Okay, we had lunch in church today and while the theme was “Italian” I decided I could something almost related. My family has been raving over my version of Ratatoulille (no, I've not watched the movie. Each time I say I enjoy making Ratatoulille folks assume I've watched the movie) so I thought I'd rustle up a pan of that and also a pot of Parmesan pasta to go with it (just make sure you don't get the Parmesan cheese from the green can; be a brick and get the real kind and of course you will be forever spoilt. Never again will the green can do).
Verdict: Most of my brethren loved it too.
Okay, lest I forget, here is my recipe for posterity.
A big eggplant
2-3 medium sized zucchinis
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 can (14 ½ oz) of tomato dices (in basil and oregano) –
fresh (or dried) parsley
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
If you can get the vegetables from your garden, wonderful! For today's dish, I got everything from the store.
Okay, ratatouille takes a bit longer than the time I would usually spend on cooking. Besides, I really don't like to cook my vegetables to death but this dish is different. The combination of all the flavors is incredibly delicious! This is what I usually do:
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Peel the eggplant and chop off the stem. (Of course wash all the veggies first but I didn't think I had to include this direction. And of course I only use Berrysong cleaning products, LOL). Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 3 by 1 inch slices. Not too thick. Maybe a a bit more than ¼ inch and a bit less than 1/3 inch. Oh, just estimate.
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Trim the zucchini ends and slice them about the same size as the eggplant.
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Put the eggplant and zucchini slices in a glass bowl and toss 1 teaspoon of salt . Let it stand for 30-35 minutes. Drain and pat the slices on paper towels.
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In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Now pan fry the above slices till they are lightly browned. You need to do this in batches and you may have to add more oil as you go along. I'm quite generous with the olive oil. I seldom fry stuff so I don't scrimp on oil while cooking this dish. Oh, I need to exercise control when I'm doing this as I love popping a slice of two of each of the veggies in my mouth while transferring the browned ones from the skillet to a dish. Did I say just a slice or two? They remind me of tempura. Yummy.
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Okay, if you think you have enough eggplant and zucchini slices left to make a decent family meal, move on to the next step.
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Cook the onions, garlic and red peppers in the same skillet in 2-3 tablespoons oil until tender. Maybe 10 minutes. Stir in some salt and pepper to season.
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Now drain the can of tomatoes dices (actually it's nicer to use fresh tomatoes – dip tomatoes in boiling water and peel them,etc). but I think the canned version is okay.
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Pour the drained tomatoes over the slices. Cover the skillet and cook medium heat for maybe 5 minutes.
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Then uncover, increase heat and cook till the juice has almost evaporated.
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Now this is the fun part.
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Place 1/3 of the tomato/onion mixture in a heavy Dutch oven or heavy casserole. Sprinkle with parsley. Arrange half of the eggplant/zucchini combo on top. Top with half of the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with more parsley. Top with the rest of the eggplant/zucchini combo and layer it with the rest of the tomato mixture.
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Now cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and baste with the rendered juices. Season if necessary.
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Continue cooking till the juices have evaporated. Be sure to stir often so the veggies don't get scorched.
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Serve it over rice or pasta.
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Serve it hot or cold.
The next time I make it I'll try to remember to take a picture and stick it right here.
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