We have been getting Full Circle organic produce delivery from local area farms. Nothing beats the farm fresh picked taste of organic vegetables. A few days or so ago, I was in the mood to make some ratatouille. I had plenty of potatoes on hand, as did I have tomatoes and zucchini. I also had some fennel that I thought would be a nice addition to the end dish.
There is beauty in having a mandolin at home. I have a few ceramic ones that make uniform slicing perfect and even.
Fresh layers of sliced zucchini layered in a lightly buttered dish.
After the zucchini I layered potatoes. No need to even peel, the nutrients are packed into the skins.
After the zucchini and potato layer, I added a healthy dose of caramelized onion, garlic and fennel. After this was added, a few shreds of cheese were incorporated (whatever you have on hand ideally works). I ended up using some Beecher's cheese I had from Pike's Place Market in Seattle. A tiny bit of organic heavy cream also is added to moisten the layer. I then repeated this process three times total.
Finally for the final layer, I decided to just use a little tomato, and not have that incorporated heavily into the dish itself. Holly is not a huge fan of tomatoes, but I wanted to have some in it for authenticity in the ratatouille. I did one layer on top, with a final layer of zucchini.
After this was assembled, I baked it off low and slow in a 350 degree oven until is was tender, and the cream and cheese had browned & crisped. And the vegetables had some char on them. It was a very satisfying mid week farmers market dinner with a big green raw vegetable salad to accompany.
Dan's Ratatouille Scalloped Vegetables
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 large sweet onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 zuchinni, thinly sliced
3-4 russet potatoes, thinly sliced
2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
8 ounces finely shredded cheese
1 cup heavy cream
Sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Fresh chopped thyme
2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish liberally spread butter on the bottom and up the sides. This step is important. This will ensure you get a crunchy crust on the layers of cooked vegetables.
Meanwhile in a skillet, heat a tiny bit of olive oil and sauté the sliced fennel and onions until it turns brown and is caramelized. Add the minced garlic and cook for three more minutes. Turn off the heat.
A mandolin works best for uniform slices of all these vegetables (to ensure even cooking time). If you don't have a mandolin, just slice with a knife and get the slices as close to the same size as possible.
Layer zucchini along the bottom of the prepared baking dish, add some salt and pepper. Next add a layer of potatoes with some salt and pepper. Then spread 1/3 of the fennel-garlic-onion mixture on top of the potatoes. Add 1/3 of the grated cheese, and 1/3 cup of the heavy cream drizzled over the top of the layer. Once finished, repeat two more times.
Once you have assembled all three layers of zucchini, potatoes, caramelized vegetables and cheese & cream, make a final layer of sliced tomatoes on top. I added mine away from the side of the pan so it would create a pattern. I also added one last layer of zucchini around the tomatoes since I had some leftover. Generously season final layer with salt, pepper and sprinkle with chopped fresh thyme. I drizzled a few tablespoons of heavy cream over the top to moisten the top layer of vegetables.
Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, until crisp, bubbly and vegetables are tender.
