By. Misa Misono
Since coming to Milan, my re-entry into Italian life and culture has been drawn out over the course of several snow-filled days. I was greeted by a snowstorm that caught the locals off guard, and the city shut down the highways that the vacationing Milanese hoped to use to return to their homes. What did that mean for me? Almost nothing was open, the streets were deserted, and it was incredibly cold – all reasons to stay indoors and hibernate. And of course, cook.
At some point in this period of solitude, I noticed that I was not eating enough vegetables, despite being surrounded by fresh produce. The best vegetable produce in Italy is often found at the small, local, but abundantly stocked stands or in my case, shops. After studying my Italian dictionary for a few days, I finally mustered up the courage to visit, and this vegetable gratin was the simple but tasty result.
Playing on both French ratatouille and Italian olive oil roasted vegetables, I created a hearty, attractive dish that is made layer by layer like lasagna. Easy to assemble and accepting of improvisations or ingredient substitutions—add some sliced mushrooms or replace the tomato paste with pesto—my vegetable gratin delivers flavor, texture, and as a bonus, many vitamins. Served with rice or couscous, it turns into a complete meal that will help you make it through a chilly Durham night.
INGREDIENTS
1 large eggplant
2 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 long hot pepper (optional)
2 cloves of garlic
½ cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (or mozzarella)
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Italian dried herbs or herbs de Provence (or a mix of parsley, rosemary, and sage)
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
1 8x8x2 inch baking dish
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375. Wash and dry all vegetables. Cut eggplants into rounds about a 1/3 of an inch thick. Set aside. Cut onion in half lengthwise (through the root) and then, putting cut-side face down, cut parallel to the root, creating thin half-moon shaped slices. Chop the zucchini into rounds – they should look like coins when you’re done. Cut out heart of bell-pepper and then slice into thin pieces. Mince (this means small!) garlic and hot pepper, if using.
Quick Prep Tip
Except for the eggplant and the garlic, you can avoid cutting up the vegetables by buying a pre-cut frozen vegetable mix of your choosing – I would go for a stir-fry mix that has larger chunks of vegetables – and use that as the “filling”.
In the baking dish, make a single layer of eggplant. A little overlap is okay. Put a layer of zucchini, onions, and peppers – it does not all have to lay flat, but it should be evenly distributed. Squirt out a tablespoon of tomato paste, concentrating on getting a bit in each quadrant of the dish. Sprinkle on half garlic and hot pepper. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of herbs over the layer. Drizzle olive oil over dish, and sprinkle salt and pepper.
Put another layer of eggplant slices, and then repeat with vegetable mix. Press lightly and top with a layer of eggplant slices.
Pour broth over the top of the dish (broth should pour over vegetables and create a pool on the bottom of the dish). Top with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper, and shredded cheese.
Bake, uncovered, in the oven for about 35-45 minutes. Check it at 30 minutes to make sure it isn’t burning. If it is, cover it with a piece of foil for the remaining time until vegetables are cooked. If the vegetables look super shriveled up, add a bit more broth (1/4 cup) for the last 10 minutes. The top should be golden brown in spots.
Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve over rice – and scoop up some of the juice from the bottom of the pan.
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