PUTTING YOUR GARDEN HARVEST TO GOOD USE!

                                                           RATATOUILLE

Yesterday after a rather large picking in my garden, I started making one of my most versatile recipes.
I make this recipe either in my crock pot, or my pressure cooker depending on the time I have. It can also be easily made in a pot on the stove top. Its versatility comes from the fact that it uses so many in season veggies, tastes GREAT, and can be frozen for use later in the fall.  Here is the selection I used yesterday for starters. 

1 Eggplant, 1 Zucchini, 1 Summer Squash, 2 Peppers (any type)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1 large onion chopped (the only vegetable not from my garden).
-Start by sauteing the onion and garlic in 2 T of olive oil, for 5-7 minutes, stirring. Add the other above vegetables chopped to bite sized pieces.
-Yesterday I used my pressure cooker so I added 1 cup of water to this, locked the lid and brought it up to pressure. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and allow for natural release.
-Once the pressure is down, take off lid and add chopped tomatoes. I used 6-7 Big Boy tomatoes, you cannot use too many.  At this point you can also add any other veggies you need to use. For me this was, corn, green beans, and finely chopped greens (swiss chard, collards, and kale). Continue to simmer to reduce the liquid, and cook the tomatoes down, about 30 minutes.
-If using a crock pot add all the veggies at once and cook on low 8-9 hours.

Now to add the garden herbs.  I used 1 c parsley, 1/2 c rosemary, 1/4c thyme,sage and oregano. I have a handy, mini herb chopper that looks like a small food processor which makes chopping herbs a breeze!
Simmer for a few more minutes. At this point I decided I would like the Ratatouille to be a little thicker so I added one can of tomato paste. A little pepper and it is done.

I ended up with a delicious dinner which I served over whole wheat pasta.
With the rest I bagged 4-5 cups in a zip lock bag and froze flat. This way they take up very little room in your freezer.  Once defrosted, I add either cooked rice, cooked potatoes or serve over pasta. (my husband always adds hot pepper flakes to his meal)
Wonderful to have on hand for a quick and healthy meal!

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