Je m'appelle Jamey.

Since I have been overboard lately with the rich indulgences, today I decided to simplify things with a pot of ratatouille. It's fun to say, and good to eat. From the French, the word means a chunky stew that is stirred, according to a quick search. No set form exists for the dish, but it should contain a few base ingredients: onion, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini squash, yellow squash, aubergine (or eggplant), green peppers (red and yellow, too, if you have them) and I like to add a small jalapeno. If it's a good and spicy jalapeno, I only use one. If it's not very spicy, I still use one. As I said, the wife does not tolerate too much heat. I also bought five smaller tomatoes today, but I didn't think that was enough so I added a large can of whole peeled tomatoes.

I always like to dice the vegetables somewhat small, probably .5-inch cubes for most of the veggers, and about a .25-inch dice for my onions. You cannot escape prep for ratatouille, and why would you even want to? Besides getting an opportunity to cut stuff up with a big, sharp knife, the finished product is always worth it, guaranteed.

I begin sauteing the onions in olive oil, and the very next thing I ready is that eggplant. When I was in kindergarten, my teacher liked having food day occasionally. She would bring ingredients into the class and prepare a dish for us to try. One day, she cooked breaded and fried eggplant slices. I did not like it, and that night I became ill. I do not necessarily attribute my illness to the eggplant, but I don't necessarily not, either. So for many years I lived with an aversion to eggplant that still exists minutely. That is why I dice the eggplant small and cook it long. It will nearly melt during the cooking, but it imparts a nice flavor to the ratatouille without its spongy little texture bothering me.

I did not dice the garlic since I thought chopping such small cloves was unnecessary, but just tossed it into the pot. Herbs and Salt and Pepper finish the dish for me. I put a cover on the pot and touiller every once in awhile. If I don't have fresh herbs, I like to use the dried blends from Penzey's, from whom I am thinking about placing an order soon since I am getting low on quantities of a lot of different items. This time, I used their Parisien Bonne Herbes blend (chives, dill weed, basil, tarragon, chervil, and white pepper) since I am making ratatouille. See how nicely it comes together?

Before I started chopping the vegetables, though, I thoroughly seasoned about eight chicken legs with that Essence blend, placed them on a pan, and put them into the oven at 350. This many chicken legs will feed us for dinner tonight and make one meal for us tomorrow, also. The ratatouille will go on and on, though: over rice, with pasta, in tortillas, until I am tired of eating it and I decide to freeze a quart or two.

It has been about an hour since I started baking the chicken, but 20 minutes ago, I turned off the oven so that the chicken could finish with the heat already present in the oven. This method usually ensures that the chicken will be fully cooked without being dry or burnt. Plus I can forget about it. Plus I like my chicken done. I mean, done. I want to see nothing when I am eating the chicken that does not look appetizing, such as a...never mind.

Eat Your Veggies

It's getting ridiculous with the cream around here. I realize this, and I also realize my lack of vegetable and fruit intake these last few days. I have not eaten an apple for three days. I did eat a perfectly sweet and ripe cantaloupe, though, and for breakfast I ate a carrot. I will have another salad later, since Indian Butter Chicken is on the menu, and I am compelled to find some type of balance for its richness.

The wife likes Indian Butter Chicken, so I make it for her occasionally. As the name indicates, it contains those two ingredients. Indian food is some of my favorite victuals, as I like the spice combinations used, and I like spicy, but this dish has very little heat. The wife cannot tolerate too much hot spice.

When I was going to UNCG a few years ago, I stopped for the lunch-buffet special at the India Palace occasionally. All of the dishes were cooked perfectly and tasted just right. Then they sold the joint to return to India and it kind of went downhill for me. The last time I went there, they were serving bread pakoras. Come on, now. But as I was saying, one day right after I had lunched at the Palace, I was sitting in a small group in one of my ridiculous classes at UNCG. That curry, among other things, started oozing from my pores. The girl next to me was like, “What is that smell?” as she wrinkled her nose. I think she was somewhat offended, never having eaten Indian cuisine. I knew it was me, and that is another reason why I love Indian food.

The recipe calls for thighs, and I use thighs which bake in the oven while the sauce is built, but first I cut all excess skin from thighs with my scissors. This leaves a patch of skin atop the meat that crisps nicely while keeping the meat underneath succulent. I Salt and Pepper the skin, then I pull the skin back from the thigh and salt underneath it, replacing the skin after.

The sauce begins with sauted onions. I added mushrooms today because I like them, and I had a carton of sliced portabellos in the fridge. These two ingredients I allowed to cook slowly. Then I made a little paste of chopped and mashed garlic to which I added powdered ginger. I thought I had fresh ginger in the fridge, but I did not. Ginger is a nice flavorful ingredient that gives a bit of punch to the dish. It is very strong, so I have to be careful with it.

To that mixture, I added at least a tablespoon of garam masala, cumin, curry, and chili powder; S & P, and about two cups of crushed tomatoes. A bit of sour cream, a turn of fresh cream, and two tablespoons of butter later, I was ready to pull the chicken from those thighs and add them to the pan. Now a bit of heat, if you please. I love the click of the igniter and the accompanying “whoosh” as the blue flame ignites. It makes me happy. On the old cooktop, two burners out of four functioned, and barely. You had to start the fire just right by turning the knob to ignite, then turning it off and repeating that about three or four times. But I cooked the sauce for a few more minutes, and Butter Chicken was done.

I have a bag of short-grain rice (purchased on sale) that I want to use, so that is what I am eating with the chicken. Also, a slab of naan bread that I will toast a little. A green lettuce salad with tomato and beet completes the feast, and then it's off to spend a little time with my old friend, the treadmill.