Ratatouille

Today was a shovel snow and then go to work at home day.  We decided the easiest way to cope with dinner was to make our "standard" "go to"  foods- which consist of ratatouille and polenta.  We also happened to have ribs in the freezer (from a buy one get one free deal two weeks ago)... so- we threw the ribs in the crockpot this morning with a bunch of seasonings rubbed on and a can of coke thrown in for good measure.  It worked-- not spectacularly-- but it was good for sure.  Then tonight made ratatouille with a lot of balsamic thrown on at the end. Yum.  One lesson learned in the making of our meal was that we like the Goya brand of corn meal and really hated the brand we had picked up last time.  So-- next time-- back to Goya it is!
here's how we did the ratatouille adapted from Tyler Florence's Ultimate ratatouille

Ingredients:
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup evoo
1 small eggplant cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb zucchini and yellow squash cut into 1 inch sections
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
leaves from 1/2 bunch basil coarsely chopped
4 fresh thyme sprigs or a little dried if you don't have fresh
1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

line a bowl or platter with paper towels.  Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the eggplant, season generously with salt and pepper.  cook down for 10-12 minutes.  Move the eggplant out of the pan onto the platter to drain. Cook the zucchini and squash together the same way in 1/4 cup oil, then add it to the eggplant.

Add another 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan, then onions garlic and herbs cook for 5-7 minutes at least until onions are carmelized.  Add the tomatoes and cook for 10-12 minutes until pulpy.  Return the veggies to the pan and then season with salt and pepper. Let cook for about 20 minutes until the mixture is soft, mushy and juicy.  Then stir in the vinegar-- can be served at room temperature or warm.


That's all for now... off to work a little more into the evening.  And find something for dessert (I'm imagining hot chocolate in an hour or two).