Serves 6-8
This slow stewing of vegetables is a classic preparation that works well with all manners of fresh vegetables. Start with the firmest veggies first, and finish with tomatoes. Whatever vegetables are available will work in this dish. Make it your own!
INGREDIENTS
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 zucchini, 1⁄4 moons
1 yellow squash, 1⁄4 moons
Bell peppers, seeds removed, chopped into 1⁄2 in square pieces
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 eggplant, 1⁄2 in cubes
1 white eggplant, 1⁄2 in cubes
1 pt fresh ripe jersey or heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1⁄4 cup olive oil
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste 4 sprigs basil, sliced thin
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 in sprig rosemary
3⁄4 cup vegetable stock
1⁄2 cup white wine
1 tsp local honey
DIRECTIONS
Using a large pan over medium-high heat, sauté onions in olive oil until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and reduce heat to low.
While the onions and garlic are cooking over low heat, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a another frying pan over high heat.
As soon as oil starts to smoke, quickly add enough zucchini cubes all at once to cover the bottom of the pan.
Keep on cooking over high heat, stirring, until zucchini is lightly browned on all sides.
Remove zucchini cubes, and add them to pan with the onions.
Working in batches, repeat this process until all of the zucchini cubes have been cooked.
Do the same with the yellow squash. Make sure to add a little olive oil between each new batch.
Continue with the peppers, then the eggplant cubes, adding the browned vegetables to the onion pan as soon as they are cooked.
When all the vegetables (except the tomatoes) are browned and in the pan with the onions, increase the heat to high and stir, making sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add salt to taste, basil, thyme, bay leaf, and rosemary, the vegetable stock, wine, and honey and stir well.
Cook them on the stovetop on low heat for about 30 minutes.
At this point the ratatouille should have just a little liquid. Turn heat off. Add the chopped tomatoes and cover for 10 minutes to soften the tomatoes.
Note: * The ratatouille can be served hot, at room temperature or refrigerated & reheated the next day.