Ingredients:
1 eggplant, or 2 Japanese eggplants
½ white or yellow onion
1 clove or ¼ tsp. minced garlic
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3 tomatoes
Olive oil
Thyme
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
1. Prep veggies by washing and cutting. Use a small dice on the onion and bell peppers, mince the garlic (if using fresh), and chunk the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes. Grease a large casserole dish or 9x13 baking pan by rubbing with oil on a paper towel. Move top rack to top third of oven under low broiler.
2. Start by sautéing onions in non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil and a decent sprinkling of salt until soft and translucent on low-medium heat. Scrape onions out of pan into casserole dish, and stir in eggplant, oil to coat, and extra salt. Broil on low for 10 minutes.
3. Add garlic, zucchini, squash, and thyme, basil, salt & pepper to taste. Stir well, and broil another 10 minutes.
4. Add bell peppers and tomatoes, stir well, and broil another 10-15 minutes until all vegetables are tender. More time may be needed depending on size of vegetables, depth of dish, amount of moisture, etc. If vegetables start getting too dark on top at any point during cooking, stir to redistribute heat.
5. Pull dish when done, serve with fish or poultry, or simply topped with feta or parmesan.
That’s it! Just add your veggies in stages with firmer vegetables getting more time, and hold off on spices that could burn until later in the process. Salt throughout cooking, as salt will be absorbed by the first batches of vegetables, leaving later additions bland, meaning the entire dish could turn out bland. Taste regularly to know how much of your seasonings you need to add. If you want your peppers to be a little more done, add them with the squash rather than the tomatoes.
My favorite way to enjoy ratatouille is topped with a salty cheese like feta. If you have leftovers, it pairs well with eggs in the morning, either as part of an omelet, or baked into a quiche or frittata. Leave your thoughts in a comment below, or get in touch with me directly by filling out the form on the contact page.
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