I saw this dish in an animated movie of the same name that was released not long ago. Most recipes (including the one in the movie) call for roasting the vegetables in an oven, but I'm not willing to turn on my oven in this Texas summer, so I used a recipe that uses a skillet instead.

Ratatouille:

1 medium onion, sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces (about 3 cups)
1 zucchini, sliced into thin pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
3/4 lbs tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups, I used 1 plum tomato and 10 cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or shredded
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp ground coriander
salt & pepper



Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat, and gently saute onions and garlic until onions are soft. Increase heat to medium, and add the eggplant along with rest of the olive oil. Cook covered about 5 minutes until eggplant looks soft, then add the bell pepper, zucchini, oregano, thyme, coriander, and fennel. Cook covered an additional 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding a little red wine if things look dry. Add tomatoes and parsley, and cook uncovered an additional 5 minutes until all the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Season with salt & pepper, then add basil leaves and mix thoroughly. Make sure you add the basil leaves at the very end, as heat can kill their flavor. Serve with a little additional chopped parsley sprinkled on top.



8/10: I plan to be making this dish often from now on, it's the best vegetarian dish I've ever made. Fresh basil leaves are a must! I had it over some basmati rice, along with some fresh baked French bread and some Parmesan cheese. I recommend having the dish with some red wine, and watching the movie with a pretty date.