Recipe #25 - Whatever-Is-In-The-Cabinet Steak Marinade

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My last night in Houston and I still needed one more recipe. I was short on time when I ran into the store and bought bacon wrapped steak tenderloin. I assumed my brother would have all the fixin's to remake Roughbox Marinade. BIG mistake. He had close to nothing in his cabinets.

So, after assessing the situation, here is what I came up with:

In a zip-lock baggy, I mixed together the soy sauce, distilled white vinegar, actual red wine, minced garlic cloves, steak tenderizer, and Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herbs seasoning. Add the steaks and let sit for at least 2 hours, turning once or twice.

I paired the steak with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Yum!

I def think it could have used a little lemon juice in the marinade and maybe a little less soy, but other than that, I think it turned out pretty darn good for a make-shift marinade.

Rating: 6
Time: 10 mins for the marinade, 2 hours for sit time, and 15 to grill.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sause
1/4 distilled white vinegar
1/4 red wine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon steak tenderizer
1 or 2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herbs, or to taste

Recipe #24 - Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo

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My mother and I drove down to Houston, TX to watch my niece for a week last week. Knowing that I was going to have to cook, I started reading recipes out loud to my mother. Mya over heard from the other room and I kept hearing "ew!", "that's gross!", "I don't like shrimp!" to everything I was saying. So I had to find one that was kid friendly. The first dish that popped into my mind was Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo.

I looked up several and found one that seemed complex enough with simple ingredients that a child wouldn't mind (as long as you didn't tell her what is in it, lol).

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 garlic cloves, and Italian seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Saute onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and mushrooms (I excluded these for Mya) until onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and half-and-half, stirring until smooth and creamy.  Stir in Parmesan and Colby-Monterey Jack cheeses; stir until cheese is melted. Stir in chicken mixture, tomatoes, and sour cream. Serve over cooked fettuccini.

I paired this with frozen organic spinach. Which is Mya's favorite veggie.

This turn out very well. I've never been a fan of the jarred Alfredo in the grocery stores. So I don't make it very often, if at all. You can really taste the difference from making it by scratch. Especially the onion and garlic.

Rating: 7
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
6 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cloves of garlic, minced, divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 pound fettuccini pasta
1 onion, diced
1 (8 ounces) package sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Recipe #21, #22, #23

The day after St. Patty's Day, everyone was still in town, so I wanted to cook something for them. It was the second Friday in lent, so it needed to be fish. Using one of the rules I started this project out on, I'm allowed to revisit a recipe once and it count if I change it up enough. My father kept saying how his favorite so far was the Salmon Cakes "it would have been a 10 if there wasn't any corn in them!".

So Recipe #21 is Salmon Cakes Revisited. I needed a couple sides so Recipe #22 is Roasted Red Potatoes and Recipe #23 is Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette,

Recipe #21 - Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce Revisited

Three things I wanted to change: no corn, the last batch was a little runny, and I didn't like the extra crackers sprinkled on top (the cakes only browned on one side). 

I also had to triple the recipe because of all the extra people. So, no corn (it made for one happy father). I used up the rest of the salmon from Seattle and bought an extra 1.5 pounds at the Whole Foods Market. To solve the runny cakes issue, I initially thought about using less mayo, but then realized I might be able to kill two birds with one stone. Instead of crumbling up half the crackers in the cakes and using half on top, I just put them all in the cakes. It absorbed a little more of the moisture and solved the crackers on top problem.

They held together so much better this time! And I have to admit, they did taste a little better without the corn. I still def think that the yogurt sauce is what makes the recipe so  successful.

Recipe #22 - Roasted Red Potatoes

Can't go wrong with a side of potatoes! And these turned out really well if I do say so myself.

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Cut the potatoes in to 1-inch pieces. In a gallon size zip lock, combine potatoes, thyme, oil, salt, pepper, Parmesan and Tony's seasoning. Shake until evenly coated. Then spread on a cookie sheet pan and place in the oven for 45-50 minutes, stirring once or twice to brown all of the edges.  

Simple enough. And friggin' yummy. Oh this is a recipe I made up, I've been making roasted potatoes for years, and this is just the easiest, best tasting way that I've found.

