beat’em, join’em. So join them I did. I came up with my own wish list. While some bloggers focus on things they
want, (aka, gifts), I decided to focus on dishes I want to make. At first I chose things like breads, cakes,
and chocolate ice cream. Well, my
student helper spoke up, “Why, Dr. Jones, you don’t have any vegetables on your
list. You only have baking stuff”. So I relented and decided to add some healthy
vegetables to the wish. And yes, these
are vegetables that I really want to cook.
If you notice, I have crossed out a few things on my list, like
chocolate ice cream and mac & cheese. But
ratatouille remained on the list. So at
the end of this gardening season, I finally got around to ratatouille. I’m not sure why I wanted to make
ratatouille. Other than, I just
did. I suppose after seeing the movies,
Ratatouille and Julia and Julie, I have become somewhat fascinated with French
food.
Ratatouille is an eggplant casserole originating in the
Mediterranean. It can be served hot or
cold, as an accompaniment to meat or as an hors d’oeuvre. I looked all over for a recipe. I found some that grilled the vegetables,
some that threw all the vegetables together in a casserole dish and allowed
them to simmer. Some that included basil
and parsley and some that omitted them. I
was in a real quandary as to what to do.
Other than zucchini, tomatoes and eggplants, I knew nothing about making
ratatouille. So, I went to the ‘source’,
Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. On page 503 of volume 1, is a recipe for
ratatouille.
Here is Julia Child’s recipe for ratatouille. I did make a few changes. I hope she won’t mind.
Ratatouille
Serves 6 to 8.
Ingredients:
½ pound eggplant½ pound zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons olive oil
½ pound thinly sliced yellow onions, about 1½ cups
1 cup sliced bell pepper, preferably green
2 garlic cloves
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, about 2 cups
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons minced parsley
Directions:
1. Cut eggplants into 1-inch cubes. Set aside.
Cut zucchini into a similar size and set aside. Toss each vegetable with ½ teaspoon salt and allow
to sit for 30 minutes. Drain and towel
dry.
2. Sauté the eggplants in olive oil, one layer at a
time. Season with salt and pepper, to
taste. Place eggplants in a bowl and set
aside. Sauté zucchini in the same manner
as the eggplant. Season with salt and
pepper, to taste. Combine eggplant and
zucchini.
3. In the same skillet, cook onions and peppers. Stir in garlic. Add tomatoes and cook until most of the
juices have evaporated. Season with salt
and pepper, to taste.
4. Assemble the casserole: in a 2½ quart casserole, place ⅓ of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle one tablespoon of parsley over
tomatoes. Arrange ½ of eggplant and
zucchini mixture over tomatoes. Place
another ⅓ of tomatoes
over eggplant and zucchini mixture.
Sprinkle one tablespoon of parsley over tomatoes. Arrange remaining eggplant and zucchini
mixture over tomatoes. Place remaining
tomatoes over eggplant and zucchini mixture.
Sprinkle with remaining parsley.
5.
At this point the casserole can be refrigerated
until ready to cook.
6.
To cook, place casserole in oven at 350°F. Cook until hot.
What I Changed:
1. I did not
peel the eggplant. Thought I might need
those antioxidants in the peel.
2.
I also used red bell pepper, since that is what
I prefer. I also cooked mine in the oven
and not on a stovetop.
