By my apartment, we have this permanent hole-in-the-wall farmers market that I’ve raved about on my page about where to find cheap groceries in the city. It’s amazing, and so much cheaper than buying produce from the store – or even the farmers markets that pop up closer to the weekend (like the one at Union Square. that one is not cheap, folks) The only problem is, I tend to get excited and I buy vegetables and produce that I don’t need. I think to myself, “oh, I’ll definitely figure out something to make with that. mmm I love eggplant; i’m gonna grab one of those etc. etc”
Until I come home with a bag of produce that ends up sitting on our kitchen mantle for several days, untouched. Luckily this time I happened to have all of the ingredients I needed to make ratatouille, which was one of the first things we learned how to make in culinary school. Ratatouille is very easy to make, however, the varying textures, colors and cooking times of each vegetable requires them all to be cooked separately. It can be tedious, but you end up with a delicious and healthy dish that can be paired with almost anything. I have been eating mine with the delicious garlic sausage from Tra Joe’s – which was actually recommended to me by my lovely roommate and college bestie, Alyssa, whom you will be hearing a lot more about in future posts (guest post pending, right Alyssa?)
- 1½ cups orzo
- 1 eggplant, cut into 1½ inch cubes
- 2 roma tomatoes, peeled
- 1 red red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 spanish onion
- 3 handfuls of fresh julienned spinach
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 cup shaved parmesan
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Peeling the tomatoes: Bring a small pot of water to a light boil and have a bowl of ice water ready on the side.
- On the side of the tomato that does not have an indentation, cut an X ⅔ of the way through the tomato. On the other side where the stem used to be, core the center as you would a strawberry, making sure not cut too deeply into the tomato.
- Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for about a minute, max. When the skin looks slightly loose, remove tomatoes and immediately place them in the ice water. After about 5 minutes in the bath, gently remove the skin and set aside to dry.
- In either a sauté pan or medium sauce pot, cook the orzo according to the instructions on the box or bag.
- Chop all of your vegetables (including the peeled tomatoes) to roughly 1.5 inch squares or cubes so that they are all uniform; making sure to keep them separate either in bowls or on your chopping board.
- In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add a teaspoon of olive oil and your onions. Sweat until tender but have not changed in color and season lightly with salt. Add the chopped garlic and cook until aromatic. Pour the cooked onions and garlic into a large mixing bowl.
- Do this same process for all of your vegetables, allowing some color for the peppers and eggplant. Remember to season as you go.
- In bowl of your cooked vegetables, add the orzo, feta, half of the parmesan, oregano, and pepper. Toss well and pour into a large casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the top of the dish with the rest of the parmesan, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
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