Ratatouille
☙ ❧

Posted in Recipes • August 13, 2023

The period from Lúnasa to Samhain is probably my favorite time of the year, at least as far as food is concerned. All my favorite vegetables are in season now, and every meal is an opportunity to celebrate the season's bounty. I like to think of this time of year as ratatouille season, because that's probably my favorite thing to make with all the veggies that I'm bringing in from the garden or the farmer's market. I've lost count of how many slightly different ratatouille recipes I've seen over the years — while the ingredients are fairly consistent, it seems everyone who makes it has a slightly different procedure. After a lot of experimentation, here's the way I do it now. I'm not going to claim that my version is any better or more authentic than anyone else's — just that it's my personal favorite.

Ingredients:

• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Yellow summer squash
• Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are my favorite for this recipe)
• Bell pepper
• A handful of scallions, or one leek
• Five or so cloves of garlic
• Basil
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• One bay leaf
• Olive oil
• A dash of sea salt and black pepper

You'll notice I didn't include amounts for most of the ingredients. That's not an accident — the proportions are slightly different every time I make it, depending on how much of each vegetable I have on hand. As long as you've got at least one each of the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and pepper, and at least a handful of cherry tomatoes or one or two large tomatoes, it's going to be good. I highly encourage playing around with it to figure out how you like it best.

Procedure:

Slice the eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash into thin slices (about half a centimeter thick, give or take a bit). If any of those veggies are particularly thick, you might want to cut them lengthwise into quarters first. Set them aside in one bowl. Chop the bell pepper, scallions/leek, and garlic finely and set them aside in a separate bowl. If using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half; if using a larger variety of tomato, chop it into large chunks. Set the tomatoes aside in a third bowl.

Heat some olive oil in a pan (more than you think you'll need — the veggies, especially the eggplant, soak up a lot), and once it's hot, add the sliced eggplant, zucchini, and squash, taking care not to overlap them or crowd the pan too much. You may need to do them in a few batches. Let them cook for several minutes, checking periodically by lifting them up with a fork or spatula. Once they're lightly browned on the bottom, flip them over to cook the other side. Once they're browned on that side as well, take them out of the pan and set them aside on a plate. Add the bell pepper, scallions/leek, and garlic, and cook them until fragrant (about a minute). Add the tomatoes, herbs, salt, and black pepper. Let them simmer for at least 10 minutes until the tomatoes start to achieve a saucy consistency. Return the eggplant, zucchini, and squash to the pan and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and serve.

I like to serve this is over pasta, with a bit of goat's or sheep's cheese (cabriolait is a particular favorite of mine). It's also lovely with a nice crusty bread, with roasted potatoes, or honestly just on its own.