Ratatouille

Here is a recipe that is both beautiful and delicious! 


Ingredients:

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
eggplant 
zucchini
yellow squash
red bell pepper
1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper


Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Mix tomato puree, sliced garlic, chopped onion, a tablespoon olive oil, and about 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour into bottom of a baking dish, approximately 10 inches across. A circular pie pan or oval shaped dish works great!

3. Thinly slice eggplant, zucchini, squash, and red pepper into circular disks. Aim for 1/8 inch slices or smaller, 1/16 is ideal. 

Note: If at all possible, it would be ideal to get vegetables that have approximately the same diameter. We were forced to get a gigantic eggplant because there were only 3 to choose from. We worked around our eggplant issues by quartering some of the slices, but the red pepper was also awkwardly large. Its doable, just perhaps does not look quite as pretty. 

4. Place vegetable slices on top of the tomato sauce. Alternate vegetable slices so as to create a variety in color and flavor. 

5. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle about a half teaspoon each of salt and pepper and the thyme evenly on top of the vegetables. 

6. Cover the dish securely with either aluminum foil or parchment paper and place in the oven. Cook 45 minutes to an hour, or until vegetables are slightly brown at edges and soft.