Recipe #23 - Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette 

Now this one was originally named "Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette" but I went to three stores and no one had fresh cranberries. So, refusing to get discouraged for this amazing meal I was trying to prepare, yet also extremely tired of shopping (I know, me, who'da thunk it?), I grabbed the next closest thing: raspberries. 

In a blender or food processor, combine the raspberries, vinegar, oil, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper and water. Process until smooth. 

In a large bowl, toss onions, blue cheese, and greens with the vinegar mixture until evenly coated. 

The recipe called for toasted almonds, but I ran out of time and, honestly, I wasn't too upset bc I dislike almonds. However, everyone else at the table was sad bc they apparently love almonds. Lol.

I really enjoyed cooking for a large number of people. It made it a little more challenging (esp bc I was sipping on a brew or two throughout the day), but it was nice to have extra company in the kitchen. They were all a big help, pitching in and helping me cut everything up. I think that the meal turned out very well.

As did, the entire week, bc at some point Teresa lost a game of paper, rock, scissors to Brady and I ended up with a boyfriend. Lol.

Recipe #21 - Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce Revisited 

Time: Accumatively - 1 hour 30 mins.

Rating: 10

Ingredients:

Salmon:

1 pound skinless salmon fillet 

Olive oil, for drizzling

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Patties:

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 cup (1/2 counce) chopped fresh chives

26 saltine crackers, crushed, divided

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

2 tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more, as needed

1 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Sauce:

1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Recipe #22 - Roasted Red Potatoes 
Time: 15 mins prep, 45-50 to cook
Rating: 9 
Ingredients:

2 pounds medium red potatoes, cut in to 1-inch pieces 

8 springs of fresh thyme

1 cup grated parmesan (4 ounces)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Tony's seasoning, to taste

Recipe #23 - Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette 

Time: 20 mins

Rating: 6

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:

1 cup sliced almonds (yuck!)

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh raspberries (or cranberries for original recipe)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper

2 tablespoons water

Salad:

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

1 pound mixed salad greens

Recipe #20 - Irish Lamb Stew

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Getting into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day. I decided to make a traditional Irish recipe. I got the recipe from my next door neighbor, Mrs. Leah Ruddock. She has impeccable taste and a knack for cooking, which I've witnessed time and time again. It was an easy decision to use her recipe over the many I found over the internet or in recipe books.

Brady, Teresa and Brett came into town for St. Patty's Day. It was the guy's spring break, so they all decided to make a trip here to meet the parents and celebrate with us. Now the original recipe calls for beef, but Brett is allergic to beef. Consequently, I substituted lamb, which some of the other Irish stews I researched called for, so I didn't feel like it was too far off target.

I made the recipe the day before St. Patty's Day, cooled, then stored for reheating the next day.

I heated the olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. I bought "Lamb Stew" at the Whole Foods Market, but the pieces were still a little too large. So I cut them down into bite size portions. Lightly salted them. Working in batches (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown), and cook without stirring, until nicely browned on one side, then using tongs I turned the pieces over until all sides are browned, about 10 minutes. Then I added the garlic and saute 1 minute. Added the beef stock, Guinness, red wine (I used Dad's home brew - sooo yummy), tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stirred together till combined. Brought mixture to boil. Reduced heat to medium-low, then covered and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

While the meat and stock was simmering, I melted the butter in another large pot over medium heat. Added the potatoes, onions, and carrots. Saute veggies until golden, about 20 minutes. I set them aside until the beef stew in step one had finished simmering.

Next, I added the veggies to the lamb stew. Let simmer uncovered until the veggies and lanb are very tender, about 40 minutes.

If serving right away, discard the bay leaves, tilt pan and spoon off fat. Since I made mine for the next day, I left the bay leaves and fat and discarded them before serving.

To serve: add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with parsley.

Side note in original recipe: Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.

Time: 2 hours
Rating: 8
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 pounds well marbled lamb stew meat, cut into 1- inch pieces (NOT extra-lean)
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 cup of Guinness beer
1 cup of fine red wine (in my case, my father's home brew)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion)
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Recipe #19 - Zucchini, Corn, and Basil Fusilli with Bacon

I wanted to make something with zucchini, mainly because I don't have a lot of experience with it and wasn't sure if I even liked it. I think that zucchini, like cauliflower, is not a very memorable veggie. No matter what one do it it seems.

This recipe was super quick and easy. Thirty minutes tops, start to finish. Probably even more quick if you bought pre-cooked bacon.

I started by cooking the bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp. Depending on how fatty the bacon, drain on paper towels; discard drippings from skillet.

Meanwhile, cook fusilli in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then add vegetables to pasta in pot and cook, partially covered, 2 minutes (water will stop boiling). Drain.

Add pasta with veggies to skillet along with pesto and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water and toss. Season with salt and moisten with additional cooking water if necessary (in my case it was necessary).

Serve onto a plate then top with crumbled bacon and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. I also added crumbled feta cheese, which was not part of the original recipe, but definitely added a little something something to it.

Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 7.5
Ingredients:
6 bacon slices
1 pound fusilli pasta (extremely cute pasta)
3 ears corn, kernels cut from cob (I used frozen corn)
1 1/2 pound zucchini, coarsely chopped (1/2 inch pieces)
1 (1- to 7- ounce) container basil pesto

Recipe #18 - French-Style Tuna Melt

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This recipe I got from the Rachel Ray website. I watched the video online before I went grocery shopping. I liked the way she grated the garlic into mush instead of mincing it with a knife. It was much easier and, like she said, it saves you from having to bite into chunks of garlic. I like the bursts of garlic in some recipes, but I could see where it could be distracting in this one in particular.

First, I pre-heated the oven to 375F. Then combined the onion and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. 

In the same bowl, I stirred together the tomato paste, garlic, Herbes de Provence, pepper, and EVOO. Then I added the tuna, olives, capers, parsley and mixed to combine and broke up the tuna slightly. 

Side note: Herbes de Provence is a new spice I just learned about. It contains a bunch of different spices including: savory, fennel, basil, thyme flowers and other herbs. Supremely yummy. 

Then I divided the tuna mixture between the two slices of bread, transferred to a baking sheet and topped with cheese. Then I toasted them in the oven for about 10 minutes (or until the cheese is melted and the tuna heated through).

I made this one on the first Friday of lent this year. I absolutely loved it. It was light and fresh, great for a midday meal. This was the first time I've use or even had brioche bread. Bread very rarely surprises me, but I was taken aback by the sweetness of this one. It reminded me a lot of the Hawaiian bread that I usually serve with spinach dip. I much prefer the taste of brioche now. 

Time: 45 mins
Rating: 7
Ingredients:
1/2 red small onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Freshly ground pepper
1.4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 can line-caught or Italian tuna (6 ounces)
1/2 cup Nicoise (oil-cured) or Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped, a small handful
2 slices thick-cut brioche bread
1/2 cup Gruyere cheeses, shredded

Recipe #17 - Red Snapper with Raw Puttanesca Salsa

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The original name of this recipe was Halibut with Raw Puttanesca Salsa, but halibut is not in season at the moment. I had to choose between red snapper and flounder. The red snapper was slightly more pricey ($22/pound) but I wanted to try it.

Preheat grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high to high heat.

The recipe said to make the salsa while this fish cooks, but it took a little longer than I expected and the fish cooks pretty quickly. So my recommendation is to make the salsa first.

In the bottom of a medium bowl, combine anchovy paste, grated garlic, red pepper flakes, zest and lemon juice and whisk in 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add capers, olives, parsley and tomatoes. Toss and season with black pepper, to taste.

Raw Puttanesca Salsa

Coat the fish in extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook fish for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until firm, cooked through and evenly marked. Char bread on the grill 1 minute on each side.

Red Snapper

Serve bread topped with lots of salsa and fish. I also paired it with a Knoxville wine from Blue Slip Winery called Pot Blanc. It was my favorite wine from the Silent Art Auction & Wine Tasting event I hosted for St. Jude back in September.

Sides: Pot Blanc Wine and Charred Rye Bread

The idea behind the wine was instead of throwing out all the extra different white grapes at the end of the season, the lady threw them all in to a pot and made this spectacular semi-dry wine with the perfect amount of sweetness that complemented the red snapper flawlessly.

Wa-la!

I also made the mashed red potatoes from Recipe #15 as a side.

