Fall Market Salad With Caramelized Onions, Bacon & Blue Cheese

This selection of salad greens are all in a bitter/sour flavor family. Alone, they might be challenging for some to enjoy.  But when they share a plate with sweet onions and apples, and rich and salty bacon and blue cheese, the flavors are perfectly balanced.  There is no need for a fussy salad dressing when your mouth lights up with all of this flavor.  A good oil and vinegar drizzle before serving is all it needs.

Ingredients: One head of pac choi, stems and greens chopped 2 cups of arugula 1 bunch of radish greens 1 bunch of radishes, sliced 1 golden delicious apple, sliced 1 lb link 41 bacon, cooked crispy 3-4 sweet onions, sliced and caramelized until golden brown. (See recipe for Caramelized Onions) Roquefort or Stilton blue cheese Olive oil Golden balsamic vinegar, or your favorite sweet light vinegar

Method: Slice and caramelize the onions.  See recipe for Caramelized Onions for instructions. Let cool. Cook the bacon until crispy and let rest on a paper towel to blot the grease. Wash the greens, arugula and pac choi.  Chop or tear the leaves to the desired size.  Chop or slice the pac choi stems, the radishes and the apples.  Assemble the vegetables and apples, then top with caramelized onions, crumbled bacon and blue cheese.  Drizzle a little olive oil and golden balsamic vinegar on top and serve.

Tacos With Cooked Greens & Smokey Sofrito Sauce

Ingredients 1 package of soft corn tortillas 1 lb chicken breasts, tenders or thighs 1 bunch lacinato or red kale, washed and sliced thinly. 3-4 banana peppers, sliced 1 tomato, diced 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 3-4 green onions, chopped Sliced avocado, or 1 recipe for Auntie's Guacamole (optional) 2 limes Sea salt & Pepper

Smokey Sofrito Sauce: 1 large sweet red pepper 1 small sweet onion 1 medium tomato 6 cloves of garlic 1 Tbs vinegar 1 tsp local honey 1 Tbs smoked serano chili powder, or another smoked chili powder Sea salt

Method: Prepare the Smokey Sofrito Sauce first.  You can do this a day or two in advance if necessary.  Cut the sweet pepper in half, and remove the stem and seeds.  Cut the onion in half and peel the dry outer layers.  Cut the tomato in half, remove the hard core from the stem end.  Place the pepper halves, onion halves and tomato halves on a hot barbecue grill or under a broiler.  Cook until the skins begin to blister and turn black. Turn and cook the other side the same way.  Remove from the grill and let cool.  Place the vegetables in a blender with the peeled cloves of garlic, vinegar, honey, and chili powder.  Puree until smooth, and adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate unused portions.

To prepare the chicken, rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.  Heat some oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet and brown the chicken until it is golden and crispy on the outside.  Remove from the pan and let cool. Meanwhile, put the chopped kale in the same skillet where the chicken cooked and saute until it wilts, while also dislodging the chicken fond that is stuck to the pan.  Add a little salt and some good apple cider vinegar to the kale.  Cook for one minute more, then remove from the pan. Shred the chicken with a fork.  Place in a bowl and toss with the chopped cilantro, juice from two limes and a little olive oil if the chicken seems dry.  You can also add some of the sofrito sauce if you want more flavor.

Brush the corn tortillas with a little oil and heat in a clean skillet, one or two at a time, and on both sides.  Layer the ingredients on the tortillas and serve with warm or cold smokey sofrito sauce.

Roasted Vegetable Stew With Beans & Spiced Chicken

This is a great soup to get you in the mood for late-summer and early-fall.  It is rich, hearty, and full of flavor.  The key is finding your favorite spice blend to create a signature flavor.  I tend to habitually reach for the sweet and spicy Jamaican Jerk blend.  But Alchemy Spice, a local spice and herb blender in Chattanooga, has an inspiring selection of blends.  What's best, is the fantastic flavor of freshly milled spices, as opposed to the bland old ones found in a grocery store. You can find Alchemy Spice online, at the Chattanooga Market, and in local specialty food shops. Ingredients: 3 Sweet peppers (any color), seeded and coarsely chopped 3 Medium tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 Yellow onion, coarsely chopped 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced 1 qt chicken or vegetable stock 3 cups beans (black, white or red beans, cooked and drained, or fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces) 1 lb boneless chicken, or leftovers from a roasted hen 1 Tbs your favorite Alchemy Spice blend (like The Jerk, Neo Masala, or Bayou Ya-Ya Cajun blends) Juice from one lime or lemon 1 Bunch cilantro, chopped (optional) Canola or olive oil Sea salt Black pepper

