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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Early Fall Ratatouille

    LAST UPDATED: February 4, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: September 14, 2011 By Toni Dash 10 Comments

    Early Fall Ratatouille

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    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    plate of ratatouille
    When I was growing up my maternal grandparents lived in San Francisco.  They lived on Russian Hill, (the home of Lombard Street, the ‘twistiest street in the world’ for any having visited The City), above Columbus and Bay streets, two blocks from the cable car turnaround station by Fisherman’s Wharf.  A favorite thing to do when we visited them was to board the cable car and take it to the end of the line downtown.  We’d be dumped out at Union Square, the urban mecca of soaring luxe department stores and bustling business people.  We’d walk from there through North Beach, which at the time was exclusively the Italian section of the city, and through Chinatown to arrive back at their flat.
    When I was about 11 I became obsessed with fortune cookie fortunes. On a particular visit that year I bought them everywhere we went, and would gingerly open them, savoring the prophetic wisdom on the little paper within.  I saved every single one.  Mid trip I bought a large bag at a fortune cookie factory in Chinatown on one of our walks and spaced out the opening of the cookies to last the rest of the trip.
    A close up of Fortune cookie
    With all the little fortunes tucked safely away, I had one last cookie I’d saved for the plane ride home.  Brimming with the positive omens in my pocket, I had every confidence each one would come true.  I joyfully opened my last cookie to find this fortune:
    “IGNORE ALL PREVIOUS FORTUNES”
    I repeat.
    “IGNORE ALL PREVIOUS FORTUNES” (insert the soundtrack of cartoon tires screeching to a halt here).
    I would not say it completely robbed me of seeing any magic in the world after that but it did take some big wind out of my fortune-seeking sails.
    eggplant and tomatoes
    So when I selected this mitten-shaped eggplant at my CSA pick up last week I did NOT jump to the conclusion it would definitely be snowing that night but the symbolism did not escape my sense that seasonal change might be afoot.  And truth be told within a few days the temps dropped significantly, signaling fall was on its way.  We are now hearing rumors of our first freeze coming, firmly instilling some cold weather food on my table.
    Full confession?  I have only begun to eat eggplant in the past two years.  Each time I tried to sample it prior I found it so slimy I could not get passed that to even consider the taste.  I’ve since learned how to cook it so it is a favorite vegetable of this time of year. 
    A bowl of Ratatouille
    Along with eggplant I’m bursting at the seams with local, seasonal produce between my Cure Organic Farm CSA share and my own garden.  I cannot keep up.   This dish is the perfect celebration of our late summer/early fall vegetables that are in their prime now.  It is a simple, rustic dish bursting with flavor and great texture (not scary, slimy, I’ll-kill-myself-if-I-have-to-eat-that-stuff texture).  Lots of garlic only highlights the best of all the vegetables while filling your kitchen with the most heavenly aromas it slowly bakes.
    plate of Ratatouille
    EARLY FALL RATATOUILLE
    Pronounced ‘rat-a-two-ee’, you can change this dish up in several ways.  Add other vegetables you have on hand.  Add potatoes.  I used fresh thyme and Mexican oregano (for its citrus overtones) from my garden.  Use any herbs you enjoy.  I wanted this to be rustic and casual so used large, rough chopping.  If you are cooking for a ‘vegetable phobe’, smaller more discrete bites might be good!
    Salting Eggplant:
    There are a variety of opinions about salting eggplant before cooking it.  The intent is to draw out any bitterness, more commonly found in larger eggplant.  I never salt smaller varieties like my beloved Fairy Tale or Twinkle.  Not wishing to leave anything to chance, I do salt larger eggplant.
    1.      Cover sides of sliced eggplant with salt (heavily coated).  Set aside for an hour if possible.
    2.      Rinse the eggplant slices well to remove the salt.  Pat dry with a kitchen (not paper) towel.
    3.      Proceed with recipe preparation.
    salted eggplant
    Ratatouille instructions:
    1.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    2.      Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a heavy casserole dish and rotate the casserole to spread the oil.
    3.       Add all the vegetables, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper into the casserole.  Drizzle remaining two tablespoons of olive oil on the top.
    4.      Place in the heated oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 hour.  During the cooking time, stir the vegetables once or twice so they are sure to cook evenly.
    5.      Garnish with fresh herbs and serve as a side dish or over rice!
    Post Script:  Serving ideas!  When I picked up our weekly CSA share today I mentioned to Farmer Anne Cure that I’d made this Ratatouille with our farm proceeds and from my garden.  Anne commented this is such a versatile dish it can be used in a number of ways:  as a pasta sauce, over risotto, over rice.  I would add over polenta , over a frittata  or even over mashed potatoes.
    plate of Ratatouille

