BLACK-EYED SUSAN COCKTAILS AND MARYLAND CRAB CAKES FOR THE PREAKNESS

Black-Eyed Susan

Crab Cakes

Congratulations again to California Chrome, winner of 2014's Preakness.  And best of luck for the final race at the Belmont Stakes in New York for a chance to win the Triple Crown!  We enjoyed watching the Preakness Stakes and making Black-Eyed Susan* Cocktails and Maryland Crab Cakes, two of the traditional fares of the Preakness.
The Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail was first introduced at the 1973 Preakness.  It was created by the Harry M. Stevens Company who was the caterer at Pimlico.  And there have been numerous variations of the drink over the years.  It has been made with vodka, rum, whiskey, bourbon, peach schnapps, orange juice, pineapple juice, sour mix, orange-flavored liqueur, elderflower-flavored liquor, to name a few.
We first tried the recipe that is listed on the Preakness website.  We served it in a martini glass.  The drink was frothy and looked different than the versions we've seen, but it has had numerous variations.   It was very sweet. And since we had pineapple and orange juice left over, we tried making it with rum instead of the St. Germain.  It was not as sweet.

Black-Eyed Susan Cocktails via the Preakness:

1 1/2 oz Finlandia Vodka
1/2 oz St. Germain
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Orange Juice
Garnish with fresh Orange Slice

The Maryland Crab Cakes also have many variations.  And although I have my own version of crab cakes, I wanted to try something a little closer to the Maryland delights. I added other herbs (tarragon) and used unflavored breadcrumbs in lieu of crackers.  Also, I added several ingredients which are typically used in Bloody Mary's.

 "Maryland" Crab Cakes:

1 lb Crab meat
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons fresh Parsley, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh Tarragon, minced
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup unflavored bread crumbs (plus about 1/4 cup more for dusting pan and cakes)
2 Eggs, beaten
5 dashes of Tabasco Sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Horseradish
1 Stick of Butter, cut into 1" pieces

Line a sheet pan with waxed paper and dust lightly with reserved bread crumbs.  Set aside.

Combine all ingredients, except butter, and mix together lightly. Form into desired size cakes and then pat lightly with additional bread crumbs. Place crab cakes on sheet pan and refrigerate for about 1-2 hours.

Heat butter in a large skillet and fry cakes until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with Tartar Sauce and Cocktail Sauce on the side.

*The Black-Eyed Susan was designated the state flower of Maryland in 1918. Actually, a blanket of chrysanthemums, decorated to look like black-eyed Susans, is traditionally placed around the winner's neck because Black-Eyed Susans are not in season during the Preakness.

HOT BROWN SANDWICHES AND MINT JULEPS ON KENTUCKY DERBY DAY



Kentucky Hot Brown



Mint Julep
 

Congratulations to California Chrome, winner of 2014's Kentucky Derby!  And best of luck for the next two up-coming races for a chance at the Triple Crown!

We were ready last week. We had the 140 Kentucky Derby Woodford Reserve®, fresh mint and super fine sugar for the Mint Juleps. 


However, I also wanted to make a dish associated with the Derby like Pimento Sandwiches are to the Masters Golf Tournament or Hot Dogs are to Baseball, so I did some research and discovered the Hot Brown Sandwich.

The Hot Brown Sandwich is an open-faced sandwich of roasted turkey breast and tomatoes, covered in a Mornay sauce, and baked or broiled. It is topped with bacon, Pecorino Romano cheese and garnished with parsley and paprika. It was originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926.  In the 1920's, the Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. In the wee hours of the morning, the guests became tired of dancing and drinking bourbon, so they would visit the restaurant for something to eat. Diners were getting bored with the traditional ham and eggs, so Chef Schmidt created the Hot Brown.

Needless to say, I wanted to make this.  After reading the story and recipe from the Brown Hotel and also finding a recipe from Bobby Flay (He owns race horses in Louisville and is a master at Southern cooking), I was ready and came up with my own version.

In the original recipe from the Brown Hotel, whole turkey breasts are roasted.  For the bread, Texas toast is used and sliced to 1 1/2 inches thick.  Next, tomato quarters are added and topped with a Mornay sauce (a Béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added).  This is placed into the oven until the sauce melts all over the turkey.  Finally, this is topped with bacon, garnished with shredded Pecorino Romano cheese, chopped parsley, and paprika.

