Got veggies? Mix 'em up in Ratatouille on Astini News
Vegetable and sausage Ratatouille garnished with Parmesan cheese.
September 11, 2011
Maybe it had something to do with the full moon, or alignment of the planets, or perhaps the collective positive energy of our country coming together in remembrance found its way into my little world. Whatever the reason, today was an excellent day.
Somehow, this day I managed to sleep in until nearly 11:00; (I work until nearly midnight, so sleep is always a challenge.) Then I enjoyed a healthy, hearty breakfast of farm-fresh eggs, perfectly cooked by my husband; watched some inspirational and entertaining youTube videos; (more about that below) cleaned the house; went for an amazing 5-mile hike off Guanella Pass, complete with our two labradors romping in a clear forest creek, Stellar's Jays and fuzzy little picas calling out as we passed. We had lunch atop a rock overlooking a breathtaking alpine lake; drove back to Denver; went to the grocery store, and then ended the day with a wonderful dinner with just-harvested veggies from the garden, enjoyed with good friends.
Whew! I wish every day could be like this.
The meal was truly delicious… and easy. I was looking through one of my favorite cookbooks, "Melissa's Great Book of Produce" by Cathy Thomas.
Melissa's Great Book of Produce is an excellent resource for new gardeners.
I was trying to find something to do with eggplant, and I came across a recipe for Ratatouille.
Now, I had heard of the dish, but never knew what it was, so I read further: "Ratatouille is derived from the French word touiller, which means to mix or stir together. This is a classic dish that combines eggplant with tomatoes, summer squash and bell peppers."
A purple bell pepper ripe for picking.
Since I had all those ingredients right outside, I decided this was just the recipe I was looking for. This version can be made with or without sausage. I'm not usually a sausage eater, but since others were going to be joining us and, let's face it, good Italian sausage just makes things taste better, I opted to put it in.
Ratatouille (serves 6)
About 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage (optional)
5 Japanese or Chinese eggplants (unpeeled, cut into ½-inch slices) or 1 large purple or white eggplant (peeled, cut into quarters lengthwise, and then into ½-inch slices)
2 large onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored and seeded, cut into strips
(I used one purple bell pepper and one green, as that's what we had in the garden)
4 medium-large ripe tomatoes, about 1 pound, cut into 1-inch chunks
Pinch of ground fennel seed
(I didn't have any fennel, so I put in a few pinches of curry powder, cinnamon and cardamom)
3-4 yellow zucchini or yellow pattypan squash, sliced
(I didn't have yellow zucchini, so I used regular zucchini and yellow squash)
2/3-cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice or pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Eggplant, peppers, onions and squash cook down before the tomatoes and basil go in.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet. Add sausage and cook on medium-high heat, stirring or shaking pan frequently, to brown sausage on all sides. Remove sausage with slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain.
Add eggplant, onion and bell pepper to pan. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil if pan looks dry. Cook on medium heat about 8 minutes, stirring or shaking pan frequently until vegetables start to soften.
Add sausage, tomatoes, spices and squash. Cover and simmer on low until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. If there is a lot of juice, strain off solids (using a slotted spoon our pouring mixture through a colander, reserving juices). Cook juices on high heat until reduced by two-thirds. Return vegetables to reduced juices. Or, just serve with a slotted spoon.
Place rice or pasta in shallow bowls. Ladle ratatouille on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
Nutritional information (per serving with sausage)
Calories 450, fat calories 135; total fat 15 grams; sat fat 4 grams; cholesterol 50 milligrams; sodium 560 milligrams
Now, about those YouTube videos: Check out http://telecomadvisors.biz/www.storycorps.org
Story Corps is recording one story for every life lost on 9/11. They are creating some really wonderful audio/video pieces. If gardening is part of what you find life-affirming, let them hear from you.
