Ratatouille

Ratatouille,,the name brings to mind images of an animated film starring a rat who loved food and loved to cook. This however is not the case here.

Ratatouille is a French Provencal vegetable stew. We eat it hot, sprinkled with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and a side of garlic, basil and cheese toast. It is a wonderful, hearty, one-pot meal for a cold winter night. (A picture of the cover of this cookbook can be found in my 2-27-2011 blog, Balsamic Chicken and Pears)

RATATOUILLE

2 tblsp olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 small eggplant (1 lb) not peeled and cut into 1" pieces
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 yellow or red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 medium zucchini (8 oz), cut into 1" pieces
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes chopped - I use the ones with garlic, basil and oregano added
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley

In a nonreactive 5-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook until tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Add eggplant, salt and pepper; cook, stirring until eggplant begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in yellow or red pepper, zucchini and garlic; cook 1 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juices and thyme; heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until eggplant is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil.