Veggie Menu, eggplant towers, risotto, red pepper soup

OK......  NOW BACK TO SATURDAYS MENU.....  

EGGPLANT TOWERS 

RED PEPPER SOUP 

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

EGGPLANT TOWERS...  

one fresh eggplant

bunch fresh basil  (optional)

oregano

mozzarella fresh

panko crumbs

salt pepper

olive oil

v8 juice

good seasons italian dressing in package

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take a fresh eggplant and remove skin. 

slice into 1/4 round slices 

dip into egg batter  (I like to add salt and pepper to this step)

then into PANKO crumbs   (add a little salt and pepper and oregano)

then 

place into a skillet with olive oil nice and hot ... med high heat 

watch carefully...  flip when golden brown 

then place on newspaper covered with paper towels to drain. 

meanwhile

cut your fresh mozzarella into 1/4 inch round slices

clean the fresh basil (optional)

slice the tomatoes in 1/2 inch round slices

TO BUILD 

place slice of eggplant on plate

then a slice of mozzarella

then a slice of tomato, 2 basil leaves

then eggplant

mozzarella

tomato, 2 basil leaves

then drizzle,  (artfully) the vinnaigrette over tower and plate..  (remember it is fun to make it pretty)

V8 VINNAIGRETTE

Follow the directions on the package but half the oil and add V8 juice to compensate

then add 2 tablespoons of raspberry preserves .  shake really well and use small spoon to drizzle or squeeze bottle (like for mustard and ketchup at a diner)

RED PEPPER SOUP

recipe serves 6 

12 red yellow or orange peppers..  preferable mostly red

3 large sweet onions

vegetable broth  64 oz

vegetable bullion cubes

salt 

crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup 1/2

1/2 cup ranch dressing

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pre heat oven to 425°

gut and clean peppers

then chop and place on greased cookie sheet  (you will probably need 4 cookie sheets)

clean onion then coarsely chop  

place on cookie sheet

pop into oven for 40 minutes

when they come out take them in batches

immediately put onions and peppers in food processor

NOTE.....  

I like to add vegetable broth and a bullion cube into the mix when processing

there should be 4 batches..  so, 4 bullion cubes  and about 4 cups of broth.. 

once that is done slowly add remaining broth to the pot..  if it starts looking to thin.... STOP  

don't add too much broth.. cause you don't want the soup too thin.. it should have a nice creamy texture..  add a couple shakes of crushed red pepper to it..  wait to see hot spicy it is when it is all finished then you can add more if you like....   when it starts to warm add 1/2 and ranch dressing  ( I know wounds crazy but works)

I like to let mine cook on low heat for and hour or 2..  stirring frequently....  

IT IS SOOOOOOOOO DEVINE.....  

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

1 box risotto 

package of button mushrooms   (the type of mushrooms really isn't wildly important cause you cook them a lot) 

handful of oyster mushrooms  (  so you can use only one type of mushroom if you like..)

handful of crimini mushrooms

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese  (please refrain from using the kind in a shake bottle)

stick butter

1/3 cup olive oil

salt pepper (to taste)

heaping tablespoon chives

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follow directions on box of risotto  (no saffron please)

while doing that cause it is time consuming 

chop mushrooms and place in skillet with butter salt & pepper & chives

saute over med heat

when risotto is done complete with cheese

spoon servings in pasta bowl of risotto

spoon sauteed mushrooms over and add a spring of fresh something..  

hope these work for you.... if not let me know.. love to help..  

GREAT VEGGIE DINNER....  enjoy!

Tracey

Hi.... Happy Monday.. and Happy Day before St. Patrick's Day...  I am IRISH you know....  yep..  

I love that...  knowing that I am Irish..  I even have green eyes..  

anyway, I digress..  

what a rainy wonderful weekend..   we really have needed the rain..  I think I actually saw my lenten roses grow and inch in front of my eyes..  wonderful....

so last week I was pulling out of my driveway on Monday evening on my way to one voice chorus rehearsal ...  anyway... the neighbors on both sides of us, Veejay and Veena and Ashook and Meera,  were at the bottom of the drive.. chatting..  Being spontaneous ..as I am sure you are figuring out..  I stopped and asked if they would like to come to dinner Friday night.  You see we do go back and forth to each others homes for dinner and parties.. (my christmas party) and well..  I feel like i am invited to their homes more frequently than I have them to mine.. soooooo  I took the opportunity and asked..  Well, Yes they all said.. yeah...  and they would get to see Daddy before he leaves for florida at the end of march....  Oh did I tell you that both sets of neighbors are Indian, India , Indian????  Yep.. and they are so wonderful..  I love going to their places for dinner cause I get real Indian food.. so good... so delicious..  I am tempted to learn to cook Indian but, I have them so......  

anyway. 

They are Hindu and subsequently, Vegetarians..   So, it is always a fun challenge to cook for them, cause We are Irish and therefore meat and potatoes kinda people..   I called Ariel, my photographer friend and asked if she would like to come..  She had enjoyed meeting them at my christmas party and thought she would like to share a meal with them and us..  

