Ratatouille, At Last!!!!

It has been the strangest summer for me.  Usually, by this time, I would have made several batches of ratatouille, given that I would have had 2-3 weeks of eggplants from the CSA.  However, between moving and traveling, I have not had time to do any major cooking.  So, today, I decided it was time.  I made a roasted ratatouille today (my favorite type because roasting gives another layer of flavor).  To make it acceptable to my diet, I then took a bunch and made a quiche (the cheese, milk and eggs give me protein).  Here are both recipes:

Oven-Roasted Ratatouille

• 1 medium eggplant*
• 1 medium zucchini*
• 1 small yellow squash*
• 5 small local Amish tomatoes*
• 1 red pepper*
• 1 orange pepper*
• canola oil
• Italian seasoning
• Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash all vegetables.  Trim ends of eggplant. Quarter the eggplant lengthwise and then slice into 1/4" slices.  Trim ends of zucchini and squash. Cut in half lengthwise and then slice into 1/8" slices.  Quarter tomatoes and the coarsely chop. Roughly chop the peppers.  Place all vegetables into a zip bag (2 if needed).  Drizzle oil over vegetables and then sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Shake bag(s) until the vegetables are evenly coated with oil and seasonings.  Pour into a prepared roasting pan and roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring the vegetables every 15 minutes to cook evenly.

 Ratatouille Quiche

• 1 1/2 cups Roasted Ratatouille (see above)
• 1 cup Italian Cheese blend
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup 1% milk
• salt & pepper
• dried basil

Reduce heat of oven to 350F.  Drain 1 1/2 cups of roasted ratatouille on paper towels.  Press out as much moisture as possible as the vegetables will likely release more moisture during baking.   Place the vegetables into the bottom of a prepared round baking pan.  Beat eggs with milk and seasonings.  Sprinkle the cheese over the vegetables and then pour the egg mixture over the filling.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*Farmers market ingredients

Moving Day Quiche

While I have been living with my parents, I have made a few quiches to share.  Last week, I was making a broccoli cheddar quiche and Dad said, "I bet this would be good with bleu cheese".  That got me thinking and I decided that I would try that for the people who were helping me move my stuff into my new house.  I thought about it for a while and decided that bleu cheese would be best with caramelized onions and bacon.  So, last night, as I was unpacking and watching the Lions game (they won!!!!), I caramelized onions and cooked up the bacon.  And then this morning, I threw that together with bleu cheese and my standard quiche egg mixture and what resulted is now my favorite quiche.  It's a bit more work than what I normally do, but oh, so worth the effort!

Bleu Cheese Bacon Quiche with Caramelized Onions

• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• 4 oz bleu cheese
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk
• 2 tsp dried basil

Preheat oven to 350F.

Caramelize onions:
Peel onion and then cut into quarters.  Thinly slice the onions and then cut slices into thirds.  Set aside.  Heat heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add oil and heat until shimmery.  Add onions and stir until evenly coated in oil.  Cook, stirring every 1-2 minutes until the onions begin to brown.  Continuing cooking, stirring every 30 seconds to 1 minute until the onions are desired color (brown but not burned).  Set aside to cool.

Add bacon to the same skillet and cook until crisp.  Remove onto paper towels to drain fat.  Cool and then dice.  Set aside.

Assemble Quiche:
Mix cooked onions and bacon and sprinkle in bottom of prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle bleu cheese over the onions and bacon. Whip eggs with milk and basil.  Pour over fillings and bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Canadian Bacon Quiche

An early morning storm followed by a call from my new CSA delaying this morning's pickup reminded me that I have been remiss in posting to this blog. I have been so busy; moving, starting a new career, ending the old one, traveling, I just haven't taken the time to post. For that, I apologize. Last night, Dad bought a Canadian bacon, so I figured I would camelize some onions, cut up some of the bacon and use the bleu cheese I bought last night to make a quiche. But alas, I left the bleu cheese at the house. So this morning I used Swiss and we shall have the bleu on Saturday for those helping me finish my move.

 Canadian Bacon Onion Quiche

• 1 need. sweet onion
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 6 oz Canadian bacon, diced
• 4 oz Swiss cheese
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk

 Preheat oven to 350F. Dice onions; set aside. Heat heavy skillet over medium heat. Add oil and continue heating until oil shimmers. Add onions and toss to coat with oil. Cook, stirring every 1-2 minutes until, they soften. Reduce heat and cook, adding water as needed to keep moist until onions carmelize to desired brownness. Be careful not to burn. At the end, add the Canadian bacon to heat.

Prepare a round baking pan with cooking spray. Spread onions and bacon in bottom of pan. Sprinkle with shredded Swiss. Beat eggs with milk; season as desired (I used garlic, salt and freeze-dried basil). Pour eggs over filling. Bake for 35 minutes at 350F. Allow to set 5 minutes before serving.