RATATOUILLE

Provencal style—Heidi learned this one serving a mission in the South of France. There are a ton of ratatouille recipes out there and this is the one I fell in love with in Provence. It’s different because you bake it in a piecrust after all the vegetables have been sautéed. It may seem difficult to make at first glance but it’s really quite simple. All measurements are approximate since there’s no hard & fast rule about the proportions of vegetables in this dish.

2 c. eggplant, 1/2 inch cubes
2 c. zucchini, 1/2 inch cubes
1 c. onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 c. green pepper, 1/2 inch pieces
1 c. red pepper, 1/2 inch pieces (optional to use just one pepper or the other)
2-3 c. tomatoes (use fresh or canned diced tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes)
1 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence (Buy it in the spice section or if you can’t find it then make your own mixture of the following: thyme is most prominent, marjoram, rosemary, basil, crushed bay leaf & lavendar flowers--optional)
2 tsp. Kosher salt
¾ to 1 tsp. pepper
Olive oil
Pie crust for 9 inch pie
1/2 - 2/3 c. Emmental cheese (very expensive in U.S.) or use freshly shredded parmesan – do not substitute with classic American cheeses such as cheddar which is too oily and doesn’t have strong enough flavor

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place piecrust in pie dish.
2. In a very large skillet, sautee the eggplant in olive oil until the pieces have darkened and cooked. Sprinkle some salt & Herbes on while it cooks. Remove from pan.
3. Sautee the zucchini in olive oil until the pieces are cooked and becoming translucent. Sprinkle some salt & Herbes on while it cooks. Remove from pan.
4. Sautee the onion in olive oil until the pieces are translucent and beginning to brown. Leave in the pan.
5. Add the green pepper and red pepper and sautee together in olive oil for a few minutes. Add the garlic & tomatoes. Sprinkle the remainder of the salt & Herbes and add the pepper. Let simmer together for a few minutes to create a nice sauce. Add the eggplant & zucchini to the pan and let it all simmer together for several minutes so flavors mix together.
6. Pour mixture into pie shell and cover with generous amount of cheese.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown.
8. Can be served with rice as a main dish or as a side.