With the Olympics in Paris, my thoughts turn to the fabulous French cuisine. It was my first year of marriage when I lived there and as a young inexperienced cook, I learned to how to put meals together while shopping daily with my straw panier in Paris’ V Arrondissement’s épicerie (small grocery shop), boulangerie (bakery) and boucherie (butcher). Fresh produce changed me from using the canned vegetables of my childhood. And I’ve never looked back!
Vaulting Through Time, the Foodie Lit choice this month, has a young gymnast looking for her gymnast mother by travelling through time, visiting the Olympic gymnastic events through the decades. Just perfect for celebrating the Olympics!
Ratatouille
Knowing I was just learning to cook during my first few months in Paris, a French friend gave me a basic French cookbook, La Cuisine Familiale Française (French Family Cooking), to help me learn French cooking and French names of ingredients and cooking terms. Ratatouille was a favorite of mine at restaurants and friends’ homes and it was one of the first recipes I tried. Using fresh produce is key for this delicious, typically French side dish. While usually eaten as a side, I also used it this week as a pasta sauce and in place of tomato sauce on pizza. C’est formidable! (And one note—here’s how to pronounce this dish: “Ra-ta-tu-yuh.” Not like the movie!!!)
Bring the hostages home.
Foodie Lit
Nancy McCabe’s young adult novel, Vaulting Through Time takes a teenage gymnast through time to search for her birth mother. "I've always been obsessed with time travel, which transcends science fiction and offers ways to experience and reinterpret history, explore philosophical ideas, comment on the past, and imagine the future. I love the possibilities for humor and character development and plot twists across every genre and audience. I particularly like time travel books for young people that are grounded in real lives, though time travel happens in all sorts of ways: through magical, mysterious forces, an app, tap shoes, a diary, a rideshare vehicle. I’m less interested in imaginary worlds and more fascinated by the way time travel can shed light on our own times.” Nancy shows us changing fashions, food, daily language, women’s roles—but the importance of motherhood remains, eternally, for the mother and child.
Serves 6 as a side
1 medium eggplant, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bell pepper, color of choice, deseeded and sliced
3 small to medium zucchini
1/4 cup dry red wine, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2-3 sprigs fresh basil, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
2-3 leaves of thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried
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Slice and chop peeled eggplant. Place in a colander and sprinkle 2 teaspoons kosher salt on top of the slices. Toss to mix. Allow to stand for 20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
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Add olive oil to large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add eggplant, bell pepper and zucchini. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
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Add wine. Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour or until vegetables are very soft.
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Adjust salt and pepper. If slightly bitter, add 1-2 teaspoons sugar.
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Crush the vegetables with a fork or you may leave in chunks. For a smoother texture, use an immerser to slightly purée the mixture. Ratatouille may be eaten hot, warm or cold. Ratatouille lasts in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
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To freeze: Bring to room temperature. Place in a freezer proof plastic bag or container with a tight fitting lid. Good in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Tips for serving:
Ratatouille is usually served as a side with any meat, baked, grilled or fried. Ratatouille may be served as a delicious sauce for pasta or a sauce used on pizza with mozzarella on top.
Expandthetable suggestions
Make it hotter: Add several slices of jalapeño peppers after the zucchini.
Allium free: Omit onions and garlic. Add 1 bulb fennel, sliced and 2-3 radish slices. Sauté with other vegetabless.
Adapted from La Cuisine Familiale Française
