While in the garden surveying the eggplants, the last flower dropped to the ground. It was probably it’s way of telling me that summer was over and the shop was closed. Boo.
Flower still on the plant.
Two of the three eggplants for the season.
Because it was so mild this year, our crops never did well. In fact, we only picked up three eggplants this season.
Three.
So when two of the three were picked over the weekend, I was bound and determined to make something “special” with them. I had even dreamt of slicing them up, dredging them in tempura, flash-frying them, then topping them with some bay scallops marinated in yuzu, roe and mayonnaise, and then finishing them with a little micro cilantro.
Ummm…. So that didn’t happen.
As with our usual routine, the day slipped by, and at about 1:30 PM, I realized lunch still needed to be on the table before a 3:00 PM conference call. So what does one do with a garden basket of eggplants, tomatoes and zucchini?
Ratatouille, that’s what. At 1:40 PM, a tweet went out to solicit recipes. I gave it two minutes. Then I decided to wing it. After all, it’s just roasted summer vegetables simmered in tomato sauce, right?
I can do this.
In an hour.
At 1:50 PM, I started boiling water to blanch tomatoes. In a sauté pan went some diced onions. In the oven went some diced eggplant and zucchini. Into the pan of onions: minced garlic. And some diced little chilies for heat. Then tomatoes, peeled and seeded. When the zucchini and eggplant were sufficiently roasted, those went into the pan, too. Luckily, I had pork chops marinating in leftover balsamic vinaigrette in the fridge. That was supposed to be dinner, but it got promoted to lunch. A quick sear, then finish in the oven (which was already hot due to the roasted vegetables). A quick trip to the herb garden for some fresh thyme and basil leaves, and lunch was on the table at 2:55 PM. After the quickest RGB photo session on record, I was on the call by 3:02 PM.
[K]
What do you serve with your ratatouille?
Lucnthtime ratatouille with balsamic-marinated pork chops. My sincere apologies to the conference call attendees who might have heard me smack on my food. 
A detail on the ratatouille.
I love the idea of roasting the vegetables!! Concentrates the flavors and preserves some of the texture – yours looks divine and I am sure that it was fabulous with the balsamic roasted pork chops!! Beautiful photos of the garden – you may have only gotten 3 eggplants but they were beauties!!
Lunch in the garden on the weekends – you guys know how to live and this recipe is a perfect meal for that – or any other time for that matter!!!
You know, I was thinking that by roasting the vegetables, you could really make this dish year round since even if you are using winter tomatoes it would still taste great. A wonderful option for those longing for a taste of summer in the dead of winter!!!
Hi Kim, it was great to meet you. I hope you had fun at our event. Here is the post I did~
http://2besatisfied.blogspot.com/2010/09/six-degrees-of-seperation-bloggers-at.html
~Chef Louise
It DID look good – I saw it in person! I also brought over one lone eggplant from our yard, too late. It might have made it in if I had been there earlier!
You’re like a blogger version of Iron Chef! This looks SO GOOD–and certainly not like you did it within an hour, as both shots look awesome!
I’ve never made it, but Keller came up with a “promotional recipe” (whatever that means) for Ratatouille when the movie came out. Check it out – http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/recipes/15800917.html
Nice pics =)
I am so jealous that you can go out and pick veggies from your garden for lunch! Ratatouille sounds pretty good right about now since I have not had breakfast!
Mmmm, looks delicious!
That flower that dropped off- did it leave the female part of the flower behind on the stem? Or did the entire thing fall off? I’m having this problem with my white eggplants and I can’t seem to find any really helpful information. I’ve been hand-pollinating, and I’m seeing flowers fall off , but it’s only the petals and the stamen parts. The stigma is staying on the stem.
@Emily, Hi Emily! Good question. Yes, once the flower falls off, the eggplant starts to grow. Do you have a photo? Send me a photo so I can see what it’s looking like. What’s the soil like? Too much water does make blooms fall… let’s discuss. rusticgardenbistro@gmail.com.
[K]