Ratatouille

Long before being the title to (let's admit it) one of the awesomest Disney/Pixar productions of all time, Ratatouille was a delicious French dish.

Made with sun-gorged vegetables like eggplants, zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes, it is traditionally served in the South of France or Provence. Not unlike curry, chili or lasagna, there are as many recipes for it as there are cooks.

My favorite way to have it is with buttery, creamy scrambled eggs or cold on a piece of sourdough toast. Delicious!

Here's my recipe.



INGREDIENTS (for 4 people as a side dish):
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- 1 bell pepper (any color)
- 1 bucket of cherry tomatoes (or 3 medium tomatoes)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1/4 cup of olive oil, reserve 1 tbsp on the side
- salt and pepper to taste


RECIPE:
- dice the eggplant (about 1/2 inch), salt lightly to draw water out and pat dry with paper towels

- dice the zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic and halve the cherry tomatoes (if using medium tomatoes, cut in eight)

- in a hot pan over medium heat, fry the dried eggplant in the olive oil until golden and reserve in a bowl

- in the remaining tbsp of olive oil, fry the onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent and fragrant, then add the zucchini and pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes over medium heat

- add the cooked eggplants, tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf, cover and let simmer over low heat for 30 minutes

- after 30 minutes, uncover and let simmer for another 15-20 minutes over low heat, stirring often

- serve warm alongside eggs, fish or any meat (goes really well with chicken and pork), room temperature or cold, as a salad or on toast. Ratatouille is delicious any way you eat it!
- enjoy!!

Butternut squash, Kale and Pancetta soup

Nothing I like more than a comforting, warming, delicious chunky soup this time of year.

It makes use of seasonal vegetables (squash and kale) and I love the flavor combo of smokey, salty pancetta and creamy cannellini beans. This recipe can also be kept vegetarian by switching chicken stock to vegetable stock. For a vegan option, I would substitute butter for olive oil, and pancetta with a teaspoon of miso or half a teaspoon of marmite.

Try this soup, you will love it!

INGREDIENTS (for 6 people):

- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced relatively finely (about 1/4 inch cubes)

- 1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

- 1 bunch of kale, remove the stalks and grossly chopped

- 1 cup onion, diced finely (1 medium onion should do)

- 1 cup carrots, diced finely

- 1 cup celery, diced finely

- 4 oz cubed pancetta

- 1 sprig of fresh thyme (dry works fine too)

- 2 tbsp butter

- 12 cups liquid (I used 8 cups chicken stock and 4 cups water)

RECIPE:

- in a deep stockpot, melt the butter and fry the pancetta over medium-high heat until crispy and golden

- add the carrots, celery and onion (this flavor base is also called a mirepoix) and the sprig of thyme.  Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and the pancetta drippings have been deglazed from the bottom of the pan (about 5 minutes)

- after 5 minutes, add the cubed squash, stock and water and bring to a boil. When the liquid boils, lower heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is almost cooked through

- add the kale and beans, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the kale is cooked to your taste

- Enjoy!

Gratinee a l'oignon (French Onion soup)

One of the perks of cold weather is that it is once again the season to enjoy the deliciousness that is French onion soup.

An absolute classic recipe that is best enjoyed after a day of skiing, hiking or really just plain lazy urban cocooning, it is one of the cheapest and satisfying meals I can think of!

Do try it. I promise you this will not be in vain :)

PS: on top of my regular point and shoot photography, my friend Rod came over to share some food and macro photography tips. Take a look at this!

Photographs by Rod Egret

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people, or 2 people for 2 meals)
- 1 1/2 lbs onions
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup AP flour
- 1 cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio, but you can use Riesling or even a red; if you are using a white though, use a dry wine not sweet)
- 8 cups beef broth (you can use vegetable broth if you wish to make a vegetarian version, but if you do eat meat, beef is the way to go!)
- 1/2 stick of butter
- a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf
- a stale French baguette, or any stale bread you can slice and shape into large croutons
- PLENTY of grated Alpine Gruyere (No, you really cannot use mozzarella, jack or cheddar on this... If you cannot find Gruyere, I guess an aged Parmesan would work, but you just cannot replicate the sweet, nutty, delicious flavor of Gruyere. It is really not that much of a splurge: I got the pictured slab for about 5.50 dollars at whole foods, and only used about half of it. For real!)


RECIPE:
- in a dutch oven or deep pot, melt the butter and saute the sliced onions over medium-high heat until golden brown and lightly caramelized (about 5-7 minutes)

- add the flour and the finely chopped garlic, mix and cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat, making sure it does not stick to the bottom

- deglaze the pot with the wine, then add the beef broth, thyme and bay leaf and simmer over medium heat for another 25-30 minutes

- after 30 minutes, the soup will have thickened and reduced a little in volulme, and the onions will be very tender

- place a crouton in the bottom of an oven-proof bowl and ladle the soup over it. Add another two croutons on top and smother in grated cheese (forgot to take a picture with the cheese, sorry!)

- melt the cheese under the broiler for a few minutes and look often! The croutons are very prone to burning... ahem...

- enjoy piping hot, with a nice glass of red wine!

Bohémienne (Provencal eggplant and tomato stew)

The sun is back! The sun is back! Hooray! Hooray! The sun is back!!!

And that means I'm in the mood for sunny recipes :)

Bohémienne is a provençal dish (from the south-east Provence region of France). It's quite similar to Ratatouille, a summer vegetable stew from the same region, only it only contains eggplants and tomatoes.
It is absolutely delicious as an appetizer on bread, or with eggs (any style), as a side vegetable for lamb chops, sausage, fish, and really just about anything! Oh, you can also have it for breakfast, or even use it in burgers in lieu of caramelized onions.

It's a very versatile dish. It stores very well and is delicious. Try it, and let me know what you think!



INGREDIENTS (makes a lot! enough to fill 3 large Mason jars)
- 6 large eggplants, peeled, cubed, salted and drained
- 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cubed (save the strained juice)
- 8 salted anchovies in oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp AP flour
- about a 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 2 cups of broth (beef or chicken) (not pictured, I added it on a whim while I was cooking)
- water to thin down the stew if it gets too thick


RECIPE:
- heat the oil in a large deep pot and saute the eggplants in batch, until golden and reserve on the side

- in the same pot, saute the anchovies and add the onions. cook until slightly golden, and add the tomatoes, tomato juice and garlic. cook until soft.

- after a few minutes, add the eggplants and bay leaves and a cup of broth. Sprinkle generously with pepper and simmer for about 30-40 minutes on low heat

Note: stir often, and make sure that the stew doesn't dry. Add broth and/or water to prevent sticking.
- after 40 minutes, add the flour mixed with a little broth or water, stir and cook for another 45 minutes until it becomes a beautiful caramel color. Make sure to stir often, or it will stick to the bottom!

- pour in sterilized jars or eat within 3-5 days. Keep refrigerated.

- I like it best cold, the day after: I think the flavors have time to blend together. It is absolutely delicious on toasted bread.

- I made rosemary-garlic bread crostinis from a stale loaf of bread I got on supersale at the supermarket: sliced the stale bread really thin, and dried the slices in a warm oven for about 10 minutes. A spoonful of Bohémienne on that, and you'll be happy!

Bohémienne. Or summer in a jar.