Ratatouille: Revisited

August 25th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time

I’ve been waiting and waiting for eggplant to show up in the CSA share this summer so I could make Ratatouille.

Finally, the good word arrived in my inbox yesterday.

CSA Items

(more peaches. did ya catch that?)

Well what do you know – this week I’ll be picking up just about everything I need to make Ratatouille!

From inbox to counter top:

CSA Share

I think Peach and Corn Ratatouille is on the menu tomorrow.

I followed my own Ratatouille directions from last year’s premiere stewed veggie attempt – and good news! I didn’t steer me wrong.

Ratatouille: The Second Edition

2 medium eggplants, cubed
2 – 3 Tbsp oil (coconut oil is my first choice, olive oil is my second)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 green peppers, chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped, seeds removed
fresh herbs and salt to taste (think basil, oregano, thyme, parsley)

It was as easy as I remembered. Cube your eggplant first, salt it and set aside. Saute garlic and onions in oil while you’re chopping your other vegetables. Keep throwing things into the pot as you’re chopping, saving the eggplant for last (rinse the salt off it first.)  Allow vegetables to cook on medium low for 20 – 30 minutes.

Ratatouille: Pros and Cons

PRO:  It’s super flexible in terms of ingredients. More eggplant, less tomatoes?  No problem.  More zucchini less yellow squash?  No problem!  More green pepper, less red pepper?  Not very pretty – but still, not a problem!

CON: It’s a dish lacking in protein,

PRO: but that con is actually a pro in disguise because it’s a great excuse to press some tofu with your homemade tofu press and then saute it in a little olive with salt and pepper.  Easy peasy protein squeezy.

Eating Ratatouille

CON: Ratatouille isn’t uber exciting, so I overdo it with the animated gifs in an attempt to liven things up a bit.

PRO: Given how simple it is, it’s really quite good (hint: don’t be afraid to be generous with the oil, fat is your friend!  It’s a big part in what makes this dish so delicious.)

CON: I’m going to venture a guess that if you aren’t a veggie lover, you’re probably not going to be crazy about this one.  It is basically vegetable mush.  (but it’s good!!)

PRO: It’s a great way to make short work of summer produce abundance.

CON: Ratatouille is hard to spell.

At least it’s easy to eat.


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10 Responses

  • Jane/you-know-who says:

    Great chef coverage of one of my favorite dishes! & You’re right, oil dresses up this simple but timeless recipe for vegetable stew.

  • Jennifer says:

    Wow….do you really get that many vegetables each week? I’ll need to look into that CSA. Is it just a summer thing or do you get things all year round. That is very cool. I laughed that you got more peaches. (haha) I bet you can’t wait until that season is over. :)

    Do the girls eat ratatouille? I think my kids would run for the hills if I set that out for dinner. (haha) I’m always telling them that they can’t go by how something looks or smells and to at least try it. “Sometimes” that works but it’s still a high chance that they’ll run.

    • Some weeks are more than others, and this was definitely a big week! I bought a fruit share too – so we get more fruit than we’d otherwise get with the vegetable share alone. I didn’t know how much fruit to expect, so far it’s been quite a bit!

      It’s only during the growing season here, so it runs from May through the end of October.

      And no, the girls definitely do not eat ratatouille. They see us eat though, so the best I can do right now is set a good example. I know it makes a difference – or at least it WILL down the road. (15 years down the road?)

  • Cindy says:

    I so need me a CSA box!
    I did find one farm out here that does it.

    I need to revisit this….your veg stash is making me jealous, as is your super fun red blinking animations!

    NOM

    • It’s great Cindy – I hope you check it out. Sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming and feels like A LOT – but we work through it and/or give a bunch away to whoever will eat it! And freeze what I can too of course.

  • B. Gomicchio says:

    Ha! I’ve been waiting for eggplant over here as well, for the very same reason! I do my rata . . . however you spell it a little differently though. I saute everything but the tomatoes. Then I put it all in a thin layer in two big baking dishes, layer with thin slices of tomatoes, and sprinkle with parmesan. In the oven until the cheese melts (15-20 min?) and serve over something like cous cous or quinoa (for protein!).

  • Mmmm…I love ratatouille. I made an easy 10 minute version, which I discuss here: http://theoncominghope.blogspot.com/2011/09/not-your-grandma-recipe-10-minute.html

    It’s been an ultra-delish timesaver!