This hearty Mediterranean ratatouille, or vegetable stew, is a wonderful dish made with garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and peppers. It’s a great recipe to feature your homegrown or seasonal vegetables from the farmers’ market.  This is a delicious recipe alone or with pasta and a side salad.

Adapted from Foolproof Living

Preparation Time: 45 minutes (if using canned tomatoes)

Yield: 4 – 6 Servings

• 1 tsp dried oregano or 2 tsp fresh oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary or 1 tsp fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh thyme
• One medium zucchini, cubed
• Two medium bell peppers, chopped.
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Five medium-large tomatoes (blanched & skin removed; see note) or 1 14 1/2 oz canned tomatoes
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped 
• 2 tbsp capers or minced olives
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper seeds
• Fresh parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In a dutch oven or 8-quart saucepan, add olive oil. Add garlic, onion, and bay leaf.

2. Sauté for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

3. Add eggplant, salt, and herbs and stir. Cover and cook over medium heat, occasionally stirring about 15 to 20 minutes or until the eggplant is soft.

4. Add zucchini, bell peppers, black pepper, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer ratatouille for 15 – 20 minutes or until the zucchini and bell peppers are tender.

5. Stir in capers, crushed red pepper seeds, and parsley.

6. Serve ratatouille hot over linguine (or other pasta, couscous, or quinoa) with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese.

To blanch tomatoes:

In a 6-quart saucepan, fill up to 2/3 with water. Bring water to a boil. Rinse tomatoes and mark an x on the bottom with a sharp paring knife. Add tomatoes to boiling water. While cooking, fill a large bowl with ice water to cool off tomatoes once blanched. In about 3 -4 minutes, the skin on the tomatoes will begin to separate from the fruit. This signals that it is time to remove. tomatoes from the water and quickly put them into the cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel the skin from the tomatoes. Chop and add to the stew.

Recipe compliments of OPL Naturalist and Home Chef Yvonne Dwyer

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