When Work Tastes Good!

Today, after many long-awaited weeks, we had our first harvest from our vegetable garden. While modest, 3 zucchinis and 5 summer squash, we were thrilled to have something to show for all the hard work that has gone into this garden. This was, what I hope is the first of much more to come. Soon we should have some other yummy vegetables to eat...I can't wait!

Since we had such a wonderful gift we, being the cooking people we are, decided to create something delicious. What? Well ratatouille of course! Ok, ok, so I'm not a rat named Remy or a French chef, but on a teacher's salary I could be considered a peasant, and since this is traditionally a peasant dish I made some! And boy was it tasty! What a perfect way to use a bunch of summer vegetables! Below are some pictures of the creation as well as the recipe. We also made Green Chile Beef Empanadas which complemented the ratatouille exquisitely! I'll include the recipe of that as well!

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed

1 1/2 cups small diced yellow onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cups medium diced eggplant, skin on

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 cup diced green bell peppers (I actually used orange ones instead)

1 cup diced red bell peppers

1 cup diced zucchini squash

1 cup diced yellow squash

1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (or 1 can diced tomatoes)

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Set a large 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the eggplant and thyme to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the green and red peppers, zucchini, and squash and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for a final 5 minutes. Stir well to blend and serve either hot or at room temperature.

I love to make empanadas because they remind me of living abroad. These empanadas were reminiscent of the U.S. Southwest due to the Beef/Green Chile combo. They are super easy and VERY tasty, especially with the ratatouille alongside!

2 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crusts (or make your own favorite crust recipe)

2 cups cooked shredded beef 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles (or about 1/2 c. fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix together the beef, cheese, and chiles into a well-combined mixture for the filling. Roll pie crusts onto a flat surface. Top each quadrant of crust with about 3/4 cup of filling mixture making even layers and spreading ingredients to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Top with second pie crust. Pinch around the edges with a fork to seal. Transfer empanadas to a baking sheet and poke tops of the pastry with a fork creating small holes/slits in the top of each one to allow steam to escape during cooking. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown.