Recipe 41- Ratatouille

                                                                     RATATOUILLE

1 large eggplant
4 medium zucchini
2 large onions
3 medium green peppers
1 can plum tomatoes (drained)
3/4 C of olive oil
3 cloves garlic
salt
pepper

Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch slices then into 1 inch cubes.  Slice off ends of zucchini and then cut into 1/4 slices. Slice onions thinly. Halve green peppers, remove ribs and seeds then cut into 1/4 inch strips.

Saute eggplant cubes in 1/4 C of olive oil in a large skillet until lightly browned (about 5 minutes) and remove into Dutch oven. Add 1/4 C of oil to same skillet and saute zucchini until tender (about 5 minutes) then remove zucchini into Dutch oven.  Add remaining 1/4 C of oil to skillet and saute onions, green peppers, and garlic until onion is soft. Add to Dutch oven. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper into Dutch oven. Stir gently in combine.

Simmer mixture over low heat covered for 15 minutes.  Remove cover and cook 10 minutes longer. Can be served hot or cold.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty **
Taste ****

I have two recipes for Ratatouille.  One of the recipes comes from my mother's kitchen.  The other comes from one of my guests at my Long Island bridal shower. At my bridal shower at the Rockville Links Club on Long Island,  the guests were asked to write their favorite recipe on an index card and give it to the bride (me). My mother's good friend Barbara Smallbach gave me her recipe for Ratatouille.

Yesterday, I combined both recipes and came up with the above recipe.  I always loved Ratatouille as a child and I loved the way it was prepared yesterday. Although everybody liked the dish, the females in the family liked it more than the males.