Sunday, September 23, 2012

sunday supper from the farmstand

this first weekend of fall, the farmstands are still brimming with tomatoes and figs and its a perfect lazy sunday to cook...one of my favorite recipes is ratatouille from alice waters cookbook,  the art of simple food.   I'll make a tart with mozzarella and marinara, have a dry red wine and serve fresh  figs with a drizzle of cream for dessert


recipe for ratatouille:
  1. Toss the eggplant cubes with a teaspoon or so of salt. Set the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Pat the eggplant dry, add to the pan, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Add a bit more oil if the eggplant absorbs all the oil and sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove the eggplant when done and set aside.
  3. In the same pot, pour in 2 more tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and cook for about 7 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, basil bouquet, dried chile flakes, and a bit more salt.
  4. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in peppers. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in summer squash. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in tomatoes.
  5. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then stir in eggplant and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the bouquet of basil, pressing on it to extract all its flavors, and adjust the seasoning with salt.
  6. Stir in the chopped basil leaves and more extra virgin olive oil, to taste. Serve warm or cold.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

wood serving boards are on our minds...




We have a great collection of cutting boards that we use for everything...love that the Frolic blog mentioned using them as "breakfast boards" for breads, rolls, toast, jam and butter...This morning Remodelista gave a great tip about using one side for cutting and one side for serving...we use some for food prep, some  for chargers in tablesettings, some for serving individual pizzas and quesadillas,  cheeses with honey and biscuits, seasonal fruits, blueberry tarts, homemade cookies, and lots more...these are available at http://thenewgeneralstore.myshopify.com/collections/the-table/products/wood-serving-board