Ratatouille Stew

Jake McDaniel from Local’s Underground suggests this delicious way to use up the endless bounty of summer squash. Instead of carefully layering ratatouille, dump everything into a pot to create this simple, tasty recipe.

Ingredients & Materials

• Large Stew Pot

• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

• 1 Head of Garlic*

• 1 large Sweet Onion* (yellow or red)

• 2 lbs of Zucchini*

• 2 lbs of Yellow Squash*

• 2 lbs of Eggplant* (*I don’t recommend peeling the eggplant, unless the skin is powerfully bitter and astringent… unlikely if you buy local.)

• 1 Tbsp. of Salt

• 2 lbs of Tomatoes*

• 1 Tbsp freshly chopped Basil*

• 1 Tbsp freshly picked Oregano

*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market

Method

1. Begin by washing your veg. and peeling the garlic cloves and onion.

2. Set your Stew-Pot on an oven burner and set to medium heat (medium-low if you use a gas oven). Prepare your garlic/onion while the pot warms.

3. Dice the onion and coarsely chop the garlic cloves. Add the olive oil to the pot, followed by the cut-up garlic and onion. (If your oil smokes or your garlic and onion are sizzling aggressively then the pot is too hot: remove the pot from heat, lower temp, and don’t return pot to heat until after the next step.)

4. Coarsely chop and dice the zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant into large, but still bitesize, pieces. Add these to the pot once your onion has begun to become translucent. Also add the salt and mix well. Cover and let it all simmer together for about 30 minutes. 

5. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot after the first 30-minute simmer. 

• Turn up the heat to medium-high. Stir, cover, and allow 30 more minutes of simmering. (if using dry herbs add them now and use 1 ½ teaspoon not 1 Tbsp.)

6. During the final 15 min of simmering add your fresh herbs.

7. After simmering your stew is ready to serve! Please taste and adjust salt to your liking. 

8. Serve simply with slices of buttered crusty bread or cornbread.

9. Variation Ideas: 

• Add a diced hot pepper along with the garlic/onion for some summer spice. 

• Add ground black pepper or a chili powder when you add the tomatoes.

• Leftovers? I like to reheat leftovers as an omelet filling and garnish with parsley.