Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Now I can't decide what to make for dinner tonight. After reading about Ilene's ravioli and JesBelle's catfish, I'm seriously conflicted. I want both!

I'm so glad to be part of a forum with so many good cooks. I love you guys.

Amy

Josh
I don't have a recipe because I made it up out of my own little head. Luckily that means is is very simple. I got the idea after my aunt told me she made tomato sauce in the microwave when she was short on time because you get a long cooked flavor. I then made ratatouille and I really liked how everything went in all at once but each veg maintained its own shape and flavor. I played around with it a bit and this is the mix I like best:

1 sliced onion
1 clove garlic chopped
glug of olive oil

Microwave these in a covered pot on high about a minute

chopped red bell pepper
cubed eggplant (I can only buy little eggplants and I never salt them and they are never bitter)
sliced zucchini
thinly sliced fennel
canned tomatoes (or fresh or passata... whatever)
juice from half an orange
chipotle powder
ground cumin
salt
Microwave all this covered at high from 5 to 10 minutes... until everything is cooked, usually the fennel still has a bit of crunch but is not raw.

Add grated orange peel (about half of the orange or so).

This is also good with chickpeas thrown in, topped with chopped olives, add artichoke hearts, as a bed for a firm white fish or shrimp or lamb if you are not a vegetarian, pasta topping (esp orzo with goat cheese or fennel crumbled on top). Some fresh chopped parsley or other herbs thrown in at the end is very good. Oh, raisins are good in it too. This is one of my desert island foods.

As to the chipotle... Penzey's . I haven't seen the powder here but can get canned ones as there is a place that imports Mexican food. The powder lasts forever as you need such a tiny bit. I like to put a pinch into my guacamole.

Mary

PS I forgot, this is also good on a thick slice of Italian bread that has been grilled and drizzled with olive oil, topped with a round of goat cheese and run under the broiler for a bit.

auntcy, it sounds delicious. I was feeling tired so I just fried up an egg, nuked some locally produced bacon, and made a quick hollandaise. That's the extent of my cooking recently - I've been too worn out after commuting 3 to 4 hours a day to make much. Yesterday we had crockpot carnitas, and that is only because DH made all the sides.

Braised a pork loin in milk with sage, garlic and lemon. I thought it was grand the nephew ate it without comment, the SIL ( who doesn't eat pork) liked it ok, and the niece thought it smelled weird. If this was my house that kid would be eating a lot more cereal for dinner-her parents are willing to keep heating stuff up for her.

We had squash pudding for dessert. I think we'll be having squash pudding for quite a few desserts this week.

I take it it was a rather large squash?

Last night it was cuban black beans (from Alina on TOBB), rice and broccli. Healthy night! But still tasty.

Tonight my lovely wife, who rarely cooks, made Emiril's Two Bean Turkey Chili as a surprise for me as I worked quite late. I am likely biased, but I quite liked it. I fired in some extra hot sauce to kick it up a notch, but a very nice flavour, and healthy too!

Now this chili would give Da Bull a heart attack; it has not just one bean but two kinds, and it is closer to soup then it is to that thick thing known as chili in many parts, but it was still a very flavourful and enjoyable dish. If you should try it, be aware that a 4 quart saucepan ain't gonna cut it; she use a 7 quart LC dutch oven and it went almost to the rim.

I have to try that ravioli and the ... concoction .. that Mrs. Gott put up.