Too Hot to Cook? Try Ratatouille!

Ratatouille with Brown Rice and Corn

Sometimes I forget that that I know how to make colorful vegetables dishes. It’s been awhile since I last prepared Ratatouille, an easy-to-eat French mixture of cooked eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes.

My friend Ilene found the recipe in our second book, “Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room!” and cooked it for dinner the other night.  She wanted a vegetarian alternative to the hamburgers and fries she and her husband planned to eat the following night.

Here is what she said: “The recipe was very fast and easy. Your tips not to peel the eggplant and not to go through the bother of salting and then draining the eggplant were very helpful!  I made two small additions to the ingredients. I love the taste of cooked celery in almost anything, so I chopped up a stalk and added it when I added the zucchini. I also had a tomato that was getting a bit over-ripe, so I chopped that up too and added it when I added the canned tomatoes. It came out great and even my meat-lover husband declared it delicious!” 

I’m going to make it for dinner tomorrow night. Maybe it will sharpen my memory.

Ratatouille – serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side dish (adapted from “Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room!”) 

1 large onion
1 red bell pepper
1 large zucchini
1 stalk celery
1 eggplant (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 15-ounce can ready-cut tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

Peel the onion and cut it into 1/2-inch pieces.  Wash the red bell pepper, cut it in half and remove and discard the stem and seeds.  Cut it into 1/2-inch pieces.  Wash the zucchini, trim off and discard the ends and cut it into 1/4-inch thick slices.  Wash the celery and cut it into 1/2-inch thick slices. 

Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch thick slices. Then cut the slices into 1/2-inch pieces. 

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften.  Add the eggplant and bell pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The onion will be very soft, and the other vegetables will have begun to soften. 

Add the zucchini, celery and garlic and stir for another minute.  Then add the tomatoes and their liquid, thyme, salt and pepper and stir again.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes.  

Remove the lid and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Serve immediately or let cool and serve at room temperature.  Ratatouille is also good cold.

           For easy recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"