Ratatouille – a Provençal Taste of Summer

By Sandy Hu

In the summer, I dream of Provence – the dry-hot heat, cicadas thrumming, fields of sunflowers and lavender, and farmers’ markets filled to bursting with fresh produce of the region. One day, I want to rent a little house in the country and spend a few weeks reading, puttering about, shopping with my straw basket on market days and cooking leisurely meals while I sip delicious Provençal rosés.

I was in a Provençal state of mind, when I invited my Twitter friend from Hawaii to dinner last Wednesday night. So I made a simple meal starting with tapenade and crostini. Steve grilled a butterflied leg of lamb marinated in olive oil and garlic. And to complete the menu, I roasted some new potatoes, made ratatouille and baked lemon tart for dessert.

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The Secret To Great Grilling

By Katie Barreira

Start the grilling season out right with this heady rule of thumb from Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef at Hill Country Barbecue in New York City. Her secret? Oil the food and not the grates.

Anyone who has left a pan of oil over the burner for too long knows that oil will burn (especially olive oil, which has a lower smoke point than the vegetable and nut varieties.) And when it does, it makes a smoky, rancid, sticky mess.

When grilling, it’s important to get the grill nice and hot before cooking, but oil applied to nicely preheated grates will burn almost immediately, creating a film that actually creates, rather than prevents, sticking. On the other hand, coating the food itself with a thin layer of oil makes a non-stick barrier that keeps all the natural juices sealed in during cooking, so that food stays moist and flavorful.

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Eggplant Parmesan

By Lori Powell

I was surprised to find out the other day that chicken Parmesan is an Italian-American invention. I’m just scraping the surface on what the story behind this dish might be….

Most likely it was a hybrid or a version of a dish related to a veal cutlet that was breaded and deep-fried but was not served with sauce or with cheese from Parma, Italy. The American version might have evolved due to the expense of veal, creating chicken Parmesan, but using mozzarella rather than Parmesan. Still confused? So am I, but I didn’t invent it. It does kind of make sense…yes?

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Make an Easy, One-Skillet Meal

By David Hu

Here’s a recipe that’s especially welcome on nights when you just don’t feel like cooking. Meat, veggies and rice come together in one skillet, so dinner is an efficient, one-dish meal. You do have to cook some rice first, however, but if you have a rice cooker, it’s a simple matter to measure out the rice and water in the pot, turn it on and come back to it when the rice is done.

Ground beef or lamb, green pepper and eggplant are an especially delicious combination of Mediterranean flavors. Quick, easy and hearty, this is a great dish for a brisk fall day.

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

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Going Meatless with Eggplant Parm Stacks

By Lori Powell

Now that we know that we should eat more veggies (although I think we all knew this already), I thought, why not go for a meatless meal?

Eggplant Parmesan seemed like a wise choice, given all the eggplant I have on hand. A big plus when you’re cooking for one is, you can buy a small eggplant so it’s easy to prepare a single serving.

Eggplant, in all of its glory, is out and about in the market in all colors – dark purple, light purple, white, and light purple striped with white. And all sizes – from small rounds, skinny long, short ovals to egg- shaped. They are an international vegetable and hail from not just Italy, but Africa, China, India, Thailand, Turkey the Ukraine, as well as closer to home in such places as Louisiana (Louisiana Long Green).

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