Traditional Ratatouille

I recently came home from the farmer's market with a huge veggie haul. After staring at my small mountain of zucchini, I decided to give this recipe a try. This has quickly become a new favorite. It tastes even better on day 2 or 3.

Recipe from Feasting at Home

1 medium eggplant, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 pound Roma tomatoes, or 2 1/2 cups of San Marzano tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut in to 1/2 inch strips
2 medium zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch thick half moon pieces
2 bell peppers, cut in large 2 inch chunks, any color (I used 1 green and 1 red)
4-6 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes  
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano)
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
 
Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for 20 minutes or more, while you prep the rest of the ingredients. This helps remove some of the moisture.
 
Grate all but 2 tomatoes, discarding any leftover skins. Cut the remaining tomatoes into chunks. This creates a homemade crushed tomato.
 
In a heavy stock pot or large skillet, saute onion in oil over medium-high heat and stir for 3-5 minutes, until softened and just beginning to brown. All the veggies will cook for longer in the sauce. Remove from pot and set onions aside.
 
In the same pot, cook the zucchini with a little oil and a sprinkle of salt for until lightly browned on the edges but not cooked all the way through, about 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Repeat these steps with the peppers.
 
Cook the salted and drained eggplant with oil on medium high heat until lightly browned about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
 
Remove any burnt veggies pieces from your pot and saute the garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 minute in remaining oil. Add the tomatoes, salt, oregano, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf and simmer 5 minutes.
 
Add the onion, zucchini, bell peppers, and eggplant into the tomatoes and simmer 25-35 minutes stirring frequently until tender or desired doneness. I like cooking mine longer but choose your preferred texture for the vegetables.
 
Season as you like. You can add salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and/or a splash of white or red wine vinegar. Scatter torn basil leaves on top.
 
Serve warm or at room temperature with cheesy polenta, crusty bread or pasta.
 

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