Roasted Ratatouille

These lovely tomatoes...

plus this

plus these

and a few of these

plus a couple of them

equals...

this bowl of luscious goodness.

All it takes is some high oven heat to turn zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions and tomatoes into ratatouille (say ra-ta-twee), a Provencal dish that's the epitome of summer. I've been making it for years, in lots of different ways. The "most authentic" recipes will have you saute each vegetable separately to "maintain its integrity". I'm all for vegetables with integrity but there's loads of things I'd rather be doing than standing at the stove, coaxing eggplant into submission.

For this summer's ratatouille, I am taking the rue less traveled, and it's through my oven. Roasting caramelizes the vegetables, bringing out their natural sweetness. They collapse into a lightly browned melange, then flavored with slivers of fresh basil. This could be the best thing I've eaten this summer, and that's saying a lot. I like it with nothing more than a piece of crusty bread. Yesterday I saw a recipe that calls for putting the ratatouille over fresh corn polenta and that's pretty appealing too.

It'll take a few minutes to prep the veggies*, but once they're in the oven, you are free to catch up on your novel (I'm currently reading The Pleasing Hour by Lily King), your knitting or enjoy a glass of rose on your deck. You will have to get up and stir occasionally but I'm pretty confident you can handle that.

We have to make the most of these waning days of summer. 

Roasted Ratatouille

adapted from Fine Cooking

2 small yellow or white onions, cut into 1/4" thick semi-circles

2 red bell peppers, cored and peeled (if desired), cut into 1" pieces

1 green bell pepper, cored and peeled (if desired), cut into 1" pieces

2 medium Italian eggplants  (the long skinny kind), peeled if desired and cut into 1/2" thick semi-circles

2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/4" rounds

5 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes OR 2 cups cherry tomatoes

 OR a combination of both, cut into 1/2" chunks

coarse salt

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line two large rimmed baking sheets with foil, then parchment paper (this will keep veggies from burning).

In a large bowl, toss together onions, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, rosemary, olive oil and 1 1/2 tsps. salt. Spread vegetables evenly over both sheet pans. Don't spread the vegetables too thin, or they could burn. They will shrink quite a bit as they cook.

Roast, stirring the vegetable a few times and swapping the positions of the pans once, until the vegetables are slightly collapsed and very tender, about 45 minutes. If the veggies look like they might be burning, turn down the heat slightly or pile them closer together. If they look dry, drizzle on a little EVOO. 

Divide the tomatoes between the two pans and continue roasting until the tomatoes soften and shrink and the other vegetables are well-browned, another 30-45 minutes. It's good to check them regularly during the last 15 minutes so as not to overcook - you don't want them mushy!

Scrape all vegetables into a bowl and mix in the basil. The garlic will be very soft and can be crushed right into the mixture. Add salt to taste and a light drizzle of EVOO.

I like this best at room temperature, but you can eat it right out of the oven or even cold.

*Try to cut them all into approximately the same size for even cooking.

Maine Mapmaker's Kitchen Apple Spice Scones and a Giveaway

For those of you unaware, I work part time at a small, independent bookstore, here in my small Maine town.
It's always been a dream of mine to work in a bookstore. so when this opportunity came up, I was thrilled.
It's the perfect job for me.
Talk about books. Recommend books. Look at new books.
Visit with customers, about half of whom I know. Many others become friends. Read books, when there are no customers.

And sometimes I get to meet the authors too.
For a small town, we actually have a number of authors who live here or nearby.
There's Lily King, whose most recent book, Father of the Rain, is a bestseller.
We also have Melissa Senate, who has a new book out called The Love Goddess' Cooking School. An irresistible title if there ever was one.
Debra Spark, author of Good for the Jews, lives in the next town over and comes in occasionally.
And Ken Nye is a local poet, who reflects lovingly on dogs, Maine and family.

Last week Jane Crosen stopped in. She's a mapmaker and cookbook author.
Jane draws detailed maps of Maine places by hand. If you have ever tried to draw a map by hand then you know how difficult this can be. Her maps are elegant in their simplicity and clarity.
One of them hangs over my daughter's bed in her college room, in landlocked Colorado.

Maine Mapmaker's Kitchen is her cookbook and it's an eclectic collection of creative and healthy recipes. There are lots of notes about growing food, variations on recipes and practical advice.
 When she stopped in at the store, I blurted out, "My readers would love this! Can you donate one for me to giveaway?"
I don't think I even gave her a chance to think about it. She put her signature inside and handed the book to me. Thanks Jane!

Soooo, if you'd like to have this book for your very own, leave me a comment on this post.
Have you been to Maine? Where? If not, where would you most like to visit? And of course, what would you eat?

How about apple spice scones?

The recipe comes from Maine Mapmaker's Kitchen. As scones go, these are relatively healthful, with not too much butter, lots of whole grains and chunks of apple. The texture is nice and light.  I added an apple cider glaze because I'm that kind of girl. (The kind who likes sweets.)
Note: Instead of the individual spices listed here, I used about 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice. I am also the kind of girl who is a little lazy.

