Ratatouille

Before Disney introduced us to a rat named Remy who was a master in the kitchen, i had never heard of Ratatouille. Since seeing the movie named after the French dish, i have been curious about it. What is it made of? How does it taste?  Last week i was once again wandering the Kraft website; i came across this recipe, and it looked delicious. I have never even tried eggplant before, let alone cooked it; but i decided to try something new and copied the recipe. I got the zucchini at the supermarket in the veggie isle, but i had to go to the veggie vendor in the City Market to find the eggplant. 

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch chunks.

1 onion, cut into 1/2 inch chunks.

1 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks.

1 red pepper, cut into strips.

2 Tbsp sun-dried tomato and oregano dressing.

1 can stewed tomatoes.

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese. 

Cook veggies and dressing in a skillet on medium heat about 5 minutes, or until crisp tender; stir frequently.

Stir in tomato; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top with cheeses.

Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

 

Here are the veggies, freshly chopped in the pan. I also added a clove of garlic chopped fine after i added the tomatoes. 

The recipe hints state that if you do not have a pan that will safely go into the oven (cast-iron or with a metal handle), to wrap the plastic handle several times in foil. I do not trust this, so i just dumped the whole mess into a square baking dish and added the cheese. 

Out of the oven 15 minutes later, the cheese can barely be seen. Some of the pieces have chunks of cheese on them, but i think of i were to make it again, i would use about a half to three quarters cup of each. 

I served it with garlic bread and I sprinkled more cheese on top as well. . All in all it was a good recipe, but not great. I found it had to much tomato. It was super easy to make. I think i will try eggplant again in a different recipe, but I really do not think i will make this again; it was definitely different, but not something i fell in love with. It made enough for 4, so maybe some of the leftovers tomorrow will be better. It is a healthy vegetarian dish, made with great Autumn veggies but I think it would be better as a side than a main dish (since it has only been an hour since dinner and i am feeling hungry again).