This meal is
what happens when the real cook in this family takes over the kitchen and
it was built to use stuff we had on hand.
Our summer garden is in full swing and we are giving away lots of
produce, especially about a half bushel of zucchini before eating any
ourselves, until this meal.
Bev decided she wanted to make two things from the burger and veggies we had on hand – Salisbury Steak and Ratatouille, which I decided I really liked after the Hoffer boys made it for us on Memorial Day. We didn’t have any mushrooms for the steak dish and Bev decided it was really the meat recipe she liked and we could just top it with the ratatouille – similar to tomato sauce or ketchup on meatloaf. We used the same recipe as the two previous times.
Hamburger Steak from Lynda's Recipe Box
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, or can use steak sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
The recipe calls for caramelizing the onions, but Bev just mixed everything together and we shaped it into four 7 oz steaks.
Ratatouille from American Profile.com (we halved and adapted it to get the following)
Original recipe from the Duluth Grill, Duluth, Minn
Vegetables:
2 cups zucchini, coarsely chopped
2 cups eggplant, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Sauce:
3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tomato (14 oz), peeled and pureed
6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh basil
20 basil leaves, chiffonade
Leaves from 5 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
To taste crumbled feta cheese
Instructions: The recipe calls for baking the veggies but we decided to grill them.
To prepare the sauce, add the tomatoes to boiling water for about a minute, remove and drop into cold water. Peel the tomatoes, chop three, and puree one.
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat until golden and add the pureed tomato, tomato paste, and bay leaf – cook about 10 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook 10 minutes (At this point Bev turned off the heat while we cooked the veggies, but they can be done at the same time).
Preheat grill on high heat.
To prepare vegetables, toss onion, bell pepper, zucchini and eggplant on a jelly roll pan (or a bowl) with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cook over high heat on the grill in whatever pan works for you until they are getting tender and caramelized. (I cooked them in three batches so they would be in a single layer in the pan).
All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
One year ago: Leftover Eggplant For Breakfast
Two years ago: Grilled Chicken With BBQ Sauce
Larry
7/09/12 meal date
Bev decided she wanted to make two things from the burger and veggies we had on hand – Salisbury Steak and Ratatouille, which I decided I really liked after the Hoffer boys made it for us on Memorial Day. We didn’t have any mushrooms for the steak dish and Bev decided it was really the meat recipe she liked and we could just top it with the ratatouille – similar to tomato sauce or ketchup on meatloaf. We used the same recipe as the two previous times.
Hamburger Steak from Lynda's Recipe Box
1/2 of a
medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons
oil
1 1/4 pound ground beef chuck-80/20 blend
1/3 cup dry
bread crumbs (homemade from Garlic Tuscan Bread – Sam’s)1 1/4 pound ground beef chuck-80/20 blend
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, or can use steak sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
The recipe calls for caramelizing the onions, but Bev just mixed everything together and we shaped it into four 7 oz steaks.
Ratatouille from American Profile.com (we halved and adapted it to get the following)
Original recipe from the Duluth Grill, Duluth, Minn
Vegetables:
1 large
onion, coarsely chopped
1¼ cups bell
peppers, coarsely chopped 2 cups zucchini, coarsely chopped
2 cups eggplant, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Sauce:
3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tomato (14 oz), peeled and pureed
6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh basil
20 basil leaves, chiffonade
Leaves from 5 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
To taste crumbled feta cheese
Instructions: The recipe calls for baking the veggies but we decided to grill them.
To prepare the sauce, add the tomatoes to boiling water for about a minute, remove and drop into cold water. Peel the tomatoes, chop three, and puree one.
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat until golden and add the pureed tomato, tomato paste, and bay leaf – cook about 10 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook 10 minutes (At this point Bev turned off the heat while we cooked the veggies, but they can be done at the same time).
Preheat grill on high heat.
To prepare vegetables, toss onion, bell pepper, zucchini and eggplant on a jelly roll pan (or a bowl) with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cook over high heat on the grill in whatever pan works for you until they are getting tender and caramelized. (I cooked them in three batches so they would be in a single layer in the pan).
When veggies are ready, add to the sauce along
with the olives and the herbs and simmer about 15 minutes
– adjust salt and pepper.
In our house
there are the basic everyday meals, the good everyday meals, the company quality
meals, and the I-could-make-money-on–this-in-a-restaurant meals. This one was the latter, and not only
were the meat and ratatouille each very good alone, we both thought they worked outstandingly
together. I may never go into the
kitchen again and just let Bev work her magic.
All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
One year ago: Leftover Eggplant For Breakfast
Two years ago: Grilled Chicken With BBQ Sauce
Larry
7/09/12 meal date
Wow, Bev did a great job Larry. I would just sit back and enjoy if I were you.
ReplyDeleteSam
My vegetable garden is in full swing too (CSA) What a great way to use vegetables. And delicious. Don't think I've ever made Ratatouille.
ReplyDeleteWow, an I could make money off of this meal rave... that is a VERY high praise indeed! It looks amazing, that's for sure. Very nicely done, Bev!
ReplyDeleteI can see why you would give this your highest rating, Larry. Love the way you have prepared the veggies. They keep their shape when they aren't cooked in the sauce. I can buy all the ingredients at the farmers' market. My kind of recipe.
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! I've never made ratatouille myself either but I'd love to try - especially with all of the wonderful, fresh veggies out there now.
ReplyDeleteBet that smelled wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteBev rocks! I love ratatouille but have gotten lazy about the all day recipes. Yours sounds more reasonable than mine!
ReplyDeleteThat looks delicious... I love all of the ingredients starting with the meat---and going through all of the veggies... YUM...
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!
Betsy