Dinner guests who visit the house often have some form of dietary restriction: carb-, gluten-, grain-, or sugar-free, vegetarian, vegan, flextarian, only white-meat chicken-eater, allergies (shellfish, nuts, dairy), etc. You know what I'm talking about. I understand. Am a selective eater myself. [Ed. note: Run away run away run away do not comment I want to live...]

However, this summer has been about streamlining, making things as easy as possible. This dinner is the perfect solution. Have to give props to the BF, who suggested that kebabs would be a good accompaniment. [Ed. note: I can't help myself. I like good food, ok?]

This is especially effective for a dinner-party menu. Serve your favorite hummus for appetizers, follow up with two entrees: Roasted Harissa Spiced Ratatouille and Chicken Kebabs. The ratatouille will satiate the vegan guest and be a nice side dish for the carnivores. FYI, this dish is gluten free, grain free, Paleo and vegan.

Have been on a harissa kick lately, adding it to shrimp skewers, lamb patties, and roasted Japanese eggplant. Harissa is a spicy aromatic North African chili paste made out of hot chili peppers (which are often smoked), roasted red bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and spices like cumin, coriander, caraway and mint. It comes in sauce form or paste, as you can see in photo below. I used a mild harissa sauce for this dish, but next time might opt for the paste, which is spicier and more concentrated. 

Adapted from: Gourmande in the Kitchen
Number of servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, cut in half and again into thick slices (about 2 inches long)
• 2 red peppers, seeded and cut into big chunks
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into big chunks (Japanese eggplant used here, but use whatever you can get)
• ½ red onion cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons/30ml extra olive oil
  
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tablespoons harissa paste (harissa sauce used here)
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes. halved
• 2 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
• Rice, quinoa, couscous or cauliflower "rice" to serve

​Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 ºF.
2. Place the zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, garlic, salt, pepper, 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil, harissa, and coriander in a large bowl and toss to combine. Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet. Place tomatoes with remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil in a separate bowl and set aside.
3. Roast vegetables for 15 minutes, remove from oven, add halved cherry tomatoes and return to oven for another 15 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and serve vegetables over whatever starch you desire. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Give me nothing but eggplants and tomatoes until summer ends! This meal embodies everything I love about summer produce. Minimal prep and cooking, with exploding flavors. The BF loved it with saffron rice as a complimentary side dish.

Today, we honor both our mom's birthdays (his was the 3rd, mine the 4th), and this weekend we celebrate Marlowe's recovery from cancer surgery. Life is good.

Adapted from: Feasting at Home
Number of Servings: 2-3
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Ingredients
Gremolata (Zesty Italian Herb Sauce)

• 1 cup packed Italian Parsley (small stems are fine)
• 1–2 garlic cloves
• Zest of one small lemon, plus 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice (Meyer Lemon is good)
• ½ cup olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper, more to taste
• Pinch chile flakes (optional)

Eggplant

• 1 large or 2 medium/large eggplants, sliced into ½-¾ inch thick slices (see notes)
• Olive oil, salt and pepper for grilling
• 3–4 tablespoons Gremolata
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• Drizzle olive oil
• Crumbled goat or feta cheese (optional, but highly recommended)

Directions
Gremolata (Zesty Italian Herb Sauce)

1. Place parsley, garlic and zest in a food processor and pulse until chopped.
2. Add oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pulse again, until uniformly combined but not too smooth.
3. Add chili flakes for a touch of heat, if you like.
4. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.

​Eggplant

1. Preheat grill to medium-high (stovetop grill pan was used here. You can also roast them.
2. Slice eggplant into ½-inch thick slices. (If sensitive to bitterness, salt both sides and let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse with water and pat dry.)
3. Brush both sides with olive oil (and salt if not previously) and grill each side for 4 minutes, or until good grill marks appear. Stack in a baking dish or bowl and wrap up tightly in foil so they cook all the way through and become translucent.
4. Toss tomatoes with a pinch of salt, fresh herbs (if you like), and a little drizzle of olive oil.
5. Lay eggplant steaks down on a serving platter. Spoon a little gremolata over each one. Top with the tomatoes.
6. Add crumbled goat or feta, if desired. 

NOTES:

• Gremolata: If you don't have a food processor, you can chop everything very finely and place into a bowl.
• I usually serve ½ of one whole eggplant per person, 2-3 slices.
• Alternatively, you can roast the eggplant steaks, although grilling gives them lovely flavor. To roast, prepare the same way, brushed with oil and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, in a 425 °F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and golden. 

She's back.

"You say tomato, I say tomahto." 

September is one of those in-between cooking months. Summer is over, but it’s still hot out and the Farmers Market bins are overflowing with juicy, ripe tomatoes in myriad of colors. Autumn root vegetables have made an appearance, and I can't wait to leap into fall, but I promised my BF I would not start decorating or making anything pumpkin-related until Oct 1. [Ed. Note: It would be "All Halloween All The Time" in this house, if she could get away with it.]

This tart is a perfect end of summer meal—lunch, brunch, dinner or an even better appetizer. It's also a great way to use up all your ripe garden tomatoes in a quick and non-fussy fashion. And on muggy odd-weather weeks like we've experienced recently in the bay area (triple-digit heat followed by monsoon rain and lightning), lets be real, I don't want to bake when it's a bajillion degrees.

I have made this tart every September for the last decade with various crusts, i.e., one sheet of defrosted puff pastry, homemade rye, buckwheat, or polenta tart crust, as well as whole wheat pizza dough. This time I made it with Vicolo cornmeal pizza crust (see picture below). This is not a sponsored post, but these ready-made crusts are a godsend: freshly made, organic, all natural, no preservatives, and there are even gluten-free options. They come pre-packaged in the refrigerated section of your grocery store (Safeway, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, etc.), and if you like the taste and texture of cornmeal, you won't be disappointed.  

If you can't find Vicolo in your grocery store, you can substitute with one sheet of defrosted puff pastry, rolled out to a 9x13 rectangle and placed on a baking sheet. Follow the baking instructions on the box and let it cool completely, then follow the rest of my instructions for the filling and assembly.
 
Number of Servings: Approx 2-3 (per one 8-inch tart). 

Note: Ingredient list below is for one 8-inch tart, and Vicolo crusts come in packages of two. So if you want to make both you will need to double the filling amounts below.

Ingredients

• One Vicolo cornmeal pizza crust or one sheet of defrosted puff pastry
• 4 ounces  (½ cup) whole milk fresh ricotta
• 4 ounces  (½ cup) soft goat cheese, such as chèvre (room temperature)
• 3 scallions, minced
• 1 teaspoon honey 
• ½ teaspoon finely minced jalapeno (optional)
• ½ lemon, zested (optional)
• 1 ½ pounds tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil to finish
• Basil, julienned

Directions

1. Bake Vicolo Cornmeal Pizza Crust for 10-12  minutes. Cool completely. 
2. Mix ricotta, goat cheese, scallions, honey, jalapeno and lemon together until smooth. Mix in salt to taste.
3. Spread filling on bottom of the crust.
4. Add sliced tomatoes over the filling.
5. Salt and pepper the tart to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with basil.

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