Eggplant & Tomato Galette

A while back, we had made Andrea's Caramelized Onion & Zucchini Galette. It was delicious and, despite the fact that it had no meat, Nick said that he really liked it. The leftovers in particular worked well in his lunch (he never had time to heat up lunch and regularly ate leftovers cold). So, we knew we were galette fans. Immediately, we started to think up other ideas for galettes but they fell by the wayside as we became busier and eventually we forgot all about them...

We had an extra eggplant lying around and needed something to use it up. So often, eggplant is relegated to the side dish area of a meal, but we had a whole eggplant so a little more than side dish material. After some deliberation, this recipe came to be.

I happen to love it. The eggplant gives it enough "meaty" material that it's filling while the tomato and feta sauce give it a bright, tangy note that compliments the earthiness of the eggplant. The light crust of the galette dough keeps the meal from getting too heavy. They were yummy straight from the oven and eaten cold as leftovers (well, Nick says so).

Eggplant & Tomato Galette

Ingredients:
1 recipe galette dough (recipe follows)
1 recipe feta sauce (recipe follows)
1 small eggplant, sliced thin & sweat with salt
3-4 plum or on the vine tomatoes (we used Campari), sliced thin
salt
pepper
basil leaves, chiffonade, optional
feta crumbles, optional


Roll the galette dough onto parchment or wax paper to form a 10" circle. Place in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll (on a floured surface) to form a 16" diameter circle. Place the rolled out dough on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or lined baking sheet.

To assemble the galette, start by spreading the feta sauce onto the galette dough, leaving 3 inches around the edges. On top of the sauce, arrange the eggplant in a slightly overlapping spiral pattern around the galette, moving towards the center until you have covered the surface. Evenly top with tomato slices and lightly salt and pepper the assembled galette.

Once assembled, gently fold over the edges of the dough to form a "crust." Start by folding a small portion of the dough onto the assembled portion and continue to pleat the dough until a circle has formed holding all the contents in place.


Bake the assembled galette in a 350 F oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the crust is slightly golden and cooked through.


Galette Dough:


Ingredients:
1 1/2 c flour
1 t table salt
1 stick butter diced
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c ice water
2 t lemon juice

In a food processor, combine flour, salt and cold butter. Pulse 10 times (1 second each) to form crumbles. Mix in the sour cream, ice water, and lemon juice and pulse 10 more times, until the mixture starts to form a ball. Remove from the food processor and place on a silpat or parchment paper. Press out into a 10" diameter circle, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.


Feta Sauce:
adapted from this Food Network recipe


Ingredients:
2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. feta crumbles, well drained
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch cayenne
1 tbsp. dried mint leaves


Line a strainer with a layer of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the strainer and refrigerate. Let the water drain from the yogurt until the yogurt has reduced to 1 cup. It will take about 2-3 hours.


Combine the feta, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more oil if needed. Add the yogurt and pulse to combine. Also add in the mint and blend until combined. This can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Stuffed Artichokes

I made this up for dinner when Nick was feeling under the weather. I needed something quick and easy and full of pantry staples because a trip to the store was not happening. It was a great light meal in and of itself, or could be served as a side or appetizer.

Stuffed Artichoke

Ingredients:
2 artichokes
2 bay leaves
salt
1/3 c. yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
pepper
pinch oregano
2/3 c. diced tomato, canned
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c Pecorino Romano
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add two bay leaves and some salt to season the water. Add in prepped artichokes* and prepped stems** (optional). Continue to boil lightly with the lid on until you can stick a fork through the base (about 25 minutes).

While the chokes are boiling, prepare the stuffing. Start by heating the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are just soft and transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. At this point, check to see if the stems are cooked through. If they are, remove them from the water and dice (be careful they are hot - I held mine with tongs while I sliced), then add to the onion mixture. (If they need a few minutes, add them in after the tomato). Add the tomato and stir, continue to cook until the mixture reduces. Add pepper and dried oregano to taste. Once reduced to the desired consistency, reduce the heat to low.

In another pan, melt the butter and olive oil together and heat over medium low heat. Toss in the bread crumbs and toast.

Once toasted, remove from the heat and toss in the cheese and parsley. Add the bread crumb mixture to the tomato-onion mixture and stir to combine the two.

Once the artichokes are done, remove them from the water and sit, facing down on a towel or in a colander to drain and cool. Once cool enough to touch, open up the leaves just enough to get to the center leaves. Pull out those little leaves until you can see the bottom fuzzy parts. Grab a spoon and scrape (gently!) the fuzzy part out of the center, leaving the solid, fleshy part (aka, the best part).

Once the center has been cleaned of all the fuzzies, add in the stuffing. I first add to the center portion and then fill in between each of the leaf layers. Once both have been stuffed, place the artichokes into the oven for another 10-15 minutes. This will re-heat the chokes and crisp up the outer edges of the stuffing.

Remove from the oven and serve.

* To prep the artichokes, cut the stem around the base of the plant. Also cut off the about 3/4" below the top point. I also like to trim (with kitchen shears) the pointy end of each leaf.

**I also save the stems, cutting off the very end that's usually brown and slicing off the green woody parts vertically until I reach the tender white inside of the stalk. It is only really worth it if the stems are thick.

