Zucchini Ratatouille
Traditional Niçoise Ratatouille is made with equal parts zucchini, eggplant, and sweet (usually red/yellow/orange) peppers. But it's zucchini season in Canada and I had a lot of forearm-sized zucchini from my father-in-law's garden to use up so I skipped the other veggies and tripled the zucchini for this recipe. I'm also a garlic-fiend so I've used about twice as much garlic as is traditional.
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DIRECTIONS
- Dégorger les légumes -- sprinkle coarse salt on the diced zucchini in a sieve, and let sit in the sink for 30 mins to drain them of excess water.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a thick-bottomed, oven-proof, sauce pan (I use Le Creuset).
- Add garlic and onions and sauté 5 minutes, or until garlic is just starting to brown (don't let it burn!).
- Add zucchini; cover and cook until tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and rosemary; cover and simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to integrate.
- Uncover and simmer until excess water evaporates or add your favourite protein to the pan, cover, and bake it in the oven (see below).
- Serve as a stew, side dish or sauce with your favourite protein, or my new favourite -- a filling for omelette. In the future, I am also going to try serving it for brunch with baked eggs by making 4 shallow indentations in the sauce, cracking 1 egg into each indentation, and baking at 400°F until eggs are softly set, about 10 minutes. I'd also like to try baking some chicken breast in it.
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