Even Nicer

Just a quick middle-of-the-week bonus post while I kill time til lunch. Think of this as an add-on to that last one on socca. I think I mentioned in there somewhere that chickpea pancakes are as good done vegan with a pile of ratatouille on top as they are with onion, bacon, gruyere, and a runny fried egg. (And trust me, they're pretty damn awesome with a runny fried egg.) So: a recipe for ratatouille! I have no idea how authentic this actually is, and really I don't care (so please hold off the it's-not-ratatouille-without-peppers hate mail). This is really just an excuse to cook two of my favorite veggies, zucchini and eggplant, with lots of tomato and herbs and call it dinner. Bonus: those'll all be in season soon, and therefore extremely fresh and cheap at the farmers' market. Score. There are no definitive quantities here; just do it all to taste. What I've listed here makes a big pot, but do feel free to play around. Love summer squash? Add more. Eggplant at the store looking particularly sad this week? Leave it out. Love bell peppers? Blech. But you can add them in anyway. Hate onions (cough cough Sarah)? Sub in leeks. Just keep it all fresh and don't add anything weird and you'll be fine.

Over socca, with salad.

Summer Ratatouille
2 medium eggplants
2 yellow summer squash
2 zucchini
1 onion
a few cloves garlic
large can of diced tomatoes
2 large handfuls of fresh herbs (I used oregano, sage, a little basil, and a lot of parsley, since that's what's currently exploding in my garden)
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

1) Slice the eggplants (1 cm thick?) salt, and let sit for 20-30 minutes on paper towels or dishcloths. Pat dry, rinse, and let drip dry in a colander over the sink.

2) Meanwhile, slice the zucchini and squash into rounds (quarter inch thick?). Chop your herbs. Chop the onion and saute it in oil in the bottom of a large pot until it starts to brown a bit. Mince half your garlic and add it to the pot. Stir about a minute til things get fragrant.

3) Add all the veggies, tomatoes, and half the herbs. (Set the remaining herbs and garlic aside for later.) Salt & pepper to taste. (Taste before you salt, since the eggplant might still be salty even if you rinsed it.) Let simmer partly covered, stirring occasionally, until everything's nice and soft and the liquid has reduced down enough that it's not a soup. (The vegs will soak up some liquid as they cool, so it doesn't have to be totally dry.) Your squash coins will probably have their middles falling out, and your neat circles will have broken, but they shouldn't be total mush.

4) Add the rest of the herbs and garlic (minced) and let simmer just a minute or two more. Serve over socca, or polenta, or with bread, or tossed with spaghetti, or alongside some sausage, depending how virtuous you're feeling. Some romano cheese or even cooked chickpeas sprinkled on top is pretty good too. Makes great leftovers.