End of Summer Recipes
Versatile Ratatouille, Roasted Red Pepper Pesto, Fall Tart, Butternut Squash Soup.
We love this baked ratatouille that utilizes all of August and September's harvest when they're abundant and cheap: bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant and basil. We got the inspiration for this recipe from the blog, victoriamcginley.com. This recipe was really a revelation, as we're not that fond of eggplant and struggle to find things to do with a glut of zucchini. Simply layer all the cut veggies, dominoes-like, cover with foil and bake. The juices bake up to a deep veggie "au jus," and the cheese bakes in for richness, which is perfect served with a petite pasta such as orzo or orecchiette. With a tub of burrata in the fridge, it was perfect dolloped on top as a nice creamy rich accent to the browned veggies and pasta. Serve on its own as a side to steak or chicken or as a vegan main dish with bread. Oh yes, don't forget the wine, a nice chilled pinto grigio would be swell.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 fat garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 medium zucchini (yellow and green), sliced into rounds
- 2 large tomatoes, halved, then sliced
- 1 large red or orange bell pepper, halved cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 small eggplant, cut in half, then sliced
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese, divided
- 4 ounces burrata or goat cheese
- Salt, Pepper, Olive oil
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Saute onion, garlic and red pepper in 2 tablespoons oilive oil in a skillet 10 minutes. Place in bottom of shallow gratin dish.
2. Arrange sliced vegetables standing up in concentric circle in dish, filling all the gaps with vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a rich balsamic vinegar and oilive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil or parchment paper and bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven, dot with goat cheese, sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and bake, uncovered 10-15 more minutes until browned and juices are bubbling. Serve as a side to chicken or beef, or as a main dish with burrata cheese, pasta or bread. Serves 4-6
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