Provencel Ratatouille (100th Post!)

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp olive oil (can substitute with alternative cooking oils)
• 2 med onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 med eggplants
• 3 med zucchini
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 8 oz breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp chives
• 6 oz soft goat cheese
• Pasta, polenta, or crusty bread (for pairing, optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Dice 2 med onions, mince 2 cloves garlic, cut 2 med eggplants in half lengthwise, then cut into 3/4 inch rounds, deseed 2 red bell peppers and 1 green bell pepper and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces, drain 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
3. Heat 5 tbsp of olive oil or cooking oil in a large skillet over med heat
4. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions become semitranslucent and garlic is fragrant
5. Add eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 min
6. Add drained diced tomatoes, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Let simmer 15 min
7. While vegetables are simmering, stir together 8 oz breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp basil, 1 tbsp chives, and 1 tbsp olive oil
8. Transfer vegetables to a large casserole dish in an even layer
9. Crumble overtop 6 oz soft goat cheese, then the breadcrumb mixture
10. Bake 30 min
11. Pair with pasta, polenta, or crusty bread

Yield: A large casserole

Source: The Mediterranean Cookbook

Tips:

It looks like an immense amount of food when sauteeing in the skillet, but it cooks down a lot

Description:

Me and my brother made this. At the time of this posting, the picture was taking by him. I also took some but failed to capture an appetizing one.

He'd been looking at a few ratatouille recipes, and there was one in the Mediterranean Cookbook that I own. It's the source for the falaffel, fattoush, and zucchini fritter recipes on this blog. It's got a high record of success so I suggested we use it for this.

This dish is most famous because of the film Ratatouille. However, in appearance, this casserole does not bare much resemblance to the one in the movie. That one looks like a ring of thinly sliced vegetables, whereas this is a casserole. Before making it, my impression was that the more rustic version was a stew.

It was satisfying to make, but to be honest I found it a little eggplant-forward. I like the vegetable in some things, such as dips, but otherwise it just isn't to my taste.

This is the 100th post on this blog! I can't say it's the 100th recipe, because I did that one on caring for cast iron.