Menu #45

I mentioned last week that X-man had been begging to make ratatouille because he watched the movie, Ratatouille.  We went shopping for the ingredients & cooked the whole thing together, and he was absolutely thrilled!  He was so excited that he even tried every one of the raw vegs that went into the dish!  He not only surprised me but he surprised himself.  He said, “Who would have known?  I like eggplant & squash!”  Don’t get too excited though. . .when the final dish came out, he tried one bite and said it was a little too spicy for him (there wasn’t anything spicy!).  I think we’re heading in the right direction though, so I’ll take what I can get!  : /

Here’s our version of the movie’s classic dish. . .

Ratatouille

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

4 jarred roasted red peppers, chopped

1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes

S&P, tt

1 t Italian seasoings

1 bay leaf

Heat oil in a pan & saute the onion about 7 minutes.  Add garlic & peppers and cook another 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes & season with S&P, bay leaf and Italian seasonings.  Allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Remove bay leaf, remove pot from heat & puree. 

1 eggplant, thinly sliced

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 yellow squash, thinly sliced

3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 F.

On the bottom of pan ladle some roasted red pepper sauce, enough to coat the bottom.  Begin layering the vegs in a shingle fashion around the pan until you run out of vegs.  Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil, top with chopped parsley, & season w/ S&P.  Cover the pan & roast for 1 hour.  Remove the cover & roast another 15 minutes.  Serve with more roasted red pepper sauce & topped with parmesan cheese.

Now on to this week’s menu . . .

Tuesday:  Slow-Cooker Corned Beef, Potatoes, & Cabbage/horseradish yogurt sauce

This is a very simple crock pot recipe that creates a tender piece of meat with very flavorful veggies.  On the bottom of the crock pot, I drop 1 chopped-up celery, a handful of baby carrots, 4 wedged red potatoes, and 1 small quartered onion.  I then rinse the meat (2.5 lb) off and lay it in the crock pot on top of the vegs along with the pickling spices.  I top off the whole thing a Guinness and fill with water until the meat is covered.  I cook it on low for 8 hours.  When it’s done, I remove the meat & veg and cook a wedged cabbage head on high for about 20 minutes, while the meat is resting. 

Wednesday:  Corned Beef Sandwiches/baked fries/fruit salad

We have a late night baseball game, so it’s a no-cook night.

Thursday:  Kung Pao Chicken/steamed brown rice/mandarin oranges

Friday:  Turkey-BLT Wraps/Pirate’s Booty or pretzels/fruit salad

Another late night baseball game, so it’s another no-cook night.

Saturday:  Grilled Fish Tacos/cilantro-lime brown rice/pinto beans/mango salsa & avocado slices

Sunday:  Storm Game!  Hot dogs/popcorn/Crack Jacks  J 

This is “Day at the Diamond” for Xavier’s baseball league.  P.S.—X-man got the game ball last week…he was awfully proud! 

Monday:  Stuffed Artichokes/mushroom risotto

This meal is inspired by my recent Farmer’s Markets visits.  The artichokes are absolutely beautiful and the mushrooms have been shouting my name!  J