Ratatouille

I seem to have migrated to, and stumbled upon, mention after mention, blog post after another, of Ratatouille. Of course, it is the perfect time of year to make it. I liked the idea of cooking all the vegetables separately, paying the fullest attention to each one, so that's what I did. Prepared this way, the Ratatouille was deliciously rich and intensely flavored.

Ratatouille

10 Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
3 plump cloves garlic, sliced
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 large eggplant, cut into cubes
3 zucchini, sliced
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Broth or tomato juice, optional

Place tomato halves on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Scatter the garlic slices over the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees for about 1 hour.

In a large pot, cook the onions in olive oil until very tender and beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and keep warm. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, working in batches, cook and brown all the eggplant, then the zucchini in olive oil. Season each new batch with salt and pepper and add to the pot with the onions as they are cooked.

When the tomatoes are done, add them to the pot as well. Add fresh rosemary and heat through, adding cooking liquid if desired. I added about a cup of tomato juice to deglaze the pan.