Sweet cherry tomatoes .......roasted to perfection......at kitchen! kitchen!

Sweet delicate cherry tomatoes roasted to perfection.
My patience was rewarded with this delicate, sweet and delicious
roasted cherry tomatoes.

2 containers of cherry tomatoes from Samaha's  farm (washed, rinse and dry)
4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
Kosher salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F
Place all the tomatoes in a roasting pan; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar then toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Roast in the oven for 50 minutes.
45 minutes into the roasting, switch oven to high broil for 5-6 minutes to brown the tomatoes.
Let cool and drain to reserve all the liquid. Transfer the roasted solid tomatoes in a separate bowl.
Pour the tomato liquid that you drained into a deep pan - (correct for seasoning) and simmer to reduce until thick (about 15-20 minutes). Pour back the reduced thickened  tomato liquid into the bowl of roasted tomatoes and stir to mix.
Add roughly chopped basil leaves and enjoy on toasted baguette . (you may sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top).
Your patience will be rewarded with a rich and delicious tomatoes!!
Fantastic as a crostata, or pasta topping.

ratatouille & cheese crisps.....at kitchen! kitchen!

Ratatouille and Cheese Crisps
Another way of serving the vegetable ratatouille is with
cheese crisps - served as an appetizer.

My cheese crisps are a combination of shredded montasio cheese and  swiss aged appenzeller cheese
(Any swiss cheese or shredded parmesan will be good as well)

Cheese Crisps:
1 cup of shredded cheese
In a heated small non- stick pan - spread about a tablespoon of the shredded cheese on the heated pan and wait for the sides to color and slowly with a spatula flip on one side and wait for 1/2 a minute, slowly remove from the pan unto a waiting plate to cool. This whole thing only takes about 1/2 a minute on each side. Do one at a time (this is one of those that requires your full attention or you'll end up with a burned cheese crips). The cheese will be crispy once it has cooled. It is delicious!
Another Suggestion:
Preheat oven to 350F - line a baking sheet with parchment paper and do several spreads of a tablespoon of the shredded cheese and bake for about 5-8 minutes. Remove as soon as the cheese starts to color. Leave in the pan to cool. *do not remove while it's hot*

ratatouille ....of vegetables.......at kitchen! kitchen!

Ratatouille of Vegetables
With fried egg and steak slices..... a comfort food fit for
day like today, when the weather is misty,
and there is a threatening of rain in the grey sky.
The ratatouille of zucchini, red and green peppers,
and baby eggplants will brighten any rainy day.

My catch of the day at Samaha farm of:
(Sliced all vegetables to about the same size )
1 med. size zucchinis
A container of zucchini blossoms
1 med. red sweet peppers
3 small green peppers
1 med. size onions sliced
8 baby eggplants (or 1 large eggplant)
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
Salt/Pepper
2-4  tbsp. of tomato paste
Some basil

In  a large wok/or non-stick pan, sautee in olive oil, sliced onions and garlic until soft. Add the sliced zucchinis stir for about 2 minutes until well incorporated. Next add the green peppers and stir. Make a well at the center of the pan and add the tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Add a little olive oil if needed. (these veges love to drink up). Sprinkle a bit of kosher salt everytime you add the veges. Lastly, add the sliced baby eggplants stirring to incorporate with the rest of the vegetables. Add some water if the pan starts to dry up. Keep cover for 8-10 minutes until all the vegetables are fully cooked. Two minutes before you shut off the flame add the zucchini blossoms.Taste to correct seasoning.
Sprinkle some chopped basil leaves on top to garnish.

Serve with fried egg and any meat you may have at the moment. Or simply grab some slices of Italian bread and soaked up a bowl of this wonderful ratatouille.

My catch of the day at Samaha farm.........kitchen! kitchen!

My Catch  of the Day at Samaha Farm

It saddens me to know that I only have a month to be able to do all my Saturday

gatherings of fresh vegetables and herbs at this wonderful farm in my area before they

close for winter.

It's refreshing  to have this family owned farm  in Matawan and Aberdeen, New Jersey.

I've lived in Matawan for decades and my son grew up here. I saw all those farm lands turned into residential communities...a community of  "mac-mansions".To have this family owned farm still thrive in this "mac-mansion" age is very refreshing.

Going there to get my fresh produced in the summer is always a treat every Saturday.

They have fresh vegetables that they grew, fresh flowers for the table, corn that is so sweet that you've got to eat at least 3 (or 4 and no one will have to know).

The lettuce is so fresh, and hearing that "crunch" as you bite into it -is like music. They have honey, jams, fresh bread, eggs and just about everything you need. All homemade by some of the local suppliers.

Watch out for a posting of the VEGETABLE RATATOUILLE out of the vegetables that I just gathered today at Samaha.

black forest cake....a time of decadence without the guilt....at kitchen! kitchen!

