Macaroni Ratatouille Soup Food

HEALTHY RATATOUILLE SOUP

Steps:

• PREPARE VEGETABLES: Cut onion, red bell pepper, eggplant and zucchini into 2 inch/5 cm. chunks. If using a food processor to speed up chopping, you might need to do two batches. First, process garlic. Then add half the vegetables and pulse several times until chopped into small pieces. (you may still be left with a few pieces that need to be cut further with a knife). Repeat with remaining vegetables. Alternatively, use a knife to mince garlic and dice vegetables.
• MAKE SOUP: Heat olive oil to medium-high heat in a large pot. Add chopped vegetables and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes with juices, broth, basil and seasonings. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender soft. Stir in fresh spinach until wilted, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasonings including optional pinch of sugar, a splash of cream and/or pinch of red pepper flakes. If soup is too thick, add additional water or broth to taste. Note 4 for variations.
• FINISH SOUP AND SERVE: Prepare side dish, topping or garnish for soup if you like, Note 3. Ladle soup into bowls. Add one of the optional toppings as desired or serve with hot fresh bread.

RATATOUILLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the broth and half of the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Preheat the broiler. Brush the bread with olive oil; sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence and salt to taste. Broil until lightly toasted. Top with the cheese, then broil until melted.
• Puree about half of the soup in a blender, then return to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the cheese toasts and the remaining basil.

RATATOUILLE & RICOTTA MACARONI

Steps:

• Tip the tomatoes into a pan with a can of water, the tomato purée, garlic, olives and bouillon. Add the aubergine and courgettes, then cover and simmer for 30 mins until the veg are tender.
• Meanwhile, mix the ricotta and basil together in a small bowl with plenty of black pepper.
• Boil half of the pasta following pack instructions, then drain, reserving some of the cooking water. Tip into a bowl and toss with half the ricotta mixture and a couple of spoonful of pasta water, adding more to loosen if needed. Spoon half the ratatouille and the penne into two pasta bowls and sprinkle with half the parmesan and basil leaves. Cover and chill the remaining ratatouille, basil and ricotta for another night. Will keep chilled for up to three days. When ready to serve again, warm the ratatouille in a pan over a low heat and continue with the method from step 3.

HEARTY ITALIAN RATATOUILLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in large pot, and saute onion.
• Remove casings from Italian sausage and cut up into 1 inch pieces, add to pan.
• Cook sausage until brown about 10 minutes, remove from pan and drain half the fat.
• Add the zucchini, squash, eggplant, red pepper, mushrooms and salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth, stewed tomatoes, and sausage to the pot, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium/low - low to a simmer for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked through.
• Stir in fresh basil in last 5 minutes.
• You can reduce the fat and calories by using a turkey based sausage, or make this a vegetarian dish by using a soy/tofu sausage or even garbanzo beans.

