Happy Fall - celebrate with Ratatouille!

Rumor has it, it's the first day of Fall!!! To celebrate, I thought I'd share with you the most seasonal food I can think of:

Ratatouille!

(PS, if you are looking for a breakfast concoction instead to celebrate, try my Italian Ham and Egg Cups!)

Before this year I had never made it before...but we joined a CSA (if you are in the Austin area, it's Johnson's Backyard Garden), and this was the year of the eggplant. I was looking for ideas for eggplant, and remembered this dish.

I've made it at least once a week this season, and at least where we live, the vegetables are perfectly in season for this.

I'll give you a general idea of how I make it, since I consider cooking to not be so much recipes, as it is a basic idea that you can manipulate to meet your needs.

Autumn Ratatouille

Gather your produce - anything that roasts well is fair game. 

Here's a list of the veggies I have thrown in - Note: I make it all into about 1" chunks. You want maybe 8-10 cups of raw veggies total. Things with a * I consider essential to making the flavor add up right. Everything else is interchangeable.

Produce

Okra - sliced lengthwise or in rounds (I like rounds better)

Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Eggplant - peeled

Squash - Zucchini, Yellow Squash, any summer squash
Squash - winter - butternut or acorn

Beets

*1 medium onion, your color choice

*Peppers - I usually use about the equivalent of 4 large bell peppers (mine are never bells, local random peppers)

*Garlic -  about a tablespoon, chopped

*Tomatoes - 2-3 medium or large ones. 

Thyme

Basil

Lemons

Other stuff -

Olive oil

salt and pepper

sometimes I season with other spices/herbs - curry being a favorite.

large pan - I use a large lasagna pan, but a deep 9x13 would work well.

Process:

Heat over to 425 F.

Throw some oil in the pan you'll be roasting in.  Maybe 4 tablespoons worth. I never measure.  

Toss in all the veggies you have already chopped, including the garlic and herbs.

Pour more oil over the tops of your chopped veg, and season with salt and pepper.

Do not cover the veg. You want the water to evaporate out while you are cooking.

Roast uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, and take the pan out to stir the veg.  It should start smelling heavenly.

Put back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes.  You want to see a little bit of browning on top, not burning.

 The pan edges always get burnt on veggies, but they're really just caramelized and tasty.

To serve, I put each serving in a bowl and dust with fresh grated parmesan-reggiano and add a spring of fresh basil.

For us, this is a meal in itself, with some crusty, chewy bread. So good for you, simple, and the oven will certainly warm the kitchen on a cool day for you.

Happy Fall from Jess @ Tupelo Creative!