Summer Produce: Eggplant and Zucchini

Eddie and Dave have been gone this week, allowing me to work much longer hours in the lab than usual.  The goal is to power through the remaining samples for my thermal-isotope method so I can move on to the next method (which incidentally, I actually started fiddling with this morning).  

I had a hankering for some veggie-full meals this week since it is hothothot outside.  Plus, I'm childless, so I am free to make what I want to eat without regard for what a little person might prefer.  I don't normally tailor our meals around Eddie's preferences, but if he had been here I would have also made some sort of grain/carbohydrate side because I know  he'd never eat a bowl full of 100% veggies.  

A few weeks ago in Livermore, my dad made a huge batch of ratatouille.  He made this a lot when we were kids and I remember not liking it until I was in middle school.  His version isn't the traditional layered style, but it is easy and so tasty.

As I was chopping up all the veggies (well, fruits, really), I realized I had maybe overestimated how much I could actually consume by myself in a week.  Especially since I didn't want to eat it three times a day.

Eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, onion, and garlic.

First I decided to make the whole batch and freeze half for later.  Then I decided to add some seasonings to half and then freeze it for later.  "Mmmm, Indian seasonings would be good.  Maybe just a dash of garam masala and some cumin seeds in with the sauteing onions?  Oh, and some fresh ginger. And maybe a splash of tomato sauce or yogurt to make it more soupy to soak into rice or naan."  Wait...that's pretty close to that one Indian Brinjal recipe I made last year from Allrecipes.com...

So I finally decided to make ratatouille and brinjal.

Oh man, the kitchen smelled amazing!

Here are the recipes in case you find yourself inundated with produce and want an hour in the kitchen to yield some delicious, freezer-friendly meals.  Both are gluten and dairy free (and vegan/vegetarian).  I think in each recipe, you can use any combination of eggplant and zucchini for the combined quantities stated (for example, I had tons of zucchini in my garden and hadn't bought enough eggplant so I used a lot more zucchini in each recipe to make up for the eggplant deficit).

Daddy's Easy Ratatouille with Olives

• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 bell peppers, julienned or chopped
• 2 medium eggplants (about 6 cups), prepared as below
• 3 cups zucchini, chopped
• 6 medium tomatoes (about 3 cups), peeled/seeded/chopped (I just chop because I'm lazy)
• 1 can black olives, cut in half
• Olive oil for cooking
• Good olive oil for finishing

1. Peel and cube the eggplant. Put into a colander in the sink and sprinkle with salt (be generous).  Let sit while you prepare all other ingredients.  
2. In a deep casserole or pan over medium heat, saute onions until golden in 2 T olive oil. 
3. Rinse eggplant under cold water.  (Optional: spread eggplant cubes on a dishtowel and roll it up to remove extra moisture).  
4. Add garlic to pot and stir for only 30 seconds to prevent scorching.  
5. Stir in all other vegetables. 
6. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring on occasion.  
7. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a good, flavorful olive oil  before serving (cold or warm).  

Ratatouille!

Indian Brinjal

Based on Exotic Brinjal (Spicy Eggplant) from Allrecipes.com

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 bell peppers, julienned or chopped
• 2 medium eggplants (about 6 cups), prepared as below
• 3 cups zucchini, chopped
• 6 T olive oil
• 1.5 t cumin seeds
• 1 t fenugreek seeds, crushed
• 1 t nigella seeds
• 1 t sesame seeds
• 3 T fresh ginger, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 onions, minced
• 2 hot peppers (optional; seeds and membranes removed if you don't want it too hot)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (pasta sauce is fine)
• 1 t chili powder
• 1 t coriander powder
• 1 t turmeric powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 cup coconut milk (or the whole can if you want it more soupy)
• 1 T cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

1. Peel and cube the eggplant. Put into a colander in the sink and sprinkle with salt (be generous).  Let sit while you prepare all other ingredients.
2. Heat the 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, and fry eggplant pieces until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the skillet and set aside; wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.
3. Heat the 6 tablespoons oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cumin, fenugreek, kalonji, and sesame seeds, and cook until the cumin turns golden, about 2 minutes. 
4. Reduce the heat; stir in the ginger and garlic, and cook for a few seconds. 
5. Stir in the onions and green chile pepper, and continue to cook and stir until the onion is golden, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir the tomato puree, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and salt into the onions. Cook and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the oil separates. 
7. Rinse eggplant under cold water.  (Optional: spread eggplant cubes on a dishtowel and roll it up to remove extra moisture).  
8. Stir in the cooked eggplant; cover and simmer until eggplant is tender, about 5 minutes. 
9. Pour in the coconut milk; stir until blended and heated through. 
10. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Serve with rice or naan.

Brinjal!

I've eaten all the ratatouille so far but I hid the brinjal away in the deep freeze so Dave and I can eat it together (he loves Indian food).  I ate my ratatouille with buttered sourdough.

As an aside, I bought an Indian spice kit on Amazon last year so I could try lots of recipes without having to run to the store constantly for a small amount of some random seasoning.  I like this one because it has at least a teaspoon of each spice--enough to try a recipe once, at least, so it gives you enough to decide if you will want to buy a whole bottle of something like fenugreek or amchur powder (HECK YES).