What's Cooking at the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show!

Guests at the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show have a couple things in common: they're all looking for ideas, seeking fresh products, hunting the best deals...and the vast majority are foodies who love to entertain at home.

Back by popular demand, the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show will have the Jacksonville Magazine Cooking Stage which will feature daily cooking demonstrations from the area's most popular chefs. Guests can learn techniques, recipes, and of course, sample the goods!

In addition, Food Truck Sunday is back! Visitors can soak up the autumn air while they feast on food truck cuisine and enjoy live entertainment.

Here's a sneak peek of what's cooking on the Jacksonville Magazine Cooking Stage, with featured chef Jay Phelan's popular ratatouille recipe.

Ratatouille

By Chef Jay Phelan, Chef and Owner of J. William Culinary

Ingredients

• 1 cup eggplant, medium dice
• 1 cup zucchini, medium dice
• 1 cup yellow squash, medium dice
• 1 cup ripe tomatoes, medium dice
• 1/8 cup red onion, small dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 basil leaves, sliced into thin strips
• 1/2 bunch of Italian parsley
• 5 chili flakes
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• arugula for garnish, washed and air dried
• zest of one lemon
• juice of one lemon
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Step 1: start with a sauté pan on high heat and add four table spoons of olive oil. When the oil starts to lightly smoke, add the eggplant, garlic, onions, and chili flakes.

Step 2: While stirring with a wooden spoon, let the eggplant cook until it is somewhat sot and the garlic is light brown.

Step 3: Add the zucchini and squash and allow to sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

Step 4: Incorporate the tomatoes and zest of half a lemon into the ratatouille and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the ratatouille for 7-8 minutes uncovered.

Step 5: Add juice of half a lemon, basil and parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, but don't mash the vegetables. The ratatouille should have some texture.

Step 6: Transfer to a large bowl. For presentation, place the arugula and one tablespoon of olive oil, juice of half a lemon, and salt and pepper to taste, in a mixing bowl. Toss lightly.

Step 7: Garnish on top of the ratatouille generously with the arugula salad.

For more recipe ideas and cooking advice you can take home to your kitchen, come to the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show, October 1-4, 2015 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Don't have tickets yet? Get 2-for-1 when you visit Home + Garden Events on Facebook.

PRIME OSBORN CONVENTION CENTER
OCTOBER 1-4, 2015.