Rapid Ratatouille
This was my favorite thing I ate this week. Yancey was at Pike Place with Loretta, and I called to ask if he’d pick up some fish for dinner. Being the sensible, thrifty (and cute, though that has nothing to do with this) person that he is, he said, “We have so much food at home right now.” Meaning, “Can’t you do something with that fridge of ours that’s stuffed with unintelligible remnants?” Why, yes, actually. I can.
By the way, while I’m not the subject, I have to break one of blog rules right now, which is “Don’t Bore Your Readers with Cloying Stories about How Sweet Your Husband Is.” He has been amazing lately–cooking dinner, asking for Honey-Do lists, being Super Dad, and cheering me on with all his might as I work on building my consulting practice. Lately, more than ever, I really feel we are partners, in synch with one another and working hard.
Okay. Back to regularly scheduled programming. If your life has been anything like mine lately, you might appreciate this healthy, (relatively) quick, and thrifty meal. I have often roasted ratatouille in a deeper pan, which causes the veggies to steam. Still delicious, but this is my new thing. I’d love it if it became your new thing.
Rapid Rataouille
Preheat oven to 425. Cut 4 medium zucchini, 1 large yellow onion, 2 yellow bell peppers, and 6 roma tomatoes into uniform large-ish pieces and put onto a baking sheet. Add one pound of baby red potatoes, halved. Take a whole head of garlic and separate it into peeled cloves. Scatter the cloves over vegetables. Pour 1/4 c. best-quality olive oil over the whole thing and add very generous pinches of kosher salt and grindings of pepper. Gently stir. Roast for about 45 minutes, stirring once, until veggies have crisped up around the edges and everything is all olive-oily-oozy. Chop up some fresh rosemary or parsley, finely grate a little parmesan, zest a lemon, and mix these up together. Sprinkle over your hot ratatouille.
yay! it paid off to check your blog for the millionth time today.
we have been enjoying more simple meals during lent this year…no menu planning, just basic whole grains, veggies, and condiments. this looks like a great addition to that practice. tell that cute family of your that i am thinking about all of you. all your hard work and dedication is paying off…i can feel it in my spirit. xox
building your consulting practice about…?
YEEAAAAA! I’ve needed some inspiration this week, and I tend to think of this as a summer treat! Here sits a McPhersons eggplant! It looks absolutely wonderful! Does Xiao Yu say we can plant some of the vegetables we’re so hungry for? Forgot to ask her.
I love it when you get off the regularly scheduled program and spread the love about Yancey and partnership. I’m glad you tell the truth of it in all it’s glory for this season.
Love to you both. I miss that guy. I should probably tell him that
I have a baked ratatouille bookmarked that I have been meaning to try…..I have always done it on the stove.
I love it, it is so addictive.
I only make it in the summer, when eggplants are crazy in the garden and all that annoying zucchini…..I guess I will have to cheat and buy some and try this already!
my summer vegetable garden is 5 months away.
Congrats on having an awesome husband! Not a day goes by that I’m not enormously grateful for my wonderful guy! We just tore through our pantry, fridge & freezer to make an inventory to cook from. I love your leftoverisms and this looks fantastic. I also like to “grill” veggies in the winter on a griddle in doors and toss with some frozen summer marinara and sliced kalamatas!
…..oooooohhhh!!!! soooo yummy looking!! I can feel my mouth watering at the thought of making this, tasting this….perhaps a little cous cous or polenta?? Thanks for yet another inspiring meal! I will search my fridge to uncover what greatness might await me
I will have to try this in the summer, but I had to say that talking about Yancey never gets old. That’s why we come back–to hear about what is going on with you. I’m so glad you’re syncing with one another. I love those seasons in marriage. Absolutely priceless!
Lucky to both of us that we married our best friends! Gush away!
It IS fast, ratatouille, roasted, but don’t you think it’s best, also? I’ve tried it both ways, the long-suffering, cook-everything-separately, traditional way, and the blazing hot oven path, and I’m fairly sure any French farmwoman with a modern oven would choose the latter path, also. Looks delicious.
Mmm!
Thank you for this. I was salivating over this for days after seeing this picture and hearing about all those vegetables and the whole cloves of garlic mixed in (!) and the lemon zest.
I’ve made it twice in the last three days and it is delicious!