Ratatouille

A recipe for those garden veggies!

In one of my diet cook books, this one by Suzanne Somers, I found a recipe for ratatouille. I liked it so well I made it several times and then forgot about it until last year when my garden lover son gave me three eggplants. I mentioned to a friend that I didn’t know what to do with them and she said, “Well, have you ever heard of ratatouille?” I then remembered this recipe!  What a perfect way to use the eggplants, along with zucchini and bell peppers. This dish keeps a long time in the refrigerator. I like it as a side dish, over pasta or rice, or even a spoonful on a cracker. 

Ratatouille:
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) peeled tomatoes, with juice
4 bell peppers, julienned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup of the oil and the onion; sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove onion and garlic from the pan and set aside. Quarter the tomatoes, reserving any juice, set aside. Layer the bottom of the skillet with the peppers, salt and pepper and 1/4 of the onion-garlic mixture. Then layer with the eggplant, more salt and pepper another 1/4 of the onion-garlic mixture. Repeat layers using the zucchini, then the tomatoes in place of the eggplant, finally topping with the remaining onion-garlic mixture. Pour in the reserved tomato juice and top with the last of the onion-garlic mixture. Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 35-45 minutes, Uncover and cook an additional 10-15 minutes to reduce the liquid. This can be served either hot or cold. Have a great week!