The Bounty of Summer

If you’ve been reading my blog (or the lack of it :-) ) you know that we’ve not been enamored with our harvest this year. I spent some quality time in my flower garden over the weekend and our curb appeal has improved dramatically. 

The tomatoes have started to pick up, I’ve made 2 batches of pesto and I still have 2 large plants waiting to be harvested - I guess it’s gonna be a bountiful pesto year. I’ve found a new pesto recipe - it’s vegan. Instead of cheese I use nutritional yeast and when Dan tasted it - he was amazed (I didn’t tell him what it was but he loved it!) so I’m going to continue to go with that. This morning we had our favorite egg wrap sandwiches with fresh tomatoes, pesto and avocado - I was full until dinner - so many delicious flavors. 

Tis the season for Ratatouille - eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes are in season. If you grow your own garlic then it is in season too (next year garlic will be one of my experiments). 

I started with eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini from the garden, added 1 yellow squash, onions and garlic (from the grocery store). I mixed in fresh and dried parsley, bay leaf, thyme and oregano - yes I know it is not part of the traditional dish but I love the flavor. We served it with a salad of watermelon, feta and fresh basil - no complaints from the peanut gallery. 

Ingredients:

6T olive oil 

1 medium eggplant - I used a combination of Japanese and regular - sliced and cubed

1 medium zucchini - sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

1 yellow squash - sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

2 onions - thinly sliced

3 tomatoes - seeded and thinly sliced

3 - 4 cloves of garlic

1 - 2 bay leaves

3 - 4 sprigs parsley

2 - 3 sprigs of thyme 

dried parsley

dried oregano

Instructions:

Chop eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash as directed, place in a large bowl and salt - let sit  30 minutes. Slice onions, peppers and tomatoes - set aside. Create bouquet garni by combining bay leaf, parsley and thyme and tying with string. 

Place eggplant mixture on a paper towel and blot moisture away with additional paper towels. In a large fry pan, add 2T olive oil and heat until smoking. Lightly and quickly saute the eggplant mixture in batches and remove to a dish as each batch is cooked. 

Heat 2T olive oil and saute the onions, peppers and garlic until the onions are softened. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove 2 3rds of the tomato/onion mixture from the pan and set aside. Spread the remaining 1/3 on the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of eggplant/zucchini mixture and continue to layer in this manner until all ingredients are used up. Be sure to season each layer. Tuck the bouquet Garni on the top, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Server with whole grain bread and any sides you like - we served with a watermelon, feta, and fresh basil salad. 

Thanks for stopping by!