Recipe: Gene's Ratatouille

Gene’s Ratatouille
The traditional French version of ratatouille requires cooking each ingredient separately…we do it a little different…one pot cooking! This meal can also be made without chorizo or sausage, just account for savory flavorings since no salt or pepper is used in this recipe. From start to finish about 2+ hours. (+/- 45 min prep and 1.5hours cook time)

What you need:
Large stock pot (8qt ?) with cover
Cutting board & sharp knife
About 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil (enough to just coat bottom of pot)
3 small eggplants (the large ones have too many seeds)

Veggies for Ratatouille

3 medium sized zucchini (courgette is another name)
8 oz white cap mushrooms
2 shallots – or one small yellow onion
1 Chorizo (similar in look to a pepperoni)
If you cannot find chorizo, or it’s too expensive, we’ve used loose Italian sausage: cook it into bits and pieces in a frying pan and then transfer it, juices and all, to the stock pot. For the veggie version of this skip this step!
32oz of high quality (preferably organic) tomato sauce (we use Muir Organic Marinara)
Wash all eggplant and zucchini (leave the skin on!) and wipe the mushrooms

Add sliced chorizo to hot oil

Slice chorizo thinly

1. Add the oil to the stock pot
2. Cook medium heat
3. Slice the chorizo very thinly
4. Add the chorizo, or the cooked sausage, to the stock pot
5. Cut the eggplant, skin on, into small cubes After cutting each, place in stock pot and toss all ingredients

Cut Zucchini into small cubes

Cut Eggplant into tiny cubes

6. Add the marinara sauce, give a good but gentle toss and mix well
7. Cut the zucchini, skin on, into small cubes
After cutting each, place in stock pot and toss all ingredients
8. Cut the mushrooms into larger pieces, add to pot and toss.

Shallots sliced thin

Slice Mushrooms

9. Cut the shallots (or small onion), add to pot and toss.
10.Cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours – stirring very often

Gently toss all the ingredients

This will make 8 servings.
Since we are only two, we prepare 3 containers for the

Bon Appetite

freezer for future meals. We serve this with either rice, (German) spatzele, or a pasta. We are always surprised, when all the prices are tallied up, how cheaply we are eating per meal; it’s high quality, nutritious and delicious! Bon Appetite