Menu for Tomorrow..Happy Bastille Day, France

I am sort of re-inventing the classics for the Southern California palate and also for ease of delivery.
I am making some really good soups some that are popular in the South of France, one that was orig.  from French Morocco, but I am making a more concentrated soup, &  it is a method I am going to adopt for all my  lighter summer soups.


Instead of making a soup base by sauteing and then adding tons of stock, I am just adding 1/4 of the liquid suggested in the recipe, and simmering slowly in the liquid, as the veggies break down I add more stock but the resulting soup uses only 1/2 the liquid suggested in the recipe.


This works well with summery less dense veggies like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini & etc., I have used some yams in these recipes but cut them very small dice so they cook in less than 10 mins.


The garnet yams add color, more Vit A and help thicken the soups.


all the veggies used in these few dishes are almost the same and it sort of shows well the diversity than can be achieved with just simple summer veggies:
zucchini,leeks, eggplants, sweet bell peppers, onions, garlic, own grown tomatoes, herbs, black olives, red wine, and veggie stock..also added garnet yams and green beans


The menu my client's have chosen is quite appropriate for the monsoon rains we are having at the moment:




Spicy eggplant soup with tomatoes
Roasted red pepper soup
Provencal soup
Ratatouille with whole wheat couscous
Moroccan style rice pilau with mushrooms, apricots and walnuts
Caramelized apple tarts ( individual)


here are some photos of my prep so far:

First 4 are the concentrates for the soups and ratatouille

after cooking the fennel bulb, onions, garlic, and eggplant in olive oil & later tomatoes and red wine I have added red peppers, zucchini and more fresh tomatoes with black olives, simmer for 10 mins then pack, the client will cook more tomorrow

The red pepper soup before blending

the spicy eggplant  before blending

The wonderful roasted red pepper soup

the smooth and buttery spicy eggplant, both soups finished with avocado oil

Provencal vegetable soup.. with fennel, celery, garlic, carrots, sweet potato,tomatoes, green beans herbes d'Provence, onions..cooked slowly in a non-dairy creamy tomato base.

all soups will be finished with fresh chopped herbs before packing for delivery