FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER -- Ratatouille

A couple of years ago I was invited to lunch at the home of a new friend.  Maureen grew up knowing my friend Paula, and shares with me a love of all things French. Paula thought we would be a good fit and introduced us.  Discussing food that day while dining on our French-inspired meal, Maureen made mention of her son-in-law's deceased uncle who was a "foodie" and had lived in the south of France.  It didn't take me long to connect the dots.  The uncle was Richard Olney.  After reading a tribute to Olney by Alice Waters after his death in the early 90's, I realized what a strong contributor he had been in the culinary world through his writings, cookbooks and mentoring to many, including Alice Waters.  Since my discovery that day over lunch, I have received several cookbooks by Olney from his nephew.  Today's recipe for ratatouille is from the book Lulu's Provencal Table by Richard Olney. 

Lulu Peyraud's ratatouille is the best I have ever eaten.  And this time of year, I have all of the ingredients I need to make it in my garden!

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                                        RATATOUILLE
               from Lulu's Provencal Table by Richard Olney

About 2/3 cup olive oil
1 pound large sweet onions, split in two and finely sliced
Salt
6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed, peeled, and finely sliced
1 pound zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 3/4-inch sections
1 pound firm young eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and quartered
3 large sweet peppers (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green) grilled, peeled, seeded, and cut lengthwise into narrow strips, juices reserved
Bouquet garni containing 2 bay leaves and 2 or 3 thyme sprigs
Pepper

   Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide, heavy 8 to 10-quart pot, add the onions, and cook, covered, over very low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for at least 30 minutes, or until they are melting and simmering in their own juices but uncolored.  Remove the lid, raise the heat slightly, and cook, stirring regularly, until they are uniformly light golden brown.  Add the salt, garlic, and zucchini and continue to stir regularly.
   Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan and add the eggplant and salt.  Saute, tossing and turning until the pieces are softened.  Add them to the pot with the onions and zucchini, reserving any remaining oil in the frying pan.
   Add more oil to the frying pan if it is nearly dry.  Over high heat, add the tomatoes and salt; saute, shaking the pan and tossing constantly until their liquid has evaporated.  Remove them from the heat before they begin to disintegrate and empty the frying pan into the pot.  Add the peppers and their juices to the pot, immerse the bouquet garni, and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, pot uncovered, for about 2 hours.  Displace the vegetables gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot with the wooden spoon from time to time and lowering the heat as the liquid reduces, until all excess liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are coated in a syrupy sauce.  Remove from the heat, grind over pepper, and taste for salt.  If prepared ahead, transfer to a dish and leave to cool before covering and refrigerating--the flavors will ripen over a day or two.  If meant to be served at room temperature (too cold, the flavors are paralyzed), remove the ratatouille from the refrigerator an hour or so before serving and stir in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil at the last minute.