Eggplant Zucchini And Fresh Tomato Stew Food

ZUCCHINI TOMATO & EGGPLANT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant into slices about 3/4 inch thick. Lay the zucchini and eggplant slices out on a large cutting board and sprinkle with the salt (set the tomatoes aside separately). Try your best to select vegetables that will create slices with a similar diameter.
• While the zucchini and eggplants sit, heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat (I like to use my cast iron skillet for this).
• Add the olive oil to the skillet along with the onions, garlic, thyme, oregano and salt and pepper.
• Saute, stirring often until the onions are soft and transluscent.
• Remove the pan from the heat and make sure the onion mixture forms a smooth base (that everything is evenly distributed in the bottom of the pan).
• Pat the zucchini and eggplant slices dry with some kitchen paper towel.
• Arrange the tomato, zucchini, and eggplant slices in a spiral formation, alternating the slices in a pattern (tomato slice, then zucchini slice, then eggplant slice, and so on).
• Continue arranging until the skillet is full, working from the outside of the pan to the inside.

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.
• To prepare your tomatoes, remove any woody cores with a paring knife. Then, grate them on the large holes of a box grater into a bowl (this is easiest if you hold the tomato at a diagonal), and chop any remaining tomato skin. Or, blitz the tomatoes in a food processor until they are broken into a frothy pulp. Set aside.
• On one baking sheet, toss the diced eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until lightly coated. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer across the pan, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and set aside.
• On the other baking sheet, toss the bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer. Place the eggplant pan on the middle rack and the other vegetables on the top rack. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and caramelizing on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic, stir, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, and use a wooden spoon or sturdy silicone spatula to stir any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low, or as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Once 15 minutes are up, remove both pans from the oven, stir, and redistribute the contents of each evenly across the pans. This time, place the eggplant on the top rack and other vegetables on the middle rack.
• Bake until the eggplant is nice and golden on the edges, about 10 more minutes (the eggplant will be done sooner than the rest). Remove the eggplant from the oven, and carefully stir the eggplant into the simmering tomato sauce.
• Let the squash and bell pepper pan continue to bake until the peppers are caramelized, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Then, transfer the contents of the pan into the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for 5 more minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
• Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon olive oil, the fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Crumble the dried oregano between your fingers as you drop it into the pot. Season to taste with additional salt (I usually add 1/4 teaspoon more) and black pepper.
• Serve in bowls, perhaps with a little drizzle of olive oil, additional chopped basil, or black pepper on top (all optional). Like all stews, this ratatouille's flavor improves as it cools. It's even better reheated the next day. Ratatouille keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 days, or for several months in the freezer.

EGGPLANT, ZUCCHINI AND SWEET RED PEPPER STEW

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt.
• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Rinse eggplant and pat dry. Saute until slightly browned. Stir in onion and saute until transparent. Stir in garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in rice, zucchini, red bell pepper, tomatoes, wine, water, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture reaches a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Remove from heat and stir in basil, parsley and rosemary.

ROASTED BABY EGGPLANT, TOMATO, AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Put eggplant cubes in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle salt liberally over the eggplant cubes; let sit to drain for 30 minutes.
• Toss tomatoes, zucchini, onion, and garlic together in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the mixture and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.
• Rinse eggplant to remove salt and pat dry with paper towel; add to the tomato mixture and stir. Add olive oil as necessary to assure the eggplant cubes are coated. Spread the vegetable mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Roast in preheated oven until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

STUFFED EGGPLANTS AND ZUCCHINI IN A RICH TOMATO SAUCE (BAATINGAN W KUSAA BIL BANADOURA)

Steps:

• To make the sauce, put the oil into a saucepan or casserole pan with a lid-about 10 inches/25cm wide-and place over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and caramelized. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, along with 2½ tsp of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• To make the stuffing, while the sauce is cooking, place all the ingredients in a large bowl with 1½ tsp of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well, using your hands to make sure that everything is well incorporated. If making in advance, keep in the fridge until ready to use.
• Trim the stalks from the eggplants, then insert a manakra (or peeler or corer) into the eggplant; you want it to be very close to the skin-about ⅛ inch/3mm away-but not so close that it tears and won't hold its shape when it's stuffed. Scoop out the flesh to create a generous cavity. You don't need the flesh anymore, but keep it for another recipe; it can be cut into cubes and steamed or added to your next omelette. If your eggplants are particularly large, slice them in half, crosswise, and scoop out the flesh using a regular small serrated knife-be sure to keep one end of each half intact, so that the stuffing does not fall out!
• Use the manakra or a swivel peeler to scoop out the zucchini flesh. Keep about ⅛ inch/3mm of flesh attached to the skin inside the zucchini and about ½ inch/1cm from the end intact-they need to be robust enough to keep the stuffing inside. Again, keep the scooped-out flesh to use elsewhere.
• Using your hands, so that you can push in a bit of stuffing at a time, fill all the eggplant and zucchini cavities. Stop filling them about ½ inch/1cm from the top of each vegetable; the stuffing needs some space to expand inside the vegetables when they are cooking.
• Gently lower the stuffed vegetables into the sauce. They won't fit in a single layer, but try to avoid too much overlap and submerge them in the sauce as much as you can. Return the sauce to medium heat and, once simmering, decrease the heat to low. Cover the pan and simmer very gently for 90 minutes, or until the rice is completely cooked through and soft-test if it is ready by sticking a knife into the middle of one of the vegetables; it should go in very easily. Don't worry if some of the rice/stuffing spills into the tomato sauce, this can happen and it will be fine when served.
• To make the adha, meanwhile, put the oil into a small frying pan and place over medium heat. After about 1 minute, add the garlic and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring very often, until the garlic is golden and crispy. Keep a close eye on the pan here; you don't want the oil to get too hot and for the garlic to burn. Reserving the oil as you pour, strain the garlic through a sieve. Set the garlic aside-it will crisp up as it cools down-and return the oil to the pan. Add the coriander seeds and chile and cook for about 1 minute, stirring a few times, until fragrant. Remove from the heat, transfer to a separate bowl, and set aside until needed.
• When the vegetables are cooked and the sauce is thick and rich (but still pourable), use a slotted spoon to carefully lift the vegetables out of the pan. Pour the sauce onto a large serving platter (or individual serving plates) with a rim and top with the stuffed vegetables. Spoon on the adha-the coriander-chile oil first, followed by the fried garlic-then sprinkle with the fresh herbs and green onion. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the yogurt spooned alongside.