Happy Mother’s Day!

My Mom, Alexander’s Mom’s Mom, Maureen Love, made dinner for my Dad, my brother and myself every night growing up. The only times she didn’t cook was when my Mom and Dad went to the city for the Opera or to the theatre. Those nights we got Swanson Chicken Pot Pies and to this day I despise pot pies.

I never realized what a challenge it is to make dinner every night for a family until I had children of my own. Believe me I would rather prepare a Sunday brunch dessert buffet for 250 people, an a la carte dessert menu for 200 covers and a corporate dinner with Molten Chocolate Cake for 200 all in the same day, than figure out what we are eating every night for a week. I kid you not.

So, hats off to you Mom! Thank you for all our home cooked meals and the wonderful food you have made and are still making for us every time we come home.

This ratatouille recipe was one of the first recipes my Mom gave me to make a couple decades ago when I got my first apartment. It’s a very healthy recipe so there was not much for me to change. What I have done though is simplify it and make it kid friendly by incorporating the use of the Veggetti spiral vegetable cutter (my Mom gave it to me of course).

Alexander loves to twist the squash in to make long strands!

Enjoy!

Avec Amour, Victoria and Alexander

 

Mrs. Love’s Ratatouille

Yeild – 6 Servings

1 Large Eggplant

2 Large Zucchini

1 teaspoon Salt

1 Large Onion, small chopped about 2 Cups

1 14  oz Can Diced Tomatoes

4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme

4 Large Yellow Squash

1. Slice eggplant with skin on into 1/2″ cubes,

toss with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, set aside in a colander for minimum 30 minutes to 1 hour for bitter juices to drain,

rinse with a little cold water, drain and press out excess moisture with some paper towels. Slice Zucchini in 1/4″ full moon slices

and repeat salting step.

2. Drain tomatoes in a sieve,

chop onions and cut yellow squash with Veggetti or any other spiral cutter while waiting.

If you do not have one of these cutters just slice yellow squash into 1/4″ full moon slices.

3. Heat a 4 quart sauce pan over medium high heat, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and eggplant,

stir occasionally for 5 minutes until tender, set aside in large bowl.

Repeat step with zucchini.

4.  In same pan sauté onions with 1 Tablespoon olive oil until golden brown,

 

add tomatoes

and stir, add eggplant, zucchini and thyme

and simmer over medium low heat for ten minutes stirring occasionally.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. In a skillet over medium high heat add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sauté yellow squash spaghetti.

Do in two batches if your skillet isn’t big enough. Serve onto plates

and top with ratatouille.

If you have full moon slices of yellow squash sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil and add to pan with eggplant before simmering.