Time: ~1 hour

Rating: 8

Ingredients:

4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets

Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus 1/4 cup

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 (1-inch) thick slices crusty bread

1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste

2 to 3 cloves garlic, grated

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 lemon, zested and juiced

3 tablespoons capers, run your knife through them

1/2 cup pitted black olives, chopped

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved or cherry tomatoes, quartered

Recipe #16 - Roughbox Steak Marinade

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This recipe is straight from the trials and errors of my father. I've seen him work on this since I moved here in August last year. Every time he makes it, it gets a little better. I, of course, didn't mind all the attempts. You can never have too much steak!

I was originally planning on making these for the parentals for their 30th anniversary on Saturday, but they told me the night before that they were going to go out for dinner. So, we decided to have them for dinner on Sunday evening.

I mixed up the marinade Saturday afternoon to allow the steaks to soak for at least 24 hours.

In a large zip-lock baggy, I combined the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, balamin vinegar, olive oil, garlic, onions, thyme, and ginger. Then added the steaks. My meat of choice this time - beef tenderloin. Yum. They weren't cheap either!

After they soaked up the good stuff for a day or so, I began preparing them for the grill.

Pre-heat the grill. Remove the steaks from the zip-lock and place on a plate.

When you bring them out to the grill, make sure to bring an extra clean plate for the when the steaks are finished cooking. Depending on the thickness of the steaks and how well you liked them cooked, leave them on the grill longer. I like mine done medium and the steaks were about 2 inches think, so we cooked them for about 11 minutes on each side.

This is what dad was doing while we waited on the steaks to cook. Lol.

Now when I was mixing up the marinade I added too much lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I was using old measuring cups and the measurements rubbed off some of them. I apparently didn't double check before I started portioning out the liquids. Any who, the steaks were very savory and tender, but maybe a little too lemony. However, I think the added acid helped breakdown the toughness and made the steaks more moist throughout.

I served Recipe #15 - Boiled Red Potatoes and Make-Shift Salad as the sides. I think all-in-all it was a very successful meal. And this steak marinade is def in my Top 25!

Time: 40 mins
Rating: 10
Ingredients:
4 good sized steaks of you choice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 worcestershire sauce
1/4 lemon juice
1/8 olive oil
1/4 balsamic vinegar
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
Onions, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, minced

Recipe #15 - Boiled Red Potatoes & Make-Shift Salad

I wanted to serve potatoes and a salad with Recipe #16 - Roughbox Steak Marinade. I was looking through the frig and saw I had some Grilled Tomato Basil-Relish left over from Recipe #12. So, I cut up some romaine lettuce, added some crumbled feta cheese, and the left over "relish" (which I think looked and tasted more like salsa).

With the salad out of the way, I began prepping the potatoes. I rinsed them, placed them into a pan and covered them with well salted water. Bring to boil, cook till fork tender. I then drained them and returned them to the same pot they were cooked in.

Add the butter, dill and sour cream. Season with salt to taste. Mash with fork or masher thing. I have no idea what those things are called.

The original recipe didn't call for sour cream, but I felt it was missing something so I added it last minute. It was very good. It made the potatoes more moist and flavorful.

The salad was surprisingly gratifying for something that was so last minute. The balsamic vinegar in the relish mixed with the feta cheese complimented each other perfectly. Def my favorite salad that I've made so far.

For the salad:
Time: 15mins
Rating: 6
Ingredients:
Romain lettuce
Feta cheese
Relish from recipe #12

For the potatoes:
Time: 15mins
Rating: 7
Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes
Salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped

Recipe #14 - Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce

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Seattle is known for their fresh salmon. When I visited Seattle in October for a website design class (and to visit Forks), I went to Pike's Place Market, which is known for their fresh fish. I bought an entire Alaskan King Salmon, had it cut up into half pound filets, and had it FedExed here.  So, every month or so, we take some outa the freezer and throw it on the grill. Fortunately, we still had some left for this recipe. 

There are three parts to this recipe: the salmon, the patties, and the sauce. 

