City Fresh Ratatouille

Here's an idea of what to do with all the wonderful veggies you got at the stop this week. I searched the internet for ideas for Ratatouille to use the eggplant, zucs, onions, garlic, and peppers. I didn't find anything that I really fell in love with, so I created my own from a number of sources. I figured that Ratatouille is a peasant dish, so I could do what I wanted with it in the spirit of cooking from what you have on hand. The only veggie that I bought was Roma tomatoes. I didn't think that the one slicing tomato would be enough. I used the yellow hot pepper instead of the more traditional green and red pepper for 2 reasons; I don't like bell peppers (weird I know) and I am a single share holder and didn't have any, anyway! The herbs I chose based on the recipes that I read on line and what I had growing fresh in the garden. Here is what I did;

Olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic sliced
1 green zucchini, cubed
1 yellow squash, cubed
2 Japanese eggplant, cubed
2 yellow medium hot peppers, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large slicing tomato, peeled and chopped
thyme
basil
oregano
lavender (just a bit for the taste of Provence)
pepper
salt
2 TBSP butter (optional)
breadcrumbs (optional)
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Put in the onions and the garlic. Saute until the onions become clear. Add in the zucs (both colors) and the eggplant, cook until the veggies become soft and start to caramelize on the bottom. Don't stir too much. Add in the tomatoes and the spices of your choice. I listed the ones I used. Turn off the heat. Dump the whole thing in an over safe dish. Melt the butter in a small saute pan. Add enough breadcrumbs to absorb the butter. Toast the bread crumbs until golden brown. Sprinkle over the veggies in the dish. Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese is browned and toasty and the juice is bubbling on the sides. I served it in bowls with crusty French bread.


Here is the dish ready for the oven.