Layered Vegetable Torte

This is another dish from one of my favorite cookbooks, How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman. I deviated slightly from his original recipe by adding caramelized onion and fresh mozzarella to the layers, dusting the top with some grated parmesan, and serving the torte warm. It was good, but for all the effort I put into it (roasting eggplant, peppers, and zucchini separately, and caramelizing my own onions), I had wanted it to rock my world. So, I don't really see myself making this again anytime soon. But if you dig tedium and waiting, this recipe is for you. I will share the recipe as it is written, but it does lend itself well to freestyle interpretation. You could use herbs other than basil, for example, or do a fall version with squash, sweet potatoes, or other root vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplant
• 4 medium zucchini
• salt
• 4 red bell peppers, roasted and cleaned
• 1/2 c. EVOO, or more as needed
• freshly ground black pepper
• 20 or so fresh basil leaves, some torn or chopped for garnish
• freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

1. Peel the eggplant if the skin is thick or the eggplant is less than perfectly firm. Cut it and the zucchini into 1/4" thick slices; salt the eggplant if time allows. (See recipe for Mashed Eggplant with Garlic and Mint for instructions on salting.) Cut each roasted pepper into thirds or fourths and set aside.

2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Smear 2 (or more) baking sheets with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Lay the eggplant slices on one sheet and the zucchini on the other in a single layer. (You may need to work in batches, cooking the eggplant on 2 baking sheets and then cooking the zucchini.) Sprinkle with some salt and pepper (if you did not salt the eggplant) and drizzle or brush another couple of tablespoons oil over each sheet of vegetables. Roast until the eggplant and zucchini are soft, about 15 minutes for the zucchini and 20 minutes for the eggplant.

3. Coat a deep pie dish with some oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into the bottom of the pan, covering the bottom (trim the eggplant pieces if necessary), then layer half the zucchini, peppers, and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper; repeat the layers, ending with eggplant.

4. Put a plate or other flat object (you want it to distribute weight evenly across the top of the pie) over the top of the pie and weight it down with a large tomato can or something similar. Let rest at room temperature for at least an hour or in the fridge for a day, then remove the weight. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days before being served. (Put it on a large plate or platter, as juices may be squeezed out.)

5. Serve at room temperature or heat it in a 325 degree F oven until warm, about 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped basil and parmesan and cut into wedges to serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

NOTE: To add cheese to the torte, after step 3 bake the pie in a 325 degree F oven until hot (you want the cheese to melt into the vegetable layers), about 40 minutes.

Watermelon-Halloumi Cheese salad

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit. I think this salad has it all. Sweet and salty flavors, plus the coolness of the watermelon against the warm cheese. It's also just pretty to look at. I would totally make this again.

In case you haven't seen or heard of it, halloumi cheese is a very firm cheese originally from Cyprus So firm, in fact, it can stand up to pretty high heat. You can fry it, or grill it (this is what I did for this recipe). It's a little pricey (~$8 for an 8.5 oz. package). If you can't find halloumi cheese, paneer might be a good substitute, though paneer doesn't quite hit those salty notes that halloumi does.



Ingredients:
1/2 of a medium-sized seedless watermelon
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 8-9 oz. package of halloumi

Herb oil:
1 c. loosely packed basil
1/2 c. loosely packed mint
1 garlic clove
1/2 c. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

First prepare the herb oil. place the basil, mint and garlic in a food processor. With the machine running, drizzle in about a 1/2 c. of olive oil. You're looking for the mixture to get to a dressing-type consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. This can be made ahead.

Heat your grill or grill pan to medium heat.

Slice the halloumi into 8 or 9 thick slices. Place them on the grill. Using a pastry brush, dab the tomatoes with the herb oil and place those also on the grill.

After about 2-3 minutes (or when you see grill marks) turn the cheese and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

When the tomatoes start to get a little color and begin to burst, remove them from the grill.

I sliced the watermelon into steaks, but if you prefer a dice, go right ahead. Layer the watermelon onto a platter.

Top with grilled halloumi and tomatoes. Drizzle entire salad with remaining herb oil.

Enjoy.

Note, the cheese will squeak against your teeth, but I kind of like that sort of thing.

Peach-Red Onion salad

I saw the recipe for this in Martha Stewart Living. It looked so refreshing and summery, I had to try it. I feel a little weird posting a recipe for this because it hardly takes any time at all to throw this together. If you aren't a peach fan, I'm sure you could sub in nectarines, plums or even mango and it would still be pretty good. I love peaches, so that's what we have here.


Peach-Red Onion salad
3 ripe, yet still slightly firm peaches
1/4 of a large red onion, thinly sliced
lemon
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
freshly torn basil (or any herb of your choosing)

Slice the peaches into a bowl. Add thin slices of onion (NOTE: if you have a really strong onion, use a little less, if it's nice and sweet, use a little more). Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the salad. Drizzle with a little olive oil and give a few pinches of salt and peppper.

Stir carefully to combine. Top with basil.
Enjoy!

Beat this Rachael Ray

Ok, I'm not food blog ignorant. I do understand that people want to see pictures of the actual food, not empty plates, but this was so good and let's be honest we were pretty hungry that the idea to actually blog about this recipe didn't strike until after everything had been polished off.

This is quite possibly one of the quickest meals I have ever made, hence the blog title. This dish is not only quick and easy, but it was very tasty. It may even become one of our regular press release week meals.

Basil & Tomato Shrimp
Adapted from an Ellie Krieger episode

Ingredients
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (we used the frozen stuff that had been defrosted)
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. basil, chopped
2 T. garlic, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 c. white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add the shrimp and saute for 1 minute; turn the shrimp and saute for another minute. You want the shrimp to start to turn pink, but not completely cooked through.
3. Remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate.
4. Using the same pan, add the garlic and saute for about a minute.
5. Add in the tomatoes and saute for another minute.
6. Add the wine and let it come up to a bubble (2-3 minutes).
7. Add the shrimp back into the mixture and let them come up to temperature. (1 minute)
8. Season with salt and pepper and add in the basil.
9. Serve and enjoy.

Mike & I had this over orzo with a salad on the side. It really was a perfect light meal.