Pasta Rustica

Nick went on and on about Pasta Rustica for quite some time. I, being the ignorant non-Italian, had no idea what Pasta Rustica was. So, when I put it on the weekly menu, I needed a starting point. I turned to his family cookbook and grabbed his Aunt Denise's recipe.

Making up the weekly grocery list, I realized that almost all of the ingredients were what we consider pantry items, so we actually didn't need anything for this recipe. I already liked it. Any recipe that can be made with easily found on hand pantry staples is one I love. I do like to experiment with odd ingredients and ethnic cuisines, but there is definitely something to be said for pantry recipes. I love to have these types of recipes as fall backs in case I'm stuck late at work or realize that I forgot an ingredient for another recipe I was planning to make.

And especially one this delicious. The creaminess of the cheeses, the spicy flavors of the sausage and  topped with sauce tastes like a crispy version of lasagna, but so much easier to prepare. It also freezes well, so don't let any of those leftovers go to waste!

Pasta Rustica
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed (we used Nick's homemade pork sausage)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes in puree (tomatoes coarsely chopped and puree reserved)
salt, to taste
1 lb. penne pasta
1 1/4 c. ricotta cheese (we used re-hydrated Ricotta Salata)
2 c. Landana Mild Goat Cheese**
1/2 c. grated Pecorino Romano

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large dutch oven, over medium heat, warm oil. Add onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up into bite size pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add tomatoes with puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Lightly oil a baking dish*.

Cook the pasta until barely al dente and drain well.

In a large bowl, toss pasta with sauce, ricotta and the goat cheese. Spread in a prepared baking and sprinkle with Pecorino Romano. Bake until cheeses are melted and tips of pasta are crusty (about 30 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*We used one 9" x 9" baking dish and one smaller dish to freeze for a later meal. If you are making all of it at once, I recommend a 9" x 12" dish.

** This was a mild, semi-soft goat's cheese with a rich, buttery flavor.

Warm Caprese Salad

I threw together this quick and easy side one night when we were running a little late with the rest of dinner. I needed a side dish to curb our hunger while we got the rest of dinner ready. Nick loves caprese salad (I mean, who doesn't?), but we had cherry tomatoes that were starting to go so I wanted something that could use them up.

To start, heat up some olive oil in a pan on medium low heat. While the pan is heating, mince one clove of garlic and finely dice a shallot. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and shallot and saute until the shallot is cooked through and turns clear. Then, add one pint of halved tomatoes and cook until they are warmed through.

While the tomatoes are cooking, slice off two pieces of chevre (mozzarella would work also) about 1/3" thick and place on plates. Top with the cooked tomato mixture. Sprinkle with basil leaves (we used purple basil just because it needed a trim) that have been chiffonade cut. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and serve.

This recipe was adapted from this recipe.

Basil & Goat Cheese Ravioli

I'm sure you are totally sick of me posting about goat cheese ravioli. Really, how many different variations can one have on the matter? Apparently, to date, three.

1. Goat Cheese & Spinach Ravioli
2. Goat Cheese & Beet Green Ravioli

My first two recipes were delicious, but I didn't have any greens on hand, but had a free afternoon and a pound of goat cheese and really wanted to make some ravioli for a quick and easy weeknight dinner later. What to do? Head outside to the patio and trim a few basil stems from a plant that had been growing out of control.

I used the same base recipe as the previous versions and the pasta recipe I used here.

The filling:

1/2 lb chevre (I needed a bit more than the last versions since there weren't a ton of greens to bulk it up)
1/4 c pecorino romano, grated
salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg
handful of fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Mix all the filling ingredients together, letting the cheese come to room temperature to make it easier to control the amount in each ravioli. The filled ravioli can be frozen and tossed into boiling water straight from the freezer for a very quick and painless dinner on those nights when you just can't be bothered.

Unlike the other goat cheese raviolis, we served this version with a red (marinara) sauce. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather (and therefore cold weather squash varieties) so I can try my hand at pumpkin ravioli.

Open Faced Grilled Cheese

I thought I would share this quick and easy meal with you all since summer is coming to a close (for those of you that don't suffer with me in Florida) and as the days get shorter, a few last nights on the deck or patio by the grill are in order.

I love grilling. Not that I'm a master at grilling meat of any sort (that's Nick's job), I can handle myself with vegetables and other items - like this Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 c feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 c goat cheese, crumbled
Olive Oil
1 French Bread or baguette,  split lengthwise and cut into large slices crosswise
2 plum tomato, thinly sliced*
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & Pepper
Balsamic vinegar, optional

Heat the grill or grill pan. Brush olive oil on the inside face (not crusty side) of each bread slice. Sprinkle a small bit of salt on each slice. Once the grill is heated, place the bread face down on the grill until crispy and grill marks appear. The time will depend on how hot your grill surface is, but no more than a few minutes. You just want to crisp the outside, not dry out the bread.

While the bread is crisping up on the grill, mix the feta and goat cheese together, slice the tomatoes and chop the parsley. Flip over the bread on the grill (or a work surface) and top with the cheese mixture and tomatoes. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Place the bread back on the grill, cheese side up until the cheese warms and softens.

Remove from the grill and top with fresh parsley and some cracked pepper. Drizzle some balsamic for added flavor. Plate and serve.

*Although the original recipe did call for thinly sliced tomatoes, after making it (and trying to eat it), I would recommend giving them a large dice so that you can more easily eat it. The slices were a little precarious on top of all the cheese.