A Dietary Change!? What?!

by Tom Becker

I’m told that this is normal. I’m told that this is not a big deal, that it is precautionary. I’m told to be aware and to moderate. But, I’m this northern European type of cook.

Beef, pork, cream and butter.

I need a sauce. And where is the cheese?

I love to cook and I love really good palette intriguing food, it’s what I do. Don’t get me

wrong, seafood can be fabulous and so fun to cook. And, it offers so much creativity from

a culinary stand point. Remember that pecan smoked lobster stromboli I made in January?

Perhaps not the “heart healthy” that the Doc has in mind. Gotta work on that. Poultry? I mean, beyond chicken and turkey. There’s always duck. Is that within a heart healthy diet? Well, with some study this morning, the answer is yes, under conditions. Remove the skin as it contains enormous amounts of saturated fats. However, the fat within the meat contains a

good amount of monounsaturated fats which are known to reduce LDL and actually support

heart health. Add to that, skinless duck breast has fewer calories than both turkey and chicken. But, say goodbye to duck confit, Tom. Guess I’ll need to play with this a bit.

Now, a Mediterranean diet has long been known as a healthy form of cooking. And I

see real beauty in a pan of peppers, zucchini and eggplant tossed with some EVO, herbs

and lemon juice. In fact, this makes me think of something which has not been made in my

kitchen for a very long time. Originally from Provençe, France, ratatouille nicoise is a

vegetable stew originating in the 1700s, created by farm families to use late season, ripened vegetables. In the modern era, first published references to ratatouille seem to occur in the 1930’s. Ingredients are much the same as mentioned in the Mediterranean diet, with specific seasonings. Featuring eggplant, zucchini, onion, tomato, peppers and garlic, it can be a simple process of stovetop cooking. In an original Provencal approach, it is considered best to fry each vegetable separately before combining them all in a pot with olive oil, garlic and herbs. An easier method will be to simply combine everything and cook it down in a pot making a vegetable stew. The approach that I’ve used is to form an aromatic/tomato puree base and then layer the vegetables across it followed with a simple roast in the oven.

OK, ratatouille it is, but today I’m going to add some smoke to it all on the grill.

RATATOUILLE

Olive oil, as needed 1 yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper,

diced 1 carrot, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

Herbs de Provence to taste

2 T sugar

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

Tomato paste as needed 4 T fresh basil, chopped

1 Japanese or Chinese eggplant (thinner skinned, less astringent,

long and narrow), ¼" rounds

4 Roma tomatoes, ¼" rounds 2 yellow squash, ¼" rounds

2 zucchini, ¼" rounds 3 T Italian parsley, chopped

1 T fresh thyme, chopped

grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, topping

Do all of your cutting and prep work first and set each item aside. In a

12" steel or cast-iron pan, heat 4 T olive oil over medium heat and saute

the onion for 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes, stir-

ring, until tender. Add the carrot, garlic, and Herbs de Provence and cook

for another 2-3 minutes, stirring. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar to

taste and lower the heat. Open the canned tomatoes (I use San Marzano

tomatoes) and drain off the liquid. Place them in a bowl, crush them

down, and stir them into the vegetable mix. Bring the mix to a low boil,

reduce the heat, and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring. You want to reduce the

liquid and make the base thicker. If desired, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of

tomato paste and stir it in. Adjust the seasoning as needed. I like adding

just a splash of red wine vinegar at this point, but start small and taste.

Less is more!

If you’re doing this in the oven, pre-heat the oven to 375, on your

smoker set it to 200. For both the oven and smoker you can continue

the preparation in the pan or transfer the base to a casserole. Smooth

the base and layer it alternating the vegetable rounds from the outside

of the pan in, creating a colorful pattern. Give this a good drizzle of

olive oil and a good sprinkle of the chopped parsley, basil, and thyme

and you’re ready to go. In the oven, cover the casserole or pan with a

good cover or heavy foil and cook for 45 minutes, uncover, sprinkle with

grated Parmigiano, and finish cooking another 10-15 minutes. Remove

from oven and let it sit a good 5 minutes before service or keep warm.

On the Traeger, place the uncovered pan or casserole on the grill at 200

degrees with super-smoke, if available, for 15 minutes. Remove it from

the smoke and cover it with a lid or foil. Raise the temperature to 375 and

return it to the heat. Cook for 40 minutes, remove the foil, sprinkle with

grated Parmigiano and cook uncovered an additional 15-20 minutes until

the vegetables are soft and the cheese is melted. Let it rest before service.

An excellent protein to go with your Ratatouille is a firm white fish. My

choice is generally a grilled cod, which can be cooked at 375 while the

ratatouille is resting, about 15-18 minutes. Enjoy!