I've never cared much for eggplant - not that I've had much experience eating it, mind you. So when I came across a recipe for Ratatouille the other day, I was a bit skeptical. Still, the reviews posted with the recipe were very favorable and I've been wanting to try something new so I figured I'd take the plunge and buy an eggplant. All I can say is 'Wow!' It was delicious - surprisingly so.
If you haven't had Ratatouille before, it's essentially a cooked medley of vegetables. Eggplant, zucchini, green bell pepper, tomatoes, onions, and garlic are all traditional - though I added mushrooms (which is probably blasphemous to some). I've posted the recipe on our family website. I made some rice (just cooked in chicken broth with a little butter and salt) to eat with it - and it went really well with the Ratatouille. So well, in fact, that I think I'll serve the Ratatouille over the rice next time (though that might be even more sacrilegious than adding mushrooms).
Whenever I make a dish for the first time (or any time, for that matter), I think about how I can improve it for the next time but I haven't come up with anything for this one - it was that good. All in all, this is a low-fat, healthy, cheap, easy meal - and you can't beat that!