ratatouille in 2 places

In Greece we would always try to order a lot of vegetables and the restaurant would invariably be out of half of them which would prompt a replacement of stewed meat. Not a bad thing, after working at restaurant where we would frequently run out of half the menu it felt good to be on the other side of the equation, it was just a funny dietary aspirations vs. reality thing. Anyway, one of our last meals we were offered ratatouille instead of stuffed tomatoes and the table resounded with a yes. Not sure if this is a dish of the kitchen at Teréza, something translated differently for our ears, or just actually called ratatouille.

pic by Mac Parsons

Like the French dish you are probably familiar with, Greek ratatouille was also an olive oil heavy stew of vegetables full of onions, zucchini, carrots, and potatoes as well a bunch of herbs from the island. Eating on the windy sidewalk it was nice to have the soft muddy mix as it cooled down from the kitchen. When it’s hot I often think to eat something uncooked and crunchy, but the cooked vegetables felt easy and fortifying. Which is probably why I thought of it again when I was given the opportunity to cook in the middle of a restaurant-driven holiday.

The dinner at “home” (with our friend Trish in Bolsena) was just in time for a vacation meltdown on my part, it’s hard to eat light when you’re eating out anywhere and I was starting to feel fried. I also think very slowly and it can be hard for me to process the sensory information of the meals of a day if you just keep piling them on. Also although people make a lot of seasonal Italian cuisine, it’s not entirely something restaurants in Rome and the surrounding areas subscribe to. So on this night, Trish was going out to dinner and we had the run of her house for the evening. We drove down to town without a plan, but Trish is mostly vegetarian so I wanted to make something she could ostensibly eat if there were leftovers. I really had my heart set on like boiled bitter greens with olive oil and lemon for dinner though slim pickings for that at the grocery. There were however eggplants, onions, zucchini, and peppers. And tomatoes at the house. It was so cheap, I was so happy.

stealing tomatoes from the garden

Though you turn on the stove this is nice because you can be rather lazy about the preparation. I intermittently stirred, played cards, and drank a bottle of Trish’s wine. When everything was cooked, I turned off the stove to let the food cool and finish the game and the wine. We then opened another bottle and ate. Her wines are so herbaceous, even with the different preparation of ratatouille I was reminded of the version of the island. The Gazzetta vineyards that the white wines come from are just down the hill from where Trish lives. Young vines and some of about 40 years, planted a classic mix of the area Procanico, Ansonica, Malvasia in the sandy volcanic soils surrounding the lake. She landed at the spot after working with both Cantina Giardino and Le Coste, two shop stalwarts. Many of the white wines with some skins sit in a category I love, something to have while you are cooking and tasting your food that also carry into dinner. Light enough for the in between, but enough structure for your meal. I tried this again while making pasta when we got home at 3 in the morning. A cold bottle of Bianco Misticanza waiting in the fridge to refresh our pantry raid pasta. More continuity, a nice landing, closing the circle right before bed.

We will have Trish’s wine in the shop for Friday along with many other things, but can put some aside for you if you’d like. DM or email us if you have a craving.

A Ratatouille

My favorite way to do this embraces a different cut for each fruit/vegetable which allows them to remain distinct in their stewed state. Thin slivers of onion, cubes of eggplant, zucchini half moons, strips of peppers, and wedges of tomato. Also you can complicate this by salting your eggplant about 20 minutes in advance to remove some water and bitterness but I am always too hungry. The other thing to note is that what the Greek dish reminds me is that this formalized recipe is likely just a version of a vegetable stew and I earnestly think it is meant to contain what you have on hand. If you have things on hand.

1 onion
1 eggplant
2-3 zucchini depending on the size
1-2 peppers depending on your preference
Enough tomatoes to kind of cover the whole thing (there are so many different sizes follow your heart)
basil
olive oil

Heat the pan over medium heat while you slice your onion into slivers.
Add olive oil, then onions once your oil is heated and let them soften. During this time cut the eggplant into cubes about an inch big on all sides.
Once translucent and your eggplant (and maybe some more oil if it’s too dry) and let the eggplant brown. Add some salt. This takes a while so a good time to prep the rest of your ingredients.
Cut the zucchini into half or quarter moons and the peppers into strips and add to the pan once the eggplant has started to brown.
Slice the tomatoes into wedges and add when the zucchini and peppers are soft.
Let everything cook down together, cool and serve with bread or lentils. If you are feeling lush add some nicer olive oil on top like Lamoresca, an anchovy, and some basil.


Also if you have a gangbusters garden (I do not) this is something nice to stick in the freezer and revisit in the winter.