Since I have been overboard lately with the rich indulgences, today I decided to simplify things with a pot of ratatouille. It's fun to say, and good to eat. From the French, the word means a chunky stew that is stirred, according to a quick search. No set form exists for the dish, but it should contain a few base ingredients: onion, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini squash, yellow squash, aubergine (or eggplant), green peppers (red and yellow, too, if you have them) and I like to add a small jalapeno. If it's a good and spicy jalapeno, I only use one. If it's not very spicy, I still use one. As I said, the wife does not tolerate too much heat. I also bought five smaller tomatoes today, but I didn't think that was enough so I added a large can of whole peeled tomatoes.
I always like to dice the vegetables somewhat small, probably .5-inch cubes for most of the veggers, and about a .25-inch dice for my onions. You cannot escape prep for ratatouille, and why would you even want to? Besides getting an opportunity to cut stuff up with a big, sharp knife, the finished product is always worth it, guaranteed.
I begin sauteing the onions in olive oil, and the very next thing I ready is that eggplant. When I was in kindergarten, my teacher liked having food day occasionally. She would bring ingredients into the class and prepare a dish for us to try. One day, she cooked breaded and fried eggplant slices. I did not like it, and that night I became ill. I do not necessarily attribute my illness to the eggplant, but I don't necessarily not, either. So for many years I lived with an aversion to eggplant that still exists minutely. That is why I dice the eggplant small and cook it long. It will nearly melt during the cooking, but it imparts a nice flavor to the ratatouille without its spongy little texture bothering me.
I did not dice the garlic since I thought chopping such small cloves was unnecessary, but just tossed it into the pot. Herbs and Salt and Pepper finish the dish for me. I put a cover on the pot and touiller every once in awhile. If I don't have fresh herbs, I like to use the dried blends from Penzey's, from whom I am thinking about placing an order soon since I am getting low on quantities of a lot of different items. This time, I used their Parisien Bonne Herbes blend (chives, dill weed, basil, tarragon, chervil, and white pepper) since I am making ratatouille. See how nicely it comes together?
Before I started chopping the vegetables, though, I thoroughly seasoned about eight chicken legs with that Essence blend, placed them on a pan, and put them into the oven at 350. This many chicken legs will feed us for dinner tonight and make one meal for us tomorrow, also. The ratatouille will go on and on, though: over rice, with pasta, in tortillas, until I am tired of eating it and I decide to freeze a quart or two.
It has been about an hour since I started baking the chicken, but 20 minutes ago, I turned off the oven so that the chicken could finish with the heat already present in the oven. This method usually ensures that the chicken will be fully cooked without being dry or burnt. Plus I can forget about it. Plus I like my chicken done. I mean, done. I want to see nothing when I am eating the chicken that does not look appetizing, such as a...never mind.
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