recipe: ratatouille and this week's menu

By Monday, September 06, 2010 , , , , , , ,

Ratatouille — I love this word. It's a fun one to say and a treat to eat. My version simplifies matters by roasting the vegetables instead of sautéing each separately in a sauté pan. After a caramelizing roast in the oven, the veggies get doused in some good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Besides being an ideal side dish to almost anything, it makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich filling, as well as a superb pasta sauce. Goat cheese is its friend, too — slather it on some crostini and top with some ratatouille; the perfect late summer starter.

Oven-Roasted Ratatouille
make 6-8 side servings

Ingredients
1 large globe eggplant or 4 Asian eggplants, chopped into 2-inch pieces
2 red bell or heirloom peppers, chopped into 2-inch pieces
2 green zucchini, quartered and sliced into large chunks
2 red onions, quartered and then sliced into large chunks
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
2 large cloves of garlic, minced finely
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ lemon
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a bowl, toss each vegetable separately with ½ teaspoon of herbes de Provence, some garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil and a large pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Place it on the sheet pan in one layer; continue with the remaining vegetables in the same manner.

Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until soft and caramelized. Toss everything together in a larger serving bowl and add the lemon and olive oil. Serve hot or a room temperature.

At the market:
corn
Dreamfarm eggs
eggplant: globe and Japanese
ginger gold apples
green beans
heirloom sweet red peppers
kale
mint
red and yellow onions
tomatoes: slicers and mixed cherry
yukon gold potatoes
zucchini

Menu: week of 5 September 2010
Sunday: fried chicken and gravy with buttermilk biscuits and steamed green beans
Monday: BLT pizza
Tuesday: ricotta frittata with ratatouille
Wednesday: Corn and potato chowder
Thursday: Sauteed kale with fresh ricotta bruschetta
Friday: Tomato sandwiches with black-bean and edamame salad

Happy eating, -s.

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2 comments

  1. Too bad I wasn't invited over for dinner on Sunday, the biscuits and gravy is making my mouth water. PS, speaking of, Cooper's tavern has an amazing "Benedict Arnold" for brunch which is a biscuit with a poached egg topped with gravy. Seriously good.

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  2. Next time I make them, you're invited! The Benedict Arnold sounds amazing ... I'll have to give that a try soon.

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