The Ratatouille Garden - A Side Note

Today, I picked up our vegetables from the Robinette Farm, one of the many local Community Supported Agriculture Farms (CSA) just getting established in the midwest community where I now live. We bought a half-share for the summer, and each week it's like opening Christmas presents as a six year old; I can't wait to rip open the box and see the bounty! This week's box was beautiful, a real Ratatouille treasure of eggplants, zucchinis, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, as well as some basil and lettuce. All these luscious vegetable colors blending in our box, just like the oils, flavors and spices in Ratatouille.

In between the daily weekend workouts, running my daughter to piano lessons and school clothes shopping, I'm making my favorite recipe that combines all the ingredients in our box. The following recipe for Ratatouille is my "seasoned" version, long ago borrowed from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. 

Ratatouille
Mediterranean Vegetable Stew

2 onions - chopped
1 bell pepper - strips or cubed
2 small or 1 medium zucchini - cubed
1 eggplant - cubed 
5 cloves of crushed garlic
2 tomatoes, in chunks, or one large can of canned stewed tomatoes (no salt/organic)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp basil
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp oregano
dash of rosemary
1/2 cup tomato juice (I buy the small cans of tomato juice, choosing the brand with no salt)
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of sugar (I also use fructose, orange juice or wine to add a slight sweetness)
Black pepper and salt to taste

First, slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices and run each slice under water, applying a little salt to each side after wet. Let them soak in a drain or strainer. (I think this helps eggplants to soak up flavor, but this is not part of Mollie Katzen's recipe. I don't know where I learned this? It does seem to help the eggplants absorb the garlic and spices!) After 10 minutes rinse the salt off each eggplant slice, and cut the eggplant into quarter to half-inch cubes.

Heat olive oil in a large cooking pot. Crush the garlic into the oil. Add bay leaf and onion, and lightly saute over medium heat until the onions turn transparent. Add the cubed eggplants to the onion mixture, along with 1 small can of the tomato juice. (Add juice until all the eggplants are covered, and it makes a sort of eggplant sauce.) Add the remaining herbs. Stir to mix well and let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes over low heat.

When the eggplant is tender, add the zucchini and peppers. Again, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. (You may need to add a little more juice.) After the zucchini is tender, add the tomatoes or canned tomatoes, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

P.S. Eating healthy foods, especially increasing fruits and vegetables, was a personal goal recommended by my Trim and Fit instructor. It's certainly something I already know - that fruits and vegetables are good for you - and a rule fully embraced when the Ratatouille vegetable garden makes its way to my kitchen.

Submitted on Sunday, August 15, 2010