For my version, I roasted turkey breast tenderloins in a bourbon and maple glaze. I used rustic brick oven Italian artisan bread fresh from my local bakery.  For the Mornay sauce, I made a roux then added sharp white cheddar cheese, Pecorino Romano, a hint of freshly grated nutmeg and white pepper.  Separately, I grilled slices of turkey bacon and then grilled sliced tomatoes in the same pan.  The sandwich was topped with the turkey bacon and garnished with shredded Pecorino Romano cheese, flat-leaf parsley and smoked sweet paprika.  The sandwich was a great accompaniment to the Mint Juleps.

Ingredients

2 Slices of bread -- Texas toast, brioche, or Italian artisan
Maple-Bourbon Roasted Turkey Breast Tenderloins, sliced, recipe follows
Mornay Sauce, recipe follows
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
6 slices turkey bacon, grilled until crisp
6 (1/4-inch) thick slices ripe tomato, grilled in the same pan used to cook turkey bacon
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
1/4 teaspoon of smoked sweet Paprika, for garnish

Maple-Bourbon Roasted Turkey Breast Tenderloins
 

1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Buffalo Trace Kentucky Bourbon
Freshly ground black pepper
1 package of Shady Brook Farms® Turkey Breast Tenderloins, about 2.5-3.0 pounds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together maple syrup, mustard, and bourbon in a small bowl and lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set mixture aside.

Rub inside of a roasting pan with butter.  Pat some butter on tenderloins and lightly sprinkle with pepper. Place tenderloins in pan and roast for 20 minutes.  Turn pan and roast for another 20 minutes. Add maple-bourbon mixture to pan and roast for an additional 20 minutes, turning pan every ten minutes and basting with maple-bourbon mixture. Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the center of loins registers 155 degrees F, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Mornay Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup grated sharp white Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/8th teaspoon)
Pinch of white pepper (about 1/8th teaspoon)

Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute to form a thick paste or roux.  Continue to cook for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk milk into the roux and cook until the mixture begins to simmer, about 3-4 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in cheeses until melted. Add nutmeg and white pepper.  Keep sauce warm.

To Finish

Lightly toast bread slices
Place turkey slices on bread
Top with grilled tomatoes
Pour sauce over dish, completely covering it
Sprinkle with additional Pecorino Romano Cheese
Place entire dish in oven until cheese and sauce melts, begins to brown and bubble
Remove from oven
Add turkey bacon on top`
Top with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, parsley and paprika
Serve Immediately

 

Woodford Reserve® Classic Mint Julep

2 oz. Woodford Reserve
1 oz. water
1 t. sugar
4 sprigs fresh mint

Muddle three sprigs of mint, sugar, and water in the bottom of a julep cup or highball glass. Fill glass with crushed ice. Add Woodford Reserve and stir. Use fourth mint sprig for garnish.

DUCK WELLINGTON

Duck Wellington

This is a take on the classic Beef Wellington which is typically a preparation of filet steak coated with pate' and duxelles (finely minced mushrooms and herbs sautéed in butter and reduced to a paste) then wrapped in puff pastry and baked.  Some recipes include wrapping the coated meat in a crepe.

Since the term Wellington is sometimes used to describe other dishes where a protein is baked in puff pastry, for this one we used a Moulard Duck Magret breast baked in phyllo dough. 

Moulard Duck Magret Breast 16 oz

We coated the breast with a Country-style Dijon mustard and used Hen of the Woods for the duxelles.  In lieu of the crepe, we wrapped this in turkey bacon.  The entire prep was then wrapped in phyllo dough and brushed with an egg wash and baked in the oven.  Although the duck was well done, it was very moist and tasty.   

Ingredients:

16 oz duck breast, skin removed, and cut into two 8-oz portions
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
10 oz wild mushrooms
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
6 slices turkey bacon
1/3 cup spicy/coarsely ground Country-style Dijon mustard
4-5 layers of phyllo dough
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter (for phyllo dough)
Egg wash (1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water)

Directions:

Chop the mushrooms and pulse in a food processor to form a coarse texture.  Scrape the mixture into a hot, dry pan. Add fresh thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Cook to allow the water from the mushrooms to evaporate.  When dry, set mushrooms aside to cool.

Chopped Hen of the Woods

 Season duck breast with salt and pepper.  Cut into two portions.

Heat olive oil in a large pan.  Sear the duck, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes each side. Remove and allow duck to cool.

