Viva Italia Gumbo (Ratatouille W/ Sausage and Chicken)

This recipe was one of those culinary revelations created by total accident. I had a bunch of Ratatouille, some sweet Italian turkey sausage and a bunch of leftover chicken and was cooking while drinking (which, for whatever reason, tends to bring out my creative and passionately italian side- although I'm actually the heretical combination of Irish and French Huguenot/Cajun. Must have been the tequila.)

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 10
• Yields: 1 huge pot

Ingredients

•  olive oil
• 2  onions, slivered
• 1  red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1  green pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1  yellow pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1  eggplant, cut into chunks
• 2  zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1⁄2 lb fresh mushrooms (recommend- baby bellas & shittake)
• 2  cups red wine
• 2  tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
• 6  garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 3  bay leaves
• 1  tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
• 1⁄2-1  tablespoon sugar
• 28  ounces canned plum tomatoes (recommend fire roasted)
• 16  ounces chopped tomatoes (recommend fire roasted)
• 1  lb  sweet Italian turkey sausage
• 2  cups  shredded  cooked chicken
•  salt & pepper

Directions

1. Heat about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy based dutch oven.
2. Add the onions and peppers and saute until the onions just start to go transparent. Remove these from the pan and set aside.
3. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and add the eggplant and zucchini. Saute these together for 8-10 minutes. Remove these from the pan and set aside.
4. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and balsamic vinegar. Add the garlic, bay, thyme and sugar and allow this to simmer until the wine is reduced by about half.
5. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes start breaking down.
6. Return all the veggies to the pan, add the mushrooms and simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting the flavor, as needed, with salt, pepper and/or sugar.
7. While the Ratatouille/Gumbo is simmering, take the turkey sausage and place in a frying pan with about 1/4 cup of water or other liquid (I use beer, of course) and cook over medium heat, flipping occasionally, until done (about 10-15 minutes) Slice the sausages into rings about 1 cm. thick.
8. Add the sausage rings and the chicken to the Ratatouille/Gumbo and simmer everything together until the chicken is warmed all the way through.
9. Serve over polenta, mashed potatoes, rice, noodles or whatever your fancy is. Although I'm gluten intolerant, I'm relatively sure that crusty bread would be heavenly with this.