Ratatouille and Podcast to Feed the Soul

I ate very healthy this weekend, and actually was able to get my boyfriend to try ratatouille. He is a meat and potato guy. If he had it his way he would have hamburgers and hot dogs every day of his life. (To me that would be a very boring food life). I had my ratatouille with polenta.

Here is the finale container. I did not use a mandoliue to make mine. I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe for ratatouille.

I have been listening to a lot of Podcasts on my IPhone. I can't seem to get enough of them. I am listening to

The Splendid Table has interesting tidbits about food, restaurants and recipes. Listeners also ask questions. All their information can be found here.

And if you haven't heard Jacob Nawrocki at Operation Self Reset. You should start listening to him. He has lots of energy.

Information about his podcast can be found here.

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Fettuccine With Salami And Zucchini

This dish is simple and rustic. The recipe comes from one of the first chefs I started watching on PBS - The Jeff Smith 'The Frugal Gourmet'. I was interested in the recipes and stories around the dishes he made. This, of course, is one of them.

This recipe comes from Jeff Smith's Uncle Vic. When his Uncle Vic fed him this dish he thought his Uncle just must be so wealthy. You don't have to be wealthy to eat this dish.

Fettuccine With Salami And Zucchini

2 small zucchini (I actually used organic yellow squash)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 lb. Italian salami, sliced thin, cut matchstick style (I bought a 6-oz Genoa salami stick)
1 tbsp. capers, chopped
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 c. whipping cream (1/2 a pint)
Salt to taste
1/2 lb. fettuccine, cooked
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Slice the zucchini; put several slices together and slice again into matchsticks. Slice the garlic very thin. Saute the garlic in the oil until barely browned. Add the zucchini and saute for 3 minutes. Add the salami, capers, pepper and cream. Simmer until all is very hot. You will need little or no salt in this dish. Serve over the hot pasta. Top with the cheese.

It was pretty tasty!

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Turkish Zucchini Fritters and Ellen Foster

I finished the book Ellen Foster by  Kaye Gibbons. It was really a touching story about a girl who lost her parents and her family didn't really care about her. So she tries to find a new family where she will be loved. It was an easy read, only 125 pages. I wanted to read the book after I had seen the movie on Lifetime television.

I am now reading the book Silas Marner by George Elliot. This is a classic which I should really enjoy.

I find many interesting recipes on a site called Recipezaar. I always like to try new recipes and I came across a very interesting zucchini recipe --  the exact name is Kabak Mücveri (Turkish Zucchini Fritters).  Here is the link to the original recipe.

KABAK MÜCVERI (Turkish Zucchini Fritters) RECIPE #127269
Fritters are very popular in the Middle East. They are eaten hot or at room temperature as a vegetable side dish or a meze. It couldn’t be simpler to make, but you can dress it up with optional garnishes of black olives, tomatoes, or hard-boiled egg. The perfect use for small, sweet new zucchini. Serve alone or with a creamy garlic-lemon yogurt sauce for a perfect complement to any spicy or grilled foods that call for a cooling accompaniment.

1 lb zucchini      
½ cup kasseri cheese, grated or feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup chopped green onions (spring)    
4 eggs, slightly beaten 
1 small yellow onion, grated    
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup fresh dill, chopped    
fresh ground pepper
4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped    
olive oil, for frying 
6 servings Change size or US/metric
35 minutes 15 mins prep    
Grate the zucchini and place in a colander; sprinkle with salt and let drain for 30 minutes; squeeze out moisture and pat with paper towels.
Place the zucchini in a bowl and add the green and yellow onions, dill, parsley, cheese, flour and salt and pepper to taste; mix well.
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour in oil to a depth of ¼ inch; when the oil is hot, drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into the pan (or form into small patties), allow space in between fritters; fry for 2 minutes on the fist side, then turn to brown on the second side for about 3 minutes; using a slotted spatula transfer to paper towels or newspaper to drain; repeat with remaining batter.

To start the first thing you need is zucchini.

You grate it and drain it and dampen it with a paper towel.

Here is the product all mixed together.

Then you fry them. You either drop them from a spoon or make patties. I dropped them from a spoon.Here is my finished product.

These are really tasty warm. What I liked was that you can eat them at room temperature. According to the recipe you can serve these with a yogurt sauce, but I thought they tasted great the way they were. I think they would be great for picnics and school lunches.

Get out, it's going to be a beautiful day,


Cassandra