I was at the N Lyndale Farmers' Market a week or two ago and found some of the biggest zucchinis and eggplants I have ever seen. I know the larger vegetables tend to be less nutrient-dense, but the sheer novelty of it all was too much to pass up. I then realized that I had never cooked eggplant before and turned to one of my main sources of culinary advice and inspiration, Carolyn, who suggested ratatouille! I skimmed the online recipes, and decided to include eggplant, zucchini, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, plenty of garlic, and a large yellow onion and seasoned it mostly with salt, parsley, and thyme. I'm kicking myself because I forgot to add a few basil leaves from my plants outside, which even after a major harvest have nearly returned to full strength. Anyway, this was absolutely fantastic; I enjoyed one serving with a little bit of feta and froze the rest for my future self. Despite its size, the zucchini was not too woody and softened up nicely. On a side note, I love cooking at the Students' Co-op (my new home), especially for the set of cast iron skillets which live on the stove and absorb the flavors from the meals of 25+ Co-opers. It's also fun to have a gigantic spice collection, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil at my disposal free of charge!
Fantastic!!! Rat is great because it uses all of the vegetables that are in abundance right now. I like a add a tiny pinch of fennel seed to mine, in addition to the usual suspects of basil, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, etc. It is so much fun to cook when you have lots of spices and condiments to play around with. And you can always dry the basil for using over the winter, and add it to the thawed ratatouille.
ReplyDeleteP.S. You probably know this, but I'll tell you anyway: basil is super tender, so in a couple of weeks, we need to start paying attention to the overnight forecast for freeze warnings. You can cover the basil with a sheet or towel to protect is during a light frost, but if a heavy one is predicted, you might just cut the whole plant and hang it upside down to dry.
C