Ratatouille

Ratatouille.  It's not just a movie.  It's also a delicious vegetable dish from the Provence region of France.  So, when examining the daily market yesterday, it did not take me long to figure out that I wanted to make a version of the dish for dinner.  There were just so many gorgeous, fresh vegetables from which to choose that it was a no-brainer.  Here is my impromptu recipe for ratatouille.  Try it tonight; it's quite simple. 

Ingredients: red bell pepper, eggplant, carrot, onion, zuchinni, 2 cloves garlic, salt, pepper and of course herbes de provence.  Sidenote: most ratatouilles have tomatoes, but I decided to omit them this time around.  Feel free to add them to your dish.  Second sidenote: all the veggies I used cost just 2 Euros and 50 centimes!

Cut each veggie into a brunoise or small dice.  Keep veggies separate. 

Sauté each veggie separately in olive oil until slightly softened but still with a bite. Seasoning to taste with salt, pepper and herbes de provence as the veggies cook.

Once all veggies are cooked, mix together and reheat in the sauté pan for a few minutes.  Check seasoning and adjust as necessary.

I also sautéed some shrimp with the same spices I used in the ratatouille.  Be careful when cooking shrimp.  They are easy to overcook.  About a minute per side is all they need.  Once they start turning pink, they are ready.

Et voila!  Dinner in Provence, straight from the market.