Chef Jamie’s Fall Vegetable Ratatouille

Fall Vegetable Ratatouille

Chef Jamie says: This Mediterranean vegetable stew originated in the area around present day Nice. The word Ratatouille comes from "touiller”, which means to toss and it was originally a poor farmer's dish, prepared with fresh summer vegetables. It is the perfect one-pot family meal, vegetarian entrée or side dish.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
One 3/4-pound eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, and cut into thin slices
2 yellow crookneck squash, cut into slices
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
Parmesan cheese wedge
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and sauté until tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes more.
Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Increase the heat slightly and add the eggplant.
Sauté until the eggplant is softened, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the zucchini, yellow squash and the bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes more.
Stir in the tomatoes, season the ratatouille and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the oregano and basil, adjust the seasoning and serve with ribbons of Parmesan cheese on top.

Jamie Gwen is a Celebrity Chef, Certified Sommelier, Lifestyle Expert and four-time Cookbook Author.For the past 13 years, she has brought the best to radio with her weekly Live Radio Show filled with delicious conversation, heard every Sunday from 8:00am to 10:00am on KFWB News Talk 980 in Southern California and heard worldwide on iTunes and the Internet.

Jamie can also be heard on Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius/XM and she can be seen stirring up something delicious on television shows and in print nationwide.

Jamie’s most recent cookbook entitled “Good Food For Good Times 2” is now available as an eBook and has been featured on Emeril Live, Martha Stewart and QVC. She is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and her website, www.chefjamie.com, is a scrumptious resource for food lovers everywhere.

Recipe Courtesy of Jamie Gwen, 2012
www.chefjamie.com