This ratatouille recipe from Style at Home is a great way to use up the tomatoes and zucchini in your late-summer garden. I also added some leftover eggplant. Use a canned or jarred pasta sauce, your favourite homemade version, or make this one from Mario Batali.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
If you use a purchased tomato sauce, check it for preservatives. Make sure your dried herbs don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents.
Slice tomatoes and zucchini (I also used eggplant)
Cover bottom of dish with tomato sauce
Layer tomatoes and vegetables over sauce and bake until tender
Ingredients:
½ cup (125 ml) pasta sauce
1 tbsp (15 ml) tomato paste
¼ tsp (1 ml) each dried oregano and pepper flakes
2 small green or yellow zucchini sliced ⅛-inch thick (0.32 cm)
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp (2 ml) salt
¼ tsp (1 ml) pepper
1 small plum tomato sliced ⅛-inch thick (0.32 cm)
2 tbsp (30 ml) thinly sliced fresh basil
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 F (210 C). Spread pasta sauce in bottom of 5- cup (1.25 L) oval casserole dish. Stir in tomato paste and half of oregano and hot pepper flakes.
In large bowl toss together zucchini, tomato, oil, salt, pepper and rest of dried spices.
Arrange zucchini and tomato slices in casserole dish in overlapping, concentric circles. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before serving. Serves 4.
From Style at Home
This pasta dish from Martha Stewart Living is quick and tasty. Roast eggplant and tomatoes, sauté some sausage meat and then combine with cooked pasta, olives and cheese. Cook’s note: Smaller Japanese eggplants are best for this dish; if you can’t find them, slice a larger eggplant crosswise and then cut into coin-sized pieces.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
Use sausage and olives with no additives or preservatives and cheese that does not contain colour.
Roast the eggplant and tomatoes
Remove sausage meat from casings and saute
Penne with roasted eggplant, tomatoes, sausage and olives
Ingredients:
4 cups (1 L) cherry tomatoes, preferably a mix of red, orange, and yellow
4 Japanese eggplants, cut crosswise into ½ -inch (1.27 cm) rounds
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound (450 g) penne
4 links sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup (250 ml) pitted Kalamata olives
½ cup (125 ml) grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
Small fresh basil leaves, for serving
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Divide tomatoes, eggplants, and garlic between two rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil; season with salt. Toss to combine, then spread in a single layer. Roast until eggplants are tender and browned in spots, about 25 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than instructed on package. Drain, reserving 1 cup (250 ml) pasta water.
Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium-high. Cook sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add reserved pasta water; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until almost evaporated.
In a large bowl, combine eggplant mixture, sausage, olives, pasta, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Top with basil and serve immediately, with more cheese alongside. Serves 4.
From the March 2015 issue of Martha Stewart Living
