Southern style ratatouille shines with local veggies
Even though ratatouille originated in southern France, one could make the assumption that it could have sprung from Southern roots. Utilizing eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini and tomatoes, ratatouille seems like a necessary dish for the perfect Southern summer bounty.
All four of these crops tend to be plentiful in August, so much so that cooks have to get creative with their uses. Zucchini fritters? Delicious. Eggplant parmesan? Always a crowd pleaser. Canned tomatoes? Great for those cold winter nights to come.
This dish highlights these veggies for what they are in their simplest forms. By adding tomato sauce, mild cheese and some fresh basil (also bountiful in the summer), these squashes and tomatoes are humbly presented for consumption. Instead of battering and frying these gems, you’ll be roasting them on high heat to unleash their innate delicacy.
A word on the tomatoes: take the time to find tomatoes from a roadside stand, farmers market, farm share CSA, or stop by Village Marketplace in Ingleside Village. You’ll be so glad you did. The difference between true heirloom tomatoes and regular tomatoes from the grocery store is stark.
I used eggplant and basil from a friend’s garden, zucchini and squash from our Dirt Farmers CSA, and tomatoes, Greenway Farms tomato sauce, and Smith Family Farms mozzarella goat cheese from Village Marketplace.
I like to serve this dish alongside pan roasted chicken thighs or bone-in pork chops. You could also have it stand on its own by adding more cheese, or perhaps a cheese with a stronger flavor like goat or blue.
The only drawback to this dish is that you’ll have to turn on your oven in these dog days of summer, but it will be worth your hard work and indoor sweat. Enjoy!
Southern Ratatouille
1 large or 4 small eggplants
2 medium zucchini squashes
2 medium yellow squashes
4 or 5 medium heirloom tomatoes
16 ounces tomato sauce (I used Greenway Farms Tomato Basil sauce)
8 ounces mild cheese (I used Smith Family Farms mozzarella goat cheese)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of loosely packed fresh basil, torn into postage stamp sized pieces
Salt and pepper
Serves 6-8
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. While the oven is heating, pour the tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper into a 9 by 13 baking dish. Stir the tomato sauce and olive oil to combine and set aside.
Thinly slice the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes into similar widths, between 1/4 and 1/8 inches. When you have done this, begin layering the four veggies into three or four columns, depending on the size of your veggies. For a nice aesthetic, I usually layer in this order: eggplant, zucchini, squash, tomato, then repeat.
Once you have finished the layers and the dish is full, toss in about 2/3 of the torn basil, sprinkle the veggies with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, then drizzle two tablespoons of the olive oil evenly. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven for one hour.
Mix the remaining tablespoon of olive oil with the panko breadcrumbs to coat, then slice the cheese into one-inch pieces. After the hour of roasting is up, take the dish out of the oven and remove the foil. Toss in the cheese on top, then evenly distribute the breadcrumbs over the veggies and cheese. Turn the heat up to broil, then place the dish back in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or when the cheese is melted.
Take the dish out of the oven and top with the remaining torn basil. Let rest for about five minutes, then serve.
This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Southern style ratatouille shines with local veggies."