A Better Bag of Groceries

Farm Fresh Ratatouille

Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 08:10 AM

Ever see a picture in a magazine and get totally inspired to make the recipe right away?  That’s what happened to me this past Sunday morning.

I was reading my favorite part of the Boston Sunday Globe, the Magazine section.  I always read Miss Conduct  first and then I head to the food section.  That’s when I came upon this gorgeous photo.

I had already planned out an afternoon that included some cooking and freezing ahead for some busy weeks that we have from now until the end of the month, but this was one more dish that I just had to add to my list of Sunday Things to Do.  After all, there are only so many weeks left of farm-fresh tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. 

For this recipe, we needed:

So, my daughter and I headed out to one of our favorite places, Flint Farm in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

First, of course, my daughter had to sit in The Big Chair.

And then we had to check out the pumpkins.

And the apples.

And the peaches.

But we were really there for ingredients for ratatouille.  And they had a great selection.

There was eggplant, which Beth at Flint Farm always seems to sell for the fabulous price of one for $1.  I love it!

Bell peppers.  We got just what the recipe suggested:  one red and one yellow.

And tomatoes.  Oh, they are soooooooo good.

With all the ingredients we needed, we headed home to make the ratatouille.

Now, I did mention that I had a whole queue of things I was cooking that day, so I got started a litle late on this ratatouille.

That was a bit of a mistake.  I should have remembered that Julia Child says that you should always read your recipe first – you know – from start to finish.  Especially since Step 1 of this recipe was to “toss the eggplant cubes with 1 tablespoon salt and set aside to drain, at least 1 hour.”  One Hour!!  Eek!!

You can read the entire recipe here, but I will fill you in more on how this cooking experience unfolded.  I always tell it like it is – I would not call this an “easy” recipe.

After the eggplant drained, we had to lay it out on paper towels and squeeze it dry.

Saute the eggplant.

In batches.  It took a loooooong time.  Then we had to do the same thing with the zucchini.  In batches.  Everyone was getting very hungry by now.

But wait, there was more.

We had to saute onions.

And peppers.

I thought I was home free, but then I realized it was time for the tomatoes.  Which needed to be grated.  Yes, grated.  At this point, it was almost 7 pm, so my husband gave the kids some lentil soup  that my daughter and I had made to freeze for the busy weeks ahead while I continued on with this labor-intensive ratatouille. 

Now it was time to put everything in one pan, but of course, it did not fit.  So, I divided it into two pans.  My kitchen was a wreck, I was exhausted, my husband was starving, but in the end…….. the ratatouille was out of this world!  We let the kids indulge in a little Wii bowling, while we sat down to some well-deserved dinner for two:  ratatouille accompanied by grilled chicken paillard  and some cold Chardonnay.

Would I make it again?  Oh yes! Definitely!  On a day when I have a lot of time on my hands.  And now, at least, I’ve read the recipe through from the beginning.

Question of the Day

What is the most difficult recipe you’ve ever made?

Yesterday’s Winner

Congratulations to Commenter #15, Heather!  You’ve won the Minute Maid Fruit Falls Giveaway!  Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address so that I can send it out to you.  Thank you to everyone who entered!

Attention Moms

Do not miss this post.  Over at www.nutritionoutlook.com, Leigh Lettieri Brian, RD, LD, a dietitian from HealthMatters at Kroger supermarkets wrote an amazing guest post yesterday.  Seriously, I think I need to read this post EVERY day to alleviate some of my mommy guilt.  She talks about how she has to be a bit of a drill sargeant in order to get her six-year-old twins out the door by 7:30 am every day.  Check out her post  to see how she puts it all in perspective.

Posted by: Melissa 7 comments

Posted in: Dinner Recipes, eggplant

Tags: eggplant, Farm, Flint Farm, ratatouille

Marvelous Meals with Rachel: Eggplant Frittata with Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 10:02 AM

Today’s post comes to you from my friend and colleague Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD.  Rachel is Manager of Nutrition Communications for NuVal.  Lucky for me, she sits just a stone’s throw away from me at the office.  We have a great time sharing our cooking stories and I love this one that she wrote and photographed about The Night That Her Fiance Made Dinner.  So, without further ado, I bring you Rachel!

