Kate's Global Kitchen: The Ratatouille Garden

the appetizer:

Kate remembers a Ratatouille Garden; introduces her latest site, New Green Basics; reviews a new Food Slicer; and discovers a source for delicious macadamia nuts. Plus her end-of-summer recipe suggestions from the The Stubb's Bar-B-Q Cookbook.

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Kate @ Whole Foods

Saturday, August 11

Stubb's Legendary Kitchen-Stories,
History and Barbeque

4:30-6:30 p.m. $45

Kate Heyhoe, author of "The Stubb's Bar-B-Q Cookbook"

Scotty Jenson, CEO of Stubb's

Whole Foods Market Culinary Center

Whole Foods National Headquarters

525 North Lamar Street

Austin, TX 78703

(512) 542-2340

Stubbs BBQ is one of the cornerstones of Austin's rich culinary history! Come out of the relentless August heat and cool down while enjoying some of the stories about C.B. Stubblefield, the barbecue legend behind Stubbs. Learn tips for preparing and cooking the perfect brisket while sampling some of Stubb's classics. Menu will include favorites from the recently published The Stubb's Bar-B-Q Cookbook: Caper and Creole Deviled Eggs; Korean Steak, Stubb Style; Rubmaster's Grill Roasted Drumsticks with Summer Macaroni Salad and Stubb's Pecan Pie.

Tomatoes

The Ratatouille Garden

by Kate Heyhoe

Several years ago, I floated around a cookbook concept called "The Ratatouille Garden." If you grow your own vegetables, you'll understand how the dish "ratatouille" came about: it's an amalgam of late summer vegetables that all peak at the same time. Tomatoes. Zucchini. Eggplant. Peppers. And then there's more... Tomatoes. Zucchini. Eggplant. Peppers. Mix in summer herbs and garlic, and your ratatouille is ready to hatch. Plus, I don't think it's any accident that these vegetables go together so well. Nature knows what she's doing.

With this year's bumper crop busting forth, I'm back to thinking about "The Ratatouille Garden" as a cookbook. Too bad I didn't sell it before the animated flick Ratatouille came out. Rats! Or, should I say c'est la vie? If you're ready to dive into ratatouille, gazpacho, caponata, and other recipes using the same bounty of vegetables, here's a melange of ideas to nibble on.

Recipes for Ratatouille, Gazpacho, Caponata,
Eggplant, Zucchini, and Tomatoes

Ratatouille by Joy of Cooking
Ratatouille: Recipe and Ruminations by John Ryan
Gazpacho Today (El Gazpacho de Hoy)
Red and Golden Gazpacho Recipes by Michele Anna Jordan
Caponata by John Ryan
Sautéed Zucchini Batons, with Melon "Pasta" by Michael Chiarello
Zucchini Baked in a Bag by David Ruggerio
Zucchini Gratin by James Peterson
Roast Eggplant with Garlic and Mint by Leslie Revsin
Haitian Roasted Eggplant Salad
Turkish Stuffed Eggplant (Imam Bayildi)
Fontina and Roasted Yellow Pepper Salad
Bruschetta with Roasted Peppers
Heirloom Tomatoes with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Kate's New Blog:
New Green Basics

NewGreenBasics.com brings practical green solutions to the kitchen-conscious, and is the evolving companion to my upcoming book, New Green Basics: Greener Ways to Cook, Shop, and Clean. At my New Green Basics blog, you'll discover food-related items like this one...

Polar Sperm Bank for Plants

Think of it as protection for plant progeny: a high-tech fortress designed to preserve three million seed varieties. Hopefully, we'll never have to make a withdrawal from this "doomsday" shelter. But if certain agricultural gems start to disappear, or an agricultural catastrophe strikes, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault may save the day...continue reading at NewGreenBasics.com

Food Slicer

Slicing Through Sandwiches,
Sukiyaki and Stroganoff

The Chef's Choice Premium Electric Food Slicer, model 610, is a handy tool for families that slice more often than they dice. You can use it for those back-to-school sandwich meats and cheeses, and it also slices raw boneless beef, pork, chicken, fish and other ingredients for sukiyaki, bulkogi, stir-fry, and even stroganoff (for best results, partially freeze before slicing).

At $99 suggested retail price, this compact, high-performance unit is more affordable for households than bulky professional ones. As with any sharp tool, be sure to keep fingers and little persons away from the blade, unplug the unit when not in use, and store the slicer carefully away from curious little hands. This cook's suggestions for custom-slicing: grilled panini fixings; prosciutto, as thin or thick as you want it; cucumbers, paper-thin for Japanese salads; fruits and vegetables for dehydrating or canning; apples for pies; and loaves of home baked or artisanal bread, sliced off as you need them. Visit the Global Gourmet Store for more details about The Chef's Choice Premium Electric Food Slicer, Model 610.

Chef's Choice 610 Premium Electric Food Slicer

Macadamia Muesli

Down Under Breakfast and Snack Attacks

Right now, while we're entering the "back to school" zone, our mates Down Under are counting the days 'til their Spring Break, which runs from late-September to mid-October. I mention this because I recently tasted some Australian green-grown goodies that seem like a bloody good way to start off the school year; for adults, that is.

Brookfarm Macadamia Meusli is for those who like the Swiss or Bircher style of cereal. Sophisticated (not sugar-drenched like kids' cereals), it's a soft mixture of toasted grains with sultanas, currants, and macadamia nuggets. Try it with yogurt and a spot of Beechworth honey, which brings a taste of Australia's century old eucalyptus trees to your table. Earthy and robust, Beechworth's Ironbark Honey is especially good drizzled over lemony grilled chicken. Or beat whipped cream and honey together and dollop on fresh fruits.

Macadamia Nuts

My all-time favorite Australian snack is Brookfarm Oven Roasted Macadamia Nuts. They come in three varieties: Bush Pepper Spice (irresistible); Kashmiri Chilli (not too fiery), and Sea Salt (simply perfect). Frankly, they're far too good (and pricey) to share with your kids, so unless you're independently wealthy, and your offspring have PhD-educated palates, keep these handy packs all to yourself. (I know! It's utterly selfish for a parent to do this, but even adults need their special treats.) Actually, at under $18 for three (3.5 ounce) packs, they may seem expensive, but they're cheaper than most lunches, and tastier and healthier, to boot. Like high end chocolate, a few nibbles are all you need to feel pampered and sated. Keep them in mind, too, for holiday stocking stuffers. Look for these products in upscale markets or in The Foodwine.com store.

Rubmaster's Drums

What to Eat This Month

Don't even think about putting that grill away! Not before you get your own copy of The Stubb's Bar-B-Q Cookbook to fire up fifty classics like these: