roasted ratatouille

With a freshly picked delivery of peppers and eggplant from Bellair Farms courtesy of my friend + farmer, Charlotte, I realized I was already halfway to making a ratatouille. Just a few more ingredients, a raisin mint couscous salad, sage honey toasted baguette, and a bottle of cheap red wine, and the romantic supper wheels were in motion. I chose to roast the pepper and eggplant for an added smokey flavor and to expedite the cooking process.

{ Bon Appétiting, Katie }

Serves 2-4

4 peppers (assorted colors, red, green, yellow)

1 medium eggplant (purple is nice but black works too)

olive oil

1 large white onion

4 cloves garlic

fresh herbs: rosemary, sage, thyme (dry is fine too)

1/4 cup red wine

1 large zucchini

one 25oz can whole plum tomatoes

1 TBS tomato paste

salt + pepper

parsley

1. Set the oven to broil.
2. Begin by halving and deseeding peppers and dicing the eggplant into 1/2 inch cubes. Place both on a baking sheet (but keep them separate) and cover generously with olive oil. Place on the middle rack in the oven and allow to roast for 5-10 minutes, checking frequently that the vegetables are not burning.
3. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and saute onion, garlic, and herbs while the vegetables roast. Add the red wine, eggplant and tomatoes, reserving a half cup of the tomato juice for later, breaking down the tomatoes with a spoon (CAUTION the tomatoes tend to explode). Cover and simmer.
4. Dice up the roasted pepper and zucchini and add to the pot along with the tomato juice and paste. Stir and cover again, simmering until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley.