Ratatouille

RATATOUILLE

Ratatouille is the quintessential summer dish.  Organic squash are easy to find in the farmer’s markets and stores in August as are organic tomatoes and herbs.  If you have a tiny bit of land, the patty pan squash and the herbs used here are easy to grow (especially oregano and Italian parsley). Oregano is very cold tolerant and Italian parsley sometimes reseeds itself. Rosemary is nice to have over the winter in the house and is also good dried. The problem with ratatouille is that unless you somehow separately cook small batches of squash and tomato, the mixture basically turns into soup.  By the time it is reduced you have cooked the squash too long.  Here is my solution.  I layer the ingredients with capers preserved in sea salt – placing herbs on each layer.  I bought a huge bag of the capers - so in the end they were inexpensive and last forever. I then leave the layered dish in the fridge for at least a day, drain the liquid into a sauce pan and cook it separately from the vegetables.  Use any herbs, squash/vegetables and tomatoes that you desire.  This recipe is for a small batch, but  I often make a large batch and then freeze some.  Use my slow roasted tomatoes instead of fresh and you won’t have to buy tomato paste – see my next blog post!!!

Ingredients: 

•           3 medium squash (zucchini, summer squash, etc.)
•           1 large onion
•            4 medium tomatoes
•            less than 1/4 cup sea salt preserved capers
•          2 bunches of herbs (e.g. parsley,  rosemary).
•          2 to 4 tablespoons organic olive oil
•          1/2 to 1 7 oz. glass jar of organic tomato paste
•        1 to 2 cloves crushed garlic

Approximately 1 part onion to 3 parts squash and tomato.  For this recipe I used 3 medium patty pan squash, 1 large onion, and 4 medium tomatoes.  I used less than ¼ cup of capers preserved in sea salt (about a teaspoon per layer) and several bunches of herbs (parsley, oregano, basil, rosemary etc.).  The capers were not organic - I bought them in bulk at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, MA.  I sometimes use winter squash but cut it thinner (1/8 inch slices) than the summer squash.  One may also use eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, black olives and green beans of course.  One half to one glass container (7 oz.) of organic tomato paste – metal cans may contain BPA and the acidity of the tomatoes may leach out more BPA (see http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130819162639.htm) than other foods.  Organic olive oil for cooking the squash/tomato/onion mixture (I use organic olive oil from Costco).  Organic garlic – one or two cloves.

Prep and Cooking:
- Cut the squash into ¼ inch slices, and slice the onions into 1/8 to ¼ inch slices – if onions are large then cut them into half or quarters before slicing. 

-Place a layer of onion and tomato in a nonreactive casserole dish or bowl, then place either salt or salted capers (less than a teaspoon of capers on each layer).


 -Place herbs on top, place a  layer of squash on top of the capers and herbs and put  another layer of capers and herbs, then onion, tomato,  capers and herbs, and so on until the dish is full. 

- Place a lid or wrap on top of the bowl and refrigerate for at least a day. I use a layer of parchment paper and a small plate on top.


- The next day drain the liquid into a saucepan, bring to a simmer, add crushed garlic and reduce it for 3 minutes.  Add ½ to 1 glass jar of organic tomato paste.

- Sauté the vegetables in batches on medium high heat using a little olive oil until they are almost cooked (almost translucent and until some are caramelized).   I cooked these in 2 batches.  Adjust the salt.

About Saving Dragonfiles

ON SAVING DRAGONFLIES – This blog is my attempt to communicate what I’ve learned while trying to eat sustainable organic and local food.   

I never thought much about how food was grown until I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.  It changed my life and how I think about food.  His books and subsequent reading made me angry – about what they do to food these days.  It just seems to lack common sense.

Organic Food Around Cambridge - Boston in the Summer:  We would often visit Hutchins Farm in Concord, MA on the weekend after walking at Punkatasset and Saw Mill Brook or Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.  Hutchins is exceptional in its abundance and diversity of organic produce.  Another great place to get organic produce is the Blue Heron Farm in Lincoln.  It is a beautiful place and not very far from Boston. Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge carries some really interesting organic vegetables and fruits. Cambridge and Boston both have Whole Food and Trader Joe’s markets. 

Organic Food Around Franklin, PA in the Summer:  I grew up here.  The farmer’s market, especially on Saturday has some great produce.  You must ask if they use fertilizers and pesticides – here people do not generally get certified because of the expense and paperwork.   My favorite vendor in Franklin is the Bend Farm.  This farm was started by a chef and his wife -- they have fabulous produce and sometimes sell organic olive oil and chicken.  They also sometimes have wild chanterelle mushrooms.  There is a stand every other week - Robyn’s Nest - where an artist sells small hand painted objects but also sells wild produce (like ramps) and jams made from wild berries.  I bought wild dandelion glaze and wild violet jam from her --- we just love her stand. Chatley’s Greenhouse claims to not use pesticides and they have beautiful produce.  The owner gave me a chestnut tree for free once.  I ask the farmers how they grow things and have on occasion had them save me some produce that they grew without chemicals even if most of their produce was grown conventionally.  My family buys beef in bulk from a certified organic farm, Ron Gargasz Organic Farms.   Ron Gargasz is an organic chemist and also taught at a local college as a key member in founding a Sustainable Systems graduate program.   If you ever visit his farm, you will see that his whole way of life is literally built on the principle of sustainability.