With so many peppers and that pretty eggplant, it’s time to make ratatouille. Down below is the recipe I’ve adapted from one provided by Matthew Reeves, who with his wife Maggie Reeves, hosts a drop-off for Riverview boxes. What I love is that there are almost no quantities given (just a size for one can of crushed tomatoes). Ratatouille really must have been created as a delicious way to use up summer vegetables and you can juggle quantities of ingredients to suit what you have… and what you like. We didn’t get zucchini this week (at least not in my box) but we got eggplant, yellow squash, lots of peppers, and garlic. You could use the red onion that we got today if you like, or maybe you have some yellow onions on hand. At our house, we’re not big rosemary fans, so we’re leaving that out.
Ingredients:
Eggplant Zucchini Yellow Squash Bell Peppers Yellow Onion Garlic Rosemary Thyme Oregano Basil Sea Salt Cracked Black Pepper Olive Oil Dry White Wine Tomato Paste 1 Large Can of Crushed Tomatoes
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Chop eggplant into bite-sized chunks. Toss eggplant in olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange on a baking sheet. Put in oven while you chop the other vegetables. After five minutes, add the remaining vegetables to the eggplant, adding a little more oil if needed, and roast for 25 minutes.
Turn on broiler and broil vegetables until they begin to char. Remove from oven.
While vegetables are roasting, in a Dutch oven, brown onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add all of the herbs and stir together. When the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the Dutch oven, add the white wine. (This is what Matthew is referring to later in the directions as the “Maillard technique.”) Stir and continue cooking until mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the Dutch oven again. Stir in the tomato paste. Stir in the broiled vegetables and the can of crushed tomatoes. At this point you can decide based on the water content in the Dutch oven to either simmer uncovered on the stove or put back in the oven with the lid on. Cook for about 20 minutes.
The most crucial parts to remember are making your vegetables the right size and not letting the onion/garlic/herb mix burn while performing the Maillard technique.
As far as quantities are concerned, follow your heart.