Veggie Kebabs as Main or Side Dish

If you love grilled vegetables, then this is a recipe for you. Whether you are vegetarian, or if you want these as a side dish, they have excellent flavor, both from the marinade and from the grill. 

Veggie Kebabs

When I made these, I used a mix of vegetables I had selected just for this application, but you can mix and match as you choose, keeping in mind that not all vegetables cook at the same rate. I used tiny potatoes whole, so I first boiled them and then marinated them to use on the skewer just for the added flavor of the grill. I used chunks of fresh pineapple, obviously not a vegetable but it does taste great on the grill! Bell peppers are an easy choice, and multi colored peppers make the kebabs look more visually appealing. I used hunks of portobello for the meatiness, but button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms would also work - or no mushrooms at all if they are not to your taste. Corn is best cut into small rounds across the cob, both for easy skewering and for quicker cooking, as more heat can reach the kernels. Sweet potato also needs a little cooking beforehand to make them soft enough to grill, just being careful not to over cook or they won't stay put on the skewer. I love grilled onion, so the more the merrier, whether white, yellow or red, and cut into wide enough squares to be comparable in width to the other vegetables on the skewer. 

Gourmet Gardens Italian Herbs

I happened to have on hand at the time a tube of Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs. If you have not used this mixture, it is really great to give flavor to all sorts of foods, whether steaks, baked potatoes, mix into a dressing - just use your imagination. Once you've tasted it, you will think of all kinds of things it would enhance. Our friend Rich is a fanatic about this stuff and has it on hand at all times, for stirring into vegetables, adding to sauces, to spread on pizza, whatever strikes his fancy. 

I tried once to make an approximation of this stuff, and it was okay, but somehow fell just short of the mark, for flavor, despite using fresh herbs to create it. The only actual herbs in this mixture listed on the label are basil, oregano, parsley and rosemary, out of 10 total ingredients, so you may understand why I wanted to go that route of making my own. 

👀My suggestion, if you do not have this ingredient, or choose not to use it because of the many "other" ingredients, would be to substitute a tablespoon of minced fresh basil and rosemary with another dollop of olive oil to approximate - as my recipe already calls for oregano and thyme, garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

Veggie Kebabs

Makes about 10 to 16 kebabs, depending on size of skewers

Veggie Kebabs

1 – 2 ears corn, cut into 1½ inch wheels
1 red bell pepper, in 1-inch squares
1 orange bell pepper, cut in 1-inch squares
1 red onion, separated and cut in 1-inch squares
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 (3-inch) Portobello caps, quartered
15 – 20 tiny 1-inch potatoes, or others, in 1-inch chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled, in 1½-inch cubes
2 cups fresh pineapple, in 1½-inch wedges

MARINADE/SAUCE:

1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs 

(or see above 👀)

3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

Place the potatoes and sweet potato chunks into a small pot and cover with water. Bring to boil, adding 1 teaspoon salt to the water, and boil for about 10 minutes, or until they can just barely be pierced through. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the Kosher salt, fresh oregano & thyme, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian Herbs paste and garlic. Whisk together and pour over all the vegetables in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Thread the vegetables onto skewers, keeping in mind, if using wooden skewers, they must be soaked for at least 30 minutes before using. When threading the corn, skewer it through the center of the “wheel.” Reserve the marinade aside.

Grill the skewers over a hot grill until they are browned in spots and tender. Brush them with some remaining marinade to serve. Or, remove the vegetables to a bowl to serve, pouring some of the remaining marinade over top.

NOTE: As a party idea, use small wooden skewers, well soaked ahead of time, and thread on just a small few veggies per skewer, Make extra marinade to have for guests to use as a dip or a pouring sauce when serving. As these do not have to be hot for serving, they can be made just slightly in advance, but do not make them so far ahead they need refrigerating, as this significantly changes the flavors.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Ratatouille and the Nightshade Family Vegetables

It is hard for me to imaging a life where I could not have nightshade family vegetables. The most commonly known vegetables and/or fruits in the Solanaceae or nightshade family are eggplants, potatoes, capsicum peppers of all types (such as bell peppers, chili peppers), tomatoes of all kinds, tomatillos and ground cherries. Interestingly, one of the "super fruits," goji berries, also called wolfberries, also belong to the Solanaceae. 

 

Other fruits less well known are garden huckleberries (not to be confused with regular huckleberries of the Ericaceae family), cape gooseberries (not to be confused with regular gooseberries), pepinos, naranjillas and tamarillos. There are many other nightshade plants that are inedible or would never be thought of as food, including of course the "deadly nightshade" (belladonna) and tobacco. Others are mainly showy flowering plants such as Angel's Trumpet or Jimsonweed. 

So why this interest in Nightshades?

