Botanica WestHolistic Healing & Therapy from a Master Herbalist

Ratatouille is an excellent main or side dish you can use as a pasta topping over noodles,or an omelet, cooked chicken, breast, cooked spaghetti squash and even a filling in a baked potato. It can be made ahead of time and the flavors meld in the fridge over night. It freezes well and tastes good cold right out of the fridge on toasted French bread. It is a basic French provincial dish that is so easy to make and uses the basic vegetables from your garden. Eggplant, yellow and zucchini squash, peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic in rich olive oil and herbs. It cooks slowly in its own juices and its fragrance permeates the whole house!

Ratatouille

1 large one two small eggplant cubed

5-6 fresh tomatoes cubed

3 zucchini squash cubed

3 crookneck squash cubed

1 red and green bell pepper cored and cubed

1 large yellow onion peeled and chopped

10 cloves of garlic minced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp tarragon

1 tablespoon salt

1 tsp pepper

Remember to never cover the pan while it cooks or it will disintegrate into mush.

Let it cook slowly up to an hour and if you do it right you never have to add fluid

This dish also cans and freezes well so you can stock up for the winter.

I hope you try this peasant dish and you may learn to like eggplant as well.

Blessings from Helene Gentili’s kitchen at Botanica West!