Spring Reawakenings & Ratatouille

After a rather lengthy hiatus as I pouted my way through the winter months, it is now full blast ahead as the sun begins to shine consistently and my spirits and enthusiasm return. I’m SO excited about a few of the things in store here at The Food Adventuress this spring! Here’s a sampling of what you’ll see in the coming weeks and months:

• The long overdue posts on northern Indian home-cooked food from a morning I spent in my friend Srividya Venkatasubramanya’s kitchen.
• A review of a fantastic meal-planning website called Relish! thanks to a tip from my friend Fawn Rechkemmer over at Instead of the Dishes.
• A visit to the envy-inspiring kitchen in the cozy new home of my dear friend Lyndi (aka nwaFoodie) with great photos guaranteed as they were taken by my other adorable pal Jenny Marrs of Blessings & Raindrops.

• A review of the book Smart Chefs Eat Slim: Lessons in Eating & Living from America’s Top Chefs by Allison Adato.
• How I use Ziplist to keep my grocery shopping paperless and a little less chaotic.
• And, last but certainly not least, I’m very excited to have been invited to participate in Bean2Blog this year – a gathering highlighting the miraculous little Arkansas soybean held at P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home at Moss Mountain Farm outside Little Rock. You can bet there will be plenty to share on that topic!

Spring always feels like a time of personal renewal to me more so than the arrival of a new year. I’m excited about all the season holds.

However, I don’t want to torment you by only telling you what’s in store. So, here’s a little something fun. If you live in northwest Arkansas, by now you have hopefully visited Crêpes Paulette in the adorable blue and red trailer (“Madame Poupon”) across from the 21c Hotel in downtown Bentonville. If you have not, you are hereby commanded to go there straightaway after you finish reading this post. Link up with Crêpes Paulette via Facebook and Twitter and find a map and operating hours at www.CrepesPaulette.com, and join the scads of enthusiastic northwest Arkansans who enjoy this French treat regularly thanks to the efforts of Fred et Paula Jo.

I was fortunate to become friends with Paula before the Crêpes Paulette adventure began (because I don’t think could have scooped her up once her life became confined to a creaky food trailer and she became a local semi-celebrity).

One morning recently, I nabbed her and a few other foodie friends for a spring lunch Chez Stephens, and she brought the most fabulous rrrrrrrrratatatatouille. I begged her to share the “recipe,” (like me, she tends to throw things in a dish and see how it turns out), and she obliged. Please find it below for your dining pleasure, and head tout de suite to Crêpes Paulette, s’il vous plaît!

Mais, bien sur! But it’s not really a recipe. I made some the other day and this is approximately what I did:

1 eggplant
2-3 zucchini
1 small onion
15 (yes) cloves of garlic
1 red or orange pepper

Cube/chop all that and throw it into a greased 9 x 13, drain some water off a can of diced tomatoes and throw that in there with:
1-2 Tbsp of thyme
1-2 Tbsp of parsley
1 tsp of rosemary (optional)
2-3 bay leaves
1/4 c. olive oil

Toss that all around, place in 375 oven for 15 minutes.
Stir, cook another 15 minutes
Stir, add another 1/4 c. olive oil, cook another 15 minutes
Check to verify texture/add more oil, cook another 15 min, if necessary. Etc.

Yum

Photos shamelessly stolen from the CP Facebook page.