Ratatouille

This is a really delicious, easy and healthy way to get your veggies in. I love how rustic and hearty it is. Especially with some crusty bread to soak up all the flavourful juices. Feel free to add olives and artichoke hearts for a Mediterranean twist or stir in some basil pesto at the end if you like!!

What you need:
An eggplant, cut into bite size chunks
A zucchini
A couple different coloured peppers
Half of a large white onion or one small whole one, sliced thinly
4 cloves of garlic, minced
A 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
1 tsp of dried thyme
a bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped
A splash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

HEAT a large saute pan over medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Add eggplant and zucchini to pan and saute until tender and golden. Transfer to a bowl and add another splash of olive oil to pan. Add your peppers and saute about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and add another splash of olive oil to pan. Add onions and stir frequently until soft. Add garlic and saute a few more minutes.
ADD your can of tomatoes and break them up with a potato masher or your hand and simmer for about 10 minutes or so until thickened.
ADD the rest of your reserved veggies back into the pan and add the thyme, basil and balsamic vinegar. when heated through, season to taste and serve!

Smashed Peas on Toast

This is a great way to celebrate delicious fresh peas from your garden or from the farmers market. No you can't use frozen ones. That would totally miss the point. These are a delicious snack or appetizer for when company comes or if your like me, Just because! If you have a mortar and pestle, that would be the best way to make this but a food processor works in a pinch.

GET yourself some fresh peas in the pod and shell them (or get someone else to do it for you like I did!). You need about a half pound or so for 9 toasts. Add them to a food processor or mortar and pestle with a small handful of mint, a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese, Pulse or smash until you get a course paste, add olive oil until it smooths out and then add the juice from half a lemon (or more if you like).
DRIZZLE some slices of baguette or sourdough bread with olive oil and toast in the oven under the broiler or in a griddle pan until nicely browned.
CUT a clove of garlic in half and rub cut side all over the toasted bread.
TOP with the smashed peas and drizzle with more oilve oil and some more shredded Parmesan! Garnish with a little mint and if you have them, fresh pea shoots! Beautiful and delicious!

*This paste would also work well for a piece of grilled fish or mixed with cooked pasta*

Zucchini Carbonara

This is a recipe from my all time favorite chef, Jamie Oliver. I love that man. I know my husband doesn't read my blog so I'm not worried about him knowing that. He probably already does though...... Anyway It's not only his rustic, homey cooking style that I love so much but his food philosophy too. He is my inspiration and a wonderful advocate for REAL food. I am trying to slowly cook my way through his new book which is AMAZING. Anyway enough about Jamie.... I adapted this slightly because I had a few other ingredients in the fridge I wanted to use up and I used the last of the speck I had in here too but the sauce is the same. I encourage you to check out your local farmers market to try to find some wonderful green and yellow zucchini's to make it a little more interesting. The sauce is delicious, creamy and super easy as long as you remember to take the pan off the heat for a bit before you add it!

What you need for 2 people
1/2 a pound of penne pasta
3 medium zucchini cut into pieces about the same size as the penne.
*optional* Any other soft veggies that you have in the fridge like tomatoes, mushrooms or peppers
6 or so slices of speck, pancetta or bacon, cut into chunky pieces
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup of whipping cream
A handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley or basil or thyme

FILL a large pot of water on the stove and add a generous amount of salt.
WHILE your waiting for the water to boil slice up your zucchini and other veggies if you are using them.
ADD your pasta to the pot and set for the recommended time.
IN a small bowl combine the egg yolks, cream and half of your handful of Parmesan cheese. Mix together with a fork and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
HEAT a large deep frying pan or saute pan on medium heat and add a little olive oil. When oil is hot add the speck, pancetta or bacon and fry until it is golden brown and starting to crisp. Add zucchini and other optional veggies plus the chopped fresh herbs and stir to coat the veggies in the lovely bacon flavoured oil. Fry until zucchini start to turn slightly golden brown. Add a couple good pinches of pepper to give it a little kick.

WHEN the pasta is cooked, drain it but reserve a ladleful or so of the pasta water. Quickly toss the drained pasta in the pan with the veggies then REMOVE FROM THE HEAT (or your egg yolks will scramble!) and add the ladleful of pasta water and the creamy sauce. Stir together quickly and add the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Serve right away or the sauce will start to get thick. You can add more pasta water if needed.

Grilled Peach and Speck Salad

I was hungry and saw the last peach on the counter. Peaches can be savory too. Have you ever grilled a peach?? Maybe not. Try this one and discover how peaches can be savory and sweet at the same time. There is only a few weeks left of delicious peach recipes so I've been experimenting with all kinds of ways to use them. This one was fun to make.
I bought some speck (aka schinkenspeck) at the deli counter the other day for a different recipe I had intentions of making. I've forgotten what that recipe was now..... but it happened to be a perfect pairing for peaches! It basically tastes like a cross between prosciutto and bacon. You can use prosciutto too or something similar. Super delicious. I made this just for me but it would be easy to scale up to feed more as a fancy appy at your next dinner party.

