Ratatouille

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 ea Italian squash, ends cut off, not peeled and sliced crosswise
1 ea Egg plant, see below for preparation
4 ea Medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 ea Onion, cut in half and diced
1 ea Clove garlic, crushed
1 can Tomatoes, 28 ounce can, chopped
½ tsp Lemon & herb or lemon & pepper (Spice rack in your local grocery store)
½ tsp Sweet basil or marjoram, fresh is best for this, but the dried will work (Double the amount if using fresh)
2 Tbsp Wine or water
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Peel the egg plant and slice into 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Salt all sides of the egg plant and set it in a strainer for ½ hour. When ready to use it, rinse with water and drain for a minute. Stack the slices and cut them into ½ inch cubes. Put the egg plant back into the strainer to drain until you are going to add them to the dish.

Place the oil in a warm frying or sautè pan on medium low heat. Add the diced onion, garlic and stir. Sautè the onion for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is clear. Turn the heat to medium and add the Italian squash, egg plant, Lemon & herb spice and Sweet basil and stir. Add the wine, stir and continue to sautè for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and potatoes to the vegetables, stir and cover. Let simmer on a low fire until the Italian squash and potatoes are tender, or about 1/2 hour. Add the salt and pepper, stir to mix and serve hot as a vegetable side dish.

SIMILAR OPTIONAL SIDE DISH:

SAVORY VEGETABLE STIR FRY

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive oil
5 ea Red potatoes
4 ea zucchini
2 ea Stalks of celery
1 ½ ea Onion
1 ea Garlic clove
2 ea Carrots
2 ea Large fresh tomatoes
1 ea 15 ounce can tomatoes
1 pkg Fresh sweet basil (If using dried, use 1 teaspoon)
1 ea 7 ounce can of Herdez salsa, or your favorite brand
Pepper and salt to taste

Scrub the potatoes, cut out the bad spots, cut them into quarters and put them in water to cover and set aside. Cut the ends off of the zucchini, and slice them. Do not peel the zucchini. Set aside. Clean the celery and cut off any bad ends. Slice into one inch chunks. Set aside. Peel and dice the onion. Set aside. Peel and crush the garlic Cut the ends off of the carrots, peel and slice them. Core, peel and dice the tomatoes into ½ cubes.

Directions

Heat a pan over medium low heat and add the oil. Add the onions and garlic and saute them until the onion is translucent. Add the zucchini, celery, carrots and potatoes and stir. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, basil and the Herdez. Stir, bring the heat up until the pot simmers, put a lid on the pot and simmer until all of the veggies are done, about twenty five minutes. Add the salt and pepper, stir to mix and serve hot as a side dish.

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