Ratatouille!!

When my husband and I were living on a sailboat and running study abroad programs for high school and college students, everyone on the boat took turns cooking.  My signature meal to cook was ratatouille.  It was perfect for many reasons.  First, it filled what I sometimes viewed as a gap in our diet onboard by providing us with so many vegetables.  Second, it met every dietary preference we'd seen onboard: vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free.  Third, it's a one-pot meal.  I usually served it with a side of rice and parmesan, but it was fine on its own, too.

So when I surveyed our garden after breakfast and found it overflowing with eggplants, I decided on ratatouille for lunch.  I served it over grits and topped it with goat's cheese.  Mmmmm good.

Here's what I put in it - this is recipe is by no means precise and is completely driven by what was available.

1 diced shallot
3 cloves minced garlic
2 small bell peppers
2 small eggplants, diced w skin on
7 diced tomatoes
1 diced summer squash

I sauteed the shallot, garlic, eggplant, bell pepper, and squash in a bit of (yup, you guessed it- ) bacon grease.  Next added the tomatoes and let the mixture simmer down.  Added a pinch of sea salt and dried herbs.

The grommet had some honeydew melon and some ham from Tendercrop Farm, but what he really enjoyed was the grits.  He LOVED the grits.

And you know what's for dinner? Fresh steamers, clam chowder, and salad - plus, I'm off to pick up some more hard cider.