    RATATOUILLE

    Ratatouille is a perfect recipe to enjoy late summer and early fall vegetables. Flavored with fresh herbs.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Eggplant Salting time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
    Servings: 6 side dish servings
    Calories: 168kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 2 pounds eggplant sliced ½ inch thick and salted (see below) then quarter the slices
    • 2 large yellow onions sliced
    • 1 red bell pepper cored, seeded and sliced
    • 1 yellow bell pepper cored seeded and sliced
    • 1 pound zucchini stems removed, cut into chunks
    • 2 -4 tomatoes I used heirlooms from my garden, roughly chopped
    • Fresh thyme and oregano used a few sprigs of each, stripped from the stem
    • 8 Garlic Cloves peeled and roughly chopped
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    Salting Eggplant:

    • Cover sides of sliced eggplant with salt (heavily coated).  Set aside for an hour if possible.
    • Rinse the eggplant slices well to remove the salt.  Pat dry with a kitchen (not paper) towel.
    • Proceed with recipe preparation.

    Ratatouille instructions:

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    • Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a heavy casserole dish and rotate the casserole to spread the oil.
    • Add all the vegetables, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper into the casserole.  Drizzle remaining two tablespoons of olive oil on the top.
    • Place in the heated oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 hour.  During the cooking time, stir the vegetables once or twice so they are sure to cook evenly.
    • Garnish with fresh herbs and serve as a side dish or over rice!

    Notes

    Salting Eggplant

    There are a variety of opinions about salting eggplant before cooking it.  The intent is to draw out any bitterness, more commonly found in larger eggplant.  I never salt smaller varieties like my beloved Fairy Tale or Twinkle.  Not wishing to leave anything to chance, I do salt larger eggplant.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 716mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 847IU | Vitamin C: 84mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Comments

    1. Sarah Catherine says

      September 29, 2011 at 4:53 pm

      5 stars
      Oh how I love fall! Ratatouille sounds really good. I don't ever think I've had it before but my mom used to make something called jumbot that sounds really similar…kind of like take a bunch of veggies and herbs and throw them together in a pot kind of deal. Love it!

      Reply
    2. Sneige says

      September 15, 2011 at 9:16 pm

      Highly delicious! You can never go wrong with these ingredients! Especially aubergine/eggplant.
      So autumn; on my menu next week! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    3. Lea Ann says

      September 15, 2011 at 11:54 am

      Beautiful dish. I've never made Ratatioulle … looks perfect for Fall. And would you please keep that “F” word up in Boulder. I've got too many tomatoes that need to ripen before that happens. 🙂

      Reply
    4. RavieNomNoms says

      September 15, 2011 at 3:42 pm

      This is gorgeous! I really love Ratatouille…the flavors are always so nice around Fall time

      Reply
    5. tartedujour says

      September 15, 2011 at 11:53 am

      Wow… the rich colors! This is a stunning ratatouille. I bet the 'gawker' and the 'spotting' were all over that photo! I adore your story about San Fran memories at your grandparents house. How special!

      Reply
    6. Lizzy says

      September 14, 2011 at 9:28 pm

      Oh, I adore ratatouille….and yours is picture perfect!

      Reply
    7. The Mom Chef says

      September 14, 2011 at 7:18 pm

      You and I have been on the same eggplant track. Even though I grew up with it, being in a Mediterranean family, I never liked it. My reason was more the bitter flavor than the sliminess, but they come from the same place and the salt step cures both ills.

      Anyhow, I love the look and texture of your ratatouille, which I have now come to embrace as well. I like the fact that it's not a mushy blob on the plate but each vegetable is clearly defined. It's gorgeous.

      Reply
    8. Meeling says

      September 15, 2011 at 12:27 am

      Looks awesome…anything with eggplant and tomatoes has to be good!!

      Reply
    9. Cooking with Michele says

      September 14, 2011 at 11:51 pm

      I firmly believe in fortune cookies and have several kept in my desk drawer from over the years! Also, try a splash of balsamic vinegar in your ratatouille – really good!

      Reply
    10. Nikki @ The Tolerant Vegan says

      September 14, 2011 at 6:55 pm

      This is stunning! My favorite thing about fall is ratatouille (and hockey season starting back up)

      Reply

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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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