Ratatouille, Ratatouille, Ratatouille

Oh, I couldn't wait to see the new movie called "Julie and Julia!" My Mom and I are so excited to see it tomorrow. Just by seeing the trailer, I know it will be a classic flick and what more Julia Child is already a legend when it comes to cooking, so you know it will be beautiful!

In her honor, I decided to make a southern French cuisine called "Ratatouille," adapted from one of Julia Child's cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Ratatouille (can you just say it again 3 more times? Call me crazy, but I love saying that word over and over again...hehehe) is a very easy dish to make. Since I already have all of the main ingredients fresh from the Farmers market like the eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and let's not forget the zucchinis, which are gifts from our friends from their garden...I'm so set to go! But here's the catch, I've added my secret ingredient to this dish and that is a "Wild Boar Sausage"...yup, that's right, a WILD BOAR SAUSAGE! I just felt an urge to add it in, I don't know why???!!??? Probably because I just can't live with vegetables alone! And trust me, the browned sausage, plus the mushrooms I added into it gave such a wonderful flavor to this classic dish. Julia Child might approve or disapprove, but I'll let you be the judge? Hope you'll try this someday. It's fresh, light, aromatic, and quite flavorful, too! This is just the perfect summer dish!

From Julia Child and Yours Truly,

BON APPETIT! :D

*Off to the creek...goin' fishin' ;-)

Ingredients:
Eggplant, sliced into 1/8 slices
Zucchini, sliced in 1/8 slices
Green Bell Peppers, cut into strips
Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and juiced
Onions, sliced
Garlic, chopped
Mushrooms
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Fresh Herbs de Provence or Parsley, Basil, and Thyme
Olive Oil
Wild Boar Sausage, removed from casing

Vermicelli

Directions:
Season sliced eggplant and zucchini with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Take a large baking dish and line it with foil. Then, spay with cooking oil/cooking spray. Put eggplant and zucchini into the pan, drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. brown wild boar sausage (removed from casing). When browned, set aside and saute onions and green bell peppers together until nice and soft. Add chopped garlic. Then add the sliced tomatoes (reserve juice) and mushrooms. Cover pan and let it simmer on low for 5 minutes. Add sausage and fresh herbs. Let it simmer for a few more minutes.

In a casserole, place about 1/3 of the tomato mixture. Layer in roasted eggplant and zucchini. Add more of the tomato sauce, layer again with the roasted vegetables, then pour the rest of the sauce. Garnish with parsley. Let it warm in your oven until you are ready to serve it. Serve over pasta or rice. This can also be served as a side dish with a fillet of white fish or a bowl of seafood. Perfect with a glass of chilled white wine :-)