Ratatouille Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Goat Cheese

3 08 2011
Ratatouille is a celebration of summer harvest. So, I cooked this dish to celebrate my friend’s birthday.  It was a huge hit. Often ratatouille is just presented as a stew, but this presentation gives a bit more elegance to the meal. You can make it ahead and even stuff the mushrooms. Then all you have to do is crumble goat cheese over, reheat and serve.

1 onion, chopped

5 garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

1 1-pound eggplant, trimmed, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Pinch of cayenne pepper

four 4-to-5 inch-diameter portobello mushrooms, stems removed

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 10-ounce package ready-to-use spinach leaves

1 8oz log of soft goat cheese or goat cheese crumble Read the rest of this entry »





Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Salad

27 01 2011
I used this dish as the grain and vegetable for an amazing meal I made for my friend’s birthday. Inspired by the chef I work with at Lola’s On Harrison in Hollywood, Florida, I topped this grain salad with Mahi Mahi. I rubbed the fish with a mixture of curry powder, cumin powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder, and sea salt. Then I pan seared it and finished it off in the oven. I put the fish atop the quinoa and then put some roasted butternut squash and asparagus around the fish and drizzled some of the extra vinaigrette from the quinoa over the top. It was delicious. Thank you Michael for the inspiration.

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Thai Green Curry of Eggplant, Chickpeas, and Green Beans

19 02 2010

This is an easy curry if you have Thai green curry paste on hand that you can buy in jars in the Asian section of the grocery store. Of course, you can use any vegetables you have on hand. If you find kafir lime leaves, add one or two to the stew for a nice flavor. These leaves are used in the same way we use bay leaves to flavor stocks. Serve over brown jasmine rice. Read the rest of this entry »