Nightshade Ragout

For once, I was able to keep ahead of the flea beetles and keep my eggplants happy and healthy resulting in some gorgeous purplish-black beauties for the table. We've enjoyed some eggplant parmigiana to use our garden bounty already and this week I came up with a nice vegetable stew to highlight the eggplant, tomato, and summer squash bonanza. We ate up a bunch for supper and I froze the rest to reheat in the winter when we need a whiff of summer.

Nightshade Ragout

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 medium yellow squash, quartered and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
6 plum tomatoes, cut into quarters
Handful of fresh basil leaves, sliced
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add garlic and onions, and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Add eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash and stir around. Cover and cook over low heat until all vegetables are soft and soak up the tomato gravy, about 15 minutes. Add basil, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Serves 6.