 325 F / 163 C in a Convection oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (if using a convention oven you will probably need to cook for around 20 percent longer).

Let cool in pan on a wire rack (so the bottom of the pan cools as well) for around 20 minutes or so before cutting. Enjoy sprinkled with powdered sugar or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream :)

* If you don't have espresso easily available - use a dark brewed coffee (no need for fancy machines though - I make my espresso on the stove top in one of these). It doesn't add a strong espresso flavor - just a hint that enhances the darkness of the cocoa. But don't worry - you can still enjoy these brownies if you simply leave the espresso out.

French Lentil Soup

I go through phases with my cooking - I will be inspired by something and find myself cooking with those flavors or methods over and over (last week it was Cucumbers and Afternoon Tea that had me inspired...as you can tell). Something about late summer, a few cool rainy days, and watching the movie Ratatouille had me wanting to cook warm hearty dishes with rustic French flavors (and hmmm...maybe even some Ratatouille in the coming days?). This soup satisfied that craving perfectly. The balsamic vinegar gave the broth a deep richness and the vegetables and lentils filled us up perfectly. We sopped up the extra broth in the bowl with big crusty whole wheat rolls. The perfect meal for a rainy day.

Like most people, we are always trying to eat on a budget. Eating on a budget can sometimes feel limiting and boring - but it definitely doesn't have to. Really, when you try to eat real food made from scratch - most food doesn't actually cost that much (especially if you try to use meat as a condiment instead of the main event - or hey, maybe even not at all). Some ingredients are a real bargain - and when you dress them up with herbs, spices and in-season vegetables they can offer endless variety and deeply satisfying meals.

Lentils are one of those wonderful ingredients. A little bit goes a really long way and like pasta and rice, they can serve as a backdrop for almost anything while still being an integral part of the dish. I think all total (not including the things already in my pantry like Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar and spices) this soup cost a total of around 3 euros and gave us 4 very large main-course servings.


French Lentil Soup
1 cup French Lentils (or Masoor lentils - in fact I often find Masoor lentils labeled as French lentils here; even though they are different colors they have similar properties when cooked. Here is a good primer on different kinds of lentils - with pictures.)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups water
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 gloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 tomatoes, chopped (between 1/2 to 1 cup)
1/2 eggplant, diced (about 1 1/2 cups) and drizzled with lemon juice
1 1/2 tbs dried herbs de Provence (thyme, basil, savory, rosemary, lavender, fennel if you have fresh)
salt and pepper
3 tbs olive oil
2 dried bay leaves
4 tbs (roughly - start there and add to taste) balsamic vinegar
Juice from 1/2 lemon ( a few tbs)

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a heavy soup pot (4 to 5 qt) over moderately high heat. Add chopped onion, season with salt, and saute until starting to turn golden - around 5 minutes. Add eggplant and carrots and garlic and herbs and toss in oil. Saute another 3 to 4 minutes or until eggplant is starting to soften.

Add tomatoes and lemon juice and saute another minute or so more. Add lentils and stir into the oil and veggies. Add veggie broth, water, bay leaves and balsamic vinegar. Taste the broth and season as needed with salt and fresh ground black pepper (I did around 6 turns on the grinder). Bring to a boil then reduce heat slightly and let simmer, uncovered until soup thickens and lentils have softened - around 30 minutes.

Serve warm with some crusty bread and good wine :)