Eggplant Bolognese
(From Joe Simmer's Healthy Slow Cookin')
 Many
think a tomato sauce must include meat to be termed
“Bolognese”, but Joe considers that a lotta
baloney. When Joe’s friend Boudreaux was touring
Italy, he met a old vegetarian in Bologna, Vitale DiFatta,
who gave him this recipe. (Serves 6 to 8)
6 cups eggplant, cut into 1/4” cubes
2 cups zucchini, cut into 1/4” inch cubes
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup red wine
2 – 6 ounce cans tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock, page 000, or broth
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Place the eggplant and zucchini cubes in a colander,
sprinkle them with salt, place in sink or over bowl
and allow to “weep” for 1/2 hour.
Heat olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet set over
a medium-high heat. Sauté vegetables for 10 minutes,
stirring frequently. Transfer contents of skillet to
slow cooker.
In the same skillet, sauté onions and garlic
for about 5 minutes until soft. Transfer contents to
the slow cooker. Deglaze the skillet with the wine until
reduced by one half, scraping the bottom well. Transfer
to slow cooker. Add the tomato paste, pepper, oregano
leaves and chicken broth. Stir well. Cover and cook
on low for 6 hours.
Stir contents of slow cooker well, scraping sides well.
Serve over your favorite whole grain pasta. Sprinkle
with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
Chef’s Notes: Chilled or at room temperature,
this makes a great hors d’oeuvres spread on whole-wheat
crackers or toast points.
Wine
Suggestion:
Anything Italian, white or red.
Red Snapper Veracruz
(From Joe Simmer's Healthy Slow Cookin')
According to Joe’s great, great uncle and legendary
mariner Mathew Bloomfield Simmer, about a century or
so ago a trade triangle thrived among the ports of New
Orleans, Louisiana, Havana, Cuba and Veracruz, Mexico.
Mathew kept a log of his travels with entries describing
every meal he had eaten from the time he was sixteen
until his death at age eighty-three, about an hour and
a half after a large lunch of Seafood Gumbo, Frijoles
Negro (Black Beans) and Pulpo Al Ajillo (Octopus in
Garlic Sauce). This old family recipe comes from his
diary.
(Serves 4)
1 1/2 lbs fresh red snapper, cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 medium poblano pepper or green bell pepper, cut
in half and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeño pepper,
or to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 bay leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted green olives
1 - 14 1/2 can stewed tomatoes, including the liquid
Sprinkle the chili powder, salt and lemon or lime
juice on the fish, cover it and refrigerate while slow-cooking
the sauce.
Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large skillet
set over a high heat. Add the sliced onion and poblano
or bell pepper and sauté for 3 – 4 minutes,
until wilted. Stir in the garlic, jalapeño, oregano,
bay leaves and black pepper and cook for another minute
or two. Transfer the contents of the pan to the crock
along with the capers, olives and tomatoes. Cover and
cook on high for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or low for 3
– 4 hours.
If cooking on low, switch to the high setting. Stir
the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Add the marinated
fish to the crock and spoon some of the sauce one top
of each piece. Cover and cook for 15 – 30 minutes,
or until fish is done.
Chef’s Notes: If snapper is unavailable, substitute
redfish, speckled trout, grouper, mahi-mahi, black drum
or halibut, or any mild-to-medium flavored white fleshed
fish.
Wine
Suggestion:
A Chablis from France, an un-oaked Chardonnay from California
or Australia, or a Pinot Noir.
White Beans with Rosemary
and Vermouth
Joe’s a big fan of vermouth, and not just for
the six or eight drops he uses to soften the gin of
his two martinis. As herb infused wines, both the sweet
red and dry white add complexity and nuance to many
a dish. Here, white vermouth mingled with savory shallots
and woodsy rosemary supplant the need for meat or stock.
(Serves 6 to 8)
1 lb Great Northern White Beans
6 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
3 bay leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup white vermouth, divided
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Rinse the beans and combine with the water in a large
saucepan. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or over night.
When you are ready to cook, bring the beans to a boil,
turn off the heat, cover and let soak while preparing
the other ingredients.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add
the finely chopped onion and shallot and cook over a
medium high heat for 6 – 8 minutes, stirring often
until lightly browned. Stir in the minced garlic, rosemary,
bay leaves, white pepper and cayenne pepper and cook
for one more minute.
Transfer the content of the skillet to the slow cooker.
Add the soaked beans and water. Stir in 1/2 cup of the
vermouth, cover and cook on low for 6 - 7 hours or high
for 3 – 3 _ hours. When the beans are tender,
stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the remaining
1/2 cup of vermouth, the chopped parsley and salt to
taste. Cook for an additional 10 – 15 minutes.
Chef’s Notes: One of the benefits of cooking
beans in a slow cooker really shows up here. The soft
and delicate Great Northern White will retain their
shape when cooked, rather get cooked down into a near
puree.
Wine
Suggestion: A red or white
Côtes du Rhône.
Red Beans and Rice
This dish is new to Joe as he had not heard of it
or tasted it until last year. Just kidding! (Serves
6 to 8)
1 lb dark red kidney beans
6 cups water
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 bay leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Rinse the beans and place them in a large saucepan.
Add the water, bring the pot to a boil, lower the heat
and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan form the heat,
cover it and let the beans soak while preparing the
other ingredients.
Place the chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic
bay leaves, thyme, the three peppers and the smoked
sausage in the slow cooker. Add the soaked beans and
stir to mix. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or high
for 3 1/2 hours, or until beans are tender.
Remove about 1/4 cup of beans from the crock to a
small bowl. Mash to a smooth paste with the back of
a spoon and stir them back in, along with the vinegar,
salt and parsley. Cook on low for 30 minutes or high
for 15 minutes.
Serve over steamed rice.Chef’s Notes: Be sure
to use beans labeled “dark red kidney beans”,
and not simply “red beans”. The latter lack
the deep, almost smoky flavor essential to this dish,
and are softer in texture – more like pinto beans.
Interestingly, most red kidney beans grown in the
U. S. come from either Michigan or Colorado –
neither place anywhere near the Crescent City.
Wine
Suggestion: A California
or Oregon Pinot Noir is perfect.
Check back regularly for additional
recipes! |