It seems that right now, they are all over the Farmers' Market here. Eggplants are finally in season, and each year I have been making a grilled or broiled version of a ratatouille. Most of the ingredients in ratatouille are nightshades: eggplant, tomatoes, peppers. Onion and zucchini are the two ingredients in ratatouille not of the nightshade family. The French dish called ratatouille (rat-tat-TOO-ee) can be made in various ways. The vegetables can all be cooked separately, then layered in a casserole and baked. The ingredients can be sauteed separately and then mixed all together in a pot to simmer. The dish can be made anywhere from soupy to thick.

Broiled Ratatouille with Potato Pizza for dinner

And then a couple of years back I saw Michael Symon on The Chew making a grilled version. Obviously the grilled version has no real resemblance to the original layered and baked versions. He didn't even use tomatoes. But the concept, slicing the vegetables and grilling them separately, then combining with a splash of balsamic and olive oil with torn fresh basil - that got my attention.

I am not a huge fan of eggplant. Never have really loved it. Still, I try to be open minded and eat it occasionally. I have found ratatouille to be one way I do not mind it (Eggplant Parmesan is another). Mixed in with all the rest of the vegetables, whether in a casserole or in this grilled (or broiled) version, it becomes a part of the scenery, so to speak, and I can tolerate it. Long, long ago, while in Guatemala, I tried ratatouille for the very first time, using a recipe from Gloria Ivens book, Glorious Stew. Long out of print, my 1969 copy is extremely well used. She gives two options for making ratatouille; a wet and a dry version. The "wet" version has more sauce and is made in a lidded skillet on the stove, where the "dry" version uses tomato paste and almost no sauce and is baked in the oven. I made the dry version at least once a year for so many years. It is good with a nice crusty French bread alongside, and for me is enough to make a meal in and of itself. This is the version I had made in the past, though I had never photographed this dish back then:

Eggplant

Gloria Ivens "Dry" Ratatouille

Serves 8 - 10
2 - 3 small eggplants
3 - 4 small zucchini
2 cups chopped onion
2 medium green peppers, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
4 cups (one 2-pound can) Italian plum tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed

SEASONINGS:
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried basil, or 2 tablespoons fresh
1 bay leaf
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Wash eggplants, remove ends, cut in 1/2-inch slices. If slices are very unequal in size, cut larger ones in half. Wash zucchinis, remove ends, cut in ½-inch slices.

Note: If eggplant and zucchinis are large they will have more moisture; to extract it, place sliced vegetables in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and put a weight on top. Allow to stand 30 - 60 minutes. Drain, wash and dry each piece. Cut eggplant so slices are about equal in size to the zucchini slices.

In a heavy skillet, heat oil and quickly saute eggplant and zucchini slices, a minute on each side, removing them as they are done to a bowl or plate. More oil will be needed; the eggplant soaks it up. In the same skillet, heat more oil. Slowly cook onions, peppers and garlic until tender but not brown. Add drained tomatoes mixed with the tomato paste.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In bottom of a heavy, lidded 4 - 5 quart casserole, put 1/3 of the tomato mixture. Add a layer of half the eggplant and zucchini. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Put half the remaining tomatoes on top, then the rest of the eggplant and zucchini, and salt and pepper; finish with the remaining tomatoes.

Cover and place in the oven for 45 - 60 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Check occasionally. If it appears too moist, leave the lid off for a while. May be served hot or cold.

Notes from "Glorious Stew": “This version is especially delicious served cold. It is a refreshing first course when eaten by itself, or spread on bread, or served with slices of Hungarian or Polish sausage. Hot, it is a good accompaniment for pork roast or chops, for a simply cooked chicken dish, or veal. It is excellent for a buffet - as relish, vegetable or salad - hot or cold.”

Grilling or Broiling?

Grilled Ratatouille, served in a stack

So now, coming back to the grilled or broiled version, I have found that often when it comes to grilling all these vegetables, it takes time, it is generally hot outside and standing next to a hot grill is tedious, and sometimes the weather does not cooperate. I have made this on the grill. I have now made this dish 3 separate times under the broiler. The broiler goes more quickly and there is not enough difference in flavors to make grilling imperative. Another thing I have to keep in mind up here where I live; it is so often extremely windy outside and it is very difficult to keep the grill lit under those circumstances! 

So for me, broiling is the way to go. One of the very best things about making ratatouille grilled or broiled is that all the vegetables are cooked separately and then tossed together at the end. Each individual flavor is distinct, and concentrated on its own. The flavors are far fresher, and the addition at the end of some capers and fresh basil just makes this dish all the more splendid. No real "recipe" is needed. Just use the vegetables you want, in the amounts you want. This latest version, made just a few days ago, is possibly the best yet. Not that there is great difference in what I have done, but i believe I broiled the vegetables for a little less time, leaving them with more texture. I also added in 5 mildly hot peppers, like banana peppers, and they gave a most wonderful spice to the dish.

