Ratatouille Mixed Baked Vegetables Camp style

Ratatouille in my book is a cross between baked vegetables and a vegetable stew and is perfect for any season of the year! I was just bursting to use my Dream Pot again. I do take it into the house kitchen, but I just don't use it anywhere near as much other than for homemade soups & casseroles. So this is a great recipe to crack the drought with.

Yummy & Helathy Ratatouille

Ratatouille is usually made with vegetables and herbs with no meat or meat broth added. There is nothing complicated about it other than learning the spelling!

Ratatouille Recipe

1 splash of olive oil
3 cloves of chopped garlic.
1 small handful of coarsely chopped celery.
1 small handful of coarsely chopped onion.
1 small handful of coarsely chopped leek.
2 chopped green onions
1 zucchini cut into large bite size pieces
1 yellow squash cut into large bite size pieces
1 long Chinese purple eggplant cut into large bite size pieces
2 coarsely chopped plum tomatoes.
1 capsicum cut into large bite size pieces
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
2 cups vegetable stock (Approx only)
2 tablespoons of tomato puree.


 HERBS
3 pinches of thyme.
1 bay leaf.
1 pinch of oregano.
2 pinches of marjoram.
2 pinches of tarragon leaf.
6 chopped fresh basil leaves.

1 pinch of rubbed sage.
1 pinch of cayenne pepper.
1 pinch of paprika.
3 pinches of chopped Italian parsley.
Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Method

1. Heat a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add oil and garlic and saute gently until it becomes a golden color.
2. Add the celery, onions & leek. Saute and stir, till the onions turn clear and translucent.
3. Add 1 zucchini, squash, eggplant, tomatoes & capsicum. Saute the vegetables, till they just start to become tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the herbs & continue to stir the stew.
5. Add just enough vegetable broth to almost cover the vegetables. (The stock should be about 1/2" less the level of vegetables.)
6. Add the tomato puree & bring the stew to a gentle boil.
7. Move to the inner pot of the Dream Pot
8. Gentle stir the stew occasionally.
9. The ratatouille should be ready after 2 hours. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Note: Try not to overcook the vegetables! The vegetables should be cooked tender, but not mushy. The slight loss of color should not be of first importance in a rustic style ratatouille. It is the flavor and texture of a rustic ratatouille that counts!