Ratatouille

I've never had ratatouille, much less made it myself. I've seen the adorable movie, but that's the extent of my ratatouille experience. Anyways, apparently there are about 14,000 ways to prepare it. There's a chunky, rough chopped version and a more meticulous, arranged version. 

I'm unemployed and bored to tears every day, so I decided to make the pretty, arranged version. It probably would have been easy with a mandoline, but since I don't have one, a very sharp knife worked just fine. The slicing of the zucchini & squash took a while, but like I said, I'm unemployed. I don't have a whole lot to do...

The finished product was delicious, but the sauce was absolutely amazing on it's own. Definitely keep it in your repertoire for a chunky, delicious pasta sauce!

Ratatouille
(Recipe inspired by this one.)

Ingredients:

• 4 vine ripened tomatoes; seeded & diced
• 1 bell pepper; diced
• 1 onion; diced
• 1 zucchini; thinly sliced
• 1 yellow squash; thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic; minced
• 6 basil leafs; chopped
• 1 T. of fresh, chopped rosemary
• 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 T. olive oil

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Over medium high heat, saute onions for 2-3 minutes or until they have softened. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. 
3. Add the tomatoes and bell pepper to the pan and cook for about 7-8 minutes, or until peppers have softened and some of the moisture from the tomatoes has evaporated. 
4. Add the can of tomato sauce, the herbs and salt to taste. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. 
5. Put two cups of the sauce in the bottom of an oval baking dish, and then layer the sliced squash & zucchini on top of the sauce. Brush the vegetables with a light layer of olive oil, shredded parmesan cheese and sprinkle of salt and pepper.
6. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside the baking dish. Place the piece of parchment on top of the vegetables. 
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes. The vegetables should be tender, but should not be totally limp. 

This is delicious with a little goat cheese on top and some buttered pasta on the side.