{"id":651,"date":"2014-08-05T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T15:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgeannebrennan.com\/?p=651"},"modified":"2014-08-05T13:48:57","modified_gmt":"2014-08-05T20:48:57","slug":"my-garden-ratatouille","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgeannebrennan.com\/?p=651","title":{"rendered":"My Garden Ratatouille"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Vegetables<\/a>One of the simple pleasures of a summer garden is being able to go out around 4 o\u2019clock in the afternoon and pick zucchini, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, winter savory and basil and make ratatouille\u00a0 for dinner.<\/p>\n

I know there are many versions of this Provencal vegetable stew. Some call for cooking each vegetable separately, carefully layering the flavors at the end. I did it that way the first time I made it, maybe even the second time. But, when I saw my neighbors in Provence cooking the vegetables all together, which is much quicker, I started making it that way. Then, I had ratatouille at two different fancy French restaurants where the different vegetables were first roasted with herbs and olive oil, separately of course, before being combined together. I admit, those were pretty delicious versions.
\nHowever, I think that the vegetables, straight out of the garden or fresh from a farmers’ market have such pure flavor that not much technique is required to make a scrumptious summer dish. You can be lax about the size of your cubed vegetables \u2013 I like my ratatouille a little chunky \u2013 and, I don\u2019t peel the tomatoes first, but you could. I usually serve ratatouille with rice or to accompany grilled leg of lamb.<\/p>\n

Garden Ratatouille<\/span>
\n2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
\n4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
\n1 onion, chopped
\n2 globe eggplants, or 6 Asian, cut into 1-inch cubes
\n3 zucchini or crookneck squash or a combination, cubed
\n3 sweet peppers, seeded and chopped
\n6 to 8 tomatoes, skinned, and coarsely chopped with their juices
\n5 or 6 branches of fresh thyme tied together with 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh as well, and a sprig of rosemary
\nsea salt and pepper to taste
\nhandful of chopped basil leaves
\nHeat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the onions and saut\u00e9 until translucent about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the garlic, saut\u00e9 a minute, then add the eggplant and saut\u00e9 a few minutes then repeat with the zucchini and the pepper, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and the herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the vegetables are soft and blend into a stew, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove the herbs and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the basil. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
\nServes about 6 to 8<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the simple pleasures of a summer garden is being able to go out around 4 o\u2019clock in the afternoon and pick zucchini, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, winter savory and basil and make ratatouille\u00a0 for dinner. I know there are many versions of this Provencal vegetable stew. Some call for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","column","threecol"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":867,"url":"https:\/\/georgeannebrennan.com\/?p=867","url_meta":{"origin":651,"position":0},"title":"Contemplating the Holidays","author":"Georgeanne Brennan","date":"2014-11-09","format":false,"excerpt":"Early November In early November, I start getting excited about the holidays. 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