Apple & Spice Scones


2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup oat flour

1/4 cup whole oats or toasted wheat germ

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

3 Tbsps. chilled butter, cut into small pieces

3 Tbsps. canola oil

1 cup small-diced apple

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

1/3 cup milk + 1 Tbsp. yogurt (plain or vanilla)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 large egg

1/3 cup sanding, or coarse, sugar (optional)

Combine dry ingredients (flour through spices) in a large mixing bowl. Rub butter into mixture using your fingers, until you get the texture of coarse crumbs. Add canola oil and work in evenly, then add chopped apples and nuts (if using).

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 2 cookie sheets, or line with silicone baking liners (Silpat).
Measure milk and yogurt into measuring cup, add vanilla and egg, then whisk until well-blended. Pour into dry ingredients and stir briefly, just until flours are moistened.

Form balls of dough, one at a time, and press the tops into sugar (if desired). Place on baking sheet and flatten top slightly. Bake 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on cooling racks. When cool, you can top them with the cider glaze if you want.

Mix 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar with 2 Tbsps. apple cider. Mix until smooth.
A little cinnamon sugar wouldn't hurt either.

Food for Thought - Caramelized Onion Dip

Hey guys - I know you're wondering, "where is the rest of this post?" Friends, you gotta click on the title where through the magic of the internet you will be taken to my ACTUAL BLOG! Go for it.

Ok, now that you are where you should be, welcome to my post created for Food for Thought, where books are cooked and reviewed.

If you live in New England, you are surely aware of the existence of a certain group of people, some times referred to as Yankees (nothing to do with the baseball team), Old Money, Brahmins or even the slightly derogatory WASPs. You may even be one.

These families have been in America longer than you and me and sometimes they like to remind you of that. But often they are more discreet about it, which is characteristic of this genus.

Often they have sailboats, horses and big old houses that have been in the family for generations. They belong to yacht clubs or country clubs where they can drink gin and tonics after a game of tennis with other People Like Them. 

They do not wear socks with their Topsiders. Their Lacoste shirts are faded and frayed, worn with decades-old khakis.

They generally attend private schools and then Ivy League colleges.

Food is not their strong point. In fact it is not the point at all.

This is the world of Father of the Rain by Lily King.

The story begins on Daley Amory's 11th birthday. She is the daughter of  Gardiner Amory - patriarch, serial husband, bigot, alcoholic. 

Daley's mother, fed up with his faults, has plans to leave her father the next day, taking Daley with her, leaving only a note behind. When Daley returns to the house at the end of the summer, hopeful to maintain a relationship with her father, she finds he has already moved on. The mother of a friend has moved into the house along with her family, replacing Daley and her mother, with barely an explanation.

 Daley tries to come to terms with the new order - a small apartment for her mother and her, new step-siblings, a boyfriend for Mom. The only constant is her father's habits and addiction.

Martinis with tiny onions by the pool. Steak with A1 sauce. Cigarettes. Bickering with his new wife.

Where does Daley fit in?

The second half of the book takes place in Daley's adulthood. She has accepted a teaching position at Berkeley and is ready to start the next chapter of her life when her brother calls. Gardiner is in a bad way; he's talking of killing himself; Catherine has left him. She agrees to come east to help out but "for only three days. "

Of course she is forced to change her plans. She makes a deal - in order for her to stay, he must join AA.

She becomes the dutiful daughter, he the recovering addict. 

Daley takes him to his meetings. Plays tennis with him at the club.

 And tries to teach him to cook. He requests asparagus with hollandaise, lamb chops, lima beans.

She tells her boyfriend "This is not about me. It's about him."

Oh really?

Picture the calm blueness of a backyard pool, behind a rambling, wooden New England style home. There's a small pool house with a bar, where Gardiner refreshes his martinis time and time again. Freshly cut grass  surrounds the terrace. There's a tennis court just beyond. It's late afternoon, and there's a 7 pm dinner reservation at the club.

What do you think Gardiner and Catherine are having with their cocktails?

I'm guessing onion dip with chips. A young, eager-to-please Daley was probably in the kitchen mixing together  a pack of Lipton dried onion soup and a container of sour cream.

Is that the kind of dip we would make here at Mignardise?

No. No it isn't.

We can take that lowly recipe and make something entirely more delicious out of it, with just a teeny bit more effort. No need to even put down that martini.

Caramelized Onion Dip

1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, cut in half then thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

1 cup sour cream (low-fat is fine)

1 cup plain yogurt (regular, Greek, nonfat, whatever)

salt and pepper to taste

The key to caramelizing onions is this: low and slow.

Start by heating the oil and butter over medium heat in a large saute pan until the butter has melted. Add the onion slices and stir thoroughly so that all are coated with the butter/oil mixture. 

When the onions begin to brown slightly, turn the heat down to low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft, fragrant and deep brown. Season with salt and pepper.

About half way there

Nice and golden, but not quite caramelized yet

This is no time for impatience. Pour yourself another drink and wait it out. The flavor will be worth it. This could take up to 45 minutes.

Once the onions are finished cooking, remove from the pan and allow them to cool.

When cool, chop them into a fine dice.

Mix sour cream and yogurt together, then stir in onions.

Serve with the chip of your choice.

And be sure to visit Food for Thought for more books and cooks.