Roll out plastic film and lay out 3 slices of turkey bacon, slightly overlapping each other. Spread half of the mushroom mixture evenly in a thin layer over the turkey bacon. Repeat for the second Wellington.

Brush both duck breasts with the Dijon mustard. Place each duck breast in the middle of each prepped turkey bacon/mushroom mixture.

 

Duck Breast Ready to Roll

Keeping a tight hold of the plastic film from the outside, roll the turkey bacon over duck breasts into a tight barrel shape and twist the ends to secure the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Working quickly, prepare phyllo dough.  Brush each layer of dough with melted butter, then place another layer of dough on top; continue this to make about four-five layers of dough. Keep unused layers covered with a damp cloth to prevent dough from drying out.  Unwrap one of the duck logs from the plastic wrap and place it in the middle of the phyllo dough.  Fold over the dough to seal.  Place seam side down on a plate and brush egg wash over the top. Repeat the process for the second Wellington. Chill bundles again for approximately 20-30 minutes.

 

Wrapped Bundles Ready for the Oven

To Finish:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. 

Remove Wellington bundles from fridge.  Brush with egg wash.

Line a roasting pan with parchment paper and then lightly butter it with unsalted butter.    Place bundles on pan seam side down and roast for about 25 minutes.   Let bundles set for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

 

 

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM and RAINBOW SWISS CHARD LASAGNA

Mushroom and Rainbow Swiss Chard Lasagna

Rainbow Swiss Chard

This doesn't have the heaviness of a typical tomato and cheese lasagna dish. 

I made a béchamel sauce using lower fat (2%) milk and used a low-fat cream cheese in lieu of the mascarpone cheese that is sometimes found in mushroom lasagna recipes. My farmers market had Portobello mushrooms, beautiful rainbow Swiss chard and freshly made ricotta cheese (I guess the lower-fat milk and low-fat cream cheese were canceled out by the home-made ricotta).  Nonetheless, it was all good.  I made the recipe in a 9x7" glass Pyrex dish versus the 9x13" version.  A spray/drizzle of white truffle oil as the lasagna was resting added an extra treat.

This is a perfect full meal for a meatless Monday...or any day...and could easily serve 4-6 people. The average food cost is about $5.99 per serving.

INGREDIENTS

For the Béchamel Sauce:
4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter
1⁄4 cup AP flour
1 1⁄2 cups low-fat (2%) milk
1 cup vegetable broth, preferably home made
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For the Filling:

6 Tablespoons olive oil 
1 1⁄2 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 small leeks, white parts only (about 1 cup), thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced garlic
4 sprigs thyme
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups thinly sliced rainbow Swiss chard leaves
2 1/2 pounds baby Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1⁄3 cup low fat cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
8 lasagna noodles, cooked (according to directions on package)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter (to coat glass Pyrex dish)
16 oz. ricotta cheese, preferably home made
1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
White truffle oil/spray (optional) for drizzling on top while lasagna is resting

DIRECTIONS

For the Béchamel Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes; don't let the mixture brown. In another saucepan, warm the low-fat milk.  Slowly add the milk to the pan containing the butter and AP flour, while whisking.  Then add the vegetable broth, continuing whisking until smooth. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is smooth and resembles a thick cream, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; add the nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Cover the surface of the béchamel with waxed paper to prevent a skin from forming.

For the Filling:

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme sprigs and cook, stirring often, until the leeks are soft, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  Remove the thyme sprigs. Stir in the rainbow Swiss chard and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor. Pulse several times until finely chopped, and then transfer to a large bowl. In another large skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add one-third of the mushrooms (do not crowd mushrooms) and cook, stirring often and seasoning with salt and pepper after mushrooms are half-way cooked, until they are well browned, about 10 minutes. When cooked, put mushrooms in a large bowl and continue to repeat cooking the rest of the mushrooms.

After all of the mushrooms are cooked, place them in a food processor and pulse several times.  They should still have some texture.  When done, transfer the pulsed mushrooms to the bowl with the onion mixture. Add the béchamel sauce, softened cream cheese, and the vinegars and stir until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper.

To Finish:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil and add salt to taste.  Add the lasagna noodles and cook until tender. Drain.  Add a touch of olive oil to noodles to prevent from sticking.

