Lentil Ratatouille Food

LENTIL RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion and garlic in oil about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender.
• Stir in remaining ingredients except lentils, breaking up tomatoes; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in lentils; cook until hot.

ROASTED RATATOUILLE WITH LENTILS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Combine lentils through rosemary in a 3qt saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover & cook on low 20 minutes.
• Put prepared vegetables on roasting pans (I need 3 of them - 1 for eggplant, 1 for tomatoes, zucchini & onions, 1 for peppers & garlic). Sprinkle evenly with crushed rosemary then drizzle with olive oil, coating vegetables well.
• Roast for 20 minutes. Check for doneness - they should be browned lightly & softened. If not quite ready, leave them in until they are. When done, remove from oven & sprinkle lightly & evenly with kosher salt.
• Check lentils: they should be cooked but not mushy. If there is still a lot of liquid, uncover & turn heat up. You want enough liquid to be saucy not soupy. On the drier side is ok, just be careful not to scorch them.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and enjoy.

RATATOUILLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare the vegetables: Smash and peel 3 garlic cloves, reserving the 4th. Halve onions through their roots, and slice halves into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Slice zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes or spears. Seed peppers, and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
• Spread each vegetable on a separate rimmed baking sheet (use extra sheets as necessary). Add the 3 cloves of smashed garlic to the onion pan. Add 1 sprig rosemary and 2 sprigs thyme to each of the pepper, eggplant and zucchini pans. Sprinkle salt lightly over vegetables. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil on each of the pans.
• Place all the pans in the oven (or work in batches if they don't fit at once). Cook until vegetables are very tender and lightly browned at the edges. This will take about 35 to 40 minutes for the peppers (their skins should shrivel), 40 to 45 minutes for the eggplant and zucchini (the eggplant should crisp slightly and the zucchini should be well cooked, so let them go 3 to 5 minutes longer than you normally might), and 60 to 65 minutes for the onions. Don't worry about the vegetables being pretty; they will meld into the ratatouille. Shake or stir the pans every 15 to 20 minutes or so, especially the onions.
• In the meantime, prepare the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and blanch until the skins split, about 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to quickly transfer the tomatoes to a bowl filled with ice water.
• Using a paring knife, peel the cooled tomatoes (the skins should slip right off). Halve tomatoes across their equators. Set a sieve over a bowl. Working over the bowl, use your fingers to seed the tomatoes, letting the seeds catch in the sieve and the juice run into the bowl. Discard seeds but save juices. Dice tomatoes and add to the reserved juices in bowl.
• Finely grate or mince remaining garlic clove. Add garlic to tomatoes along with bay leaves and a large pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Once vegetables are done cooking, combine them on one baking sheet or a large shallow baking dish and add ingredients from tomato bowl. Toss well. Vegetables will be stacked, and that's O.K. Cover generously with olive oil, using remaining ¼ cup oil or more, and sprinkle with salt. Everything should have a good coat of oil, but should not be drowning in it. Cook at least 1 hour, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are very tender and imbued with juices and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve warm, or let cool.