Ratatouille

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

I wonder how many people when hearing of the recent cartoon Disney movie "Ratatouille" wondered what the movie title word meant. We serve ratatouille often in the summer and take it for potluck dinners and many people have never heard the word or of the dish. They are missing something special.

I first fixed a ratatouille dish nearly 30 years ago when we had an abundance of eggplant and zucchini in our garden and used a recipe of Julia Child's printed in a Sunday newspaper magazine--in the days before you could Google eggplant and zucchini when looking for a way to use them. Consequently, we often call this Ratatouilla Julia.

We have eggplants, zucchini, peppers, basil and onions in the garden now but still do not have fresh tomatoes. So I used the fresh veggies and added a quart of my tomatoes that I canned last summer (I never buy canned tomatoes any more!). It was so spectacular that canned tomatoes might be what I use from now on. The added juice in the canned tomatoes really brought this dish together.

This is an amazing blend of eggplants, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, onions and basil that is cooked slowly to a thick stew-like consistency. Just before serving, Parmesan cheese is folded in. This dish can be reheated or served cold. It is also great on pizza. Serve it with a thick, crusty bread and call it a meal.

And better yet, double the ingredients and when cooled, freeze 1/2 of the ratatouille in quart size freezer bags and when you serve it in January, you will thank me! It will be a taste of summer in cold January.

Saute for 10-15 min over medium heat:

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1" cubes
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
1 large green pepper, cut into 1" cubes
1 large onion, cut into 1" cubes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 T Olive oil

Add and continue cooking over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until the eggplant can be easily pierced but is not soft:

1/2 c fresh, chopped basil
1 qt canned tomatoes
salt
pepper
cayenne to taste (we like a bit of heat in this dish)

Just before serving, add 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese. You won't wonder again what the word "ratatouille" means because you'll know it is delicious.