Pinot & Pineapple

Good Morning Provence! Actually, I’m still in NYC but I feel as though I’ve been in Provence this week with my awesome farm share! This has been my favorite box since we’ve started receiving our weekly deliveries.

This week I made a deliciously cheesy potato and fennel gratin. I LOVE gratins and my husband and I absolutely flipped over this tasty dish. Luckily, I made enough so that we have leftovers for lunch! I served this gratin with some roasted chicken and the green beans that I pre-blanched then sauteed in olive oil with lots of garlic. This meal was a perfect Sunday family meal!

The eggplants and zucchini became a wonderful ratatouille (see recipe below). This ratatouille is super versatile and can be eaten hot, cold or room temperature. I’ve used it in everything from omelettes to a side dish for pan-seared sea scallops.

I used one of the cucumbers in a salad with the mixed baby greens and I used the rest of the cucumbers in a great raita. Okay, so I left Provence for India. It was a very flavorful journey! I served the raita with curried lamb burgers in flatbread. This dish was super easy, really yummy and a great summer night dinner.

Last, but not least, the fava beans are going to be used in tonight’s dinner. I will most likely saute them with some butter and garlic and enjoy them with a pan roasted salmon filet. Wow, I’m hungry for dinner already!

Here is the recipe for ratatouille:

Ratatouille

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3 large zucchini, chopped
3 medium Japanese eggplants, chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 14.5 oz can good quality diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen No Salt Added)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. anchovy paste (optional)
Assorted fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, oregano, thyme, basil), roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until nearly tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add zucchini, eggplant and pepper and saute until tender-crisp. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and anchovy paste and stir to combine well. Cover, lower heat and let simmer until vegetables are nearly tender. Remove from heat and add fresh herbs, stirring to combine well. Let sit for 1 hour to let flavors meld. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bon appetit!