Bradley's Summer Garden Ratatouille

The other day I stopped by my friend Bradley Tuck’s place for a little visit. Bradley is a freelance food and travel writer (whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with), as well as an incredible gardener and landscaper. Just talking to him for five minutes about his own garden will inspire you to grow your own. He’s got an cornucopia growing right in his backyard — heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, basil, beans, cabbage, bell peppers, jalepenos, acorn squash, cantaloupes, raspberries, rhubarb, mint and more. As summer winds down and the heat gives way to cool autumn breezes, Bradley will switch to cool season crops: lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, carrots, winter beans, English peas, butternut squashes and the like.

I had the pleasure of spending a lazy afternoon in Bradley’s garden, picking ripe summer vegetables and grilling them for a simple outdoor lunch. He was kind enough to send me home with a grocery bag full of goodies, including sweet yellow zucchini, tart green tomatoes, zesty yellow pear tomatoes, basil and my favorite, doughboy eggplant. Bradley said that eggplants were originally white — hence the name “egg”plant — but that later breeds of purple became popular and eventually dominated the market. Same with carrots: they were originally beet colored until the Royal Family of the Netherlands — the House of Orange — decreed that all carrots should be bred to be orange.

I transformed this bounty into a colorful ratatouille for dinner. Here is my recipe for this summer-centric dish, which you can easily freeze and save for the California “winter.”

Serves 6

The best part about this dish is its flexibility — there are a myriad of ways to cook a ratatouille, so long as you have the main ingredients: tomato, zucchini (courgettes) and eggplants (aubergine). And while there are different schools of thought as to how to make one, mine is a simple stew that can be ready in 30 minutes, or simmered for a long time for a richer, more flavorful dish. Serve it as a side dish or on its own accompanied by your favorite starch: crusty French bread, rice or pasta.

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large eggplant, chopped into 1-inch pieces and sprinkled with salt
1 small onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 small zucchinis, one yellow and one green, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 bell peppers, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/2 c cherry, grape or pear tomatoes, halved
2-3 small heirloom tomatoes
2 c Roma tomatoes
3 T Fresh basil leaves, chopped
Bay leaf
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1. Score an “X” with your knife across the bottom of the fresh heirloom and Roma tomatoes (if fresh). Blanch them in boiling water for approximately 30 seconds, then remove and stick in ice water to stop the cooking. Peel the skin off of the tomatoes. Chop the heirlooms into 1-inch pieces. Dice or puree the Roma tomatoes. (I cheated and used a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes — works just fine.)

2. Heat approximately 2 T olive oil in a deep saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add garlic and stir until it starts to color slightly — do not let it go brown. Add the eggplant. Saute the eggplant until it begins to brown and has soaked up most of the oil, about 1-2 minutes. Add the onions and saute for 3-5 minutes until translucent. The eggplant will start to become translucent as well.

3. Add the zucchini and bell peppers, then season entire mixture with salt and pepper. Saute for 1-2 minutes until they start to brown. If you are in a hurry, add 1 teaspoon of water to the mixture, then cover it for 1-2 minutes to allow the vegetables to steam cook, then uncover.

4. Add the cherry and heirloom tomatoes, then add the Roma tomatoes. Stir mixture until coated with the tomato puree. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Stir in bay leaf and most of the basil, reserving some for garnish. Cook for another 10 minutes over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally. If you have some time to work with, you can let the mixture simmer on low heat for up to an hour. Remove bay leaf.

5. Garnish ratatouille with fresh basil and Parmigiano Reggiano, then serve with your favorite starch. (I chose a rotini style pasta.) Save all extra ratatouille in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

Side note: Bradley is not only an avid home gardener, but also a talented landscaper who has built incredible gardens for homes around the city. You can see some of his work on his site, bradleysgardens.blogspot.com, or read some of his food writing on 944 and Food GPS.