We have Ratatouille baked in the oven in the summer when all the veggies are in season. It is so good fresh out of the oven with some crusty bread to dip in the juices. I found a recipe a few years ago that used a casserole pan (cake pan) and layered the ingredients. Not only is it good it is fun to make and looks pretty in the pan because you layer the ingredients, not bottom to top but across the pan.
I planted eggplant but it has just started to grow well and we have one sad little eggplant slowly getting bigger with more blossoms and hopefully more eggplant to come. Needless to say everyone was wanting some ratatouille so I headed to the Farmer's Market to pick up some eggplant for it. You ask why eggplant? Well, it just isn't ratatouille without eggplant.
It is important to get to the farmer's Market early in the morning before the sun is too high and the humidity has risen......just my humble opinion of course. It must be my Scandinavian/European blood, but I wilt in the heat and humidity. Actually it is nice to get there early because there aren't as many people yet and you have first choice of the fruit and vegetables that are being sold. Now if I were going to be buying a whole bunch of, lets say tomatoes for canning, I would go late in the day and dicker with vendors that had a lot left to see if I could get a better price.
Now that you have my opinion on the farmer's market I will tell you how to make Ratatouille the Raisin' Acres way.
Gather and wash your ingredients. They are: eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, various color sweet peppers (can be only green if that is all you have), Diced tomatoes with the juice or tom. sauce (we used a can of diced tomatoes this time), Fresh Thyme and Basil. The other ingredients are salt, pepper, and some type of cheese. We use raw cheddar and swiss or feta and fresh mozzerella that we have made.
Get your dish out and put half the can of diced tomatoes in the bottom then scatter 1/2 the basil and thyme and chopped onions on the bottom of the pan as well. Then start layering you vegetables in the pan. When you are done layering, top with the rest of the diced tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt and pepper to taste, and cheese of your choice. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour or until the vegetables are tender and everything is bubbly. Uncover and brown the top before taking out of the oven.
We let it sit with the cover on while the bread bakes. Then we dig in and enjoy.
I planted eggplant but it has just started to grow well and we have one sad little eggplant slowly getting bigger with more blossoms and hopefully more eggplant to come. Needless to say everyone was wanting some ratatouille so I headed to the Farmer's Market to pick up some eggplant for it. You ask why eggplant? Well, it just isn't ratatouille without eggplant.
It is important to get to the farmer's Market early in the morning before the sun is too high and the humidity has risen......just my humble opinion of course. It must be my Scandinavian/European blood, but I wilt in the heat and humidity. Actually it is nice to get there early because there aren't as many people yet and you have first choice of the fruit and vegetables that are being sold. Now if I were going to be buying a whole bunch of, lets say tomatoes for canning, I would go late in the day and dicker with vendors that had a lot left to see if I could get a better price.
Now that you have my opinion on the farmer's market I will tell you how to make Ratatouille the Raisin' Acres way.
Gather and wash your ingredients. They are: eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, various color sweet peppers (can be only green if that is all you have), Diced tomatoes with the juice or tom. sauce (we used a can of diced tomatoes this time), Fresh Thyme and Basil. The other ingredients are salt, pepper, and some type of cheese. We use raw cheddar and swiss or feta and fresh mozzerella that we have made.
Slice the squash, peppers, and eggplant. Chop the onion and tomato if you are using fresh tomato and chop the basil (we use a big handful of basil and probably 2 tablespoons of thyme leaves)
Get your dish out and put half the can of diced tomatoes in the bottom then scatter 1/2 the basil and thyme and chopped onions on the bottom of the pan as well. Then start layering you vegetables in the pan. When you are done layering, top with the rest of the diced tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt and pepper to taste, and cheese of your choice. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour or until the vegetables are tender and everything is bubbly. Uncover and brown the top before taking out of the oven.
We let it sit with the cover on while the bread bakes. Then we dig in and enjoy.
Mmmmmm...
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