Yesterday I started harvesting some of the herbs from my garden and it’s about time for the zucchini and tomatoes to start coming in. Here’s a recipe that freezes well and tastes great to add to your collection! You may recognize it as ratatouille.
| Braised Eggplant, Zucchini, and Tomatoes | Servings: 4 |
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| Ingredients | |
| 1 small eggplant (about 1 lb), unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes | 1 large ripe tomato, peeled, cored and chopped |
| 1 T lemon juice | 3 cloves garlic, minced |
| 1 T olive oil | 1 T tomato paste |
| 1 medium-sized yellow onion, sliced thick | ½ t each dried thyme, basil and marjoram, crumbled |
| 1 medium-sized zucchini (about ½ lb), sliced ½ inch thick | 1 large bay leaf |
| 1/3 c dry white wine or water | 1/8 t black pepper |
| Instructions | |
| Preheat the oven to 350°F. | |
| In a colander, toss the eggplant with the lemon juice and let drain for 15 minutes; pat dry on paper towels. | |
| In a MERT Stainless Steel 4.8 Quart Casserole, heat the olive oil over moderate heat for 1 minute, add the onion and cook, uncovered, until soft (about 5 minutes). | |
| Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. | |
| Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and cook uncovered, for 1 minute. | |
| Mix in the tomato, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, and pepper. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer (about 2 minutes). | |
| Transfer the MERT Stainless Steel 4.8 Quart Casserole to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. | |
| Remove the bay leaf and serve. | |