Ratatouille

 I watched Rachael Ray make ratatouille several years ago on her show and I had to try.  It's a simple, yet delicious dish, and it uses a lot of vegetables that we grow in our garden.  


I should probably point out that I am not a photographer, so bear with me while I learn to photograph food ;)

You start off by sauteing  your onion and garlic in a pan until soft.  The recipe says to add in jarred roasted red peppers, but I roasted one I had from the garden, so I didn't saute it in the pan with the rest of it. After it is all cooked, put the onion, garlic and red pepper in the food processor and puree it, along with some tomato sauce. 

Then you slice your green and yellow zucchini, eggplant and potato.  The recipe called for yukon golds, but I only had russet, so that's what I used. 

Spread your red pepper sauce in the bottom of your pan

 

 

And layer your vegetables on top of it.  You can try to make it look all pretty, I just try to mix them up so I don't have an entire row of one vegetable...  Sprinkle with thyme leaves, salt and pepper, and some olive oil. 

 

Cut a piece of parchment paper to put over the pan, then bake it for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.. 

I personally like to eat mine with goat cheese on it, but I have a weird obsession for roasted red peppers and goat cheese....

Ratatouille  http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/ratatouille/

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for drizzling
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 jarred whole roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1 small (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 2 small green squash, thinly sliced
• 2 small eggplant, thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 small Yukon Gold potatoes or a handful of baby Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
• 3 to 4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed 

Yields: 4-6 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onion, garlic and roasted peppers to the pan and cook until the onions begin to get tender, 4-5 minutes.

Set up a food processor or blender and add the contents of the pan to the machine. Add in the tomato sauce and puree everything up (it should be about the consistency of thin tomato sauce). Season with salt and pepper and pour it out into the bottom of a casserole dish or sauté pan.

Swirl your dish around so that the bottom is evenly coated with sauce then arrange your veggies on top in a spiral pattern, alternating each veggie type, until you've filled the pan.

Sprinkle the thyme leaves over the top along with some salt, pepper, and a drizzle of EVOO. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a round the size of the pan (if you're not feeling artsy-craftsy, you can also use a square sheet of paper: Cut four slits in from the corners towards the center of the sheet – this will lay over the top of the dish just fine too). Lay it over the top and place the whole pan into the oven. Bake the ratatouille until the veggies are tender, about 45 minutes.

Serve the ratatouille with some crusty bread alongside.