Ratatouille

It’s that time in the summer when our CSA shares give us everything we need to make ratatouille!  There are many recipes for this classic French stew, but one our our favorites comes from The New Laurel’s Kitchen Cookbook. It is so simple, and with fresh ingredients the flavors just shine through.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1 large onion
1 green pepper
1 whole clove fresh garlic
3 fresh, ripe tomatoes chopped (or 5 Tablespoons tomato paste and 3 Tablespoons water)
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon basil ( or 2 teaspoons fresh)
½ teaspoon oregano (or 2 teaspoons fresh)

Procedure:

1. Dice eggplant into 1 inch cubes and slice zucchini into ½ inch rounds. Coarsely chop onion and cut green pepper into squares.
2. Sauté onion, garlic and green pepper until soft.  Add eggplant and zucchini and sauté a few more minutes.
3. Crush garlic with a fork. Add tomatoes and seasoning. Cover and cook gently about 30 minutes, until all veggies are well cooked.
4. Uncover and turn up the heat to evaporate some liquid as desired.