Salmon: I had to cut the skin off this salmon, as the recipe recommends. Put a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until the flesh is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

Patties: Using a fork, flake the salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and put into a medium bowl. Add the egg, chives, 1/2 of the crushed crackers, the corn, mustard, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix gently until just combined. Form the mixture into 2 1/2-inch diameter patties, about 3/4 inches thick. (If the mixture is too dry to form into patties, add extra mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon at a time,) Carefully coat the patties in the remaining crushed crackers and refrigerate for 1 hour. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until golden and crispy, about 7 to 8 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels.

Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Arrange the salmon cakes on a platter and serve alongside the sauce.

I served Recipe #13 - Mediterranean Salad and Pita as the side. They complimented each other well, with the citrusy base. The yogurt sauce was de-licious. I could have eaten it by itself. Actually, I did. I even dipped the pita bread in it after everything else was gone. It had a very bold, piquant flavor that took me by surprise. The lemon zest def made it's presence known.

It's weird putting together these recipes not knowing what to expect at the end. It's like a gamble every time. I could use the same ingredients in different proportions and have a completely different taste. I like it.

Time: Accumatively - 1 hour 30 mins.
Rating: 9
Ingredients:
Salmon:
1 pound skinless salmon fillet 
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Patties:
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup (1/2 counce) chopped fresh chives
26 saltine crackers, crushed, divided
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed 
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
3 tablespoons mayonnaise, plus more, as needed
1 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Sauce:
1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Recipe #13 - Mediterranean Salad

Very, very simple and very, very healthy. I served this as a side for Recipe #14 - Salmon Cakes. 

Combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, radishes & parsley in a salad bowl. 

Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper & mint. Pour over salad & toss to coat. Serve immediately with warm pita halves.

The warm pita worked well for scooping. The 100% wheat was pretty tasty too!

I really liked the dressing. It had a hint of lemon and mint that went well with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce that I served with the Salmon Cakes. 

Time: 20 mins.
Rating: 6
Ingredients:
1 medium head romaine lettuce, torn
3 small tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, sliced
1 small green bell pepper, sliced
1 small onion, cut into rings
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & pepper
1 teaspoon fresh mint, minced
Pita bread halves

Recipe #12 - Grilled Eggplant with Fresh Ricotta and Grilled Tomato-Basil Relish

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Round two for a vegetarian dish. It's kinda funny because I get excited about two different types of recipes: vegetarian dishes or straight up steak. Two completely different ends of the spectrum, I'm aware, but I love fresh veggies and bloody meat. Ha.

Now, there are three different parts to this recipe: the grilled tomato-basil relish, the fresh ricotta and the grilled eggplant.

For the grilled tomato-basil relish:

I heated the grill to high.

Since I like my onions marinated I did this step first. I chopped up the onions, put them into a medium sized bowl then added the oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil. Mix.

Then cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Threw them into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I then placed them on the grill. The original recipe said to leave them on till they were charred on all sides, aprox 10 mins. I, however, could not get the suckers to char. They were becoming mushing, so I brought them inside, threw them on a cooking sheet and put them under the broiler until they charred. I them removed from pan and coarsely chopped them up. Then added to onion mixture.

Let sit at room temperature for 30 mins before serving. It can be made 4 hours in advance and refrigerated. But bring to room temperature before serving.

For the ricotta:

Stir together the ricotta and fresh parsley in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Easy enough.

For the grilled eggplant:

Grill should be still heated if you've done step one and two consecutively. Now, I did something wrong here. I just straight up poured the oil and salt and pepper on the sliced eggplants, thinking I could mix them around in a bowl. Wrong. The eggplants are extreme absorbent and the places I poured the oil soaked right up. So, my recommendation is the following: In a small bowl mix oil, salt and pepper. Then brush each side of the eggplant until thinly coated.

I then placed the slices on the grill and grilled until golden-brown and slightly charred 7-8 minutes.

I placed the grilled eggplant in a large platter and topped each slice with a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta and a heaping tablespoon of the tomato relish. Bam. Done. And delish!

Time: 1 hour
Ratine: 7
Ingredients:
For the grilled tomato-basil relish:
8 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil plus fresh leaves, for garnish

For the ricotta:
16 ounces fresh sheep's milk ricotta
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

For the eggplant:
2 medium eggplants. ends trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch think slices
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper