Ratatouille

It is easy to eat richer food in winter; the warmth and weight are comforting in trying to combat the permeating cold. It has been an intense few weeks in D.C., weather-wise, and I've just about had it. The excess of December celebrations still hasn't worn off, though, so warm, cleansing foods are now what appeal. This is where veggie-comprised ratatouille comes in.

As with 90% of my comfort foods, this recipe comes from my mom. Growing up, my dad affectionately referred to it as "rat stew," more as a testament to the oddity of languages rather than a snub of the meatless entree. Having never made it before, I am now thumping myself on the forehead for avoiding making it till now. It is essentially my beloved vegetable soup, but with different veggies and a few extra spices - no tricks despite the exotic-sounding name.

I made it for Roomie #1 and the manfriend prior to heading out for an acquaintance's birthday on Saturday. It was an especially timely debut for this dish, as its origins trace back to Nice, from whence R#1 just returned after a 3-week long French immersion program. The dish didn't strike me as tasting particularly French, but it is like other Mediterranean cuisine. The recipe is as follows, from Mom:

"I think my ratatouille recipe is one I got from a Betty Crocker cookbook decades ago!

It is a small eggplant (not small the Japanese ones, just not a huge normal eggplant) cut into slabs, then salted and allowed to drain for 15-20 minutes. Then rinse it, pat it dry, and cut it into bite-size pieces and saute. My recipe says use 1/4 C. olive oil---I'd start with 2 T for the eggplant, but it absorbs oil, so if you have to add more to keep it from sticking, so be it. Then add more when the other vegetables are added.

While the eggplant is draining, cut other ingredients:

1 bell pepper (any color, I like red but, it's sweeter than green)
1 onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 ~10" zucchini or 2 smallish ones
1 lb. mushrooms, quartered

By the time you cut those, it will be time to saute the eggplant. Add the garlic with eggplant, then add other vegetables and saute lightly.

Add a 28-oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 T. of oregano, and simmer for 1/2 hour.

You can eat this by itself, or on pasta or as a crepe filling or whatever other way you think of."

Tweaks: I added 1 T of dried basil, a dash of thyme, 4 small cloves of garlic (instead of 1 to 2), and 1/4 C white wine.

Explanation: Eggplant is a vegetable that I've avoided cooking for the most part. The one time I tried to make eggplant parmesan, the frying of the aubergine took up half of a bottle of olive oil, which seemed to make it significantly less healthy than a regular veggie dish. For that exact reason is why the eggplant is salted prior to sauteing it, as noted above. The salt breaks down the flesh of the eggplant, which allows the air pockets in its spongey flesh to deflate. The denser product is then easier to fry and doesn't soak up all of your cooking oil like a bottomless-pit of a sponge.

The idea of using it as a crepe filling is enticing, so that will be one of its many iterations for meal appearances this week. I served it with artichoke-and-olive chicken sausage (which I won't buy again; the flavors were muted and boring), grated romano, and flat bread to soak up the juices.

This recipe makes more than I thought it would, but that just means it can be frozen for later. It would be a great topping / mix-in with scrambled eggs for breakfast, along with some shredded parmesan.