It has been a hot, humid, intermittently rainy week.  Thunderstorms have danced around the homestead.  Any outside activity results in clothes being wet and clingy with even minimal movement.  The garden likes it, and friends have reported they have happy gardens too.

What to do on a sticky summer day?

One of my “sisters” at the gym provided me with three gorgeous eggplants this week.  I have never eaten eggplant, nor have I attempted to cook it.  She was also kind enough to provide me with some recipes.

My kind of people!

As I perused the recipes, I thought it might be fun to make something new for dinner.  We had a pasta dish this week, so I avoided any recipes with pasta.  I wanted to make something pseudo-healthy, which eliminated the breaded and fried recipes… for now.  I set aside the stack of recipes, and went to my stand-by recipe book.

One of my favorite sources of recipes is Cook’s Illustrated.  I was a subscriber to the in-print version for years.  It is a beautifully presented magazine full of recipes, tutorials, equipment and ingredient reviews, and great illustrations.  At some point, as an attempt to reduce paper and clutter, I switched to an electronic subscription.  Probably 10 years ago, I bought one of their cookbooks:

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

It is a great combination of recipes and tips.  Just like the magazine, the recipes are “tested” and comments given to tell why certain process or ingredients are used.  That speaks to my inquisitive mind!  I have used it many times, and have yet to find a recipe I did not like. 

I checked out the “eggplant” recipes and found one that fit the bill for dinner.  Ratatouille has been a dish I have wanted to try for a long time.  Why?  First, I like the sound of it. 

Ratatouille.

It is a fun word to say.  It is a traditional French stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. I like vegetables, and given the success of the garden and my wonderful gym sister, I had most of the ingredients necessary.  I made a quick stop at the grocery store to get a can of diced tomatoes and a red onion, and I was ready.

Despite the heat, the oven was required.  It was not too bad given the air conditioning.  Mum came out for a visit, and was invited to join for dinner.  Hubby grilled some chicken breasts I had marinated earlier in the day.  Ratatouille roasted in the oven.  Dinner was served and enjoyed by all!

If it is hot and humid where you are today, I hope you have a way to stay cool and comfortable.  Perhaps you might find an opportunity to give this a go? There were not many leftovers at the homestead last night.

Enjoy!

Roasted Ratatouille

1 globe eggplant (1 pound), peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes

2 medium zucchini or summer squash (1 pound), cut into ½ inch cubes

1 red onion, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained with 1/3 cup juice reserved

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine the eggplant, zucchini/squash, onion, tomatoes with reserved juice, olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and mix well.  Spread the mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.  Roast until the vegetables have softened and are browned in spots, about one hour, stirring thoroughly halfway through the cooking time.  Sprinkle with the vinegar before serving.