A recent rummaging through my produce drawers yeilded yellow squash, zucchini - (which my darling husband did not know until like a week ago, was a squash - married to me no less, for almost 11 years!!! - but I digress) an eggplant and one sorry lonely red pepper. Not really feeling up for a whole lot of active cooking time - I decided to chop it all - add to it an onion, the requisite garlic, some cleaning out the fridge tomato paste, a little Italian herb, and a healthy splash of EVOO. Tossed in a big ole bowl and spread on a sheet pan, into the 425 oven for 40 minutes with a stir half way and we had ourselves a WINNER. Served as a side one night and a topper for my salad the next, the sheer volume of veggies used in the original made a planned over inevitable.
Squash, Eggplant, Onion, Red Pepper.........................Ratatouille!! And no not the animated rat who cooks!
According to Wikipedia "Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but may also be served as a
meal on its own (accompanied by pasta, rice or bread). Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), bell peppers, marjoram and basil, or bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs like herbes de Provence. There is much debate on how to make a traditional ratatouille.
As my blog clearly shows I don't find it within myself to feel the need to adhere to tradition when it comes to cooking. I had the roasted veg that on it's own had an excellent flavor profile, I simply wanted to tweak it to change what we already had into new and even more spectacular.
My original dish was pretty chunky so I more finely chopped the veg and added capers, olives, and some tomatoes. For a touch of summer a cube of pesto and a small squeeze of lemon. Even more perfection.
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