Broiled Ratatouille

My Colorful Broiled Ratatouille

Serves about 8

2 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 or 2 small zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 - 2 green or red bell peppers
1 - 3 jalapeno peppers, to taste
1 large onion, in wedges
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 - 5 Roma tomatoes, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
¾ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons nonpareil capers, drained

If you own large rimmed baking sheets (half-sheet size) already well worn, just spray two of these with cooking spray. If your baking sheets are new, you may want to line them with foil. Having two sheets handy is helpful if one of them becomes too blackened.

Heat the broiler. If your eggplant is large in circumference, cut the slices into quarters. In a large bowl, set the sliced eggplant with the olive oil and balsamic and toss to combine. Remove all the eggplant slices and set them onto one of the baking sheets, reserving the oil and vinegar in the bowl. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt. Set the eggplant under the broiler on the highest rack. It will take 5 to 10 minutes or so to brown the eggplant. Turn the slices over and brown the other side. Once browned, remove the eggplant to a large bowl or casserole.

Add the zucchini slices to the bowl with the oil and vinegar and toss to coat. If there is room on the same sheet with the eggplant, you may add some or all of the zucchini slices at the same time, keeping an eye on the vegetables as some may brown earlier. Otherwise, once the eggplant is done, set the zucchini slices on the same sheet, sprinkle with salt and broil. Once browned, remove the zucchini to the bowl with the eggplant.

Set the whole peppers on the baking sheet and broil them until the skin blackens and blisters. Remove them to a zip-top bag and seal to steam for at least 10 minutes. Once well steamed, peel the skins and remove seeds and membranes. Slice the bell pepper(s) and mince the jalapenos. Add to the bowl with the cooked eggplant and zucchini.

Set the wedges of onion into the oil and vinegar and toss to coat. Remove them to the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil for a few minutes, toss them and continue broiling and tossing until well cooked and blackened in a few places. Remove the onions to the bowl with the cooked vegetables. Set the tomato slices in the oil and vinegar very gently. Remove them and set the slices onto the baking sheet and move the rack down at least one level. Broil the tomatoes gently, turn and broil on the other side. Add these to the bowl of cooked vegetables. If there is any remaining oil and vinegar in the first bowl, add this to the cooked vegetables with the capers and basil. Gently toss together the vegetables and taste for salt. Add a splash more of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve with crusty bread.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Wedding Cake, Birthday Cake and other great food

The Wedding Cake

Hello again. Just me, the stranger. I have so many intentions to get back into the swing and write blog posts more often and somehow it just doesn't happen.

Aside from still unpacking things in the new house, I had a wedding cake to make for July 6th. My niece-in-law got married in a small town here. Their cake was a dummy of Styrofoam, except for the tiny top tier, but the cake was immense and I nearly gave up with trying to get the fondant onto the largest tier, at 24 inches square! I am not a large bakery with huge equipment for rolling fondant. As it was, there was only one doorway wide enough to get the finished cake, on its board, out of our house. I am glad it occurred to me to measure before decorating! The only door it could be taken through was the front door, so trying to decorate in the kitchen would have been tragic, with no way to get it out of that room. That said, I still had to do the rolling of fondant in the kitchen and then cart it to the dining room to put in place. This made that huge tier even more difficult to finalize.

Birthday Cake

After two attempts to carry the fondant in one piece - all 12 pounds of it - with it oozing down, tearing and breaking, I nearly gave up, in tears. I thought to try it out in 4 separate quarters, and this did finally work out, but just barely. The places where the fondant joined curled as they dried and separated a bit. I put scroll work over that part and carried on. After that huge tier, the others, even the next one at 17 inches, were a breeze.

We got the cake out to the car with no mishaps, despite Mercury being retrograde, and up to the hall and in place the day before, minus the top tier. It was in the 90s here and the hall had no air conditioning! I decided it would be best not to put the real cake in that heat until it had to be.

The wedding was just beautiful, the bride and groom just gorgeous. The bride's dress was so very pretty and unlike any I had seen. The heat was the one unfortunate factor, though it didn't ruin anyone's day. And the following day, with all my cake decorating equipment still all over the place, I made a birthday cake for a dear friend here. After that mammoth cake, this simple, round, 8-inch cake was so simple as to be laughable. It did turn out as I wanted, and she was happy, so all is well. And now, for the first time in two months, all the cake stuff is put away, out of sight. Whew!

I have been sort of gradually getting back into making new recipes. Recently I made some cookies that were just so tasty. They were Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies. They could probably use a little tweaking of the recipe, but they were absolutely delicious, cinnamon-y and chewy. I got some zucchini at the local Farmer's Market with the intention of making Zucchini Lasagna. I've made it many times before, but never written down my recipe.

