Summer's End

Well , Summer is on the wane and so are the salads , lightly grilled hordes of summer vegetables and sushi dinners We are so fond of in the depths of this devil's furnace we Washingtonians call 'Summer Weather' .
The blasted heat continues to blaze brightly. The days are indeed growing shorter though and Fall is just around the corner.

Naturally, just like the need for a transitional wardrobe , we similarly need a transitional cuisine to usher in the coming season in all of its glory.
I still want to cook outdoors, bringing the last of the summer bounty to the table but stepping it up a bit , giving ever so lightly a nod to the coming of Autumn and the heavier fare that it promises.
So , in that spirit i have decided to include a recipe for a late summer vegetable stew - really a Ratatouille , but with a new method of cooking i found in a back issue of Fine Cooking .
This one has depth AND flavor, and of course , beautiful jewel tone colors, like Indian Summer herself. You will find no mush here- which of course in my opinion is the problem with most recipes for ratatouille.

My infant son is WILD about this , too if you are curious about its appeal to the younger set. It is a good way to get little ones ( and older ones ) to eat their vegetables .

Sophisticated , yet deceptively simple. This one is worth the extra effort. It yields 6 cups of late summer goodness.

Try it with a nice grilled Chilean Sea Bass and a glass of Pinot Blanc out on the deck or patio while the air is still warm and lush.

Au revoir , Summertime. Bienvenue Autumn...

Summer Vegetable Stew - RATATOUILLE

ingredients

1 lb. eggplant (1 medium globe), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 3-1/2 cups)
Kosher salt
9 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. onion (1 medium), thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 lb. red bell peppers (2 medium), peeled (as much as possible with a vegetable peeler; serrated works best), cored and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 lb. zucchini (3 or 4 small), halved lengthwise and cut into 1/8-inch-thick half-moons (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup chopped garlic (6 to 8 large cloves)
1 lb. tomatoes (2 medium), peeled (with a serrated vegetable peeler; otherwise, skip the peeling), cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 3 cups)
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Few drops hot sauce
2 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh basil (a chiffonade)
2 Tbs. roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh mint (a chiffonade) (optional)

how to make

Toss the eggplant with 1 tsp. kosher salt in a colander and let sit in the sink or over a bowl while you prepare the other vegetables.

Sauté the vegetables one at a time.

tip

If the juices in the pan look black and burned at any time, rinse the pan with water and wipe it out. If not, leave the cooked-on juices in the pan; they'll add flavor to the final dish.

In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, the thyme, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and deep golden brown, 15 to 20 min. Scrape into a clean colander or large strainer that's set over a bowl to catch the juices.

In the same skillet, heat another 3 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and get browned around the edges, about 5 min. Add the rosemary, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're extremely soft and sweet, another 10 to 15 min. Gently fold into the onions in the colander.

Heat another 1 Tbs. oil over high heat, and as soon as you see the first hint of smoke, add the zucchini and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Shake and stir to distribute the zucchini slices evenly in the pan so they all get browned. Cook over high heat until tender and nicely browned on both sides, 5 to 7 min. Add to the colander and gently fold with the onions and peppers.

Finish with the eggplant and tomatoes.

Dump the eggplant onto some paper towels, and pat to blot up surface water. Heat 3 Tbs. olive oil in the skillet over high heat, add the eggplant (no additional salt), and shake and stir to distribute the cubes evenly in the pan so they all get browned. Cook over high heat until lightly browned on several surfaces, about 5 min, and then lower the heat to medium. Cook until the eggplant is very tender--not at all al dente--another 13 to 15 min. Fold into the other vegetables.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and let sizzle for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and all their juices and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Cook until the tomatoes collapse slightly and the juices thicken and darken a bit, 3 to 5 min. As you're cooking, scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze all the cooked-on vegetable juices. Add to the colander, scraping out all the juice from the skillet, and fold everything together.

Let the vegetables rest, then reduce the juices

Now let the vegetables sit in the colander for 15 to 20 min. At that point, you should have around 1/2 cup liquid in the bowl. Pour it into a small saucepan, heat until gently boiling, and boil until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. The flavor should be very bright and intense. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and a few drops of the hot sauce to taste. Fold this glaze into the vegetables, along with the basil, parsley, and mint (if using). Taste for salt and add more if needed.

Serve now or later.

Serve soon, if you want it to be warm, or let the ratatouille cool and serve at room temperature.

More great ideas for extra ratatouille

Fill an omelet with a spoonful of ratatouille and some crumbled goat cheese.

Toss ratatouille with hot penne pasta, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a few spoonfuls of pasta cooking water to loosen.

Layer lasagna noodles with ratatouille, a little tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; bake until warm and bubbly.

Mix ratatouille with some chopped brine-cured black olives, capers, and grated orange zest and pile onto toasted baguette slices as an appetizer.

Nestle three jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined) in individual gratin dishes or cazuelas filled with ratatouille. Top with Greek black olives, crumbled feta, and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake until the shrimp are pink and everything's hot and bubbly, and serve as a first course.

Grill some meaty fish steaks, such as halibut, tuna, or swordfish, and top with a spoonful of ratatouille and a squeeze of lemon. Or use the ratatouille as a bed for slices of grilled lamb.

Use a scoop of cold ratatouille as part of a Niçoise salad, along with steamed new potatoes, green beans, tuna in oil, black olives, and hard-cooked egg. Drizzle with a lemon-garlic vinaigrette.

adapted from Fine Cooking