Anne’s Ratatouille from Sarzeau, France
Ingredients
Ingredients:
Olive oil (the good, spendy kind)
1 or 2 big onions, roughly sliced
1 lb of tomatoes (fresh and ripe)
1 egg plant (peeled and chopped in dices)
2 zucchini (peeled and chopped in dices)
2 soft peppers (red are the best), chopped in thin slices
Instructions
Directions:
In a deep frying pan, at medium heat, drop olive oil to cover bottom of pan.
Sauté the onions for 5 minutes, then push aside to edge of pan.
Sauté peppers, stir, push aside.
Add egg plant, cook 5 minutes.
Add zucchini, cook 5 minutes.
Stir together all the ingredients; add the chopped tomatoes.
Add salt and pepper; let cook for 20 minutes.
If there is too much juice from the tomatoes, remove and keep in a jar for topping breakfast eggs.
After the 20 minutes is up, float walleye filets on top of ratatouille. (Trout works, too.)
Cook fillets for no longer than 5 minutes. Do not flip; they will cook through.
Set entire pan on the table and let your guests dig in.
Bon Appetit!
Notes
This recipe is from the wife of one my college professors, Dr. David Clarke. His wife, Anne, grew up in the south of France. Her father was a French Naval cook, and he taught Anne how to cook. Their motto for cooking is “Fresh food, freshly prepared.”