Ratatouille

Ratatouille
my adaptation of this youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFZqufAajN8

Ingredients

• thinly sliced eggplant (I used 1 medium to small)
  
• thinly sliced cucumbers (I used 4 pickling cucumbers)
  
• thinly sliced zuccini (I didn't use this)
  
• thinly sliced carrots (I used 4-6 short stubby ones.. I recommend using the carrot *bums* where the slices make the largest circles if possible and they're usually too fat around to want to eat without cutting anyway)
• 2 large tomatoes sliced
  
• 1 large onion chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 2 tsp basil (we used fresh basil so the measurement was different)
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• salt & pepper to taste
• 5 Tbsp olive oil

Prepare sliced veggies. In a sauce pan add 2 cans tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and thyme and cook over medium low heat while cooking the rest of the food. In a skillet or fry pan, saute onion, garlic, carrots in 2 Tbsp of oil over medium heat until onions are white and translucent. Add eggplant, zuccini, cucumber and remaining 3 Tbsp of oil to the onion mixture. You may cover if desired and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Check carrot tenderness. When carrots are almost your desired tenderness add mushrooms and tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until mushrooms and tomatoes and carrots are done. Spoon vegetables into a bowl or plate and top with sauce. You can always add more sauce if you start out conservatively. Enjoy! Most of the time to make this meal was spent prepping the vegetables. So simple and so easy with a lovely earthy dish as a result that your family will love. Sorry moms...you can't hide the fact that there are servings of vegetables in this dish. :)

Changes I made to the video's recipe:
*added carrots... you could probably also add potatoes but having tasted it I think it matches better without.
*cut in thin slices instead of chopped veggies... the texture is more pleasing but chopping might be faster. I recommend a mandolin or food slicer if you slice.
*added 2 small cans of tomato sauce and cooked spices in the sauce instead of adding to veggies directly.
*substituted cucumber slices for zuccini... zuccini would be closer to the eggplant texture so if would be fine,.. i think the cucumber added a nice different texture and freshness that wouldn't otherwise be there so I'm keeping them in the recipe.

** We did not eat this as presented in this photo. We just spooned it into a bowl and poured the sauce over it to serve.
** The changes I made were to match closer to the presentation made in Disney's Pixar's Ratatouille so I cannot take credit for the ideas I tried my best to imitate.