Classic Ratatouille

We belong to our local CSA, Fresh Fork Market and just LOVE IT. Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week when we get to head to the neighborhood truck and pick up our weekly share. The bags are overflowing with the most gorgeous fruits, veggies, and since we get the Omnivore Share, meats too. It's such a fun way to not only support local farms and small businesses, but also try things you may never have picked up at the grocery store on your own. It keeps meal time exciting for sure! 

But sometimes I gotta admit on weeks when we are particularly busy (like last week!) I have to play a game of catch up to use my veggies before 1) they go bad 2) we are hit with next week's share doubling our fresh food and loosing space to store it all in my fridge! In these situations soups, stews and stir-fry's are kings in our house! And Friday was one of those days. In my crisper was zucchini, patty pan squash, eggplant, a variety of peppers and my counter tops were full of tomatoes (just to name a few!!). What was the best way to use this all up? Ratatouille of course! 

Ratatouille is a delicious vegetarian stew from the Provence region France using the best of summers bounty. It can be eaten as a side dish, spooned onto nice crusty bread, served over rice, stirred into pasta, we love it over roasted chicken and as a base instead of sauce for homemade pizza; its uses are endless! I won't lie, it is a bit of a labor of love due to lots of vegetable chopping and sauteing in batches, but its a super easy dish to throw together and can be made in advance and reheated throughout the week.  I actually think Ratatouille tastes even better the next day because then all the flavors have had a chance to meld together. It also freezes wonderfully! This recipe has become a favorite and I hope you love it as much as we do. 

Ratatouille

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 onions halved and then sliced into wedges
2 peppers, deseeded and chopped into 2" chunks
2 eggplants quartered and then chopped into 2" chunks
2 zucchini or yellow squash halved and sliced
5-6 tomatoes roughly chopped, juices and seeds included
1 can whole plum tomatoes or stewed tomatoes, undrained
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
A few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 bunch fresh basil
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil. Once oil is hot add your chopped peppers, zucchini, and eggplant and sauté until they begin to soften and brown a bit. Do not cook through. Work in batches if needed and transfer cooked veggies to a bowl. Set aside.

Add a teaspoon of oil to the stockpot along with the garlic and onions. Sauté for 15 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelize. Add the cooked vegetables, tomatoes- fresh and canned, whole sprigs of thyme and Balsamic Vinegar to the pot. Stir well to combine, gently scraping the bottom of the pot to incorporate the wonderful brown bits into the stew. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add a good pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper and stir well. Simmer for an additional 15-30 minutes allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken. The longer the veggies simmer, the softer and silkier they will become. Taste and adjust seasoning.  Remove the stems of the thyme and discard. Now you want to chiffonade the basil. You do this by stacking the basil leaves on top of one another and then roll up. Thinly slice the basil creating long thin strips. Sprinkle the basil into the ratatouille, reserving a bit for garnish. Stir to combine.

Serve alongside crusty bread, trust me you'll want it to sop up all the delicious sauce. Enjoy!

Rustic Beef Stew with Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes and Cabbage

This has been the most beautiful Autumn here in Ohio.  It is the middle of November and I am sitting outside watching the boys play as I type, no jackets needed. I am sure it won't  be lasting but I am enjoying every second of it while I can!  I know I have been a stranger around here for some time, but life has FINALLY begun to settle down.  Between my broken leg, pregnancy, a new baby and moving into a new home I have felt like I could hardly catch my breath. It was a whirlwind for sure! Well this year both Jackson and Owen are in school full time leaving me with just one little guy running around.  I forgot how easy having one child was- or actually it was probably never easy when I only had one. But now in comparison to three, one is a piece of cake... at least most of the time. Haha! We have settled into a routine of storybooks, daily hikes in our woods, and lots of make believe.  I have been enjoying my days with Aaron so much. It has been wonderful having this one on one time together, just me and him.  He is such a joy!  But now it is also time for me to get back into doing those things I enjoyed in my spare time way back when I actually HAD free time. And that includes blogging again!  I have missed it so much and am beyond excited about reviving My Retro Kitchen!

This recipe came about on accident (but isn't that how some of the best recipes are created?!) I started out prepping the makings of my favorite stew, browning meat, chopping veggies, when I realized the bag of potatoes I thought I had in the pantry were actually used a few nights before.  Aaron was napping so there was no running out to the store, I needed to make due with what I did have on hand- a couple of sweet potatoes and a butternut squash. And as a matter of fact, they sounded delicious!

This recipe not only turned out fantastic but I knew it would be the perfect recipe to bring My Retro Kitchen back to life again.  I was dying to share it with all of you! It is hearty, satisfying and a perfect meal on these crisp fall evenings.  Be sure to serve it with some warm, crusty bread and lots of butter. You're going to want it to sop up the delicious broth. Enjoy!

Rustic Beef Stew with Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes and Cabbage

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 large carrots, 2 diced and 2 cut into 3/4-inch
 chunks
4 celery stalks, 2 diced and 2 cut crosswise into 3/4-inch slices
2 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 head of cabbage (about 6 cups), halved and then sliced into strips
2 lbs beef, cut into 2-inch chunks (chuck steak or bottom round works well)
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 fresh sprigs of thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine
8 cups beef or chicken stock

Sprinkle the meat with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Place the meat into a gallon-sized plastic bag with the flour and seal shut.  Shake well to coat all the meat in the flour.  Heat a large dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pot with the olive oil and heat. Working in batches, add the beef to the pot, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. You want to brown the meat, not steam it!  Brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a plate.  Repeat until all the meat has been browned.

Add the butter to the pan and melt. Add the onions, garlic, diced carrots, and diced celery.  Cook on medium-low heat until just beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and the thyme sprigs and cook for 2 more minutes.

Turn the heat up to high and slowly pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden or silicone spoon picking up all the wonderful browned bits stuck to the bottom. This will give your stew a nice, rich flavor.  Return the meat to the pan and add the broth to just cover the beef. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for two hours.

Add the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrot and celery chunks to the pot with the meat and cook until tender, about 30 minutes.  Remove the bayleaf and the stems of the thyme (or do as my mom would do while I was growing up.... keep them in and whoever got the bayleaf was the lucky one to do the dishes! Ha!) Taste the broth and add more salt if needed.

Serve with lots of crusty bread and butter to sop up all the delicious broth.

Foodie Pen Pal Reveal & recipe for Butternut Squash Casserole

While stumbling along a blog last month, The Lean Green Bean, I discovered this awesome program she created called the Foodie Pen Pal.  You add your name to her list and she will randomly match you up with another Foodie (either a blogger or blog reader).  You then fill your box full of fun goodies, local treats or even homemade items and send them to your Pen Pal.  Oh how fun this was, and such a great idea!!  I am posting this pen pal reveal late, due to some personal circumstances. But I just HAD to share- better late then never, right?!!

Autumn, from Texas was matched with me and I was to send to a girl in Louisiana.  I don't know about everyone else in the pen pal program, but I got a feast from mine!!  Autumn out did herself.

She sent me: 

• ThinkThin Caramel Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nuts bar 
• ThinkThin Cranberry Apple and Mixed Nuts bar, 
• her favorite Cookie Dough flavored Luna Protein Bar (perfect after a long hike she says- although I can attest they are also perfect after chasing around a toddler and a 5 year old! LOL!) 
• I also got three sampled sized Justin's Almond Butters with the flavors of honey, classic and chocolate, 
• A box of Sea Salt Almond Thins (and yes Autumn, they are dangerously addictive!!) 
• a bottle of CoCo Libre, 
• a pack of Simply Organic Sweet Basil Pesto Sauce and also a pack of the Spicy Chili Seasoning,
• a travel-sized Snackimals in chocolate chip flavor 
• and then Mrs. Leeper's Corn Spaghetti which was voted #1 Spaghetti Brand in her hometown of Tyler.  And last but not least she included a package of Organic Coconut Flakes.  

Holy Moly, I scored!!  But the best part of the package in my opinion, is she sent me a family recipe to go along with the Coconut Flakes.  This recipe is one of her mothers that she uses when she has "an excess of Coconut Flakes and a hungry family".  

Butternut Squash Casserole

2 Cups Butternut Squash, cooked

3/4 Cup egg beaters, well beaten

1/4 Cup Splenda

1/2 Cup Soy milk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

2 tablespoons Coconut Flakes

1/2 teaspoon ginger, ground

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, clean out seeds.  Wrap in foil and bake in a 350 degrees F oven until soft.  Cool and scoop out squash with a teaspoon to measure 2 cups.

Combine all ingredients, mixing well.  Pour into lightly greased 1 quart casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.  Enjoy!  

Should make around 61/2 Cup servings.  

Thank you So much Autumn for the awesome goodies and for the recipe!  I will be making your casserole next week after I pick up some coconut extract.  I will update this post with pictures after we enjoy it!  It sounds just awesome!  

If you too would like to become part of the Foodie Pen Pen program, click the picture below for all of the details and specifics!