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Meanwhile, prepare vegetables: Peel and trim onions, then cut in half from top to bottom. Cut each half into 4 wedges, then cut into a large dice. Place in a bowl and set aside. Trim and core the peppers; discard stems and cores. Cut in half, then remove and discard seeds and veins. Slice into 1-inch strips, then cut into a large dice. Place in the bowl with the onions and set aside. Peel and slice garlic cloves in half. Remove and discard any green germs inside, then finely mince. Place in a bowl and set aside.
• Trim zucchini and cut into quarters, lengthwise; then cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a bowl and set aside. Trim eggplants, then cut in half. Cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a bowl and set aside.
• Sauté vegetables: In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, followed by onions and peppers. Stirring occasionally, gently sweat the vegetables until they are soft but have taken on no color, 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium-high heat, heat a generous tablespoon olive oil. Add zucchini, a pinch of salt, and a few turns of the pepper mill. Stirring occasionally, sauté until zucchini has taken on a golden color, 5-6 minutes. Season onion-pepper mixture with a few pinches of salt and the red pepper flakes.
• Blanch tomatoes: When the large pot of water is simmering, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water; set aside. Use a paring knife to cut out the tomato stems and discard. Score an "x" into the bottom of each tomato, for easy peeling after blanching. Place tomatoes in simmering water for 30 seconds. Use a strainer to immediately transfer the tomatoes to the ice bath; allow to cool completely. Use a paring knife to peel away the tomato skin and discard.
• When onion-pepper mixture has been sweating for 4-5 minutes, turn heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove zucchini from skillet, leaving some oil behind, and set aside. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add another tablespoon olive oil, followed by eggplant, a pinch of salt, and a few turns of pepper. Stirring occasionally, sauté until eggplant has taken on a golden color, 5-6 minutes. Try to keep the eggplant pieces intact. (If the eggplant sticks, add up to another tablespoon or so of olive oil, as needed.)
• Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Use your hands to remove most of the seeds, then gently squeeze to remove excess juice. Halve the tomatoes horizontally again, then cut into 1-inch chunks and set aside. Remove eggplant from heat and set aside; the volume of the eggplant should be reduced by about half. By now, the onions should be soft and translucent; stir garlic and tomato paste into onion-pepper mixture. Add zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes; gently stir to combine. Season with 2 pinches of salt and bring to a low simmer, 2-3 minutes.
• While the ratatouille is simmering, make a bouquet garni: Gather the basil, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf into a small bundle, using the basil to contain the other herbs. Wrap securely with butcher's twine and tie with a double knot. Trim the ends of the bouquet garni, then submerge it in the middle of the ratatouille. Next, make a parchment paper lid, or "cartouche," for the Dutch oven: Fold a large sheet of parchment paper into quarters. Fold in half twice diagonally to make a flat wedge; then trim the outer edge so that the wedge is as long as the radius of the pot. Finally, snip off the point of the wedge to create a steam vent. Unfold the parchment: you should have a cartouche that is about the same size and shape as the Dutch oven, with a small hole in the center. Lay the cartouche directly on the surface of the ratatouille. Place in the oven and bake, 45-60 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, remove ratatouille from oven; the vegetables should be soft and the sauce thickened. (If the ratatouille is watery, continue cooking for up to 15 more minutes.) Discard cartouche. Tear half the basil leaves and gently stir them into the ratatouille. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Transfer the vegetables and most of the liquid to a serving platter. Garnish with whole basil leaves and baste the top of the ratatouille with remaining liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed before serving, hot or cold.

MACARONI RATATOUILLE SOUP

Steps:

• Cook sausage, onions, garlic and oregano. Spoon off fat.
• Put above mixture in large stock pot. Add tomato soup, broth, water, eggplant and pepper. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in macaroni, cook 10 minutes or until pasta is soft.
• Garnish with Parmesan Cheese and enjoy.

PAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Mix butter until light and fluffy.
• Add sugar and beat again till light and fluffy.
• Sift together flour and corn starch.
• Add flour/cornstarch to butter/sugar mixture one cup at a time, making sure its well combined before adding another cup.
• Continue to combine flour into mixture until all is gone. Mix well.
• Dump dough onto a clean medium sized cookie sheet with sides.
• Spread out evenly covering the whole sheet. I use a rolling pin and roll it over the top so my finger prints aren't in the dough.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup or less of sugar (can use colored sugar), I never measure I just sprinkle until it has a little sparkle.
• Bake at 325 for approx 20 minutes. My oven cooks really hot so you might have to add a minute or two until edges are light brown.
• When out of the oven, I cut the square or rectangles through the shortbread. When cooled I often dip one end into melted chocolate and then roll in sprinkles.

ROASTED RATATOUILLE PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the veg and garlic into a roasting tin. Drizzle over the oil, then season and toss together. Roast for 20 mins, add the tomatoes, then roast for a further 10 mins.
• Cook the pasta, drain and reserve 4 tbsp of water. Tip pasta, water and basil into the veg and toss. Squeeze over the soft garlic, to serve.

RATATOUILLE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large shallow roasting pan combine the eggplant, zucchini, sweet pepper, onion, and garlic.
• In a small bowl combine the olive oil, italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper; srizzle over vegetables, tossing to coat.
• Bake in a 425 degree oven about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring once.
• Meanwhile, in a dutch oven combine the broth and water.
• Bring to boiling; add cavatelli.
• Return to boiling.
• Cook about 12 minutes or until tender.
• Reduce heat.
• Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and roasted vegetables.
• Heat through.