Hints and Guesses

While between jobs I have been reminded that, when not under pressure to perform and produce results, I actually like cooking. Remind me of this a few months from now when I’ve had time to forget it.

Today’s kitchen output is Ratatouille With Goat’s Cheese and Herby Crumble. This is the second time I have made this recipe, which I share here in a modified form:

To freeze follow the recipe to end of step 4. Double wrap in its dish in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, put the frozen crumble into the fridge to thaw for at least 8 hours. Continue with step 5.

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggplants
3 zucchinis
2 red peppers
1 green pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400 g chopped Italian tomatoes
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
350 g goat’s cheese, with a rind

FOR THE CRUMBLE
350 g sliced white bread, crusts removed
1 tablespoon green pesto sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon chives

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F°.
2. Cut the eggplants and zucchinis into thick slices, no thinner than ¾”, then cut all the slices across in half. Set aside. Cut the peppers in half, remove and discard the seeds, then cut the peppers into bite-sized chunks. Set aside.
3. Heat 5 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pan, add the onions and garlic and gently fry for 8-10 minutes. Add the eggplants, zucchini and peppers and fry for a further 10 minutes. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, season well, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the chopped basil and leave aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, for the crumble, put the bread into a food processor and blend to fine crumbs. Add the pesto, herbs, the remaining olive oil and plenty of seasoning, then blend again.
5. Cut the goat’s cheese into large bitesized pieces and fold through the ratatouille. Spoon into an 8-cup ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the herby crumb mixture over the top of the ratatouille.
6. Bake the crumble for 25 minutes until golden.

The recipe says that this serves four, but at 874 calories per serving, only if those four are lumberjacks. Not to mention that you will need giant pans in which to cook this. The first time I made it, I used my 4.5 quart Dutch oven, which was barely large enough to contain all those vegetables. This time I used our 13.5-inch cast iron skillet, and I was unable to ever cover the vegetables for the last 20 minutes. And there is no way that an 8-cup dish is adequate. This time I used (I made myself pick the odd-size dishes on purpose to counteract my natural anal tendencies, but next time I’ll go for 8x8-inch dishes for experimental purposes):

• A 2.8 liter baking dish
• A 1.8 liter baking dish
• And an adorable little 7.5” x 5.5” casserole dish

One of those we’ll eat for lunch tomorrow, and the other two are going in the freezer. One of my goals during this gift of free time is to get as much in the freezer as I reasonably can, and I like that this recipe came with clear, direct instructions on how to prepare, freeze, and then use it, something I find lacking in most OAMC and freezer recipes.

I had leftover basil and chives when I was finished with this dish. The chives are now in the freezer for future use, and the basil is on its way.

While I love having the extras in the freezer, the next time I make this I’m going to cut the recipe in half and perhaps also suggest using ricotta or cottage cheese instead of the goat cheese. The goat cheese is good, but the other might be cheaper and just as tasty. Cheesiness makes the vegetables go down!

• Buy a Lock and Lock Food Dispenser.
• Buy two jelly roll pans (from Bed Bath and Beyond, with coupons, because I haven’t owned jelly roll pans for ages.).
• Find a friend with a recipe.
• Get a new stove, because the old one isn’t working. If you’re lucky, like me, you’ll get a fairly new one on Freecycle.
• Be grateful that your friend has a great granola recipe:

  7 cups oats
  1 cup raw wheat germ
  1 cup shredded coconut
  1-3 cups nuts of your choice
  1 cup oil
  1 cup water
  1 cup brown sugar

  1.  Preheat oven to 250° F.
  2. Mix oats, wheat germ, coconut, and nuts in a large bowl.
  3. Blend oil, water, and brown sugar in a blender. Add to dry mixture. Mix well.
  4. Layer on two jelly roll pans.
  5. Bake for one hour, mixing occasionally.

  Personally, I add the nuts after the baking. And this time I added raisins.