Summer Squash Parmesan

So, what to do what all of that summer squash that is exploding out of the garden....I tried this and both Bryce and I thought is was really tasty (he doesnt like eggplant so this is a good substitute).

Summer Squash Parmesan

3 medium yellow squash or zucchini, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

Olive oil

Garlic

Salt and pepper

Fresh basil

Red pepper flakes

Mozerella cheese, shredded

Parmesan cheese, shredded

Bottles or homemade marinara sauce

Place the squash in a large ziplock back and drizzle with olive oil, add garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Then lay on a baking sheet (dont stack on top of each other). Broil until each side is brown. In a 8x8 baking dish, cover bottom with sauce, place a layer of squash, add sauce again then sprinkle with both cheeses, basil and red pepper flakes. Continue to layer until 3 layers of squash. Finish with sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Eat warm or at room temperature.

ratatouille, c'est bon, no?

when you have a garden and find that you have zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs and eggplant coming out your ears, this is a fabulous way to use a bunch at a time and cut down on your surplus. even if you don't have a garden but your friends do, they won't notice a few missing vegetables... or you can go the honest route (boooring) and buy them at the farmers market.

the name ratatouille comes from the french word for "mix" and was previously used as a familiar term for any stew. this recipe follows the traditional version, with each ingredient being fried separately before the final simmering.

my photo doesn't do this dish justice, i had to use what i had on hand which did not include a yellow pepper or eggplant, so i threw in an extra zucchini. although not french, we like to top ours with a healthy dose of parmesan cheese, which as we all know, makes just about everything better. i served it with pine nut & apricot couscous.

4 tomatoes
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 eggplant, diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
3 thyme sprigs - left on stem
2 basil sprigs - left on stem
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley


score a cross in the top of each tomato, plunge into boiling water for 20 seconds and then peel the skin away from the cross, chop roughly.

heat the oil in a frying pan (i used my le cruset dutch oven and felt oh-so-french). add the onion and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. add the red and yellow peppers and cook, stirring for 4 minutes. remove from the pan and set aside.

fry the eggplant until lightly browned all over then remove from the frying pan. fry the zucchini until browned (depending on your pan, you may want to deglaze it with a little white wine before starting the eggplant or zucchini, just so the browned bits on the pan don't get too dark and make the dish taste burned) and then return the onion, peppers and eggplant to the pan. add the tomato paste, tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf, thyme and basil, stir will, cover and cook for 15 minutes. remove the bay leaf, thyme and basil.

mix together the garlic and parsley and add to the ratatouille at the last minute. stir and serve.

serves 4.

pork tenderloin with honey-mustard sauce and wilted garlic spinach

i had this tenderloin and didn't have anything yummy to stuff it with, so i just seared it made a mustard pan sauce. then i looked for some kind of roughage in the fridge and found only a bag of baby spinach. ta-da! dinner is complete.

to sear: heat heavy straight-sided pan (that has a lid) on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. turn heat to high one minute before putting in the meat and turn on the fan. coat the meat with vegetable oil NOT olive oil. (pouring it in the pan will cause excess smoke and scorching) and place in the pan, reduce heat to medium-high. don't try to move it, wait at least two minutes before turning, until it has a nice brown crust on it. repeat on all sides. reduce heat to med-low and put the lid on. let it cook for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temp is 160 degrees. remove from the pan and cover with foil. if the bottom of the pan looks black and burned, clean it out a bit before making the pan sauce.

honey-mustard pan sauce:
from bobby flay

2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to season

heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and add the shallots, cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. add the stock and lemon juice and cook, stirring and scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan, until reduced to 1 cup. whisk in the mustard and honey and cook for 2 minutes. add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. (i only had spicy dijon mustard and it was so tasty with it - henry even liked it)

wilted spinach with garlic:
1 bag baby spinach
1 or 2 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup water

heat the oil in a large pan (that has a lid - you can reuse the sauce pan after pouring out the liquid) and add garlic. fry just until it begins to brown. add the water and spinach, cover with the lid. let it steam about 3 minutes then remove the lid to let any excess water evaporate and the oil coats the greens and they look shiny. season with salt and pepper.

alida's chicken & parsnip fries

this recipe comes from my employer and protector aldia who mothered me and saved me countless times while i struggled to make a living in san diego. she is probably the most cultured, well traveled, and sophisticated woman i have ever known. this recipe reminds me her - bold flavors, simple ingredients, unpretentious.


