Ratatouille -

A Delicious Inexpensive Dish

This recipe may not be the easiest recipe for ratatouille but the results are sure tasty and the left overs are delicious as well. This might be something that is better made on a rainy afternoon, the simmering vegetables together with the herbs really makes the house smell nice. You can certainly adjust the vegetables to the season. If tomatoes are not in season you may want to add some concentrated tomato paste when doing the tomatoes for added flavor.

Ingredients:

    * 3 medium-sized eggplant, cut into 2-inch cubes
 - I used two eggplant and 2 Chinese eggplant

    * 4 medium-sized zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 2″ pieces
kosher salt


    * 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil


    * 6 medium-sized yellow onions, thinly sliced


    * 4 medium-sized red, green or yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2″ strips


    * 6 small tomatos, peeled, seeded and quartered


    * 8 cloves garlic, minced


    * 20 leaves fresh basil


    * 1 bunch fresh parsley, stems trimmed off


    * 8 sprigs fresh thyme


    * freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Put eggplant and zucchini in 2 separate strainers and toss each with 1 tablespoon of salt. Allow to drain for 30 minutes. Blot with paper towels to dry.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to same skillet, increase heat to medium-high, add eggplant, and sauté until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer eggplant to a large heavy pot with a cover and spoon a layer of onions on top. Add 2 tablespoons oil and zucchini to skillet and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to pot and cover with a layer of onions. Add 1 tablespoon oil and peppers to skillet and sauté until edges turn brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to pot and cover with a layer of onions.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to skillet, add tomatoes, garlic and basil, lightly crushing tomatoes and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to pot, add remaining onions, parsley and thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simmer, partially covered, over low heat, gently stirring occasionally, for an hour and a half. Adjust seasonings, then cook about 30 minutes more.

I begin every session with this “Song” I learned from Kathleen Stanford Grant. For those of you that don’t know who she is - Kathy is someone who studied with Joe Pilates and continues to teach in New York. At 87 years old she maintains a full schedule that I have no question would tire me out. Many of my student teachers ask about this song again and again so I thought I would blog about it today. Remember that you can still apply this entire principle in any position but for the Pilates Session I will start you on your back.

Lay flat on your back, knees bent, heels in line with your sits bones, feet and knees hip with apart. While you are on your back take a few moments to check in with your body and your breath. Don’t correct, just be there. Take a moment and establish your neutral pelvis - finding the points where the pubic bone and the hip bones are all in the same plane. Your tail should feel heavy in the ground and you should feel a small space behind your lower back, your upper back should rest into the floor and you should have a small space behind the neck, your head should feel heavy in the floor. Make sure your feet have firm contact with the floor and the knees are neither nocking together or spread wide.

The Song:
Think of pulling up a zipper from the pubic bone up the front of the body - don’t worry how far, you will know.
     Hold in the Zipper as you inhale
On the next exhale pull your navel in and down toward the back of the hip - like a nail going into a wall at an angle to hang a picture
     Hold the Zipper and the nail in as you inhale
On the next exhale feel like you are pulling on a belt - I like to refer to high waisted pants that women wear with this image.
     Hold it all in as you inhale
On the next exhale get a lifting feeling in the chest like you are wearing a vest or a waist coat. Here I also like to think about the shoulders going down the back.
     Hold it all in place as you inhale
On the next exhale pull gently in underneath your bust line - As Kathy Grant says - “Like you are being measured for a dress” I also like to think of a bra strap - guys I am sure you can figure out where this is!
     Hold it all in as you inhale
This I added - On the next exhale pull the lower ribs down into the floor so you have the feeling of suspenders down your sides. 
     Hold it all in as you inhale
Now you should be in touch with your core and a very stable abdomen. When you in hale you should feel the breath go more into your rib cage, your abdominals should remain engaged. Depending on your teacher there are a number of ways to describe this feeling. Once set you should be able to move on to your next exercise in the fundamental series.

This blog is coming together in a bit of a puzzle, but we have already talked about several fundamental exercises. I would start here then go to the “Pelvic Curl” - Spine Twist Supine - Chest Lift or Perfect Crunch - Chest Lift with Rotation - then leg lifts and leg changes. A great warm up for pilates or any other activity for that matter.

Enjoy.

While I love steak, it’s nice to explore other foods as well. This recipe is a twist of a Spicy Green Beans and Tofu recipe I discovered on the web. For some reason I decided to try the spices together with Egg Plant and Tofu and loved the result.

Spicy Egg Plan with Baked Tofu and Mushrooms

1/4 cup clarified butter or vegetable oil 
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
2 small green peppers, (such as jalapeno or serrano), stems and seeds removed, minced 
2 teaspoons turmeric powder 
2 teaspoons ground cumin 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne 
1 Egg Plant - cubed
1/2 pound Mushrooms - sliced
1/4 cup water 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/3 cup cubed baked tofu (baked Tofu can be found a Trader Joe’s)

Cut the Egg Plant in cubes and soak in salted water for about 30 Minutes - then thoroughly dry the cubes.

In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic slivers, peppers, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add the egg plant, sliced mushrooms, baked tofu, water, salt, and stir well. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the egg plant is tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sesame seeds and cook uncovered, stirring, until toasted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and adjust seasoning, to taste. Serve hot.

Today I want to talk about the importance of keeping a regular work out schedule. When someone first comes to a Pilates session one of the first things they realize - this is not a typical workout. The instructor has a great deal of knowledge to share and during a session will only focus on a few key points. I like to use the first sessions to get the client to “give into” the work. Once they can quiet the mind the session will begin to flow. 

By keeping a regular Pilates practice, 2 - 3 times a week, you will find that sessions will begin to flow - the focus will increase and the feeling or soreness will subside. Also (and remember that this is my living) if you do Pilates on a regular basis and miss a session it is no big deal, but if you only come once a week and miss a session you are creating a huge gap in your routine.

Now you might be thinking to keep up a regular practice I might have to sell my couch. This does not have to be the case. Most gyms today offer mat pilates, and almost all studios offer mat pilates and group reformer classes. You should be able to come to 2 - 3 sessions a week for less than the cost of going out to dinner. 

Research your options with your instructor, set up a schedule and most importantly - KEEP TO IT!