Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Feta

With Summer right around the corner, there is the start of the abundance of farm fresh produce. I love this time of year, where you can peruse the growing selection of fruits and vegetables at farmers markets, grocery stores, neighborhood produce stands and more. Simple goodness. 

I was in the mood yesterday for something basic. I was perusing my Saveur, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit monthly magazines for inspiration. Italian sounded good. And so did tomatoes and fresh herbs. So I came up with this. 

Dan's Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Feta

3 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup best quality olive oil

1/4 cup best quality balsamic vinegar

1 T honey 

4 cloves garlic, crushed 

Fresh herbs (any will do), about 1 loose cup total 

Fresh cracked pepper

Sea Salt

1/2 crumbled feta cheese 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large non metal baking dish, spread out whole tomatoes. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Pour over tomatoes. Sprinkle on half of the prepared herbs. Liberally season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. 

Bake for 2-3 hours. Depends on desired caramelization, and end texture. I ended up cooking mine for almost 3 hours. When tomatoes have shriveled and start to blister, remove from oven. Turn broiler on high. Sprinkle on crumbled feta and place under broiler for 5-6 minutes. Until cheese starts to melt and is browned, and skins on tomatoes continue to blister and turn dark. Remove from oven and sprinkle on remaining half of herbs. 

Serve hot or at room temperature. Simply smash together and use as a sauce on top of cooked pasta. Use as a bruschetta alternative. Or just eat by the spoonful for a healthy snack. 

My Farm Fresh Ratatouille Dinner

We have been getting Full Circle organic produce delivery from local area farms. Nothing beats the farm fresh picked taste of organic vegetables. A few days or so ago, I was in the mood to make some ratatouille. I had plenty of potatoes on hand, as did I have tomatoes and zucchini. I also had some fennel that I thought would be a nice addition to the end dish. 

There is beauty in having a mandolin at home. I have a few ceramic ones that make uniform slicing perfect and even.

Fresh layers of sliced zucchini layered in a lightly buttered dish.

After the zucchini I layered potatoes. No need to even peel, the nutrients are packed into the skins.

After the zucchini and potato layer, I added a healthy dose of caramelized onion, garlic and fennel. After this was added, a few shreds of cheese were incorporated (whatever you have on hand ideally works). I ended up using some Beecher's cheese I had from Pike's Place Market in Seattle. A tiny bit of organic heavy cream also is added to moisten the layer. I then repeated this process three times total.

Finally for the final layer, I decided to just use a little tomato, and not have that incorporated heavily into the dish itself. Holly is not a huge fan of tomatoes, but I wanted to have some in it for authenticity in the ratatouille. I did one layer on top, with a final layer of zucchini.

After this was assembled, I baked it off low and slow in a 350 degree oven until is was tender, and the cream and cheese had browned & crisped. And the vegetables had some char on them. It was a very satisfying mid week farmers market dinner with a big green raw vegetable salad to accompany. 

Dan's Ratatouille Scalloped Vegetables 

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 large sweet onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 zuchinni, thinly sliced

3-4 russet potatoes, thinly sliced 

2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced 

8 ounces finely shredded cheese

1 cup heavy cream 

Sea salt

Fresh cracked pepper 

Fresh chopped thyme 

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish liberally spread butter on the bottom and up the sides. This step is important. This will ensure you get a crunchy crust on the layers of cooked vegetables. 

Meanwhile in a skillet, heat a tiny bit of olive oil and sauté the sliced fennel and onions until it turns brown and is caramelized. Add the minced garlic and cook for three more minutes. Turn off the heat. 

A mandolin works best for uniform slices of all these vegetables (to ensure even cooking time). If you don't have a mandolin, just slice with a knife and get the slices as close to the same size as possible. 

Layer zucchini along the bottom of the prepared baking dish, add some salt and pepper. Next add a layer of potatoes with some salt and pepper. Then spread 1/3 of the fennel-garlic-onion mixture on top of the potatoes. Add 1/3 of the grated cheese, and 1/3 cup of the heavy cream drizzled over the top of the layer. Once finished, repeat two more times.

Once you have assembled all three layers of zucchini, potatoes, caramelized vegetables and cheese & cream, make a final layer of sliced tomatoes on top. I added mine away from the side of the pan so it would create a pattern. I also added one last layer of zucchini around the tomatoes since I had some leftover. Generously season final layer with salt, pepper and sprinkle with chopped fresh thyme. I drizzled a few tablespoons of heavy cream over the top to moisten the top layer of vegetables. 

Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, until crisp, bubbly and vegetables are tender. 

2010 Healthy Recipes, Week #12

In my ongoing Weekly Healthy Recipe installments, here is the latest. "Risotto For Two!" Fresh risotto always hits the spot. I whipped this up the other night after work and our gym workouts. This made enough for four servings. I also made some prosciutto crisps to garnish the top, be we ate those in advance! :) They never made it to the photo shoot...



Dan's Leek & Pea Risotto

1 T olive oil
2 leeks, finely diced
1 sweet onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 C alborio rice
1 C dry white wine
4 C chicken stock, warmed
1 C petite peas
½ C grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
3T chopped fresh basil

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Sauté leeks and onions until translucent and they start to caramelize. Add rice and garlic and sauté for three minutes. Reduce heat to medium low. Add wine and cook until liquid is evaporated. Add warmed stock ½ cup at a time ensuring liquid absorbs before each addition. You may not need to add all the stock. About 20-25 minutes for this step.

Add peas, cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with nuts and fresh herbs.