Black forest cake.......an absolute decadent without the guilt.
I saw this featured in the special issue of Cooking Light magazine....their
 "baking light" special issue. With a bit of tweaking of the recipe to make it my own,
I came up with this decadent of a dessert! Just perfect for the holidays that is
approaching so fast that if you blink, you might miss it!
The luscious cherries were "stewing" in cherry brandy
for 2 days before it was drained and readied for the crowning of the cake.
To order this version of the decadent black forest cake contact: JAENWITT@AOL.COM
Special order only at TARTS & QUICHES.
(The original recipe could be found in the special issue of "Cooking Light Magazine")

grilled baby eggplants.....it makes you say, "oh"...at kitchen! ...kitchen!

Grilled baby eggplants with garden variety green peppers,
 yellow cherry tomatoes, sweet onions and some goat cheese and basil.
Drizzled with reduced sweet balsamic vinegar.
(be warned - there will be more of these baby eggplants in the coming blogs)

The farm stand in my area is just overflowing with different varieties of eggplants. But my favorite are the baby eggplants. A lady asked me when I started shoving in those baby eggplants in my grocery carryall with a strange question of, " what do you do with them"? I was caught off guard with her question. What do I do with them??? Does she think I might have plans of doing a "floral" arrangement with these baby eggplants? Well, then again, looking at my carryall loaded with these goodies, I don't blame her if she does think that way. I graciously told her that these are great for grilling or roasting for salads and they cook just as good as the regular ones if not better. Then she gave me an, "oh". Okay.....so I don't know whether her "oh" is said in a positive or negative way. It really doesn't matter to me because my "oh" is like saying OMG these are good!!!

1/2 lb. of baby egg plants
3 cubanels or 1 medium size garden variety green pepper
1 medium size sweet onions

In a small pan bring to a boil 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar with some honey and simmer until reduced to almost like a syrup. Taste for seasoning and set a aside.

In a large baking sheet lined with foil, sprinkle some olive oil on the foil and spread all the vegetables and gently coat them with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and roast in a 350F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until the eggplants are soft and offer no resistance when you poke them with a fork. Let cool and peel off the skin on the peppers and egg plants leaving them whole. Cut the pepper lenghtwise and sliced the onions. Gently combine the roasted vegetables in a bowl. Transfer to a serving platter, add some yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half and drizzle the reduced balsamic vinegar and add your favorite goat cheese.
Garnish with basil or your favorite herb.

Bison Cheese burger...and cilantro salsa verde .....at kitchen! kitchen!

Bison cheese burger blanketed with sauteed mushrooms, onions,
tomatoes, and cilantro salsa verde.
It's sure to hit the spot and you'll be wanting for more!

2 pkgs. of ground bison (Stop & Shop and Shoprite has this wondrous lean meat)
Season with amazing dry rub
For the ground meat:
Sautee 1 medium onion chopped; 2 roughly chopped garlic cloves in a hot pan with olive oil for about 2 minutes until the onions start to turn transparent. Let cool and set aside
After it has cooled, In a large bowl combine with the seasoned ground meat; add 1 beaten egg, mixing thoroughly without handling it too much; form a large patty about 4-5 oz. each and set aside.
In the same pan add some olive oil and carmelized a large sliced onion; add the chopped mushrooms, season with salt and black pepper stirring until the mushrooms are cooked. Add a little liquid (or white wine) if the pan starts to dry up. Set aside and put on warm.
Heat a large grill pan with olive oil and cooked the bison patty for 7-8 minutes on each side. Add a large slice of your favorite cheese on top of the burger on the last 2 minutes until the cheese starts to melt. Put  each one on a serving platter. Pour over the sauteed onions on the burgers. Add dollops of the cilantro salsa verde on top; garnish with slices of tomatoes and serve. Make sure you have an extra serving of the salsa verde on the side and watch it disappear!

chicken thighs & salsa verde......at kitchen! kitchen!

Baked Chicken Thighs
with broccoli; sweet oinons and cauliflower/mashed potatoes.
Topped of with CilantroSalsa Verde

Simple, satisfying and delicious!!! Another center stage for the cilantro salsa verde. This salsa or you may call it also as cilantro pesto is just great on everything and anything!!!! Licking the plate is permitted.


6 pcs. of Coleman's organic deboned chicken thighs (Costco has this )
Amazing dry rub to season the chicken
2-4 cups of broccoli florets (steamed in the microwave/covered with wet paper towel for 2 minutes)
1 large sweet onions
half a head of cauliflower
2 med. size white potatoes (quartered)
Sea salt or kosher salt

Boil the potatoes and cauliflower in a salted water for about 20 minutes and drain saving a cup of the liquid.
Season the chicken thighs with amazing dry rub and 2 tablespoons of butter milk to marinate for 20 minutes. Lay on a baking sheet and baked at 350 F preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until cooked but not over done. Schmear with the cilantro salsa verde and set aside and keep warm.

While the chicken is baking....
Sautee the onions in a heated pan with olive oil until carmelized, then add the steamed broccoli florets combining thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine the cauliflower and potato in a large bowl mashed/or use a potato ricer, add some butter/or olive oil and 2 tbsp. of heavy cream combining thoroughly. Taste to correct seasoning.

Always have an extra bowl of salsa verde on the side.