Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Ratatouille


I will admit that one of my all time favorite movies is Ratatouille. I don't know if it's the cooking or the mouse, the goofy dish washer boy or the love story. I just like the whole thing. I never knew what ratatouille was until I saw this movie. I am a huge fan of eggplant. I have always loved it, even as a kid. So it was no surprise that when I found out that this was in the recipe, I was thrilled.




So, why did it take me so long to make it? Several things come to mind. One is the fact that living in Utah, at the time, we did not have an abundant supply of FRESH eggplant. It was not something that I heard my neighbors talk about growing and the stores never had many on the shelves. Out of sight, out of mind. The other reason may have been that I thought it was MUCH more complicated to make than it actually was...after all, Ratatouille is a pretty intense word...LOL OH, but I do love to say it--RAT-A-TOO-eee!


When I announced to my family that we were eating Ratatouille, my 4YO , thought we were having "mouse" for dinner.  Oh MY!  She was relieved when I showed her a plate of veggies...LOL  

When I was first learning to cook, I bought a book.  My favorite cooking book.  It's title is Joy of Cooking.  Two of my favorite things in one title..JOY and COOKING!  Now we are talking.  I have read this book, yes, every single page, at least 3 times.  WHY?  I find it so helpful with all things cooking.  It is the only cookbook that I own that does not have pictures in it.  Every recipe I have ever tried, has worked, taste good and brings me JOY!  

The Ratatouille is from this book and this dish has brought my whole family JOY!  We absolutely loved it!  My husband told me he could eat this dish every day.  Eggplant grows in abundance in Maryland.  They must love the sandy soil.  I have two sitting on my counter and my neighbor's plants are loaded with them.  I am thinking he is going to get his wish of eating it most days...LOL

I will say, that this recipe is wonderful hot or cold.  Fresh or as a leftover.  It's just plain amazing!  I would recommend that you use the BEST extra virgin olive oil that you can.  It adds so much to the flavor of the veggies.   ENJOY!

Fresh from my neighbors garden..Thank you!


Ratatouille from Joy of Cooking


Ingredients

 1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes ( 1 lb)

1 lb zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups onions, sliced

2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares

3 garlic cloves, chopped

salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped seeded peeled

2 -3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaves

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped


    Directions

    1. Saute in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until the vegetables are golden and just tender, 10 to 12 minutes: 1/4 C olive oil, eggplant and zucchini.
    2. Remove the vegetables and reduce the heat to medium-high. In the same pan, cook until the onions are slightly softened: 2 T of olive oil and onions.
    3. Add and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender but not browned, 8 to 12 minutes: red pepper and garlic.
    4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    5. Add: tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf.
    6. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 minutes.
    7. Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook until everything is tender, about 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in: basil.


      I served this as a side dish with Chicken Satay.  The Ratatouille can also be a main dish and hold it's own.
      Written by Sherron Watson

    2 comments:

    1. beautiful post! Hey, just so you know, something happened to your ingredient list. It's all greened out! :( But those photos more than make up for it. :)

      ReplyDelete
    2. Thank you! I tried something, did it fix it?

      ReplyDelete

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