Walking through the aisles of the farmer's market these days is like walking through the best candy store in the world (which for me would be Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC). With so many vegetables now at peak season it is nothing short of a heart racing, head spinning, wide-eyed, weak in the knees, can't decide what to choose experience.
Albert Einstein once wrote 'Everything is determined by forces over which we no control. It is determined for the insect as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust-we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.' The richness of a ratatouille served on a grilled slice of a baguette lightly brushed with olive oil along with a schmear of homemade ricotta will have you dancing. The savoriness of tomatoes, red bell peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant and garlic slowly caramelized and seasoned with only coarse salt, herbs de Provence and sherry vinegar pays homage to summer's bounty. Borrowing from philosopher Aristotle a well-made ratatouille can simply be described as a dish whose 'whole is greater than the sum of its parts'.
Ratatouille is a humble, elegant, sophisticated, traditional Provencal dish using vegetables at the height of their ripeness. Culinary credit for the creation of ratatouille is attributed to 18th century peasants living and working the land in present day Nice, France. Variations to the vegetables used as well as in the ways in which they are prepared (ranging from perfect thinly sliced vegetables artfully arranged in a casserole to chunks of vegetables simply served in a dish) have occurred over the years. Early forms of ratatouille were made with tomatoes, onions and bell peppers, however, the number of vegetables in this dish have increased to include zucchini and eggplant. The marriage of all of the vegetables is pure bliss.
After listening to one of my friend's husband sing the praises of Shun knives I decided I would buy one of them. To make the dicing of the onion, red bell pepper, zucchini, roma tomatoes and eggplant easier, I decided to use my Shun knife. Several Band-Aids later, I had perfectly diced vegetables. The cuts to my fingers weren't serious, only visible reminders of how incredibly sharp this knife is. Still retaining some of my competitiveness, this knife may have won this round. But with all of this dicing experience in the preparation of the ratatouille I am pretty confident the knife's winning days are over.
What matters just as much as using the freshest vegetables you can find is the pot you use to make the ratatouille. In order to ensure the vegetables cook slowly without browning, a large heavy pot is needed. If you have not yet invested in a large cast iron enamel pot, I want you to know it will be one of the worthiest investments you make (and one without having the ability to cause you bodily harm). Buy one at full-price or on sale, look for them at estate or tag sales, or put them on the top of your birthday or Christmas wish list. I promise you will not only find it to be incredibly versatile, it will help to create an amazing, can't stop eating ratatouille.
The flavors of the ratatouille is further elevated (if that is really possible) when it is allowed to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. To serve at room temperature, allow the dish to sit out at least one hour before serving. Or if you want to serve the ratatouille warm, you can reheat on a low power setting in the microwave or low heat on the stove.
Last week I thought a perfect meal starter would be a platter of Marinated Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato Salad, this week I am thinking it's a Ratatouille Crostini. Served warm or at room temperature along with some homemade ricotta or softened goat cheese and a glass of chilled white wine, it may become your signature summer's bounty signature dish. Even the carnivores sitting around the table won't be in any hurry for the 'meat' dish to be served.
Ratatouille Crostini (ever so slight adaptation of Buvette's recipe for Ratatouille)
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small sweet or yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
3 plum tomatoes, 1/2 inch dice
1 red or orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large or 2 small eggplants, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 zucchini, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch dice (do not peel)
Pinch of Aleppo pepper (or can use red chili flakes)
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
Kosher salt
Baguette, lightly brushed with extra-virgin oil then grilled
Homemade ricotta or softened goat cheese
Directions
1. Pour extra-virgin olive oil into large, heavy pot. Turn heat on to medium.
2. Add onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic and pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables begin to soften (approximately 10 minutes). Note: Heat should be high enough to keep vegetables cooking, but not so high as they begin to brown. They should be sweating.
3. Add eggplant and another pinch of kosher salt. Cook until eggplant begins to soften (approximately 10 minutes).
4. Add zucchini, pinch of Aleppo pepper and herbes de Provence. Stir and cook for 15 minutes or until all vegetables are wonderfully soft. Note: If mixture is looking a little dry and/or sticking, add another tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil while cooking.
5. Stir in sherry vinegar and season with additional salt, if needed.
6. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.
Serving suggestions: Serve with a sliced baguette brushed lightly with olive oil and grilled along with either homemade ricotta or softened goat cheese; Serve with a poached egg over warmed ratatouille; Serve with a fresh baguette along with either homemade ricotta or softened goat cheese; Use as a filling for a sandwich and/or omelette.
At dinner with friends this week, I was surprised to learn one of them had raised a couple of sheep. Some mothers get involved with their children's science projects and others become completely invested in their 4-H projects. This friend was the second kind of mother. She had us laughing as she described milking them, feeding them, bringing them to fairs for showings, having them sheered, and helping them deliver their babies. My living on a working farm fantasies always included having some hands-on animal experiences, but they never included helping to deliver their babies. Needless to say I was in awe of my friend's fearlessness and bravery.
As she shared her stories two thoughts immediately came to mind. The first was 'I would do (almost) anything short of milking sheep myself to get some fresh sheep's milk to make homemade ricotta'. The second was remembering my childhood best friend's visit last year when I lived in the farmhouse on the east coast. Early one morning as we went over to see some of the animals being raised by one of my neighbors, she said 'look at those goats'. Only they weren't goats, they were black faced sheep. Needless to say I am thankful we have been friends for such a long time because I couldn't stop laughing. That memory along with the photos taken that day not only continue to make me laugh, it reaffirms my belief that an enduring, great friendship is always made better when it continues to be filled with memories.
