Is it even a cooking blog if it doesn’t have an “Easy Summer Ratatouille from the Farmer’s Market” post?
I’m not taking any chances.
I didn’t even mean to make this into a blog post; I was just enjoying some beautiful produce from the farmer’s market…
I have truly become a parody of myself.
There is a (very) small farmer’s market just about half a mile from my apartment, which I have been frequenting more since this spring when I was a vendor at Central Farm Markets and got to interact with local farmers on a regular basis. It’s a perfect Saturday morning walk for the pup and me, and has served me well after a long week of work, before I have had time to get organized on what I want to make that weekend – but am starving. The same market I discussed in this post, it’s kind of a “Trader Joe’s” of farmer’s markets, as I generally feel I have to just show up and let the market tell me what I am allowed to buy, rather than showing up with a shopping list and being disappointed when they don’t have what I need. Like when I needed a third hit of tomatillos for this Easy Roasted Tomatillo Salsa recipe, and they were only to be found at a different farmer’s market.
So on this particular day, I happened upon:
And when I ended up with THIS in my bowl, I thought you might want to share in the beauty and deliciousness:
As you can see from the Instragram shot, all of the vegetables are just a little unique. The colors on the tomato, zucchini, and pepper are mottled; the eggplant is Japanese; and the yellow squash is, well, half green. Want to know something? There is no need to fear vegetables that have a little personality to them.
Also, a note, that the tomato didn’t make it to cooking time, and the photos from this recipe include cherry tomatoes from a different farmer’s market. {Food photography pet peeve – honesty in ingredients!} I topped it with a few leaves of basil from my trusty basil plant, which is specializing in mini-leaves these days.
My original plan was to top this with a fried egg for brunch, but as it turns out, I have never fried an egg (hey, liking yolk is a new thing for me!) and it didn’t go as planned.
And so, my friends, this summer cooking blog staple, Ratatouille, for you to sauté and enjoy.
- 1 small sweet onion, or 1 large spring onion, sliced thin
- 1 small eggplant, cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small zucchini, halved or quartered lengthwise and then sliced into thin moon- or pie-shaped slices
- 1 small yellow squash, halved or quartered lengthwise and then sliced into thin moon- or pie-shaped slices
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or zested
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon (pinch) ground coriander
- kosher salt, to taste
- optional garnish: fresh basil leaves
- Heat a dutch oven over high heat, and add some extra virgin olive oil (about 3 Tablespoons).
- When the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium-high, and add the onion and eggplant. Let the onion and eggplant sit until they start to brown, and then stir, continuing to sauté as the liquid cooks out, for about 5-8 minutes. Stir occasionally as it cooks.
- Throughout cooking this recipe, if the pan is drying out before your vegetables are cooking, put the lid on (not tightly), to keep some of the moisture from evaporating.
- Add the red pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash, moving the vegetables to the side to add more oil to the bottom of the pan (so it can heat and not just soak into the vegetables) if needed.
- Cook until the vegetables soften, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, or until it seems incorporated.
- Add the tomatoes and lower the heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender and incorporated. The tomatoes should add a little liquid to the mix.
- Stir in the oregano, thyme, fennel seeds, and coriander, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Add salt to your taste.
- If you are using basil, stir in sliced ribbons after you have removed the ratatouille from heat.
Adapted from: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ratatouille-12164
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