Ratatouille
Ratatouille
Easier than you would think, Ratatouille is one of Farmer Mandy's favorite end of summer foods to make! We have all the ingredients you need in our farm store this time of year, and this delicious dish of summer garden finds will make you sigh in delight just like they do in the movie.Ratatouille
2 lbs Tomatoes (about 2 pints of cherry tomatoes)
1 medium Eggplant
2 Bell Peppers
3 small Zucchini
1 medium Onion
4 cloves Garlic
Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Salt, and Pepper to Taste
In a heavy bottom pot, sauté your onion until fragrant. Add 3/4 of the tomatoes, roughly chopped, garlic, herbs, and half a cup of water. Cook tomato sauce for at least one hour on low, or 30 minutes on medium-high if you need dinner sooner. The lower and slower you cook your sauce, the more the flavor will develop. One your tomatoes have practically melted into a chunky
sauce you may puree the sauce smooth with a stick blender, or leave chunky if you prefer.
Chop all the remaining veggies into circles. Take one item at a time and stack the veggies together, placing each stack sideways into your baking dish. For example, eggplant, then pepper slice, then tomato slice, then zucchini, repeat until dish is full. Pour tomato sauce over the entire dish of veggies, tapping the dish on the counter or using a knife to help sauce work its way between and under all the veggies.
Bake dish in oven at 350 for 1.5-2 hours. Serve with crusty bread and a good red wine. Yummm.
Cheater method: Dice all veggies, combine them with sauce with a few quick stirs, and then bake for 1.5-2 hours.