2010 Healthy Recipes, Week #6

This Bon Appetit recipe turned out great. The only adjustment I made to this recipe was adding other root vegetables and some freshly ground pepper. I ended up roasting some fingerling potatoes with the carrots. The recipe instructed to peel the carrots. I don't ever peel carrots anymore when I cook with them. The fiber and nutrients in the skin are better for you, so why get rid of them? This dish is Indian inspired, very spicy and healthy. We'll be making these again. Next time I'll use some golden beets as well.



Caramelized Cumin Roasted Carrots [and Potatoes]

8 medium to large carrots, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
4 medium fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray, or cover with foil. Combine carrots [& potatoes] and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; toss to coat. Spread in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast carrots until tender and lightly caramelized, turning carrots over once, 35 to 40 minutes.

Yummy Cranberry Salsa

Thanksgiving is yummy food time, and many people have asked for the cranberry salsa recipe that I make every year. This recipe is based on a Martha Stewart recipe from a few years ago. I've changed it to our liking. Instead of sugar, I sweeten this up with honey. Additionally, it called for a bunch of celery for texture and I leave that out. The last thing I need is celery strands in my teeth while I'm conversing around the Thanksgiving Table. Also, I don't put nearly the amount of jalapeno's it originally called for. Way to hot!

Dan's adjusted Martha Stewart Cranberry Salsa
Makes 2 cups

2 cups fresh or cranberries
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 oranges, peeled, sectioned, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces, juices reserved
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
¼ cup honey
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
¼ cup pecans, toasted, broken in pieces
Zest from limes
Zest from oranges

Directions:

Place cranberries in food processor, and pulse to chop coarsely, about five pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add onion, jalapeno, lime juice, orange sections and juice, ginger, sugar, and celery; mix gently. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Just before serving, add finely chopped mint and pecans, and toss to combine.

Fall Comfort Food Is Among Us

I love good risotto as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or steak. This past Sunday night we had a good friend of ours, Jefferson, over for dinner. Holly and I were in the mood for rice of some sort with chicken. I've followed many risotto recipes and I sort of just throw it together now without using a recipe. That's the beauty of base recipes and constant experimentation. I made this risotto with some citrus marinated chicken breasts, steamed fresh green and purple string beans and a tossed green salad. Holly made an excellent new brown sugar chocolate chip cookie recipe for dessert afterward.

Creamy Leek Risotto

1T butter
1 T olive oil
1 & ½ C rice
½ white wine
4 C chicken stock, heated
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 leek, finely sliced
Fresh black pepper
Sea salt
2 T cream or half & half
½ parmesan cheese, grated
½ C frozen petite peas
¼ C roasted pine nuts

Heat the chicken stock to a simmer in the microwave, or in small saucepan on the stove and reserve. Meanwhile in a larger saucepan over medium heat, heat butter and olive oil and sauté sliced leak and garlic until leek starts to tenderize. Add rice and cook until rice starts to brown. Reduce heat to medium low and add wine. Stir occasionally until wine has almost evaporated. Add heated broth ¼ to ½ cup at a time. Insure that the stock is incorporated before adding additional stock. Once all the stock is incorporated check tenderness of rice. You may need to add some hot water to insure rice is tender. Once rice is at desired tenderness, add salt and pepper to taste, cream, freshly grated cheese, petite peas and pine nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yummy Baked Beans

Of course, after a trip to Bean-Town, I need to post my family recipe for Baked Beans. This is a staple in almost any Craven kitchen. I make these all the time, particularly for barbecues during the summer.

Craven Family Baked Beans

2 Sweet Onions, rough diced
2 Granny Smith Apples, rough diced
1 Pound Ground Sausage
½ Pound Bacon, diced
½ C Brown Sugar, packed
¾ C Ketchup
¼ C Dijon Mustard
3-4 Cans Baked Beans [I always use B&M Brand, 14-16 ounce cans]
Fresh Ground Pepper

In a large sauté pan or indoor Dutch oven sauté bacon and sausage until fat is rendered. Drain fat, reserving a few tablespoons to. Add apples and onions to cooked meat and cook until limp. Add Sugar, Ketchup, Mustard and Baked Beans. Add pepper. Bake on a low oven 275-300 degrees, for 1.5-2 hours. Stirring every 30 minutes. Check beans at 1.5 hours to insure they do not over cook.

Recipe Notes:

I always use B&M beans; they yield the least runny product compared to other brands of baked beans.

I’ve made this with sliced cooked chorizo or kielbasa sausage. You can put any type of cooked mean in this. I’ve also added cayenne and adobo sauce before to make it more of a Latin inspired dish with a can of black beans substituted for one of the cans of the B&M beans.

Dominos & Good Eats

We got together with some friends this weekend for one of our recurring domino's game nights. Our friend Kate themed the pot luck and assigned out dishes. We had a BBQ theme based on the 2008 June issue of Gourmet Magazine. Selections included, pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, corn pudding, bean salad, and chocolate hazelnut blondies for dessert with vanilla ice cream. I've had corn pudding before that was very labor intensive to make.



This recipe that Rita brought over was super tasty. As I learned how easy it was to make, I thought, I'm totally making this again for a quick side to grilled meat or chicken going forward.

Quick & Easy Corn Pudding

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream corn
½ C butter, divided
1 (8 oz.) pkg. sour cream
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in mixing bowl. Put in drained kernel corn, creamed corn and sour cream. Mix together well. Add corn bread mix over corn mixture and stir all together. Spread remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a 9 X13 glass baking dish. Pour in corn mixture. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees until done, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.