Patti's bounty, Part II

RATATIZZA

This Ratatouille-Pizza may seem like a bit of an effort, but it turns out fabulously good looking and tasty enough to win over anyone’s heart…in case you are trying :)

Tart/Pizza base:

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll 1 sheet out just barely until it resembles a rectangle instead of a square. Use the other sheet to form borders on top of the edges of the first sheet (I just cut strips). Use egg wash to brush strips. Poke holes in your rectangle pastry with a fork then pop it into oven for 5 minutes to cook. Remove and allow to cool.

Goat cheese spread:

4 cloves garlic finely minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

4 ounces soft goat cheese

Mix above ingredients in a small bowl. On cooled pastry crust, spread mixture evenly inside of the borders.

Ratatouille:

2 tomatoes

1 chinese eggplant

1 squash

1 zuchini

1 red bell pepper

½ red onion

olive oil, salt, and pepper

Egg wash:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

Garnish:

1 tablespoon of pine nuts, toasted

4 leaves basil, julienned

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil on a cookie sheet covered with foil. Slice vegetables to be roasted about ¼ an inch thick and lay out on cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle olive oil on top of sliced veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven about 30-40 minutes.

Arrange vegetables in rows on top on goat cheese spread on pastry. Bake for 15-20 more minutes. Remove and promptly sprinkle with pine nuts and basil. Serve warm!

BLT for two

Very simple sandwich: bacon, spinach, fried garden tomato, pesto, and sourdough bread. Very big reward.

Steps:

Fry 4 pieces of bacon.

Spread butter on 4 pieces of sourdough bread then toast (in the oven).

Fry two to four big slices of tomato (still using up my treasures from Mrs. Patti, my prize mother-in-law):

-slice tomato ¼ an inch or thicker

-dredge in flour*, then egg (beaten), then cornmeal*

-fry tomatoes in one inch of olive oil preheated over medium/high heat (about two minutes per side)

Assemble sandwich:

Spread pesto on one side of toast.

Layer spinach, then bacon, then tomato, and then the other toast on top.

*note: I put Tony’s in my flour and garlic salt in my cornmeal