Ratatouille (thing)

A vegetable stew from Provence, usually featuring eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, and herbs. Served hot or cold.

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The following is not a traditional ratatouille recipe by any means, but it's both delicious and filling:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp herbes de provence
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium eggplant, diced
• 1 large tomato, pureed (or 1 15 oz. can of diced tomato)
• 20-25 sun dried tomato halves, cut into bits
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (chick-peas)
• 1 cup sliced and pitted black olives
• 1.5 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
• dash of hot sauce

Heat the oil, toss in the onion, garlic, and spices. Simmer until the onion is translucent. Add the bell pepper and eggplant and cook for 3 minutes, stirring well. Add the tomato puree, sun dried tomatoes, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then stir and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini, chickpeas, olives, mushrooms. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
Combine the white wine and cornstarch in a measuring cup, and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the mixture to the vegetables and stir well. Add hot sauce to taste (although traditional ratatouille is not a hot and spicy dish). Serve with crusty bread, or over couscous or rice.

Adapted from a recipe in Vicki Rae Chelf's Arrowhead Mills Cookbook, Penguin Putnam, 1993.