Ratatouille with Pan Seared Atlantic Cod

I picked up a bunch of fall vegetables (eggplant, squash, zucchini, etc.) at the farmers market this week. I wanted to make sure I used all of them, so decided to make a ratatouille. Perfectly seared Atlantic Cod complements all of the vegetables without overpowering the ratatouille.

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow squash, chopped in 1/4 in. half moons or quarters
4 chinese eggplants (these are less bitter than regular eggplant and are common at farmer's markets), chopped in 1/4 in. half moons or quarters
2 zucchini, chopped in 1/4 in. half moons or quarters
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 heirloom tomatoes, deseeded and diced
2 6 oz. portions of Atlantic Cod
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. basil, chopped
Garlic powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Coat bottom of dutch oven or large pan with olive oil and heat over medium. When pan is hot, add eggplant. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside. Coat pan with olive oil again if necessary. Add squash and season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook 5-6 minutes, take out of pan, and set aside with eggplant. Coat pan with olive oil again if necessary. Add zucchini and season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside with eggplant and squash. Coat pan with olive oil again if necessary. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes, until onion soften. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Deglaze pan with dry white wine and stir to get brown bits off bottom of pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and eggplant, squash, and zucchini to the pot. Let cook 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While ratatouille is cooking, season cod with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Coat oven safe pan with olive oil and heat over medium high. When pan is hot, add fish and sear for 3 minutes. Flip and sear other side for 3 minutes. Put in oven and cook about 3 minutes. Fish should be flakey, but still moist and tender when done. Serve fish over a bed of ratatouille.

Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti Squash

Yesterday felt like fall, and I wanted to make something warm and comforting. I had heard spaghetti squash could be a decent substitute for regular pasta, so I picked one up at the farmer's market. Turns out, it can be used as a tasty and healthy alternative to spaghetti. At least every now and then.

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds with a spoon
2 chicken cutlets (or 1 breast butterflied and cut in half)
2 - 4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
28 oz. can san marzano tomatoes, crushed
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh oregano
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil (plus some for tomato sauce and squash)
1/2 cup parmesan
1 tbsp. basil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Coat medium sauce pot with olive oil and heat over medium. Add onion and sprinkle with salt. (This helps to sweat the onion.) Cook until translucent and soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add san marzano tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Depending on your tomatoes, the sauce might be bitter; if it's bitter, you can add a little sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°. Sprinkle spaghetti squash with salt, pepper, and cup olive oil. Cook facing down on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Let cool slightly and use fork to pull spaghetti squash away from skin.

While the squash is cooking, marinate chicken in 1/4 cup olive oil, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes. Heat oven safe pan over medium high heat. Sear chicken for 2 minutes, flip and coat top of chicken with generous serving of sauce sauce, then top with
mozzarella, and parmesan. Bake at 450° for 3-5 minutes, until cheese begins to bubble and brown. Broil if necessary. Remove from pan, sprinkle with basil and extra parmesan and serve over spaghetti squash.