Zucchini Lasagna

Zucchini Lasagna

Makes one 9 x 13-inch pan; 8 servings

Per serving: 425 calories, 13 carbs, 1 g. fiber

15 ounces part skim ricotta
¼ cup fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ ounces freshly grated Parmesan, divided
2 (12 ounce) jars roasted red bell pepper, drained & pureed
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound lean hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped, about 1½ cups
1 bell pepper, chopped, about 1 - 1½ cups
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (13.25 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
8 ounces part skim mozzarella, shredded
2 - 4 small to medium zucchini

In a medium bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients and half the grated Parmesan; set aside. Drain the roasted red peppers well and place in a food processor or blender to puree; they need not be completely smooth. This will make about 2 cups. Add 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce to the pureed peppers along with the cornstarch and stir to combine; set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and fry the hamburger meat until well browned. Add the onion and sauté together for 5 to 7 minutes. Add in the green pepper, garlic, dried herbs and salt and sauté another 5 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and the reserved red pepper and spaghetti sauce mixture and heat through; set aside off the heat. Preheat oven to 375 (350 on convection).

Using a mandolin slicer set to less than 1/8-inch thickness, slice the zucchini lengthwise to create an approximation of lasagna noodles. Spray a 9 x 13-inch oven-safe pan with cooking spray and layer zucchini slices in a single layer in bottom of pan. Top the zucchini with half the reserved ricotta mixture, spreading gently. Top this with a third of the meat sauce. Layer on half the shredded mozzarella. Repeat this process: zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, meat sauce and mozzarella. Top with one more layer of zucchini slices and the remaining meat sauce and sprinkle the reserved grated Parmesan over top.

Bake the lasagna for about 40 to 50 minutes, until it is bubbling and the zucchini slices are cooked through (test with a knife). Remove from oven and allow to stand for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

NOTES: This recipe can be made without meat and become a vegetarian dish, if desired. Instead of frying the meat, sauté the onions and green pepper together, add the garlic toward the end. Add in the mushrooms if desired and then the red pepper/spaghetti sauce mixture and heat through.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 6 dozen 3-inch cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon butterscotch flavoring
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 fresh apple, peeled, grated, rough chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped or broken
1 cup Cinnamon Sweet Bits (King Arthur Flour website)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (if using convection, set temperature to 325).
In a stand mixer cream together the butter and the sugars. Add in the flavorings (if butterscotch flavor is not available, use all vanilla) and the eggs and mix well. It is easy to prepare the apple if it is peeled, then grated on a large holed grater. Using a large knife, roughly chop across the long grated strands to break them up. Add the apples to the mixer bowl and beat to combine. Whisk to ether the flour, salt, soda and baking powder and all to the bowl on low speed to just moisten, then higher speed to combine. Add in the walnuts and Cinnamon Sweet Bits and mix to combine.

Drop dough onto lightly greased cookie sheets using either two small spoons or a cookie scoop, placing them about 2-inches apart. Bake the cookies for approximately 12 minutes, until puffed and brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to remain on the pans for 2 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

NOTES: The King Arthur Flour website carries Cinnamon Sweet Bits. I love adding them to scones as they give a wonderful burst of cinnamon flavor. With that in mind, I thought they would also be fabulous in cookies. Cinnamon mini-chips would also work well in these cookies, but the pure flavor in the little bites is hard to duplicate.

Peach Crisp with Coconut Almond Ice Cream

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday was my dear sister-in-law's birthday. She loves peaches, and requested Peach Crisp as her dessert rather than cake. I decided to try an ice cream, based on a recipe I saw calling for a quart of milk heated with honey and poured over almonds and strained. I thought that was a huge waste of almonds, plus I am not over fond of using milk. I created a recipe, which I revised 3 times before I even made it, but it turned out most delicious. I called it Coconut Almond Ice Cream, though it has no dairy (or eggs) in it at all. For this I soaked 1 cup of raw almonds overnight in a 2 cup measure, filled to the 2 cups with water. Yesterday morning I drained the almonds and placed them into my Vita Mix with one (13.5 ounce) can of Coconut Milk and about 6 ounces of coconut water. I blended the almonds to a fine powder and strained them out with a nut milk bag, squeezing well to get every last bit of liquid out of the almonds. I rinsed the blender container and returned the strained coconut almond milk to the container with a half cup of honey and a half teaspoon of almond extract, blended for a few seconds to thoroughly mix, and then refrigerated the mixture for the next few hours.

I have an old DAK "Gelatissimo" ice cream machine. I don't use it very often, but now and again it is very handy. I set the ice cream maker to start just as we sat down to dinner, so it would be done and not too hard when it came time for dessert. I will say that though it didn't have the creamy smoothness of some commercial ice creams, it was rich and most delicious. Best of all, it went just splendidly with the Peach Crisp. A real match made in heaven!
 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.