I know that I have been terrible about keeping this thing updated. I have not been partaking of healthy meals as of late, removing the "abstemious" bit from the equation almost entirely. However, I have made a few meals worth noting that could be considered gourmand without being full of cheese and butter, one of which is a ratatouille. I made this with my friend Matt, who also has an affinity for food and cooking (but unlike me does not eat meat). The following recipe and pictures were not taken on this occasion. I had an insatiable craving for it a few days later and whipped up another batch with a few revisions.
What you'll need:
One large eggplant
Two large or four small summer squashes
Two zucchinis
Three bell peppers (I like one each of red, yellow and orange)
One head of garlic
One can of diced tomatoes *
One can of tomato sauce*
Two tablespoons of tomato paste
About 2 tablespoons of olive oil
*You can eliminate these two and use four small or two large tomatoes and their juice, but I find that the canned tomatoes lend the dish a more concentrated tomato flavor and make a more consistent sauce.
Preheat your oven to 375. Cut all the vegetables into large pieces - I halve the peppers, slice the eggplant into inch rounds and quarter the zucchini and squash. Cut the top off the head of garlic and place it on a square of tinfoil on a sheet pan. Arrange the rest of the vegetables around it on the pan, in a single layer. Drizzle everything with a generous amount of olive oil and fold the tinfoil around the garlic to make a little pouch. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and roast everything for 30-40 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes, if you are so inclined. Bring to a low simmer.
When vegetables are done roasting, squeeze the cloves of garlic from their paper (they should be the consistency of a paste) into the pan of tomato sauce. Dice the vegetables on the pan they cooked on and add all the veggies and their juices/olive oil runoff to the pan of tomato sauce. Stir to coat vegetables and let everything heat through.
I like to serve this dish over polenta. The polenta I used was pre-made and I had only to slice it into rounds, but you can also make and mold your own. I fried the polenta lightly on each side with olive oil.
The finished product is hearty, satisfying and even better the next day. It is also extremely customizable to whatever vegetables you have on hand, and great for using up bits and pieces.
