Moroccan Ratatouille

Way too much work to do + not enough time to cook = ?


A. Heating up frozen food
B. Take out Chinese food
C. Make a dish that will last for a several meals


Answer: C (Don't they always recommend to guess C when you don't know the answer to a multiple choice questions?)


Actually, all three of these scenarios have occurred over this very busy week of finals and not enough sleep. Luckily, I was able to prepare a dish that my parents introduced me to after they attended a cooking class. I am not sure what else they made in that class but this recipe has been repeated many times since. This is a dish that works well as a side at any time of the day and I imagine that it would be perfect for serving at dinner parties.

Moroccan Ratatouille
Adapted from Myra Kornfield
makes 4-6 portions


Ingredients
2 small onions, cut into half moons
2 red bell peppers, cored and cut into 1/4 inch thick strips
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick cubes
2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
8 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
salt
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 thick chunks
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1/4 cup chopped cilantro


1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a large baking tray or two small baking trays with aluminum foil.


2. In a large bowl, toss the onions, pepper, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, olive oil, paprika, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Spread the vegetables on the tray, do not spread them too think to avoid burning.

3. Cook the vegetables for about 45 minutes. Stir the vegetables several times and add olive oil if they look like they are beginning to burn.


4. After 45 minutes, add in the tomatoes and continue cooking for another 30-50 minutes until the vegetables are brown and soft.


5. Pour the vegetables and juices into a bowl and mix in the cilantro and almonds. Serve warm.

Enjoy
~R