Ratatouille Recipe

We came upon this ratatouille recipe as we attempted to find ways to use the produce from our garden. Over the years our garden has produced fantastic amounts of eggplant. The first year we ate a lot of eggplant parmesan. Over time we needed to add new recipes to avoid the monotony of just one dish. After-all running at about 35 lbs. – 50 lbs. each year you need some diversity. Ratatouille can be anything – a veggie side dish, appetizer or even a sauce in a hearty pasta dish. It’s all yours to decide.

Ingredients

28 ounces whole stewed-peeled tomatoes
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large eggplant, skinned, cut into 1-inch pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 large yellow onions, diced large
1 head garlic, cloves smashed and peeled
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced large
2 large zucchini, diced large
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram or oregano leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tomatoes and juices on a rimmed baking sheet and use your hands to break tomatoes into 3/4-inch pieces. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and bake until thickened, 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

In a colander, toss eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let sit 20 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid. In a large pot, heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until onions and garlic are soft, 5 minutes more. Add peppers and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bay leaf, and marjoram to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook at a gentle simmer until vegetables are tender but not mushy, 15 minutes. Season to taste with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Fantastic side dish to strong meats, lamb, can be used as a base sauce with pasta or just spoon onto toast and enjoy

Look at other eggplant recipes https://traderscreek.com/recipes/recipe-index/