Vegan Ratatouille

 Ingredients:

·         2 large tomatoes, green tops removed

·         1 garlic bulb/head, tip cut off to expose the cloves

·         1 very large carrot, orange is best, but any color will do.

·         1 Japanese eggplant or 2 to 3 baby eggplants

·         1 medium yellow zucchini

·         1 medium green zucchini

·         1 red bell pepper, seeds removed & julienned

·         3 tablespoons tomato paste

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         2 tablespoon olive oil + additional for drizzling

·         *2 tablespoons fresh thyme

·         *1 tablespoon fresh oregano

·         Black pepper to taste

·         Kosher Salt to taste

·         1 Cup Grated Cheese (Optional)

Directions:

1.      Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly oil baking dish. This recipe calls for an eight-inch round ceramic baking dish, but an eight-inch by ten-inch glass baking dish works, too.

2.      Place the tomatoes and garlic bulb onto a large piece of foil, about 12 x 12 inches. Drizzle the tomatoes and garlic bulb with 1 teaspoon olive oil and then fold the foil up and over into a loose pouch around the tomatoes and garlic. Place the foil pouch onto an ungreased baking sheet or cake pan. Roast the tomatoes and garlic bulb for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until the skins on tomatoes are quite wrinkly and dark in color, and the garlic is fragrant and tender. Remove the foil pouch from the oven, open the pouch and allow to cool about 15 minutes, or until easy to handle. Once cooled, carefully remove the skins from the tomatoes and scoop out the cooked garlic from the bulb. In a food processor or blender, blend the roasted tomatoes and garlic along with the tomato paste, sea salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil until smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides of the blending container as needed. (Optional: Spoon mixtures into pan on top of stove and reduce to a very thick consistency.) Spread about 3/4 of the sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased ceramic or metal oven safe dish, about 8 inches in diameter.

3.      Decrease your oven's temperature to 375 °F.

4.      Peel and slice carrot and sauté in a pan on top of the stove until slightly cooked.

5.      Peel the eggplant and slice in ¼ inch slides. Place the slices between double layers of paper towels and sprinkle with salt to draw moisture out, Set aside for about 30 minutes. Rinse in a colander and spin in a salad spinner to remove excess moisture.

6.      Before slicing the zucchini, peel off a few lengthwise strips about 1/2 inch apart to give a bit of a striped effect. Slice the eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, and carrot into thin even slices, about 1/4 of an inch thick using either a very sharp knife or mandolin. Arrange the sliced vegetables into a spiral ring, alternating the colors to create a colorful pattern with the vegetables. Once all the vegetables have been placed securely and the dish is full, drizzle the with olive oil (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and the remainder of the sauce. Top with fresh thyme (or herbs de Provence), oregano, black pepper and salt. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. (Optional because then recipe will no longer be vegan.)

7.      Cover with a layer of parchment paper and foil and place onto the middle rack of your oven.

8.      Bake for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender and very fragrant. (If you prefer the vegetables to have less liquid, bake uncovered for the last fifteen minutes.

9.      Remove the ratatouille from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

 Serves: 6

** Note: I used about 1 teaspoon pulverized dried Herbs de Provence to taste instead of fresh thyme and fresh oregano. I pulverized the herbs in a mini food chopper. Use sparingly.

Submitted by Rose Mary Walecki, a recipe adapted from https://www.thespruceeats.com/classic-ratatouille-recipe-4017867