I go to rehearsal and guess what????   They sprang an extra rehearsal on us... Friday night..  so afterwards I called everyone and apologized profusely about changing the plans but, could they come Saturday night instead????   Veejay and Veena.... yes....  Meera and Ashook .... NO... dratit..  and Ashooks birthday was sunday night and so...  another time..  Ariel ... yes..  so all was a go..  Pallavi, Veejay and Veena's daughter is a really good friend of mine and cohort..  and she could come too..  A DINNER PARTY WAS PLANNED..  

oh....  now to figure out the menu..  hummmm  

well, after writing several hundred ideas down .. (that is how I figure out my menus)  I came up with: 

EGGPLANT TOWERS 

RED PEPPER SOUP 

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

WELL WELL WELL....  

one day it was 11° then it was 74°....  thats Richmond for you..

My friend Todd came to dinner Sat. night with his brother Jack and wife Jackie..  "the 2 Jacks"..

I have been friends with Todd for  at least 20 years..  YIKES!  And we have seen each other thru a lot of ups and downs.....  Well, Todd has been going thru a very rough patch..  in October of 2007 he had several strokes.  They started when he and Mary, his fiancee, got on a plane in Mexico to come home.  They were down there on a romantic jaunt... and he had proposed to her...  Great timing.  Well, they got him home and then to the hospital and the strokes were horrific and so was the news..  he had a melanoma in his neck the size of an egg.  It was wrapped around his carotid artery....  first he had to get strong enough to have surgery which too 3.5 months then they finally did the surgery.  It seems like they got all of it.  GOOD NEWS  then 2 months later they found colon cancer.. BAD NEWS...   Once again he had to go thru radiation and chemo then surgery on it..  seemed like they got it all..  GOOD NEWS...  Then in January he had a routine CAT  scan and they found it again in the colon....  BAD NEWS...  so he is doing the radiation and chemo thing now and will have surgery again later this spring.  NOT GOOD..  

The thing is.. that he is still Todd...  smart funny bright interested and interesting..  his body is just not cooperating..  ANYWAY.... 

years ago Todd and I created a meal after a photo shoot one night..  

SEA BASS SOJOURN.......

It can be made with any white fish....   cod or sea bass are my first choices  Monk fish would be great too or talapia..  

in a skillet

1 cup fish stock or vegetable broth

1 cup white wine

2 tablespoons butter

2 teasp  chives 

1 teasp dill

cook on med heat to reduce down..   (while this is cooking make polenta, creamy)

when reduced by almost half 

add fish

depending on size cook 5 min. on each side if very thick  longer..  it is a dish well served by lots of cooking....  so you really can't over cook.  

there should be lots of broth in the skillet/pan to spoon over fish on bed of polenta 

Polenta..  

I like to do a simple version..  use box polenta follow directions or tube and chop up and place in food processor..  puree then add extra half and half/milk  or ranch dressing to it..  heat in saucepan..... 

TO SERVE:

place couple heaping spoonfulls in bowl

gentle place fish on top

spoon broth over 

garnish with fresh chives or dill

serve with a white wine .... we did champagne.. cause it goes with everything....

fast and simple and DELICIOUS...  its Todds favorite and maybe yours too...  

Ciao.... Tracey

SNOW AT LAKEVIEW..  march 2, 2009

SNOW DAY AFTER THOUGHTS..

WELL IT SNOWED LIKE CRAZY HERE.. REALLY GREAT..WE HAVEN'T HAD A SNOW LIKE THAT IN 5 OR 6 YEARS..   WOW!!! 

Of course all I thought about was what would be the best "snow day food".... 

Soup was of course the perfect solution....  

Tommy and Kendall ,dear friends of ours came over sunday early evening for "dinner and a movie"...  just as they were starting out for our house it started to snow like crazy..  They have an Explorer and so Tommy felt fine driving over.  Also, Daddy is back from Cali, visiting Uncle Dicky & Nancy and family....  SO OF COURSE THEY WANTED TO SEE HIM..  plus i had managed to get a movie that Tommy really wanted to see..  Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, with Ava Gardner.  wonderfully weird movie.. loved it..  

Well, I made Cabbage soup.  Not everyone likes cabbage, but, my recipe seems to entice even the   "doubters".  !

CABBAGE SOUP...

Start with a head of cabbage and chop roughly and put in pot.

add 

1 large sweet onion  chopped rough

add

1 head of celery

add

2 tbls of chives

add

2 tbls of chervil

add

1/4 cup of vegetable bullion  (dry) or 4 bullion cubes

add

1 cup vegetable stock or broth  and let cook on med high heat.  

when you can see the cabbage getting soft add remaining vegetable stock/broth and some water like 4 cups full ....remove from heat and start the process of "cusinarting"  I take it by the mugfuls and process then place in stainless bowl to rest until all is done.  

once it is all smooth and blended pour back into pot and return to heat.  medium 

let cook for and hour or more or simmer for hours if you like..  

serve as is    or    over mashed potatoes in a bowl..  warms the body and soul.....  

We had a great crunchy salad as well..  

1 bulb of fennel raw diced 

1 head of romaine lettuce chopped small bite size

1 small sweet onion diced 

3 stalks of celery heart diced 

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts 

1/2 cup mandarine oranges 

tossed with naturally fresh ranch dressing that I added 1 tbls olive oil and 2 tbls raspberry preserves and 1 teas horseradish.  ( I just put it in the jar and shake it all up together..)

IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO START CELEBRATING THE SNOW.  

Tommy and Kendall got home OK...  after being with us for 3.5 hours while it was snowing.. I think there were at least 3 inches of snow at that point.  But, all was well and we loved sharing

the soup and the snow....