Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Fun with a Smart Car

Red Smart CarWell, as of about 8:30 Tuesday morning, we are driving a Smart Car, well Matt is. It’s bright red. The first thing that happened is a neighbour came and said whoever was parked in our space, the lights were on so as Matt was busy I went down and turned them off. I poked around for a while to find out how. However I couldn’t undo the hatchback. The ignition Ignition Keykey comes with an electronic piece attached to it with openers and even an emergency button. I figured out what to press for the hatchback but nothing much happened. After lunch we decided that, as the trunk was so small, we would go do part of the shopping which Matt normally does on Wednesday morning. I went to the lobby and he went to get the car. I was chatting to the super and his wife and when Matt got to the front door he was running the wipers – not raining – couldn’t figure out how to turn them off. Eventually the super and his wife came out and helped us figure it all out with one exception, the rear window wiper. Not one of us could work out how to stoSmart Car Hatchp it. So, we drove to the store with it running intermittently. The back turned out that the window opens up then the rest pulls down but you have to press a button on the key. We managed to get the heat working and eventually everything else, except the rear wiper. Well it did work, just wouldn’t stop. Matt forgot to take the garage key or electronic opener from our car as well as my invalid sign. Had to get another key from the supers. I can now categorically state that we would NOT buy one.

Food & Wine published a collection of strata recipes, something I was unfamiliar with. Strata means layers and they are basically savoury bread puddings. This actually sounds pretty good.


Ratatouille Strata with Lamb and Olives

Contributed to Food & Wine by Max London

  • SERVINGS: 6 TO 8 
  • Ratatouille Strata
A strata (which roughly translates to "layered") is a savoury bread pudding usually made with household staples: eggs, milk, bread, cheese. Max London's vegetable-rich version is worth the extra effort.
  1. One 16-ounce loaf olive bread or sourdough bread, ends removed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes (about 9 cups)
  2. 1 1/2 cups milk
  3. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  4. 2 onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
  5. 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  6. 6 large plum tomatoes—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
  7. 1 cup Nyons or Calamata olives (1/2 pound), pitted and coarsely chopped
  8. 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
  9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
  10. 1 pound ground lamb
  11. 2 small zucchini (1 pound), cut into 2-by-1/4-inch strips
  12. 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2-by-1/4-inch strips
  13. 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 2-by-1/4-inch strips
  14. 1 medium eggplant (about 3/4 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
  15. 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
  16. 2 cups heavy cream
  1. In a large bowl, toss the bread with the milk. Let soak, stirring occasionally, until moistened, about 30 minutes.
  2. In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Stir in the olives and basil and season with salt and pepper.
  3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the ground lamb, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the lamb to the tomato sauce.
  4. Wipe out the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the zucchini and bell pepper strips and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes; stir the vegetables into the tomato sauce.
  5. Wipe out the skillet again. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and heat until shimmering. Add the diced eggplant and cook over high heat, tossing frequently, until very tender and deep golden, about 8 minutes. Stir the eggplant into the tomato sauce.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil a 3- to 4-quart glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange half of the soaked olive bread in the baking dish. Spread the ratatouille evenly on top and cover with the remaining soaked olive bread.
  7. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs with the cream and add a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour the custard evenly over the top layer of bread and let stand for at least 20 minutes.
  8. Bake the strata for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the custard is set and the top is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead The ratatouille strata can be prepared through Step 7 and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

26 comments:

  1. It kinda makes you wonder why they call it a Smart Car! Sorry you had so much trouble with the car. I'm surprised that you didn't feel a little claustrophobic in it, unless it feels roomier on the inside. Looks like another delicious recipe, Jo!

    Julie

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    1. Actually I found it very roomy inside although Matt says the driver's side is difficult to get in. Dunno, haven't tried. If there had been a book it would have been useful but I guess they don't leave them in rental cars.

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  2. Hi Jo - they always look fun .. but the thought of a car I don't understand horrifies me .. still it's so small and so easy to park - so useful here! Love the idea of the recipe - looks delicious and relatively cheap .. cheers Hilary

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    1. It's not so much not understanding if you have the means to find out, but we didn't although the super did help.

      I thought it sounded a good dish.

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  3. Smart Cars are not that smart. They aren't that great on gas and they are so tiny, it's like a death trap. I guess if you get hit in one, they can just bury you in it since it's the size of a coffin.
    Maybe it will rain today...

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    1. Thanks very much, we are stuck with it for 3 days. Make me feel safe why don't you? If it does rain I guess we are all set.

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    2. Hahahaha, sorry you're stuck with this car out of cereal box for 3 days, Grandmother. I have no idea why anyone on Earth would buy this car. It is extremely expensive and it has always seemed to me that if it hits an ant, it will turn over. Just to look at it gives me claustrophobia. Dragon Hugs!

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    3. Now now dragon, stop laughing. I do agree, why would anyone buy it. But it seems people do. But like I keep saying, it is actually pretty roomy in the front. No back seats of course and not much trunk space. GMD Hugs to you.

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  4. SMART? Says who? I still think it is a death trap. Still remember my first ride in a VW Beetle. Sounded like a sewing machine for an engine. Couldn't wait to get back home in one piece.

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    1. Actually once inside it, they aren't bad little cars. Not sure about the safety of course. It does jerk when it changes gear though.

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  5. Is this a temporary car? I've seen them around and they look too small even for me. I joke that my husband could wear them as roller skates. lol

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    1. Yup JoJo, just for 3 days whilst our car is having work done on it. Actually they are surprisingly roomy inside although not a lot of trunk space.

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    2. They don't even look like they have a trunk!

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    3. They do, it would hold about 5 bags of shopping. Wouldn't want to travel anywhere though.

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  6. At least the two of you fit in it. The one running around our town is driven by two very large people. I have no idea how they fit inside.

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    1. Fitting inside shouldn't be a problem, but getting inside is another matter. Don't know how they do it.

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  7. I don't think we will get one. We have a three year old Subaru and might get a new one with all the safety features. I have a hard enough time figuring out the computer, never mind a computer disguised as a car. ; )

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    1. Actually it's not that computerised. I was surprised. But Matt would be totally lost with a really computerised car that's one of the reasons we hold on to our old one.

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  8. They look fun. I love my little car, but it's not a smart car.

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    1. In a way it was a fun car. I wish we could have kept it a bit longer.

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  9. It looks cute and would be easy to park. I don't trust anything that works on a computer. Technology gets ahead of itself sometimes. They release things that aren't really ready to be released.

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    1. I dunno about parking, saw a video on Facebook with some idiot who couldn't park one in a spot almost the size of a bus. It isn't really that computerised.

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  10. With our winding roads and plethora of trees alongside them...I see death trap in that little car. I'd love it for a city, but not an open road. I can't imagine their crash test rating is very good.
    That strata looks awesome. I'm hungry now!

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    1. I think it would actually be very good on winding country roads with lots of trees. No idea what their crash test rating is, but they must comply to a certain standard I assume.

      It does doesn't it? They had several strata recipes where I found that one.

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  11. We have to start looking at another car and I hate the idea of it because I don't like to spend money.

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    1. Our car is 17 years old. At the moment it's still running fine.

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