And the First Day of Class...
CLASS 71: Wed, Sept 15 [10am-2pm]
TIANS, RATATOUILLE & CAPONATA with Tomatoes, Squash, Eggplant & Peppers
“Look around!” I instructed myself. “It’s such a no brainer.”
When markets, gardens and countertops are all overflowing with vibrant displays of tomatoes, squash, eggplant and peppers, it’s clearly time to make ratatouille. To both eat right now and save for later. So that’s exactly what we did in the very first Come Home to Cooking class now three years ago. And lining up to debut along with the Ratatouille film created such additional animation that, in fact, one artful student was inspired to arrive with the playful gift of a stuffed Pixar rat to help guide us through the preparation of its namesake dish. [Thank you, Tina.] Re-reading the feedback from that class reminds me of how many students were thrilled to discover why ratatouille has become such a Provencal classic. “It’s the best ratatouille I have ever tasted…and I loved the creative brainstorming at the end of class!” [Thank you, Brenda.] Their previous experiences with it had been mushy, bland and even watery disappointments at best. So I was delighted that we got that taken care of, and now we’re ready for an encore performance. Only this time we also get to move on to explore the possibilities these same vegetables offer us when simply layered and gratineed in earthy tians or dosed into the more hot-blooded sweet, sour and spicy Italian cousin called “caponata.” No matter what you call it or which way you make it, once you learn how, the satisfying warmth in this Mediterranean family of flavors will embrace your every summer to keep inviting you back for more.
To Sign Up and find out more about how classes work, please see Class Information
Also Starting that Day...
You can both Come Home to Cooking and Go Home to Cook It
with a beautiful box of freshly picked vegetables
straight from COUNTY LINE HARVEST.
It's Midweek at our Cornerstone Place, so come celebrate the season.
In support of all of us wanting to start with what’s local and learn how to make the most of it, David Retsky has generously offered to deliver his bargain boxes of assorted organic vegetables for you to pick up right here at Come Home to Cooking: every Wednesday from 2-4pm, starting Sept. 15. [Please contact me if you need directions.]
Each harvest box is filled with about twelve bunched items which will usually include: salad greens, braising greens, root vegetables and herbs plus more currently seasonal items like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, squash... They also tuck in a list of the vegetable names and several recipes for their use. The cost is $25 per box, cash only, and payable when you pick up.
Reserve your box by emailing County Line Harvest [clharvest@gmail.com] no later than 10am each Wed. morning. The first time you do this, they will reply with an attached membership form, which you can either fill out [with your name, phone number and email address] to return via email or print to mail or bring when you get your first box. Once you are a member, then you just send them an email to reserve each box you want. You only need to sign up for one week at a time, but if it's easier for you, you can request to be put down for a box every week for a specified period of time.
I’m also planning to be on hand to help offer produce storage tips and cooking suggestions, and we’ve set this up to coordinate with most class times so students can have the perk of an immediate take-home possibility. But please know that this nourishing opportunity is open to anyone interested in taking advantage of it. We're trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone to be able to share the joy of living and eating well.
So come one and all—friends, neighbors and countrywomen. And if enough of you come, we’ll get to keep harvesting the season in this way our whole year round. Thanks to the good folks at County Line, I'm happy to say we’re all in this together. So come join the fun!
The mix will vary each week, but this example box contains broccoli, mustard greens, lacinato kale, peacock kale, fino verde basil, sage, cherry tomatoes, little gem romaine, genovese basil, white turnips and fresh flowers.