Tag: tomatoes

Rich Italian Ragu

Rich Italian Ragu

So what is ragu? When I’m talking about ragu, I don’t mean the pasta sauce brand. I mean the real thing; a rich sauce from Italy, full of meat and vegetables that have been cooked down into pure fat and flavor. When you taste this 

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes

Is there anything more Southern than fried green tomatoes? If you’re wondering why you would bother frying them in the first place, the answer is because they’re dang good. The second answer is because they don’t fall apart as easily as ripe tomatoes, and most 

Remy’s Ratatouille

Remy’s Ratatouille

Okay, so there are two kinds of ratatouille. There’s the pretty kind, as seen is Disney’s Ratatouille, and then there’s the sloppy kind, where you just throw everything in all together. This is the pretty kind: Remy’s ratatouille.

Image result for disney ratatouille
It doesn’t look quite that pretty, but that’s obviously a movie. 

Surprisingly, Remy’s ratatouille isn’t that hard. You just take some gorgeous summer vegetables, make a quick sauce, and layer the vegetables on top before baking. This is an ideal summer weeknight dinner, especially if your neighbors won’t stop giving you zucchini. I hope you like it!

Ingredients

  • 3 large tomatoes, diced
  • 2 zucchini (preferably one yellow and one green)
  • 1 eggplant (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons basil
  • 2 tablespoons thyme
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

First, make the sauce. Saute the onions until translucent. Stir in the tomatoes and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce begins to reduce. Add the basil, and remove from heat.

Next, preheat the oven to 350 F. Slice the zucchinis (and eggplant, if using) into slim rounds. (You will want each of these rounds to be about the same size, so slice from the middle of the zucchini.)

Pour the sauce into the bottom of your serving dish. Arrange the vegetables on in curving layers on top, alternating colors. (See example below.) Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary.

remy's ratatouille

Finally, bake the ratatouille at 350 F for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Serve warm, with a side of crusty bread to soak up the juices. Enjoy!

Quick Jambalaya

Quick Jambalaya

Jambalaya should be everyone’s go-to comfort food. Hear me out: it’s quick, easy, not unhealthy, and pretty impressive to people who have never had it before. This sausage and rice dish is relatively cheap to make (especially if you don’t add shrimp, which I usually