The Nightshades make Ratatouille

"They're active at night." I heard the whisper of my partner.

We lay under some branches just waiting for some hint of movement in the darkness. "That's how they got their name."

"Are you sure they're not the same as The Deadly Nightshades?" I asked, a little worried.

I never pictured myself lying in the middle of a field, waiting for vegetables to show signs of life.

"I told you, they are in the same family as The Deadly Nightshade but they are much less dangerous. In fact, it seems only some of the general population is affected by them. Some people have a sensitivity to even the smallest amount of the alkaloids that are produced by this group. The ones we are researching tonight, the eggplant, the red pepper and the tomato don't hold a candle to the alkaloids contained in the really dangerous ones; the mandrake and the belladonna. But the research on those will have to wait for another time. The history on those two plants is really fascinating."
"I know. I've read about the dangerous use of belladonna in eye drops to dilates one's eyes, making one appear more seductive." I batted my eyes teasingly.

"It was also used as poison." Nikolai sourly rebutted.

"I've read about the mandrake as well. The root was supposed to resemble a human form and it was supposed to scream when removed from the ground. A scream would kill anyone within earshot, so the plant was normally tied to an animal so it would take the brunt of the damage. It was said to contain pretty powerful medicine."

"Wait! I saw something!" Nikolai whispered, excitedly.

"It moved! The eggplant moved!" I added.

It was true. Our old plant grimoire we acquired at the used bookstore was accurate. The moon cast shadows on them and the shadows transformed into faces. They were called The Nightshades because they moved at night. They quietly came to life while the rest of the world slept. This is when they were most active.

"Did you know that the eggplant contains minute amounts of nicotine?" Nikolai was back to his scientific, factual self. I supposed I had to counter his wit.

"The alkaloids contained in the nightshades have been said to cause inflammation in joints and in very high doses, for those some in extreme amounts, it has been said some of the alkaloids block certain enzymes in nerves thus causing twitching and trembling. It makes one wonder why ratatouille is so popular." I stated,  matter-of-factly.

"It tastes good."

"Short and sweet, Nikolai!"

"Look, the pepper and the eggplant...they are with each other talking"

"What do you think they might be talking about?"  I was fascinated.
The two veggies eerily moved between shadows with a small tomato lantern.

"It's time. We must go." I caught a glimpse of Nikolai stuffing his bag with something.

"Go?!? We just got here." I so wanted to stay.

"I believe our research  should go in a different direction. The Nightshades have too many in their family. It wouldn't take much for them to contact a relative. That could be dangerous.

We should do some research on the famous ratatouille instead. It includes a few of The Nightshades. We could always come back if need be to observe... Besides, I'm getting hungry."

"Oh Nikolai, just when things were getting interesting! Once again, your stomach ends up overpowering your brain! Fine, let's get going. By the way, where are we going to get all the ingredients for the ratatouille?"

Nikolai just grinned.
"Did we really come here to watch vegetables come to life or did you just want to pick them! Besides, we just you went on and on about some of the side effects of eating nightshades. Why go through the entire process of making a dish that may have an adverse effect?"
"Well, my dear, the world has been eating ratatouille for a very long time. Ratatouille originated in the town of Nice, France in the 1700's. It was quite the cosmopolitan place for cuisine at the time and since it's so near to Italy, their dishes typically blend French and Mediterranean styles of cooking. Eating this is in a way traveling back in time. Not every person has reactions to the alkaloids contained in these vegetables. Heat also tends to dissipate what little alkaloids exist. The Nightshades deserve to have their dish. I intend to make it."
We left the field, Nikolai's stomach growling and hungry; me reluctantly, wanting to see more.

We ate heartily and the fresh herbs screamed of France. It was the first time I had eaten ratatouille and I knew it wouldn't be the last. I may have to find that field again on my own.

Later my dreams were filled with eggplants and peppers, traveling country sides at night, keeping each other company. They loved the night as they slipped through the darkness doing what nightshades do and loving every minute of it. They looked a little scary but were actually harmless....for the most part.

 

 

 

 

 

Ratatouille

 

The browning of each vegetable separately maintains each one's flavors and dignity in tact.

The browning process should not take long at all for each vegetable. You want to keep each one firm so there's still some texture to each bite after it's all done baking.

1 Onion

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Eggplant

1 Zucchini

1 Red Pepper

1 Green Pepper

2 Large Tomatoes

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine, such as Chardonnay

1 Bay Leaf

2 Sprigs Thyme
1 Sprig Rosemary

2 Tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped

2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley Chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 4 sections. Remove the seedy, spongy middle and chop into bite-size pieces.

Chop the zucchini, the peppers and the onion.
Set aside a casserole dish that everything will go into.
In a 12" skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat.
When olive oil begins to shimmer, add onion. Sprinkle onion with a little salt.
Let onion lightly begin to brown.

Add garlic. Cook for one minute and empty onion into casserole dish.

Add your sprigs of thyme, rosemary and the bay leaf to your casserole dish.

In your frying pan, heat another tablespoon of oil until it shimmers (medium high) and add the eggplant. Sprinkle with a little salt and let the eggplant brown. Empty into the casserole dish.

Do the exact same thing with the zucchini,  heating the oil, lightly salting the zucchini and browning.

The veggies should brown pretty quickly.

Add to the casserole dish.

Once again, do the same with the peppers. Heat the oil. Add the peppers. Sprinkle with light salt. Brown. Add to the casserole dish.

Add the chopped basil to your casserole dish.

Now, the tomatoes! I used some beautiful yellow heirloom ones that needed to be used up very quickly but use whatever you have on hand. (If the tomatoes aren't fresh from the garden, sprinkle just a little sugar over them.)

In your same 12" pan, add the tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper (and sugar if needed)and let them cook down.
Add the wine and let it cook simmer out until you have a tick tomato paste.

Add to your casserole dish and mix well.

Bake in your oven, covered for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the freshly chopped parsley on top.

Serve warm or room temperature. It's wonderful with rye bread on the side. The rye seems to bring intensify the flavors of the herbs and makes every bite just that much more pleasurable.

I can see myself sitting on a hill, somewhere in the French countryside, enjoying the late summer breeze, waiting for the evening to come and watching for movement in the fields.

Sometimes all those old stories and fables come to life and on nights like these, with some good food and good wine, the vegetables really do come to life, even if only in a dish.

 

 

 

 

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