Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a great French side dish and an easy way to use lots of veggies that you have on hand, or in your garden, this summer.  Traditional recipes almost always have eggplant in them, but eggplant isn't in my top favorites for veggies, so I usually leave it out. Mushrooms are also a great addition to this dish too!  I know that lightly cooked vegetables are usually the nicest way to eat them, but something about cooking this dish for a long time allows the flavors to meld and make it awesome. Don't worry about over cooking it, it would be hard to do. 

It can be used as a side dish with any kind of meat, especially nice with grilled steaks.  Ratatouille can be served hot, room temperature or even cold.  You could serve it on some brushchetta toasts, or leftovers would be great in an omelette with a little goat cheese.  I find it a very satisfying snack, and so very good for you too.

Serves about 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups chopped zucchini (about 6 small)
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes, or about 2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 med onions, chopped
2 medium bell peppers, chopped
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp capers (optional)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
2-3 bay leaves
1-2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp fresh ground pepper


Chop your veggies.

Saute veggies in olive oil over medium high heat, starting with the onions and bell peppers first.

Add the zucchini and the tomatoes (and any other veggies) and all the seasonings. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the tomatoes start to lose their shape and all the veggies are cooked through and through. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve later.  Lasts up to 4-5 days in the fridge.

While the photo below looks great with the nice bright colors of the veggies, it actually tastes better if you cook it so that it looks like the top photo.  Trust me...