Butter a 9x7 inch (versus the 9-by-13-inch) glass baking dish. Lay two noodles in the bottom of the dish. Trim to fit, if necessary. Top with one-third of the mushroom filling, one-third of the ricotta, and one-third of the grated cheese. Repeat with the remaining noodles, mushroom filling, ricotta, and grated cheese (there isn't a layer of noodles on the top). Bake the lasagna until the center is very hot and the top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly drizzle/spray truffle oil (optional) on top.  Let rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.

INTERNATIONAL CHEFS CONGRESS 2013

 

Entrance at Pier 57 Chelsea NYC

The International Chefs Congress, sponsored by StarChefs.com, was held this year at a new space at Pier 57 in NYC.  Also, for the first time, there was a SMOKE Barbecue Competition that was presented by Chung Jung One the night prior to the conference.  

The Congress was fun, again.  The best part(s) was that I met Steven Raichlen, who I consider the best BBQ chef on the planet (a la Planet Barbecue).  Also, I met David Burke and Brian Voltaggio, both chefs who recently competed on Top Chef Masters.  According to David, he got screwed on the ketchup deal and Brian was again the number-two guy.  Both were extremely nice and pleasant to talk to.  A few photos follow.

View of NYC from the pier

Judges at the SMOKE BBQ Competition

Steven Raichlen, Primal Grill, Miami, FL

Andy Husbands, Tremont 647, Boston, MA

Chef David Burke, David Burke Group, NYC

Chef Johnny Iuzzini, Sugar Fueled Inc

Keegan Gerhard, D Bar Desserts, Emcee of Pastry Competition
 

Chef David Burke and me

Chef Michel Richard

Chef Brian Voltaggio



Travis, Spike and Mike of Top Chef Seasons

Jeffrey Steingarten, Food Critic of Vogue, NYC

Chef Vaughn Trannon of Trannon Culinary

Chef Brian Voltaggio and me

Shaving Truffles

SPAGHETTI PRIMAVERA viva Le CIRQUE

Spaghetti Primavera

After my jaunt to the Farmers Market the other day and having an abundance of leftover zucchini, squash, carrots and fresh ears of corn, I decided to make a vegetable and pasta--or spaghetti--dish

As always, or once in a while, an "old faithful" popped into mind:  Pasta Primavera--or Spaghetti Primavera, as it was called back in the day.

Spaghetti Primavera is one of those recipes that is synonymous with Sirio Maccioni and his flagship place, Le Cirque. It was popularized in the late 1970s and touted by then New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne and his partner Pierre Franey.  Back then, it was one of the most talked-about dishes in the City.  For a dish of different vegetables, cooked separately, then added to cream and butter and served over pasta, it became a battle between French and Italian cuisines. The dish was so controversial in a formal French restaurant in 1977 that it was served only on request.

Mr. Maccioni invented the dish and it was the only one at Le Cirque that the chefs were forbidden to touch.  The popularity it gained at Le Cirque helped move American cooks beyond spaghetti and meatballs; and as the dish thrived, it was soon offered on the menu of virtually every Italian restaurant.  However, the authentic is Le Cirque's version.

So with the veggies in the fridge, peas in the freezer, San Marzano tomatoes in the cabinet, along with spaghetti in the dry goods storage, all I needed was fresh mushrooms, heavy cream, and broccoli spears.  Although the authentic Spaghetti Primavera recipe calls for fresh asparagus tips, at $4.99 per rubber-band wrapped pack and weighing less than a pound, I opted to omit the asparagus.  Besides, I had the fresh carrots and corn in lieu of the costly green.  Sorry, Sirio, it's not the "authentic Spaghetti Primavera" from Le Cirque of the 70's, but pretty close.

Here goes...my take on Spaghetti Primavara, viva Le Cirque.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups plum tomatoes, chopped, peeled, and seeded (or whole canned San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz), chopped, seeded, and drained)
4 cloves garlic, minced and divided, about 2 Tablespoons
Kosher Salt
2 cups porcini mushrooms, roughly chopped
Black Pepper
Vegetables:  Each should be blanched, separately, in boiling water (time varies), shocked in an ice-water bath, drained, patted dry and set aside:
  1 cup broccoli florets (2 minutes)
  1 medium zucchini, quartered, cut into 1-inch lengths (2 minutes)
  1 medium yellow squash, quartered, cut into 1-inch lengths (2 minutes)
  1 1/2 cups carrots, halved and cut into 1" lengths (4-6 minutes)
  2 cups corn kernels from fresh ears of corn (1 minute)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed in boiling salted water.  Drained and set aside
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound spaghetti
2 Tablespoons basil, cut into chiffonade

Directions:

Prep all vegetables and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add tomatoes, half of the garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook until tomatoes have rendered their juice and have begun to color, stirring or tossing occasionally, about 4 to 8 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat and sauté the mushrooms with half of the remaining garlic and a pinch of salt until they have given off most of their water and are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.  Season to taste and keep warm.

Heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan.  Add remaining garlic and the blanched vegetables and cook the blanched vegetables until they've taken on a little color but are still firm, about 5 minutes. Set aside.  Season to taste and keep warm.

Meanwhile, reduce the cream by half in a pan large enough to hold the cooked spaghetti.  Stir in the Parmesan and butter and turn the heat to low.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the spaghetti. When the spaghetti is almost al dente, drain and transfer it to the pan with the reduced cream to finish cooking.

To Finish:
First, fold in the reserved tomato sauce into the pan containing the spaghetti and cream.  Then, add the mushrooms;  and, finally, the sautéed vegetables.  Let set for about one minute, then plate each dish and garnish with basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Toasted pine nuts could also be added as a garnish.  Serves 4.

RATATOUILLE or CONFIT BYALDI

Ratatouille or Confit Byaldi

After a visit to my local Farmers Market, I couldn't resist and purchased a bunch of various vegetables.  The first dish that came to mind was Ratatouille, or Confit Byaldi.  


Veggies From Market

While the "original" ratatouille recipes tell us to fry the vegetables before baking, the Confit Byaldi version does not fry them. The vegetables are baked slowly in the oven for several hours to steam.  Sauces, cheese or vinaigrettes could be then added to the final baked/steamed vegetables.

Many recipes for Ratatouille are featured on the Net, including Chef Thomas Keller's version of Byaldi which was published in his 1999 cookbook, The French Laundry Cookbook.  In Chef Keller's recipe, he added two sauces.  One is a tomato and pepper sauce called piperade, which is made of reduced and finely chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and herbs, then spread thinly at the bottom of the vegetable bed.  The other is an herbed balsamic vinaigrette that is served atop the vegetables.  

 

The first time I made this dish was in 2007, not long after the movie, Ratatioulle, was released.  I admit it.  I did go to the movies to see it back then, only after I learned that Chef Keller served as a food consultant for the Pixar film and allowed its producer to intern at his restaurant.  It was a really good movie.  And a good recipe, nonetheless.

 

Circa 2007

So I revisited the recipe (and watched the movie) again.  And after several hours of prep, below is my adaption of Chef Keller's version of Byaldi, or Ratatioulle, using  all of the vegetables that I purchased at the Market.

INGREDIENTS

For Piperade:
1/2 red pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1 lime green pepper, seeds removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
3 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely diced, juices reserved
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt

For Vegetables:
1 zucchini sliced in 1/16-inch rounds
1/2 Italian eggplant sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1/2 white eggplant sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 yellow squash sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves, fresh
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

For Piperade:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined sheet, cut side down. Roast until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely.

Cut an X on the bottom of each tomato.  Add tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for about 45 seconds to one minute.  Remove tomatoes and quickly submerge into an ice water bath.  This will loosen the skins and make it easier to peel the tomatoes.  When cooled, remove tomatoes from ice water.  Peel, remove seeds and dice tomatoes while reserving as much juice as possible.  Strain tomato juice through a very fine sieve to extract seeds.  Set juice aside.

Diced Tomatoes

Combine oil, garlic, and onion in medium skillet over low heat until soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft. Add peppers and simmer to soften them.  

Tomato and Pepper Mixture

Season to taste with salt.  Discard herbs. Reserve a tablespoon of mixture. Spread the remaining piperade mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch skillet.

For Vegetables:

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Down center of pan, arrange a strip of 8 alternating slices of vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Repeat until pan is filled.

Pre-Oven

Mix garlic, oil, and thyme leaves in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over vegetables. Cover pan with lid (alternatively, use parchment paper or foil crimping edges to seal well).  Bake until vegetables are tender about 2 hours.  When done, remove from oven.

For Vinaigrette:
Combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

To Serve:

Spoon vegetables onto individual serving plates. Cheese, such as parmesan, feta, or mozzarella, may be added to the roasted vegetables.  Then Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings