Tag: Dinner Winners

April is Perfect for Ratatouille

IMG_6592Back home we say: “Der April macht was er will” which means that “April does what it wants”. Given the agricultural background of my valley, this saying refers to the weather and the fact that it is highly unreliable during the month of April. I thought of this these past few weeks when my two boys spent more than one day at sailing regattas (or practices) rigging, de-rigging, sailing and bailing in miserable wet and cold conditions. Overall, they were troopers and I tried to have a hearty pot of comfort food waiting for them at home. In addition to goulash, chili con carne and pulled pork, I knew I would make them happy with a big pot of ratatouille. Have you made ratatouille before? This week you get a chance to try it, too. Come and cook with us!

Ratatouille is French and consists of a simple dish featuring zucchini, onions, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes either stewed on the stove-top or, my preference, first roasted in the oven and then combined and stirred with a nice dose of tomato paste to let the flavors meld. In fact, the word ratatouille is a blend of the French words ratouiller to disturb, shake and tatouiller to stir. It’s a hearty vegetarian dish that gets better over time and tastes just as good cold as it does warm. So make a lot, make it often and don’t be afraid of left-overs.

My kids favorite way to eat ratatouille is over soft polenta with either a poached egg or some tasty melted cheese layered in between, preferably gorgonzola dolce but any decent melting cheese will do.

In Italy, we have a similar dish called peperonata which comes from the word “peperone” which isn’t the “pepperoni” you put on your pizza but rather, bell peppers. It’s similar and often also features potatoes which are usually not in a ratatouille.

So next time you’re in the supermarket, stock up on zucchini (non-GMO), eggplants, bell peppers (organic as per EWG’s 2016 Dirty Dozen list which is hot off the press), onions and tomato paste and make a big pot of ratatouille. Hope you and yours like it as much as mine do! Come and cook with us!

Ratatouille

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Do Weeknight Dinner Like a Chef!

IMG_3818The beauty of reviewing cookbooks with a group of fabulous and passionate home chefs is that I learn a lot about how others cook and I get to discover books that would otherwise not have been on my radar. One of these examples is a fabulous book called Chefs’ Easy Weeknight Dinners published by Food & Wine Magazine. Almost every recipe in the book is a must-do, and the one I would like to share with you this week is the Ginger-Braised Pork Meatballs in Coconut Broth. Yes, it’s just as delicious as it sounds. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Do Weeknight Dinner Like a Chef!”

Can’t Beat Meat Loaf

Memorial Day might be around the corner, but instead of reaching for those white pants, we have been wearing our puffies to stay warm. The unseasonably cold weather front coming through Northern California has us been wishing for comfort food. What better way to warm our stomach, body and soul than meat loaf. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Can’t Beat Meat Loaf”

Chickpeas to Ring in the New Year

_DSC0528Happy New Year. We are thrilled to have you back and are looking forward to yet another fabulous year together. The holidays reinforced my belief that we feel better and happier when we eat good, clean and fresh foods, ideally in good company. There is no silver bullet when it comes to eating well. Our decisions should be driven by the signals our bodies send us after eating certain foods. Not feeling bloated, tired, stuffed or generally depressed is worth the extra effort that it takes to be smart about what we eat. For me, it’s the year of simple food, of slow food, and yes, also of baking good sourdough bread. And with today’s post, we are off to a great start. Here’s to 2015, together. Come and cook with us. Continue reading “Chickpeas to Ring in the New Year”

Crêpe, Omeletten, Omelet, Pancakes: It’s Confusing…

IMG_1334 2Sometimes things get lost in translations. Take what we call Omelett, for example. It is different from your pancake or “omelet” and goes by the French name of “crêpe” which if pronounced incorrectly, doesn’t sounds like anything you would want on a plate. Whatever you call it though, these light, soft and delicious flimsy delivery devices provide the starting point for one of my kids favorite dinners. This love for crepes dates back generations, as I fondly remember my Omi making paper-thin and aptly-named “OMEletten” for me. Family history puts me at a record 14! Not sure if that says more about my insatiable appetite, or my Omi’s love for cooking and feeding us all delicious food! Come and make some crepes with us! Continue reading “Crêpe, Omeletten, Omelet, Pancakes: It’s Confusing…”