Dutch Oven Ratatouille

My folks gave me a huge basket-full of vegetables from their garden and it was great, except...my wife and daughter left town for 2 weeks. I knew I had to do something with them STAT, but what could be an easy one-shot deal? Then I remembered we recently bought a cast iron dutch oven and haven't really used it yet.

The best part of this meal is how good your house will smell when you're done.
The worst part...probably how long it takes: 1 hour in the oven. It might have been a better idea on my part to do this in the winter, considering it's one of the hottest summers on record. But regardless, was fab.

Here's what I had and here's what I made....substitute if you dare:

(everything is rough chopped into 1 - 1.5 inch cubes)
• 3 Japanese eggplants
• 2 squash medium to large
• 1.5 boxes of baby portobello (halved if large, whole if not)
• 1 large red onion
• 2 medium tomatoes (I would've used 2 more if I had them).
• 5-7 garlic cloves, whole
• 1 bell pepper
• several glugs of olive oil
• several generous sprinkles of salt and crackles of pepper
• for later, have about 15 basil leaves ready

Mix well in a huge bowl and toss into the dutch oven, preheated to 400º, covered...40 min.
Open and uncover, cook for 20 - 30 more minutes - the mushrooms should be shriveled, the whole mess will be half it's original size, with a nice broth developed. Fold in the basil leaves.

I served this with a spicy couscous, but could go well as a side with pork chops or crusty bread too.
1:1 ratio ----> couscous : water
To the water, add sage, thyme, dried parsley, salt pepper and 1tb sriracha sauce. When boiled, remove from heat & add couscous. Cover and fluff in about 5 - 10min.

This made a ton, so share it.

Rustic Portabello Vermicelli

This is exactly what happens when things just come together. I scavenged, scrambled and scrounged through the multitude of deliciousness my wife always stocks. The leftovers that usually & inevitably get tossed were instead exactly the thing that tied it all together.

This dish was savory and warm and so goddamn satisfying. Sylvie, even with her stuffed pretzel/milk belly, climbed up on the dining bench and started stuffing her face. I think the deep earthy flavors of the sauce were well balanced by the fine light texture of the vermicelli. Would also make a great lunch, maybe with a squeeze of lemon and an iced tea. (actually just had it for lunch with Jess...perfect.)


Ingredients:

• 4 cloves of garlic - chopped
• 1 med onion - halved & sliced
• 8 - 10 mini peppers (raw) - sliced
• 2 portobello caps - halved & sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped oil-infused sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 4 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto (this was the leftovers from a larger container of pesto - most likely destined for the trash since 4 tbsp of pesto won't really get a meal, but enhances the flavors of the created sauce)
• large handful of fresh basil
• 1 lb micro thin rice vermicelli
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Once all veggies are prepped, start by turning on pasta water.

In a large steel pan, saute the onions with a good amount of olive oil, medium to medium/high (Jess, set the dial to 6). You don't want them to just sweat, but also not to caramelize too much. No salt yet, this is my secret...I add salt at the end to prevent the veggies from bleeding their liquids right away. When the onions are good and translucent, add the peppers. These should be in little bite-sized rings and add sweetness. When they are slightly carmelized, drop the shrooms in and drizzle them with olive oil before mixing it all up. Let saute for 1 - 2 min, stirring once or twice, then add sherry and sun dried tomatoes. Cook until mushrooms are tender.

Turn heat down slightly and add garlic, basil, ground pepper & pesto. Add 1/2 - 1 cup pasta water if dry. Taste, add salt as needed.

When pasta water boils, add vermicelli and remove from heat and cover for 3 minutes. When tender, use pasta spoon to add vermicelli directly to vegetables. Mix well and serve immediately with fresh grated reggiano parmesan.