IF you have a griddle pan (which is what I used) preheat it on medium heat.  You can also use your BBQ.
CUT a peach in half and twist to separate and remove the pit. Cut in half again and drizzle pieces with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit of rosemary and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place cut sides of peach on grill until they are softened and have nice grill marks.
MAKE a simple, creamy vinaigrette for the salad by combining about 1 Tbsp of red wine vinegar, 3 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp of Greek yogurt, 1 tsp of dried or fresh tarragon and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small dish. Toss a big handful of pretty salad leaves in the vinaigrette and arrange on a plate.
THINLY slice your speck or prosciutto into thin ribbons and arrange on top of greens with the grilled peaches and sprinkle some crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese on top! NUM!  

Pan Seared Black Cod with Salsa Verde and Roasted Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes

Okay I'm really proud of this one. It's a total original. Many times I buy something and then find some inspiration on what to make with it. This was one of those times. I always buy these awesome frozen fish fillets from Sobeys that have a bar code on the package that you can scan with your phone and it shows you exactly how your fish gets from the ocean to your plate. Very cool and totally sustainable. That's the only way to go! So much of our oceans are being either over fished or fished in a non-environmentally friendly way. That's why I love these! You should definitely try them.

If you like liquorice you will probably like fennel. The funny thing is I absolutely despise black liquorice but I really like fennel. It has a subtle anise flavour that is so interesting. I always saw them in the grocery store and thought they looked neat but wondered what to do with them. Fennel is in season now and when roasted it develops a  wonderful, sweet, caramelized flavour. The tomatoes and lemon balance out the fattiness of the fish, and the Salsa Verde is the punch in the face of flavour that totally brings it all together.

What you need
2 Black cod fillets, Thawed in the fridge overnight if frozen (preferably the Compliments Sensations ones from Sobeys). You can also try wild salmon or trout. Sustainable fish are best!
1 large fennel bulb
A big handful of grape tomatoes, sliced in half or left whole if using cherry tomatoes 
Half a medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp of dried basil
Olive oil
a big pinch of salt and pepper

PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees
Trim the fronds off the fennel (save them) and cut fennel in half. Remove the root and cut in half again lengthwise. Cut each piece into 1/2" slices. Watch this video to see how
COMBINE fennel, tomatoes, onion and basil and salt and pepper in a 8x8 inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven for about 30 minutes.
WHILE the veggies are roasting prepare Salsa Verde.

Salsa Verde
Half a bunch Italian flat leaf parsley (a large handful)
3 green onions
1-2 cloves of garlic (depending how much you like garlic)
4 mini gherkins (optional)
a small pinch of hot red pepper flakes
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp of red wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
A big pinch of salt and pepper
1/3 cup or so of olive oil

FINELY mince garlic, parsley and green onion and gherkins on a cutting board. Transfer to bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir and set aside
WHEN you have about 10 minutes left on the veggies, preheat a medium frying pan on medium heat, Add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil and a pat of butter. Dry fish with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. When oil and butter is hot add fish skin side down (if it has skin) and cook for 4 minutes. Flip and cook another 4 minutes or until fish barely flakes and is nice and golden brown.
WHEN the veggies are done remove them from the oven and squeeze a little lemon juice over them (not too much!) and toss.
SERVE fish on top of veggies and top with the Salsa Verde. Garnish with fennel fronds

Seasonal sides: Corn

Summer corn and vine-ripened tomatoes are already close to perfection, and they taste better when prepared simply. The corn is sauteed with green onions in butter, the tomatoes are lightly dressed with oil and cider vinegar, and then the two are tossed together so that their flavours and juices mix into something new.

 Summer Corn and Tomato Salad
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon cider vinegar 

1 1/4 lb tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces 

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped, keeping white parts and greens separate 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

 4 cups corn kernels (from about 8 ears)

  

WHISK together oil, vinegar, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Toss tomatoes with dressing.

WHILE tomatoes marinate, cook white parts of scallions in butter with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. 

ADD corn and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool. Stir together corn, tomatoes, and scallion greens.

 

Seasonal sides: Green Beans

I picked these green beans up at Hopkins Harvest the other day. I love to cook with fresh, local, seasonal veggies when I can and summer brings a plethora of choices. They always taste brighter and more flavourful then their supermarket counterparts! I encourage everyone to check it out if you haven't yet. They have some really great stuff and the prices are great too. These beans were simply steamed until just tender, tossed with a simple vinaigrette and topped with crunchy, toasted almonds.

Lemon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp of fresh chopped oregano or basil
One clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
A handful of almonds, toasted
Grated or shaved Parmesan cheese(optional)

COMBINE all in a small mason jar and shake, toss with beans and top with almonds and optional cheese

YOU can toast your almonds in the oven at 325 until lightly golden brown or in a small frying pan on medium low, tossing often until golden brown

THE vinaigrette is great for salads too!

To see when and what produce is in season in British Columbia click here:  Seasonal Charts