2 large chicken breasts (i cut mine in half to cut down on cooking time)
1 cup cherry or plum tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives (pitted)
2 tablespoons capers
olive oil
thyme
balsamic vinegar


use the ingredients to your liking - more or less of whatever you like or dislike. don't be wary of the capers, they add a salty, vinegary flavor. a little goes a long way with them. alida never seared her chicken, but i do just because it looks better. if you want to sear it, heat a heavy pan over low heat for 10 minutes, then turn heat to high a couple of minutes before putting the chicken in. rub the chicken on all sides with the oil and add to the pan. don't try to move the chicken before it's cooked for about 4 minutes or it will just stick. once there is a nice brown crust on it, turn it over and repeat. when it's seared, put chicken in a casserole and add tomatoes, capers, olives and thyme. drizzle with a little more olive oil and splash on some balsamic. cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on the size of the cuts.

i served mine with steamed artichokes and parsnip fries. the fries were a new experiment and turned out sooo tasty. i just heated up some oil in a deep pan and fried them in batches. season them with seasoned salt and eat them while they're hot!

Simple Summer Skillet

this was a summertime staple in my house growing up. it's great for using up all those tomatoes and zucchini! i added some leftover green beans this time for added kick and it was delish!

in a large skillet with a lid, brown about 1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef) until almost done.

layer sliced zucchini on top, covering meat completely. salt and pepper well, pour in about 1/3 cup water and cover. (i added the beans here too) cook 3-5 minutes until zucchini is tender.

top with a layer of sliced tomatoes. salt and pepper well, and cover to cook, about 3-5 minutes longer.

when tomatoes are cooked, top with grated cheddar cheese.

have some fruit on the side and call it dinner...all in under 30 minutes...oh, and you're welcome. :) posted by spydie

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Christanne gave me a massive zucchini and tomatoes fresh from her garden and gave me this yummy recipe. Phil and I LOVED it and Tyler and Chase managed to choke it down.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

A massive Zucchini

Sausage (i used sweet turkey sausage)Garlic

Onion

Peppers if you want them. I didn't have any and it was still great.

Tomatoes

Bread crumbs

Parmesan

Mozzarella

Brown the sausage. While doing that, cut the zucc in half lengthwise and remove all the "meat." Cut it up into small pieces and set shell aside. Drain the sausage and saute garlic and onion w/ the sausage until translucent. Add zucc and peppers or other veggies cook until soft. Then add tomatoes and cook until soft. Remove from heat and add enough bread crumbs and parmesan to make it stuffing-like. Salt and pepper to tasete. Put stuffing back into shell and sprinkle w/ mozzarella. Put some water in bottom of pan so shell doesn't burn and cook for about 30 mins. at 350 degrees.

Artichoke Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes over Israeli Couscous

this is quick (under 30 minutes) and yummy!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup flour
4 T olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 scallions, thinly sliced -- white and green parts separated
12-16 sun-dried tomatoes, slivered
1 can artichoke hearts in brine, drained and halved
1 cup water, reserved from cooking couscous
salt and pepper to taste

israeli couscous
1 cup chicken broth

pour 2 T olive oil over sun-dried tomatoes and marinate at least 30 minutes.
halve chicken breasts and seal in a ziploc bag. pound to 1/2" thickness. seasond with salt and pepper and coat in flour. fry in 2 T olive oil until cooked through and golden. (3-4 minutes per side) set aside.

meanwhile, cook couscous according to directions, replacing 1 cup of water with chicken broth. drain and reserve 1 cup liquid. toss couscous with green parts of scallions. arrange chicken on top.

add garlic and white part of scallions to pan chicken was cooked in. saute' 1-2 minutes, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. add: 1 cup liquid from couscous, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes in oil. saute' until artichokes are warmed through and the liquid has reduced slightly. salt and pepper to taste and serve over the chicken and couscous. (serves 4)
posted by spyderette