[thechat] knives & recipes

[Marlene Bruce]

>Ever seen sushi knives?  They're so cool.

+1. I had my (hopefully becoming weekly dose of) sushi last week 
sitting at the sushi bar (the place was so packed they had to set up 
an extra chair for me). I had the perfect vantage point of all four 
chefs, and was watching them slice the fish with their super-sharp 
knives. It looked like they were slicing through water, they were so 
smooth.

Here's one of the dishes I made for my sailboat racing crew when I 
did an Italian dinner for them:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Early Autumn Vegetable Roast
(Verdure al Forno)
Serves 4-6 (I tripled this recipe for a group of 12, and though it 
was very popular, it served to be enough with everything else.)

[note: need not be done in early autumn ... substitute whatever fresh 
veggies are on hand that will hold up to roasting]

1 small to medium eggplant, cut into 1- to 1 1/2 inch wedges
3 small zucchini, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
Salt
2 medium onions, each cut into 4 wedges
2 to 3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), minced
3 small pattypan squash, cut into large chunks
1 sweet red pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into large chunks
1 large stalk celery with leaves, coarsely chopped
1 large handful green beans, trimmed and cut into thirds
1/3 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
1/2 tightly packed cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 tightly packed cup fresh marjoram leaves
A 6-inch branch fresh rosemary
4 branches fresh thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 medium ripe, delicious tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1. Toss the eggplant and zucchini with about 2 teaspoons salt, spread 
them out between two triple thicknesses of paper towels, place a 
baking sheet or cutting board on top, and weight with several cans 
for 30 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, blend together the remaining ingredients except 
the garlic and fresh tomatoes with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive 
oil. Let stand at room temperature

3. After 30 minutes, if possible, add the eggplant and zucchini to 
the other vegetables. Set a large shallow heavy roasting pan (a 
half-sheet pan is ideal) on the ovens middle rack. Preheat the oven 
to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. With oven mitts, remove the hot pan from the oven [well, duh]. 
Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread the 
vegetables over the pan and roast 30 minutes, turning occasionally 
for even browning. Scatter the garlic and tomatoes over the 
vegetables and continue roasting 15 to 30 minutes longer, turning 
occasionally, or until the green beans are tender.

5. Turn the vegetables out onto a platter, taste for seasoning, and 
serve hot or at room temperature. The vegetables could be garnished 
with sprigs of fresh herbs.

This recipe is from my favorite cookbook, the fabulous _The Italian 
Country Table_ by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

Enjoy!
Marlene
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Marlene Bruce + marlene at members.evolt.org
http://evolt.org/ + Workers of the web...evolt!