The sun poked its orange face out for about 15 minutes the other day as if to remind us here in Seattle that it is, indeed, Spring. The pollinating trees, unfortunately, have already been doing a fine job of reminding many of us, as can be seen in our runny noses and red glazed-over eyes. But that brief little sunny moment (quickly followed by rain – ah, life in Seattle) inspired me to make a dish that brings color to a cloudy day.

Ratatouille.

Ratatouille is a French Provençal dish comprised mainly of tomatoes, but also includes eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, garlic, onions and herbs. It’s not a quick-fix meal, as it needs to stew for at least two hours, but it is well worth the wait.

This is a gorgeous veggie-packed dish that’s excellent as a main course or as a side, and gets even better the next day! We sliced the vegetables thinly on a mandoline, but you can rough chop them for a more rustic version. I prefer to use Japanese eggplant, in lieu of the larger variety, as I find it less acidic. I also find that caramelizing the onions adds a wonderfully sweet flavor to the dish.

See the recipe here:

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Our poor barbecues. During the warmer months they barely have a chance to cool down before we’re firing them up again. Then, before you know it the weather changes and the grill sits cold and lonely outside wondering where in our whirlwind romance was the love lost (I have a strange habit of giving inanimate objects feelings). Many of us don’t think to barbecue in Winter – because, really, who likes to freeze their butt off while flipping steaks in the snow? – but grilling vegetables is quick, easy and requires only a couple of fast trips outside to check on their progress. And it’s so worth having beautifully colorful and delicious grilled veggies in February!

We sliced up a few zucchini lengthwise and quartered, top to bottom, some sweet onions. We tossed the onions with a bit of olive oil and placed them in a grilling basket. Then, we brushed both sides of the zucchini with olive oil and placed them in a row on the grill. Beside them we laid a few red and yellow peppers, closed the lid and let the trio do their thing.

After a few minutes we tossed the onions in their basket, flipped the zukes, and rotated the peppers. Once the zucchini and onions were nicely grilled we removed those and cranked up the flame to further roast the peppers. You want them black. Once sufficiently black remove the peppers from the grill and place in a paper bag. This cools them and allows the sugars to further caramelize. The skin will then slide off nicely. Quarter the peppers and place all your lovely vegetables on a platter.

Drizzle with a bit of reduced Balsamic vinegar and you have summer sooner than you thought!

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