Ratatouille (the entrée, not the movie)

“A vegetarian is a person who won't eat anything that can have children.” --David Brenner

Last night for dinner, I made my first purposefully vegetarian meal. Obviously, I have eaten meals without meat, but this one was the first in which I consciously chose that option.

On the menu: Ratatouille and Focaccia bread.

 

I picked this recipe because it wasn’t too far out of my comfort zone. I had eaten it before at my friends’, Kim and Rachel, house (thanks, ladies!). So I already knew that it was delicious. But since I’m not the best cook in the world, it was still an adventure. Luckily, my mom was there to correct some of my minor mistakes along the way. For instance, I was unaware that slicing and dicing are different things… whoops.

It turned out just as I remembered it, absolutely delightful. The best part about it is that it is quite filling. You normally don’t expect that a medley of veggies is going to abate your hunger, but it did. The bread helped too.

I’m sorry, but I cannot eat an Italian dish without bread. It doesn’t work for me… despite the fact that while I was in Italy, I think I was only served bread with my meal once. But that is beside the point. I will freely admit that I am addicted to carbs. I could eat pasta, bread and potatoes until I burst. They are my little trinity of happiness. I love them in a way in which no one should ever love an inanimate object. It’s just a fact.

I didn’t actually make the bread myself... just heated it. I bought it at Trader Joe’s, aka my Mecca. (Everything that I have ever purchased from that store has been nothing short of breathtakingly delicious.) I highly recommend the Focaccia bread. It reminded me a lot of the bread from Macaroni Grill. Yum!

Here is the recipe, for your eating pleasure.

*Ratatouille*

3T olive oil

1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs

1 yellow or red pepper, sliced

2 crushed garlic cloves

2 sliced leeks (or small mild onions)

2 sliced zucchini (or squash)

2 sliced tomatoes

1t rosemary

a sprinkle of basil

4 eggs

Heat half the oil and fry the breadcrumbs in it until golden brown. Drain oil and set breadcrumbs aside. Add the rest of the oil and sauté the pepper, garlic, and leeks until softened (about 10 min). Add zucchini, tomatoes, basil and rosemary and cook for 5 min. Make 4 wells in vegetables and add the eggs into the wells. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until eggs are cooked and then sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and serve.