Ratatouille

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I love vegetables. I love crisp veggies fresh from the farm stand. I love them cooked down into something that when eaten fresh you could only get a hint of how good they could be when paired just right. I love sweet carrots just as they are, or with meat and potatoes, or maple sugar and apples. Tomatoes are perfect with a dash of salt, or reduced to sauce that has been simmering on the stove for hours.

It's no wonder then that for the last four or five days I've been craving vegetables. And not just any dish. I can't get Ratatouille off of my mind.

I imagine the first hot bite - full of flavor from the simplest ingredients. It's amazing what a little time and heat can produce on the stove. Paired with some simple rustic bread and I'm in heaven.

So tonight it was Ratatouille on the menu. It's beyond simple. It's just chopping everything up - and having a big enough pot for it all to go in until it cooks down. You'll want a taller stock pot so you can stir things together. You are about to cut up lots of veggies. It really needs nothing more than some bread to dip into the sauce. Make and love.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, slivered
3 bell peppers, cut into one inch squares (I use a red, yellow and orange pepper)
2 eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 lbs tomatoes, chopped
1 tbs minced fresh thyme
1 tbs tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:
Note - I don't usually start with notes, but this is important. If you are a slow chopper then cut everything up before beginning. I'll write the directions for those who can multitask by chopping and cooking as you go, but don't try that if you aren't comfortable.

Heat the olive oil in heavy stock pot (or any pot with high sides) on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until just starting to soften. Do not brown.

While the onions are cooking, chop up the bell peppers, add them to the pot and stir well.

Chop the eggplants and add to the pot, stirring well to coat the eggplant with oil. Stir often - the eggplant will absorb the olive oil quickly and you don't want it to burn.

Chop the zucchini and stir it into the eggplant once that mixture has softened a bit.

Chop the garlic and add to the vegetables, stirring well after adding.

Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot.

Mince the thyme and add it along with the tomato paste and salt and pepper (to taste). Stir well and cook for about two minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer with the lid on for 40 minutes or so.

Stir in the basil and remove the pot from the heat.

Serve with fresh warm bread.

Makes 6 big servings.

Enjoy!