Summer Squash Ratatouille Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Slice onions and place in a large 6-8 quart dutch oven or stock pot. Mince the garlic and add to the pot with the olive oil. Saute over medium heat, just until the onions are slightly translucent and both onions and garlic have released their aroma. Turn off the heat.
• 2. Quarter squashes, then slice into 1" chunks. (Note- if they are slightly larger than recommended, remove some of the seeds, and try not to use squashes whose skins have "toughened", it will affect the overall texture.)Place in the pot with sauteed items.
• 3. Add the diced tomatoes, and sauce or puree. Add the basil, and the grated cheese, and about 1 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper (to start)
• 4. Stir gently to mix all ingredients. Simmer, covered, on a medium-low to medium heat for 30-25 minutes until the squash are tender when pierced with a fork. Check and stir frequently to insure it is not scorching or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Toward the end of the cooking time taste and adjust salt & pepper if desired.
• 5. NOTES-This makes a wonderful side dish to accompany most anything! When serving, if desired, top with a bit more grated cheese and garnish with fresh basil or parsley. I have also used it as a vegetarian main dish by serving over cooked, brown rice with a nice green/veggie salad. As I said before, if you have a lot of leftovers, it keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, and can also be frozen or canned with a water bath canning process. ** The leftovers, after being refrigerated, also make a refreshing cold summer soup by placing the ratatouille in a food processor and pulsing several times until it is pureed, but still slightly chunky!

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the bell peppers, onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers have softened slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the eggplant, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the eggplant is very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and continue to cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini has softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the ratatouille has reached a thick stew-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and basil with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with more fresh parsley and basil before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place diced eggplant in a large, heavy, flameproof casserole. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and salt to taste. Place in hot oven and roast uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until eggplant is lightly browned and fragrant. Remove the casserole from the oven, cover tightly and allow eggplant to steam in the hot casserole while you pan-cook onions, peppers, and zucchini.
• Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of the remaining oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in peppers and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until peppers have softened and smell fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in half the garlic and cook for another minute, then season with salt and pepper and transfer to casserole with eggplant. Heat remaining oil in the skillet and add zucchini. Cook, stirring often, until tender but still bright, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic for a minute, until fragrant, season to taste with salt and pepper, and transfer to casserole.
• Add tomatoes to the casserole with bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and more salt and pepper to taste. Toss everything together and place over medium-low heat. When vegetables begin to sizzle, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for 30 to 45 minutes, until the mix is juicy and fragrant and the vegetables are thoroughly tender. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve warm or cold, preferably the next day.
• Whisk together ingredients for the vinaigrette.
• To assemble the big bowl, spoon warm or room temperature farro or spelt into each bowl (1/2 cup to 3/4 cup, to taste). Top with a generous spoonful of ratatouille. Spoon a tablespoon of vinaigrette over the ratatouille and garnish with some of the basil. Top with a poached egg if desired and sprinkle with feta or Parmesan. Garnish with more basil and serve.

Steps:

• Put an oven rack at the top of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the patty pan squash, eggplant, 4 sprigs of thyme, 3 sprigs of marjoram, the fennel, onion, haricot vert and crookneck squash with the olive oil until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and roast until tender and browned, about 15 minutes. Discard the sprigs of thyme and marjoram.
• Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Add the thyme and marjoram leaves, the parsley and the Garlic-Chili-Tomato Butter and mix well. Taste, and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until it is crisp and the fat is rendered.
• Once the bacon has rendered all the fat, add the onion, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. (If the pan seems dry while you are cooking the onion, add some of the olive oil.) Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the crushed red pepper flakes stir to toast for just 15 seconds. Stir in the diced tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the excess liquid has almost completely cooked away.
• Put the mixture in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Use a wooden spoon to work the butter into the tomato mixture until combined. If you are not using the butter right away, cover it and chill it until you do. Makes 3/4 cup.

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the onion. It's important to keep the butter from browning. When the onion begins to turn translucent (after about 2-3 minutes), add the sugar and continue sauteeing the onion, stirring frequently, until it just begins to caramelize (about 5-7 minutes).
• Add the bell pepper, garlic and pine nuts and continue cooking over medium heat for another minute or so. Stir frequently to keep the garlic from browning.
• Add the squash and white wine, stirring to deglaze the pan and combine the ingredients.
• Mix the tomato paste and water until well-combined. After another minute or so, once the squash has begun to "wilt," add the tomatoes, oregano and tomato paste and water mixture, stirring to combine the ingredients and coat them with the tomato paste and water mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Stir in the basil just before serving.
• Serve over the pasta with a generous topping of Parmesan cheese.

Steps:

• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and saute the zucchini in batches until slightly browned on all sides. Remove the zucchini and place in the pot with the onions and garlic.
• Saute all the remaining vegetables one batch at a time, adding 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet each time you add a new set of vegetables. Once each batch has been sauteed add them to the large pot as was done in step 2.
• Season with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf and thyme and cover the pot. Cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and parsley to the large pot, cook another 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Remove the bay leaf and adjust seasoning.