Ah, the beauty of letting go of the reigns in the kitchen.  A rare yet beautiful bird.  That’s right, Fernando was the cook tonight – and boy does he know how to spice it up.  Who doesn’t love watching someone else work their magic with food? 

On the menu tonight:  Eggplant Frittata with Roasted Broccoli.

 The eggplant, also known as aubergine, is another only modestly-loved fruit.  Yep – you read it right: Eggplant is botanically classified as a berry.  Quite a big one at that.  And although it’s not dangerous, this fruit is related to the nightshade family along with tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet peppers. 

 Eggplant scores a 96 on the NuVal scale and is packed with fiber, potassium, and flavonoids (another name for antioxidants).  So though you may be intimidated by this large, alien-shaped purple knob – it’s an incredible addition to the diet.

 Back to dinner.  As you know, sometimes dinner doesn’t go as planned.  What was the plan?  To try and flip the L-A-R-G-E LeCreuset pan of eggplant frittata like a pancake.  What??  My thoughts exactly.  But I wasn’t in charge tonight, so I let The Chef man the helm.  You would have enjoyed being a fly on the wall.

 *Splat* Eggplant Frittata everywhere.  Did we eat it?  Of course – it was delicious! But dinner was more of an eggplant scramble than an open-faced omelet.

 To help ease the cooking anxiety of a Frittata Flop, I took over the Roasted Broccoli.  Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that contains a type of flavonoid called glucosinolate, which is responsible for its sharp-taste.  These powerful little substances act like Scrubbing Bubbles for your body; helping to activate enzymes in the liver that eliminate toxins.  Other cruciferous veggies include Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, collard greens, turnip, radish, and wasabi.

Ingredients:

1 Large eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes  (NuVal score 96)

1 Onion, chopped  (NuVal score 93)

2 Plum tomatoes, diced  (96)

4 whole eggs (33.  Trade up to 660mg omega-3 eggs for a score of 42)

4 egg whites (26.  Trade up to Egg Beaters egg substitute for a score of 58)

1 Tbsp olive oil (11. trade up to Canola oil for a score of 24)

1 Pound broccoli, cut into florets  (NuVal score 100)

2-3 Garlic cloves, diced   (91)

Olive oil  (11.  Trade up to Canola oil for a score of 24)

Salt & Pepper

½ a Lemon zest and juice

Eggplant Frittata:

Whisk eggs and egg whites together.

Saute eggplant in ½ Tbsp oil until cooked through, remove from pan.  Saute onions in ½ Tbsp oil until translucent, then add tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.

 Stir back in eggplant and cook for another 5-8 minutes.  Pour eggs over vegetables, cover, and cook for about 12-15 minutes. 

Lift edges with spatula occasionally to allow uncooked egg to flow to bottom of skillet.

Heat broiler (So that you don’t have to attempt the “flip”!) and broil frittata for 2-3 minutes until golden. 

Optional: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of frittata before broiling.

Roasted Broccoli:

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

 Spread broccoli onto a cookie sheet, drizzled oil, and toss with salt, pepper, and diced garlic.

 Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes until crisp, tender, and some floret tips are browned.

 Remove from oven and sprinkle with zest and juice of ½ a lemon.

 Optional:  sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

 Enjoy!

Winner of Yesterday’s Giveaway

Congratulations to Tiffany from adantatslife.wordpress.com.  She guessed correctly (as many of you did) that Newman’s Own makes the highest scoring salsa.  But here’s the catch:  It’s Newman’s Own Black Bean and Corn Salsa Medium All Natural that gets the high score of 48.  Newman’s Own All Natural Chunky Salsa Medium only gets a 15.  Interesting, huh?  Thanks to everyone who entered.

Posted by: Melissa 6 comments

Posted in: Marvelous Meals

Tags: Broccoli, eggplant