Let's Make Ratatouille!

So when it comes to European cuisine, nothing beats that of France (in my humble opinion). And while there’s so many different exquisite dishes that hail from that country, I find that the most delicious and comforting hails from the provencal territories. It’s full of healthy veggies and even has a movie named after it. Guessed it yet? You’ve got it – it’s ratatouille! The yummy eggplant, zucchini, tomato, pepper dish means home to France as much as meat loaf and mac ‘n cheese do to us. There are many ways to make this dish, from stovetop to the oven, the latter method of which I’m using. It’s a great summer vegetable recipe but can be made year-round with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Here’s my quirky spin on the beloved recipe – tell me what you think!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized eggplant, thinly sliced
• 2 small to medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 16oz can diced tomatoes (usually I’d used fresh ones but I didn’t have any)
• olive oil (roughly 2 tbs)
• salt, pepper, and herbs de provence to taste (if you don’t have herbs de provence, a combination of oregano and rosemary works just fine)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and thinly slice both the eggplant and zucchini. Set aside. [A/N – I sliced my zucchini into rectangles instead of circles to keep them more uniform in size with the eggplant, but any shape works just fine as long as the thickness is uniform] 
2. Drizzle 1 tbs olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish. Spread out the tomato paste as best as you can (you may have to use your hands and get a bit messy!) and then spread the canned tomatoes on top. 
3. Alternate slices of eggplant and zucchini (if you have peppers or fresh tomatoes, alternate those now too) until you’ve completed the dish. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and herbs de provence.  
4. Bake ratatouille in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and beginning to appear translucent and the sauce is slowly bubbling.
5. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Voilà! Bon appetit mes amis. Feel free to make this recipe your own and let me know how it all goes!