Method: Place the chopped peppers, tomatoes, and onions in a baking dish.  Coat with some oil, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake at 375 degrees for at least one hour, or until the vegetables are black on the tips and have begun to caramelize.  While the vegetables are cooking, season the chicken with the spices and brown in a heavy-bottomed stock pot with a little oil.  If you are using meat from a whole hen, rub the hen with the spices before roasting.  Chop the cooked chicken, and set aside.  Place the roasted peppers, onions and tomatoes in the stock pot with the chicken or vegetable stock.  Pulse with an immersion blender until coarsely pureed, or pulse in a conventional blender and return to the stock pot.  Add the beans, chicken, lime or lemon juice, and cilantro.  Simmer for a few minutes (or until the beans are cooked if using fresh green beans).  Serve with freshly baked corn bread.

Sweet Pepper Salsa With Peaches & Basil

Most of these ingredients were in the previously posted red pepper chutney recipe, but this raw-food version is amazing, and so lovely on top of grilled meats, in a taco, or with almost anything. Mix the following ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for up to one day.

4 cups of diced sweet peppers (mixed colors) 1 red chili pepper, diced (optional) 1 cup diced yellow or sweet onion 1 large firm-ripe peach, diced  3-4 cloves of garlic, minced Juice from 1 lime 1 tsp sea salt Freshly ground black pepper About 15-20 10-15 large fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

Summer party Idea: Bite-sized squash fritter with smoked salmon, garlic & herb goat cheese and sweet pepper salsa

Chattatouille

When my daughter was three years old she insisted that I needed to watch Remi (a cartoon rat/chef from the 2007 animated film Ratatouille) make a 5-star version of ratatouille, so I "could make it just like he does." The animated food fascination started with this classic rustic stew of vegetables, and continued on with gingerbread that runs out of the oven, soup from The Tale of Despereaux, and Gruffalo crumble (though we did have to make some substitutions for that one.)

The ratatouille was by far the most interesting and fun cartoon culinary challenge.  Although I did find some recipes online from others who had tried to mimic the animated version, there were some parts of our final product that evolved from choosing the best of whatever was locally and seasonally available.  When we first tried Remi's ratatouille four years ago there was a bumper crop of eggplant in the region, and we happened to have beets available at the same time.  The weather this year has left us with a slightly different assortment of choices. But if you happen to be growing beets and eggplant in your home gardens, or find them at your local farmer's market, this version of the little rat's signature dish will have you licking your plate like Ego (the fictional food critic) did with his own serving.

Ingredients: 2 medium tomatoes (cores removed and quartered), or 1-2 cups of cherry tomatoes 1 red bell pepper, (or any other sweet pepper), seeded and quartered 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges 4 cloves of garlic, peeled Canola or olive oil Sea salt Black pepper 1 Tbs herbs de Provence 1 zucchini, thinly sliced 1 Medium Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced 1 or 2 small beets, thinly sliced

Sauce for garnish: 1/4 cup light olive oil or 4 Tbs butter Juice from 1/2 lemon 1/8 tsp turmeric 1/8 tsp fenugreek powder About 1/4 of a whole nutmeg, grated Dash of white pepper Salt to taste 6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic in a baking dish and drizzle with some oil.  Season with the herbs de Provence, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the tips of the vegetables are dark brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes.  Puree the vegetables in a blender until smooth. Spread the pureed mixture over the bottom of a large baking or casserole dish. Place the sliced zucchini, eggplant and beets (alternately) in a fanned pattern over the top of the tomato and pepper puree.

Brush with a little oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cut parchment paper to the size of the dish and lay it over the top of the sliced vegetables.  Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

While the ratatouille is baking, prepare the lemon sauce for garnish.  Place all ingredients, except the basil, in a saucepan and whisk over low heat until the sauce is warm and begins to emulsify.  Remove from heat and stir in the sliced basil.  Place in a warmed jug. To serve the ratatouille, scoop out some of the vegetables and arrange on the plate.  Drizzle a little warm lemon sauce over the vegetables or on the plate.