Recipe: Baked Ratatouille (with or without eggs) - (Craig Claiborne, 1980's)

BAKED RATATOUILLE

This is adapted from the New York Times 60 Minute Gourmet column of about 11 years ago (1980's).

David: "I have found that canned tomatoes (especially the Italian plum tomatoes, crushed) are usually better - and more convenient - than the quality of fresh tomatoes I can find in my stores. Even more convenient, I've found for baked dishes with chopped onions, there is virtually no difference when one uses frozen chopped onions (Ore-Ida makes them). Finally, the precise amounts of ingredients can vary with little difference in the outcome."

It serves four for lunch as a main course, or 6-8 for dinner as a side course. (Or two for dinner with enough left over for someone to have a tasty lunch.)

1 medium-large eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil (extra-virgin would be wasted here - use cheaper kind)
1 small onion, chopped (or about 1 cup frozen chopped)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 (or more!) cloves minced garlic (DON'T use pre-minced from a jar!)
1 (28 oz) can crushed Italian tomatoes (if you use fresh, peel them first)
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp thyme
2 small bay leaves
Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, peel it, and cut it into approximately 1-inch cubes (cut into 1-inch slices lengthwise, stack the slices and cut again lengthwise, and then cut across in 1-inch increments).

Slice the ends off the zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into approximately 3/4-inch half-moons.

Heat the oil in a large skillet (to just below smoking temperature). Saute eggplant and zucchini, stirring, for about 4 minutes.

Add onion and green pepper and saute, stirring, for about another 4-6 minutes.

Add garlic and stir. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper (I like lots of pepper), thyme, and bay leaves. Stir and heat until it begins to boil. Take it off the heat, and scrape the whole mess into a Pyrex baking dish.*

Cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove it, fish out the bay leaves, stir it (to distribute the bay leaf taste evenly), and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese lightly over the top.** Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

I serve it with a good crusty French bread.

This is also good the next day (even not bad cold).

*If you've got a large handsome oven-proof skillet, you don't have to transfer everything to a baking dish.

**TO BAKE WITH EGGS:
Claiborne had another trick, which I usually leave out. After the first 20 minutes in the oven, and after the bay leaves have been removed, he suggests making 8 indentations with a spoon spaced evenly around the dish. You then crack 8 eggs, one into each indentation; then sprinkle with the parmesan and return to the oven for the last 10 minutes. When it comes out, the egg whites are cooked and the yolks still runny. It is really tasty when you have a serving with an egg in it, and break the yolk, letting it run into the stew. If you want to be careful about eating eggs, or about eating uncooked yolks, I'd leave this step out.

Source: David Froom, 1990's