A Taste of Summer at Its Best
The days are growing shorter, the school buses are out becoming familiar with the new routes, pencils are being sharpened, and lunch boxes are being broken out of summer storage. Every day creeps us closer and closer to that impending first day of school, and the official end of summer that comes with it. But before we can let go of summer altogether, there are a few dishes that simply must be had before the comfort foods and hearty stews of fall begin their mighty parade.
Since the garden and the farm stands are brimming with produce, it should be no surprise that high on our list of must-haves is the rustic dish, ratatouille. Ratatouille is one of those dishes that improves every time you make it. The reason for that is because it never really is the same dish twice. The basic combination of eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers is a foundation upon which many other components can be added or taken away. As the mood strikes, our ratatouille sometimes finds itself laden with carrots, celery, or fennel. A few scraggly mushrooms in the fridge easily meld into the earthy sauce. No fancy adornment is required either, a few fresh herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil complete the ultimate in summer comfort.
Recently, I experimented by making my ratatouille in the oven, and I was literally blown away by the flavor oven-roasting produced! While it took a little longer than a stove-top ratatouille, I can wholeheartedly recommend taking the time to roast it in the oven. My children both licked their bowls clean, mopping up the rich juices with both fingers and dinner rolls. We’ll be making this one a few more times before the tomatoes of summer completely disappear. Please feel free to adjust the vegetables any way you see fit to your family’s liking, this recipe is really more of a guideline.
Oven-Roasted Ratatouille
- 2 red or green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 large or 3 small eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 small zucchini or patty pan squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 4-6 heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 sprigs of tarragon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine all the ingredients in a 9 x 13 baking dish that has been oiled or sprayed with cooking spray. Toss to combine, leaving the sprigs of herbs whole. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the foil, toss the ratatouille with a spatula and bake for an additional 30 minutes, checking once or twice to see if it needs stirring.
Remove the sprigs of herbs. Check for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper as necessary.
Serve with warm rolls or rustic bread for mopping up the delicious juices.
Serves 4.
