Ratatouille, Toast and Fried Eggs

I have definitely shared ratatouille recipes before. You may already have a favorite of your own, and please feel free to proceed with any of them to the toast-topping portion of the recipe. Otherwise, this particular ratatouille is lovely in that the veggies are all separate-but-together as a result of each cooking separately and then being combined to stew briefly.

For those uninitiated, ratatouille is a lovely veg-forward thick stew-like combination of veggies, most often eggplant, zucchini and peppers. This one also includes tomatoes (fresh, not canned). This is a perfect way to embrace a veg-foward meal, and is 100% appropriate for brunch, lunch and dinner, and any other meal time you see fit.

Please use some really lovely sourdough for the toast. Good bread makes such a big difference.

Ratatouille, Toast and Fried Eggs

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

5 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice

5 garlic cloves, smashed

Kosher salt

2 tsp chicken bouillon, optional

3 medium Italian eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch dice (3 cups) (note: you can use other varieties of eggplant, too. If using large globe eggplant, cut out the seed area to minimize bitterness)

5 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice (3 cups)

2 large red onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp paprika

1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper

1 T pomegranate molasses, optional

6 - 8 large eggs

Six to eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of sourdough bread, toasted

Directions

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, and season with salt. Add 1/2 tsp of bouillon if using. Cook the tomatoes over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape the tomatoes into a large dutch oven. Note: you can remove the larger bits of garlic if you like. Some say you can never have too much garlic, but we want this to be about the veggies and not about garlic.

Repeat with the eggplant, zucchini, onions and bell pepper, cooking each vegetable separately in 2 tablespoons of oil with 1 garlic clove, bit of bouillon and a generous pinch of salt until just tender and lightly browned, about 7 minutes per vegetable. Add the cooked vegetables to the tomatoes in the saucepan.

Add the paprika, crushed red pepper and 1/3 cup of water to the saucepan with the vegetables. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Season the ratatouille with salt and pepper and let cool slightly. Stir in pomegranate molasses, if using.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderate heat. Crack 3 - 4 of the eggs into the skillet and fry until the whites are firm and the yolks are runny, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a plate, season with salt and pepper and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 3 - 4 eggs.

To serve, spoon the ratatouille onto the toasts and top with the eggs. Enjoy!

Make Ahead

The ratatouille can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Serve warm or at room temperature.