Ratatouille
4 to 6 servings

This Provençal vegetable mélange can be served warm as on entrée with saffron rice.

Sauté in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until the vegetables are golden and just tender, 10 to 12 minutes:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound),
peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes

Remove the vegetables and reduce the heat to medium-high.

In the same pan, cook until the onions are slightly softened:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups sliced onions

Add and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender but not browned, 8 to 12 minutes:
2 large red bell peppers,
cut into 1-inch squares
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Season with:
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Add:
1-1/2 cups chopped seeded peeled fresh tomatoes
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook until everything is tender, about 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Stir in:
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Joy of Cooking
All About Vegetarian Cooking
By Irma S. Rombauer,
Marion Rombauer Becker & Ethan Becker
Simon & Schuster, Inc., October 2000
Hardback, 128 pages, $19.95
150 photographs; 100 in full color
ISBN: 0-7432-0209-9
Recipe reprinted by permission.